A star-studded and haunting play on the theme of good and evil impresses
ARE good and evil interdependent? What, anyway, do we mean by the word ‘evil’? And is it any help in analysing dangerous criminals? These are big issues that recur in two connected, yet entirely disparate, pieces of theatre.
One is a revival of Bryony Lavery’s 1998 play Frozen at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket; the other is Miss Lavery’s new version of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock, which is touring the country. Both are impressive, but, if I preferred the former, it’s because I enjoy original plays far more than novel adaptations.
Frozen is haunting precisely because it challenges our assumptions. It starts with intercut monologues from Nancy, a mother grieving over the abduction of her 10-year-old daughter, Rhona, Ralph, a serial killer responsible for Rhona’s death, and Agnetha, a psychologist who comes from America to deliver a lecture on the criminal mind and to make a study of the imprisoned Ralph.
Having introduced the characters separately, Miss Lavery then shows their interaction: it’s that which makes the story intensely dramatic and takes it away from the expression of a solo viewpoint, such as in another acclaimed recent show, Girls & Boys at the Royal Court.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin March 07, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin March 07, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
