Minette Marrin

David Hare’s new play has been mistaken for great political theatre

Two superb productions, The Norman Conquests at the Old Vic and Oedipus at the NT, explore the ties that bind ancient and modern drama

A brave new play deals with freedom of speech in complex and interesting ways

Two new plays lack nothing in ambition but ultimately fail to engage

Slick and professional popular productions have many merits, but the gap between Les Mis and opera is very wide

A new play, The English Game, brings social issues alive by creating characters, not mouthpieces

When charities drop their illustrious founders’ names, we all lose

The Left has lost its monopoly, but new political plays like Brenton’s Never So Good still reveal a tin ear for language

The Archbishop of Canterbury, it is said, was very surprised earlier this year by the furious response to his speech about civil and religious law. I am very much surprised that he was surprised; it was hardly likely that a recommendation to incorporate parts of sharia law into English law could fail to enrage people far and wide, especially coming from him.