HENRY BELL is fascinated by the underlying curiosities and contradictions of one of the great poets of the Mediterranean
DAVID RENTON recommends a books that explores the ways in which disabled people are made to feel both of and not part of this world
JONATHAN TAYLOR is fascinated by the philosophical problems that permeate the art of life-writing
GORDON PARSONS steps warily in between the lines of Britain’s most famous diarist
SIMON DUFF recommends a recording of Arvo Part that takes the listener on a pilgrimage through seemingly distant times and events of the Bible
Twelfth Night
Young Vic, London
KWAME KWEI-ARMAH opens his tenure as artistic director at the Young Vic with this highly successful musical adaptation of Twelfth Night that played in New York’s Central Park to glowing reviews.
It will not appeal to Shakespearian purists. The majority of the verse is replaced by Shaina Taub’s catchy musical score and the darker themes all but expunged but, running at 90 minutes and with a 30-strong local chorus, it's a joyous introduction to Shakespeare and a vibrant celebration of the Notting Hill community.
Set on the eve of the carnival, the street-party atmosphere is established from the outset as the cast, interacting with the arriving audience, populate both the auditorium and Robert Jones’s expansive, and brightly coloured street set.
STEVE JOHNSON relishes a celebration of the commonality of folk music and its links with the struggles of working people the world over
GORDON PARSONS meditates on the appetite of contemporary audiences for the obscene cruelty of Shakespeare’s Roman nightmare
