MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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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
Trestle
Southwark Playhouse
London
THE SCENARIO of a man and a woman trapped by circumstance and the limitations they place upon themselves is the theme of the big London theatre hit of recent months, David Eldridge's Beginning at the National Theatre, and it bears many more similarities to Stewart Pringle's prize-winning debut play Trestle than just its one-word title.
In Eldridge's play, widower Harry (Gary Lilburn) carries out his retirement duties as chair of Billingham's Improvement Committee with diligence. But there's little excitement to be had. So, when the sparky yet blunt Denise (Connie Walker) turns up for her zumba class, his idle muscles start to reactivate and he even reluctantly dons his own exercise gear at one point.
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