Thursday, October 10

Tag: Manchester School of Theatre

Husbands and Sons – Manchester School of Theatre
North West

Husbands and Sons – Manchester School of Theatre

DH Lawrence called success 'the bitch goddess', during his lifetime he suffered constant vilification with his work dismissed as little more than pornography, dying before he could see his vindication as one of the most important writers of the 20th century. His depiction of the details of working-class life in Nottinghamshire in the years before and after the first World War finds its apogee in 'Sons and Lovers' and 'Women in Love', but it is a 2015 condensing of three of his short plays, adapted by Ben Power, that Manchester School of Theatre present this evening. Despite some excellent central performances and innovative direction, the piece never wholly manages to satisfy as a single entity. We begin with 'A Collier's Friday Night' exploring the simple lives and loves of the Lambert...
<strong>Oppenheimer – Manchester School of Theatre</strong>
North West

Oppenheimer – Manchester School of Theatre

The genesis of the 'Manhattan' project, to develop a nuclear bomb ahead of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II, is an irresistible subject for dramatists with film Director Christopher Nolan bringing his version of the story to the cinema screen next year. Writers have always found its chief architect, J. Robert Oppenheimer, a fascinating study and in 2015 Tom Morton-Smith succeeded where many of his illustrious predecessors (Arthur Miller amongst them) have failed, bringing him to life on stage. Manchester School of Theatre has further burnished its reputation with this excellent production, which manages to weave together the scientific, personal and political threads of the story into a wholly convincing tapestry that is Shakespearean in its breadth and illustration of both personal...