Saturday 18 July 2009

Le Cool



Play The Mountaintop
Everybody knows about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, but what about the night before the assassination? What did he say? What did he do? This play tries to answer those questions and does its well. Based in King’s Memphis motel room after delivering his momentous speech ‘I’ve been to the Mountaintop’, he is brought after-hours coffee by the motel maid who stays and converses with him. She turns out to be much as an orator as he is. The performance by the two actors is perfect, particularly David Harewood, who plays King. From today, the play moves to a new home for seven weeks following a sold-out, critically-acclaimed run at Theatre 503. Though the story is grounded in reality, its American playwright, Katori Hall has written an imaginative portrayal of King which is unique in its approach and the period it portrays. This top-rated production not only provides a captivating tale, but also highlights the difference between the man and the myth that was Martin Luther King Jr. / Sophie Khan

where
Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY08700606632

when
8pm

how much
£15.00 - £39.50

Thursday 2 July 2009

Le cool


Theatre George Orwell, A Celebration
How do you celebrate the contribution of one of the most influential writers of our century? A writer who is not only respected by the literary world for his outstanding artistic poise, but also by those who fight injustice in today’s society and protect the right of liberty and freedom from abuse and torture. It’s a hard thing to do but a theatre production adapted by Dominic Cavendish, from the Daily Telegraph, has done just that. Along with a monologue version of Coming Up for Air, based on the middle-class anxieties during political and economic pressures, the show also has performance extracts from the most famous novel to have been written, Nineteen Eight-Four. The interrogation scene by the ‘Ministry of Truth’ may not compare to Abu Ghraib but his writing remains a true description of the abuse of power as when he wrote it and represents the relevance of the issues that we continue to face today. / Sophie Khan

where
Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY08700606632

when
2.45pm & 7.45pm

how much
£22.50