The Evening Standard Theatre Podcast headed west this week, well west London, for shows at the Lyric Hammersmith and the Bush Theatre.
Actor Paul Bazely – recently seen in blockbuster Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – tells us about the challenges of playing one of the 20th century’s most recognisable figures. He stars as Mahatma Gandhi in The Father and the Assassin, written by Anupama Chandrasekhar, on the Olivier stage of the National Theatre.
We review God of Carnage at the Lyric, a black comedy of middle-class manners by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton. Two couples meet to discuss a fight between their children, and it quickly spirals out of control, with the parents’ failing to control their emotions and, in one case, their up-chuck reflex. It stars Doctor Who’s Freema Agyeman, who is on superb form.
Our second review is Red Pitch, which returns to the Bush Theatre after a much-acclaimed debut there last year. The play, by Evening Standard Award winner Tyrell Williams, tells the story of three lads dreaming of making it in the Premiership as the world changes around them. It stars Sex Education’s Kedar Williams-Stirling as well as Emeka Sesay and Francis Lovehall.
In the preamble we discuss how the National Theatre is celebrating its 60th anniversary (and reminisce about its 50th) and talk about the news that a musical version of The Devil Wears Prada is heading to the West End next year. But who’s going to take the role of Miranda Priestley, so memorably played by Meryl?
Listen above, or wherever you stream your podcasts.
