Choice: Theatre

David Benedict
Monday 23 March 1998 00:02 GMT
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.

The Weir, Royal Court at the Duke of York's (0171-565 5000)

People always want to know what a play is "about". If I were to tell you that The Weir is about an evening of tall tales in an Irish country pub, I don't suspect you'd be queuing for returns, but you should. When it first appeared last year, this play caused a noise far louder than any moment in this quietly entrancing evening. In physical terms, little actually happens (hence the bland synopsis) but it is nonetheless an extraordinarily theatrical experience. Put it on TV or (please not) film and the intimacy and immediacy will be lost, along with the warmth, humour and heart of this beautifully compassionate, deeply moving piece of writing. The virtues of Ian Rickson's production steal up on you and catch you unawares. His greatest strength as a director is his ability to draw richly subtle performances from actors and it has never been used to better effect than here. Even the virtually silent barman's performance is heartstopping.

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