Saturday, March 14

Tag: Evie Gurney

Dear England – Liverpool Empire
North West

Dear England – Liverpool Empire

As someone who can’t bear football, because it is forced upon them so much, I was as shocked as everyone to find how intrigued I was by the Dear England play. Euro ’96 is probably the first big tournament I remember and Gareth Southgate’s penalty being the prevailing moment. And I think that was what made me want to see him and cheer him on  as he managed to turn things around over the last decade as manager of the England men’s team. The play starts with that missed penalty that knocked England out of the Euros in 1996. It then cuts to 2016 and Sam Allardyce ‘mutually deciding’ to leave the post with the FA, after being in charge for one singular game. We get to see Southgate being asked to become the Interim manager and follow how he managed to take the team to heights we’ve n...
Christmas Day – The Almeida
London

Christmas Day – The Almeida

Sam Grabiner's 'Christmas Day' is a deft exploration of religion and family politics. Over a Chinese meal in a barely habitable warehouse guardianship, a Jewish family debate their sense of belonging within their faith, giving rise to deep rooted tensions within their respective relationships. From the off, the exposed brick wall of the Almeida and the cold warehouse setting chimed carefully with the budding theme of familial expectations. With a boxy heater hanging ominously overhead, tension literally began to swelter within the play's closed space, where characters gradually shed Evie Gurney's smart costumes. Steadily, the outside world permeated the somewhat isolated setting. Aided by the intrusive rumbling of the Northern Line and the pervasive glare of the Christmas tree, the audi...