... Simplicity reaps dividends Barbican Pit 'Tis Pity She's A Whore WE HAVE become so accustomed to the RSC's unearthing neglected plays by Shakespeare's contemporaries at the Stratford Swan (where this production by David Leveaux in fact first saw the light of day last year) that it comes as something of a surprise to leam that the rediscovery of Ford's play about incest is due to the last of the ...

... Polygraph Glasgow POLYGRAPH, as presented by Robert Lepage's Theatre Repere of Quebec City, turned out to be a riv eting theatrical experience, not so much for the dramatic performances of the three strong cast which were in all truth most impressive but for the brilliantly innovative special effects and settings which were so profoundly effective. In a series of film-like sequences, ...

... Making the connection Sadler's Wells La Fille Mal Gardee WITH the version of La Fille Mai Gardee shown by Ballet du Rhin, we find ourselves caught in a time-cycle in which both coincidence and com-monaliry feature. This production, by Swedish choreographer-historian Ivo Cramer, was made in 1989 for the Ballets de Nantes (where the Ballet du Rhin's director Jean-Paul Gravier was then in ...

... Polyeuct GATE THANKS to the new sadly vanished Jonathan Miller regime at the Old Vic, Pierre Corneille (1606-84) is for London theatregoers something more than a familiar name from histories of French dramatic literature in which he occupies the status of father to French classic drama. But the revival in the Waterloo Road of Ranjit Bolt's translations of Corneille 's come dies, The Liar ...

... Hedda Gabler HARROGATE HARROGATE Theatre complete their current season with a stunning production of Ibsen's famous play Hedda Gabler, in a translation by Christopher Hampton and brilliantly directed by Andrew Manley. This is one of Ibsen's later plays and is about a woman who is trapped between her needs as a woman and her duties as a wife. In this production the action takes place centre ...

... The Village Fete SCARBOROUGH PETER Tinniswood's latest play, which had its world premiere at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, is a delightful piece of theatre, written in his own inimitable style, full of eccentric characters. He has created some splendid characters into whom we get a deep insight as they unfold their fears and reflections. The story surrounds the Epson family, the father, two ...

... SiqNora Joyce New End Theatre IN 1904 AT the age of 20 a young chambermaid, Nora Barnacle, leaves Ireland to wander Europe with James Joyce. Years later when she returns to Ireland her mother says to her, You've travelled far Nora Barnacle, but you've lost yourself somewhere. The Irish Company's production, directed by Deb Jones, explores this journey in an attempt to evaluate exactly what ...

... Mother's pride is a joy to behold Chichester Coriolanus SURROUNDED as we are by countries facing constitutional crisis, including Italy, as well as significant nationalism and people power, the production of Coriolanus at Chichester Festival Theatre by the Renaissance Theatre Company has many modern connotations. However. stripped to its basics it identifies that pride and courage are ...

... Shadowlands Westcliff-On-Sea SHADOWLANDS, by William Nicholson, tells of the unusual love affair between C S Lewis (the author of the Narnia stories) and Joy Davidman, an American divorcee. The play was directed by Christopher Dunham, designed by Judy Reaves, and presented at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff. Probably because of the inclement weather, the fact that a decisive football match was ...

... Barnstorming killjoys HIGHBURY FIELDS A Midsummer Night's Dream THE INTERNATIONAL Footsbarn Travelling Theatre cheerfully tramples all over Shakespeare's text in its barnstorming approach to the Bard which opens the London International Festival of Theatre. Instead the emphasis is on gaudy surface trappings, while the protracted comic sequences provide a classic case of the actors having ...

... The Garden Venture The Judgment Of Paris/Echoes/The Panic RIVERSIDE THESE three brief pieces set their composers and librettists enormous tasks: who, apart from Puccini and a handful of names, has managed to be incisive and beautiful or memorable within such a short span? It is part of the fascination of these short pieces to watch the attempt. Perhaps the most successful is Paris (composer ...

... Margot La Rouge (Delius) Les Mamelles de Tiresias (Poulenc) GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DRAMA VISITTNG the Guildhall is always an adventure. The productions and repertoire rarely fail to interest. Their current double bill is no exception. Delius Margot La Rouge ts an oddity. Unlucky cop, Thibault, dis covers childhood sweetheart Marg uerite in a bar frequented by prosti tutes, only to be ...