Anne McElvoy
A Triumph for Mr Bean
Reworking a masterpiece can be a tricky business. The National Theatre succeeds with Goldoni but not with Chekhov
A Little Night Musical
The National’s dramatisation of the Ipswich murders is touching and telling in equal measure
The Two Sides of Terence
On the centenary of his birth, two Rattigan revivals showcase his best — and worst — work
Dark Hearts
Mike Leigh’s Ecstasy casts a chink of light on social misery. Neil LaBute’s new play lets in even less
Global Yawning
The climate has changed for eco-dramas. Greenland at the National doesn’t work; The Heretic at the Royal Court does
A Prince Among Hamlets
By making Elsinore a modern surveillance state, Hytner’s production has added menace
Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink
Nudge is glib trickery, albeit of a very nicely spoken, bland cross-party 21st-century sort
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal