MARIA DUARTE is swept along by the cocky self-belief of a ping-pong hustler in a surprisingly violent drama
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Theatre: Random resonance at a time when knife killings are on the rise
Random
Leeds Playhouse
[Anthony Robling]
STEVE ANDREW recommends a lively and often moving guide to once vibrant spaces that have been abandoned or swept away
GEOFF BOTTOMS appreciates the local touch brought to a production of Dickens’s perennial classic
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a production whose design and cartoonish acting overwhelms the close scrutiny of characters
SUSAN DARLINGTON enjoys the raucous familiarity of a traditional topsy-turvy pantomime
RON JACOBS introduces the latest novel by the best writer of US working-class fiction writing today
CENTRING on one day and one pivotal event — a fatal stabbing — Debbie Tucker Green’s Random certainly is up-to-the moment as knife-crime statistics continue to rise.
In its single act, it skilfully manipulates emotions and challenges media stereotypes as it explores how an ordinary family deals with grief.
Kiza Deen (pictured) performs all of the roles in a patchwork of narratives punctuated by regular time checks, including the sassy sister, irritated by her colleagues, and the mother concerned that her family hasn’t eaten and her children are inappropriately dressed.
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