MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Churchill in Manchester
PAUL FOLEY recommends an extraordinary double bill that packs a punch and leaves you reeling
A STAKE IN THE FUTURE: Annette Badland and Danielle Henry in Carly Churchill's What If If Only
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
Escaped Alone / What if if Only
Royal Exchange Manchester
IT may seem absurd to describe two short plays as epic. But Escaped Alone, running at just under 50 minutes, and What If If Only which doesn’t even hit the half-hour, are exactly that.
These extraordinary plays by Caryl Churchill pack such a punch you leave the theatre rolling like a boxer. They are full of ideas, inventiveness and thoughtful insights.
Churchill sets us the challenge “to make of it what you will.” It’s like standing in front of a Braque masterpiece and trying to interpret what it means. The plays need a great director and former Exchange artistic director Sarah Frankcom is the perfect choice. Her skill at understanding how to present them, without irrelevant distractions, is excellent.
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