Kiln Theatre Archives - North West End UK

16Nov

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

COVEN – Kiln Theatre

Inspired by England’s notorious witch trials of the 17th century, Rebecca Brewer’s Coven tells the story of Jenet Device in 1616 Pendle, Lancashire, who at nine years old accuses her family of witchcraft. Over two decades later, she finds herself imprisoned for the same crime amongst wrongfully accused women, forcing her to confront her painful past, her beliefs, as well as her identity. Directed by Miranda Cromwell, Coven could be likened to SIX and Sylvia in some ways, powerful women historically shunned by society, reclaiming their narratives and rewriting their stories in a deeply rooted patriarchal world. Jasmine Swan’s set is dark and intimidating, grey stone covers the stage with formidable jail bars centre stage, a constant reminder that these condemned women are trapped, whi...

18Sep

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Reunion – Kiln Theatre

This is a tough one. A storm-weathered family convenes on “an island off the west coast of Ireland,” and all hell—less so breaks than steadily chips loose. En route from the Galway International Arts Festival, this production of Mark O’Rowe’s Reunion much like its island setting, holds a captive audience. Its dialogue is natural and intriguing, and O’Rowe resists the kitchen sink dramatist’s persistent impulse to make his characters as mean as possible. A perfectly gender-split cast of five and five places surprising emphasis on its female characters’ internality, relegating its men to timorous punchlines at best (in the case of Stephen Brennan’s adorably addlepated Felix) and tremendous encumbrances at worst (in the case of Ian-Lloyd Anderson’s incredibly effectively irritating Aonghus...

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs – The Kiln Theatre

21Jun

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs – The Kiln Theatre

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs holds counsel for all of us seeking to find our queer foremothers who lived and loved despite the unjust laws of the land that aims to criminalize love. The synergistic partnership between writer Iman Qureshi and director Hannah Hauer-King will be cherished. They have managed to not only centre ‘community building’ on the stage but also brought a nuanced, intersectional perspective to the structural challenges that pose barriers to many from joining and sustaining communities. Supported by an award-winning cast, each of them brings such diversity of perspectives and emotional vulnerability to the portrayal of their roles. Fanta Barrie (Ellie) plays the butch lesbian lover on a journey of self discovery and curiosity, Georgie Henley (Ana) plays the white l...

11Apr

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Shanghai Dolls – Kiln Theatre

“Shanghai Dolls” at Kiln Theatre traverses nearly 60 years of Chinese history in a brisk 80 minute run, centering on the intertwined fates of two legendary women. United by a passion for theatre yet divided by political beliefs, personal values, and the sweep of history, one transforms into Mao Zedong’s wife while the other rises to become China’s first female theatre director. Directed by Katie Posner, the production tackles vast historical events but occasionally buckles under its own weight. There’s a palpable sense of rushing to cover too much ground at once, with the dense narrative sometimes feeling overloaded—especially for Western audiences less familiar with the period. A clever nod to Ibsen’s A Doll’s House frames the struggle of these women, suggesting that the search for mea...

21Mar

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Retrograde – Apollo Theatre

Sidney Poitier was one of the greats of Hollywood, whose influence went well beyond the world of film. The tributes to him at the time of his death in 2022, reproduced in the programme, demonstrate this. On transfer from the Kiln Theatre, this play deals with events early in Poitier's life, when he was on the verge of a major breakthrough into the world of film. He came to the attention of McCarthy's Un-American Activities Committee and was put under extreme pressure to sign a document implicating some of his friends as communists and repudiating his sincerely held views on the civil rights movement. This play is thus essentially about the conflict which he personally faced at this crucial juncture in his professional life but also reflects on the malign influence of the political thought-...

17Jan

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Lonely Londoners – Kiln Theatre

This is unusual and creative adaptation of Samuel Selvon's 1956 book, which was one of the first.to focus on the lives of poor working class black people settling in England following the enactment of the British Nationality Act 1948. Set in the 1950s it provides vignettes of the life of a small group of black Londoners as they try to adjust to the cold and the blatant racism of the time, finding inevitably that London's streets are not paved with gold which they had been promised back in their home countries. This production, which has transferred to the Kiln theatre after a very successful run at the Jermyn Street theatre is a mixture of theatre and movement. The eight strong cast worked very well as an ensemble with members of the cast not directly involved in the current...

14Jul

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

The Invisible Hand – Kiln Theatre

Written by Ayad Akhtar and presented by The Kiln Theatre The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar is a thrilling exploration of capitalism, Wall Street and geopolitics set in the backdrop of rural Pakistan. Directed by Artistic Director of the Kiln Theatre Indhu Rubasingham, this revival of Akhtar’s 2014 play is deliciously exciting and thought-provoking, combining the frenetic pace of the financial world with the growing disillusionment of Pakistan’s working class against interference by Western nations. The story centres around the unlawful detention of American banker Nick Bright (played by Daniel Lapaine) who is being held ransom by a local Imam (played by Tony Jayawardena) in a rural village in Pakistan. Supporting the Imam’s mission is the fiery Bashir (played by Scott Kar...

20Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Invisible Hand – Kiln Theatre

"Money is the opiate of the people." This is the over-arching theme of Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar's clever and thrilling play, The Invisible Hand. The hand in question is the international money market with the immense power of global finance and the machinations of futures trading. Caught up between this world and that of poverty, civil war and drone strikes is American banker, Nick Bright. He's being held for ransom in Pakistan, a ransom that his US bosses refuse to countenance paying under their policy of not negotiating with terrorists. Instead, Bright realises that he has a valuable asset for his kidnappers, his knowledge of the financial markets. The fate of journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, is much in his mind. Frantic to...