#arifaakbar — Public Fediverse posts

Cleansed review – Sarah Kane’s visions of brutal torture resonate more intensely than ever
By Arifa Akbar

Almeida theatre, LondonRebecca Frecknall pulls off this notoriously difficult 1998 play, in which appalling cruelty and violence is balanced against human yearning for love and beauty

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/30/cleansed-review-almeida-theatre-london-rebecca-frecknall

#Stage #Culture #Theatre #Almeidatheatre #SarahKane #RebeccaFrecknall #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

PalesTEENian review – engaging story of mixed identity is a bit of a muddle
By Arifa Akbar

Riverside Studios, London Joe Haddad’s solo show tilts between family comedy and football fandom as well as the horrors of the Gaza war but never quite finds its focus

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/28/palesteenian-review-riverside-studios-london

#Theatre #Stage #Culture #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

The World Is Full of Married Men review – Jackie Collins’ bonkbuster as a gloriously filthy puppet show
By Arifa Akbar

The Yard theatre, LondonBarbies, giant erections and exquisite craftsmanship combine in one of the year’s most outrageously funny and startingly original shows

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/24/world-is-full-of-married-men-review-jackie-collins-yard-theatre-london

#Theatre #Stage #Culture #JackieCollins #Books #Yardtheatre #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

Trainspotting the Musical review – forgettable songs make this a bad trip
By Arifa Akbar

Theatre Royal Haymarket, LondonThe chopped-up story means this ends up feeling like a weak impersonation of Danny Boyle’s classic film

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/23/trainspotting-the-musical-review-forgettable-songs-make-this-a-bad-trip

#Theatre #Stage #Culture #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

The Cherry Orchard review – the RSC’s starry cast brings a disappointing lack of sparkle
By Arifa Akbar

Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-AvonTamara Harvey’s production of Chekhov’s final play can seem woolly in meaning and the soft-edged tone mutes its force

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/22/the-cherry-orchard-review-the-rscs-starry-cast-brings-a-disappointing-lack-of-sparkle

#RoyalShakespeareCompany #KennethBranagh #HelenHunt #AntonChekhov #Theatre #Stage #UKnews #Culture #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

Here Comes J Edgar! A Musical Comedy review – show tunes, Mel Brooks zing and real human anguish
By Arifa Akbar

King’s Head theatre, LondonCamp comedy from The Simpsons’ Harry Shearer and Seinfeld writer Tom Leopold explores the relationship between FBI boss Hoover and protege Clyde Tolson

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/19/here-comes-j-edgar-a-musical-comedy-review-kings-head-theatre-london

#Stage #Theatre #FBI #HarryShearer #Comedy #Culture #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

The Smile of Her review – actor’s autobiographical show speeds through its resonant pains
By Arifa Akbar

Marylebone theatre, London Christine Lahti tells the story of family life, misunderstandings between mothers and daughters, and her career – but its focus is blurred

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/17/the-smile-of-her-review-marylebone-theatre-london-christine-lahti

#Stage #Culture #Theatre #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

My Fair Lady review – lovable musical transforms exuberantly beyond expectation
By Arifa Akbar

Chichester Festival theatreThe well-worn rags to riches story blossoms beyond its generic setup when Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins’ relationship develops an emotional truth

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/16/my-fair-lady-review-chichester-festival-theatre

#Musicals #Stage #Culture #Theatre #ChichesterFestivaltheatre #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

The Oresteia review – Simon Stone’s patchwork tragedy is a gripping and exasperating epic
By Arifa Akbar

Bridge theatre, London Mary-Louise Parker gives a powerhouse performance in a three-part drama that cuts up Aeschylus’s chronology and adds shades of other plays

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/15/the-oresteia-review-bridge-theatre-london-david-morrissey-mary-louise-parker

#Theatre #Bridgetheatre #SimonStone #Aeschylus #Stage #Culture #DavidMorrissey #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

Tender review – passion and dangerous promise in surreal horror romance
By Arifa Akbar

Bush theatre, LondonFrancesca Amewudah-Rivers is a phenomenal presence in this queer thriller that leaves a little too much unexplained

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/15/tender-review-bush-theatre-london

#Theatre #Stage #Bushtheatre #Culture #TheGuardian #ArifaAkbar

Baldwin v Buckley: how the ‘debate play’ made a riveting resurgence
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/17/baldwin-v-buckley-how-the-debate-play-made-a-riveting-resurgence?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#ArifaAkbar

Snobbery about audience behaviour stifles theatre – it’s a collective experience
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/14/snobbery-about-audience-behaviour-stifles-theatre-its-a-collective-experience?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#Theatre
#ArifaAkbar