fringe round-up: Judith

Neil Cooper
Wednesday 14 August 1996 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Howard Barker's assault course through imagined history stops off at the biblical legend of the Jewish widow who, on the eve of battle, seduces and then slaughters the Assyrian general Holofernes, liberates her people and is hailed a hero. With Barker, though, it's never so simple. Judith only kills Holofernes after being egged on by her comic ideologue servant and chaperone, after which the necessity of lies becomes plain and she becomes as much a tyrant - and philosopher - as the man she's slain. In between, there's a beautifully phrased dialogue on love and truth that lays bare the innards of their very souls. Barker's own production for the Wrestling School is as impeccably acted and as visually gorgeous as it is profound, exposing extremes of emotion while maintaining a rigorously intellectual relish for language. Yet another example of why the Wrestling School are the most important buildingless company in Britain.

n Traverse Theatre (venue 15). To 18 Aug

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in