... barrier, an enclosed room or a long passage, expanding or contract ing to represent Joseph K's state of mind. The words they speak have power but arc secondary to this ever- mobile setting which seems to pursue Joseph K across the stage. Antony Sher brilliantly ...

... they are seldom considered worth writing about, which is a crying shame as far as this fine play is concerned. Commercially speaking, a couple of years ago, in the unlikely event of, say, Vanessa Redgrave, Kate O'Mara and Dame Wendy Hiller having banded ...

... jealous suspicion of her relationship with their upstairs neighbour? The large spaces which the actors have to traverse and speak across, and the necessity of holding a sing-song Italian accent all tend to slow them down, robbing the play of its fizz. But ...

... and the acting is excellent throughout, particularly Oscar Quitak who has the least to say but whose expression and movement speak vol umes about the despair and degrada tion of people who were just like us, once. Lisa Rohumaa ?5 Play Reviews Picture: Tristram ...

... uneasy conjunction with modern slang. Lloyd Notice's rather affected Orestes catches the character's pomposity and at least speaks the lines well, albeit like an Old Etonian. Moaning becomes Electra in Vivienne Rochester's graceless perfor mance. The acappella ...

... sion is the sparkling gutsiness, replaced by a strong portrait of a woman who has been through mental and physical torment, speaking in fal tering English which frequently lapses into Yiddish. Laurel Lefkow, as Rose, contrasts vividly as a young girl brought ...

... Squiffy, Lord Tidmouth. Janet Dibley's assertive doctor with the brisk air and the self control of Jane Eyre demands plain speaking and isn't as in command of herself as she seems. That the doc's a woman is a joke plumped to bursting. Dale Raplcy's permed ...

... nifty foot work Painting a picture of a proud Protestant family there's some pretty fast, sometimes too fast, Northern Irish speak as gossip and insults are wittily and colourfully exchanged. 'A do isn't a do without a bit of a to-do' cry the women who bully ...

... natural hero-type in the shape of dark and broody John Barrowman, as Hernandez, to recom mend it. With our gamely English cast, speaking with debatable Spanish accents just in case you were in any doubt that the uninspirational and simple plot unfolds in the ...

... Hotspur's wife, ice and fire constantly challeng ing one another, while Jane Gurnett is a poignant Lady Mortimer unable to speak English to her husband. The battle scenes are memorably conceived with gaudy banners flutter ing and drums beating out a compul ...

... Sarafina HACKNEY EMPIRE BROADLY speaking, Sarafina is in line of descent from previous black South African musicals such as King Kong, Ipi-Tombi and Kwa Zulu, which were accused of being black shadows for white audiences, emphasising folkloric qualities ...

... married. Husbands have to be constantly watched and reminded of their dunes. Neighbours are occasion ally useful but, generally speaking, they are potential enemies with their prying eyes and malicious tongues. Women like this, for all their good points, are ...