Susannah Clapp
Susannah Clapp is the theatre critic of the Observer. She is the author of With Chatwin and A Card from Angela Carter and a regular broadcaster. Twitter
@susannahclapp
-
Kiln; Almeida; Dorfman, London
In his quickfire new McCarthy-era play, For Black Boys… creator Ryan Calais Cameron speaks his mind; a civil rights musical buzzes with potential; and Deborah Bruce’s domestic abuse drama is full of surprises
-
Brian Friel’s thoughtful 1930s drama remains absorbing, while Noel Coward’s classic has fine cigarette work but fails to ignite
-
Shakespeare’s wife moves centre stage in Lolita Chakrabarti’s pivotal adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, while urgent productions from two small London theatres tackle recent history head on
-
4 out of 5 stars.James Norton elevates Ivo van Hove’s knotty adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s bestseller. And to the sea as Cordelia Lynn’s breezy new play sets a family adrift
-
An intimate venue brings Baldwin and Buckley’s clash back to life; Danny Lee Wynter falls foul of a caped crusader (and too much exposition); and an island is threatened by outsiders
-
The audience is swept along with the action in Nicholas Hytner’s thrillingly immersive new Guys and Dolls; Nancy Carroll and Anne Reid surf memory and identity; and Shakespeare’s witches multitask
-
Here are 25 inspiring events to enjoy, from the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery to free gigs in Manchester
-
Director Rupert Goold and co have a field day with Lulu Raczka’s elusive new Jacobean folk horror; star-crossed Cardiff teenagers snare hearts and minds; and Sheridan Smith makes Willy Russell’s midlife monologue her own
-
Playground; @sohoplace; Donmar Warehouse, London
Richard Norton-Taylor and Nicolas Kent’s second Grenfell drama is a shocking dissection of negligence; Sophie Okonedo breathes fire as Medea; and Diana Nneka Atuona brings wartime Cardiff to life -
Lyttelton; Old Vic; Olivier, London
Janet McTeer is mighty in Simon Stone’s electric remaking of myth; dance, not speech, powers Kate Prince’s suffragette musical; and Richard Hawley’s paean to Sheffield finds a home from home -
Alex Kingston’s fine Prospero weathers an RSC concept storm; the 21st century erupts into a tale of 18th century gender subversion; and illusion captivates in a revival of Sam Mendes’s banking saga
-
Travis Alabanza and friends joyously return drag to its radical roots, while Aidan Turner and Jenna Coleman keep it brief in Sam Steiner’s social media allegory
-
Brute force speaks volumes in Frantic Assembly’s breathtaking Othello; Steven Moffat and co flirt with farce; and the story of Windrush boxer Vernon Vanriel hits home in song
The week in theatre: Romeo and Juliet; When Winston Went to War With the Wireless; Groundhog Day – review