Friday, December 5

Tag: Gunnar Cauthery

Dear England – The Lowry
North West

Dear England – The Lowry

When James Graham originally staged ‘Dear England’ back in June 2023 at the National Theatre, England football fans were daring to dream that their wait over half a century for a tournament victory was finally at an end. English hearts were once again broken at Euro ‘24 by an 86th-minute Spanish goal in the final, the wait for a trophy from our men’s national football team will now enter its seventh decade at the World Cup in the USA next year. Set against this backdrop of perceived failure, Graham has fashioned a superb piece of theatre that examines the effect that ‘fifty-nine years of hurt’ have had on our national psyche, through the lens of our national game and the redemption journey of one man, Gareth Southgate. Our jumping-off point in the narrative is Wembley Stadium in the Sum...
Nachtland – Young Vic
London

Nachtland – Young Vic

This play by Marius von Mayenberg  presented in a translation by Maja Zade sells itself as “a jagged new satire” and is set in modern-day Germany. Siblings Nicola (Dorothea Myar-Bennett) and Philipp (a nervously downtrodden John Heffernan) are clearing out their late father's house. Curiously most of his goods are being cleared from the stage as the audience file in, leaving one item wrapped in brown paper, found in the attic. It’s a painting of a church, a simple piece, but the signature is of the most interest. Is it indeed a painting by Hitler, and if so how did it find its way here? There is plenty of mileage here for black humour or satire, but the pacing feels off and some segues are either head-scratching (Nicola’s husband Fabian (Gunnar Cauthery)’s behaviour takes ...