These femme fatales probably don’t have a destructive effect on anyone but themselves; subject, as modern women are, to a relentless barrage of self-critical thoughts and self-effacing remarks.
Othello has never been a particular favourite of mine; it grates on the feminist in me – why does Othello believe everyone but his wife? Why is Desdemona so subservient?
Matthew O’Sullivan has directed a very solid production of Romeo & Juliet for the Globe Centre, using pared-back staging that relies on performance and using his comparatively small but enthusiastic cast to good effect.
The late Victorian architecture of the Old Mill, with its impressive high ceilings and wooden staircases, proffers an ideal atmosphere for Wilde’s play.
Shining City is a cross between a drawing room drama and a play by Pinter, complete with pregnant pauses. Replace the drawing room with a therapist’s consulting room, add a ghost and a touch of postmodernism, and you get the picture.