To rescue Kahlo from the clutches of the corporate art market, we need to acknowledge the overt and covert political dimensions of the work, demands GAVIN O’TOOLE
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Peter the not so great
MARY CONWAY admires Peter Morgan’s depiction of a ruthless man in pursuit of power, but deplores the stereotypical depiction of Russia
RUSSIAN STEREOTYPES: The cast of Patriots
[Marc Brenner]
If you can see past the relentless commodification you will be rewarded by enormously powerful work, suggests JENNY MITCHELL
CHRIS SEARLE revels in the one-off collaboration between an American polymath and a British Muslim, and detects the presence of their revolutionary forebear
GORDON PARSONS revels in an ebullient production of Shakespeare’s magical comedy
BRENT CUTLER welcomes a thoughtful analysis of the Erdogan regime, viewed through the evolving history of a neighbourhood in Istanbul
GORDON PARSONS regrets the price, but is dazzled by an outstandingly ambitious study of the way art restoration in particular, and culture in general was weaponised by the Nazis
Patriots
Noel Coward Theatre, London
PATRIOTS lands in the West End, following an initial run at the Almeida in 2022.
It tells the story of Russian power play following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and ending in 2013 with the death of central character Boris Berezovsky. It is through Berezovsky that we explore the rise and fall of the oligarchs and the quiet emergence of one Vladimir Putin.
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MARY CONWAY becomes impatient with the intellectual self-indulgence of Tom Stoppard in a production that is, nevertheless, total class
Although this production was in rehearsal before the playwright’s death, it allows us to pay homage to his life, suggests MARY CONWAY
BEN CHACKO welcomes a masterful analysis that puts class struggle back at the heart of our understanding of China’s revolution
MARY CONWAY applauds the success of Beth Steel’s bitter-sweet state-of-the-nation play