Sects and ‘new left’ disillusionment. Mike Macnair reviews P Blackledge, N Davidson (eds) Alasdair MacIntyre’s engagement with Marxism: selected writings 1953-1974, Brill (Historical materialism series),... »
Theatre
Seize the day (director: Kwame Kwei-Armah)
Multicultural burrowing strategy Mike Belbin reviews Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Seize the day Tricycle Theatre (ends December 19) As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, not even Nick Griffin would deny that we live in a culturally diverse society. If London is not ‘British’, as Griffin announced the day after Question time, then... »
Lars T Lih, Boris Kargalitsky, Hillel Ticktin and other authors to speak at Communist University 2009
Communist University 2009 August 8-15, South London. Book Now! The CPGB’s annual school – the Communist University – is different. It features sharp clashes of opinion ... »
Wuthering Heights (director: Kristine Landon-Smith). At Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, until May 23
Swapping icy wastes for scalding Rajasthani heat Jim Moody reviews Wuthering Heights (director: Kristine Landon-Smith). At Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, until May 23 Although some of the comments about this play have suggested that Wuthering Heights is merely an inchoate mix of Bollywood extravaganza and late 18th century Yorkshire, this is a superficial view and misses... »
The great game (directors: Nicolas Kent and Indhu Rubasingham) : Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn until June 14
Imperialism’s Afghanistan legacy Jim Moody reviews The great game (directors: Nicolas Kent and Indhu Rubasingham) : Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn until June 14 The Tricycle is to be commended for having commissioned a series of short plays under the umbrella title of The great game. While the interface between art and politics is frequently problematic, the overall... »
Communist theory and the sophisticated anarchist
Yassamine Mather was at the recent Glasgow conference where Alain Badiou spoke On Friday February 13, 280 students and staff filled a Glasgow University lecture theatre to listen to Alain Badiou, described on the university website as a “renowned French philosopher and author”. Some of us had read his first books 30 years ago, long... »
Death of a dissident
An encomium for the late Harold Pinter. James Turley writes Harold Pinter – who died on Christmas Eve aged 78 – will be primarily remembered for the impact his plays had on English-language theatre, which cannot be overstated. He began writing while working a variety of dead-end jobs, taking acting roles for repertory theatres and... »
Playing the public and the personal
Mike Belbin sees David Hare going beyond haranguing the British for denying that ideas matter David Hare may have succeeded George Bernard Shaw as Britain’s top leftwing dramatist. His latest play Gethsemane is getting good audiences at the National Theatre; his latest movie adaptation of Bernard Schlink’s novel The reader is out on release and... »
Romans in Britain
Carey Davies reviews Romans in Britain, which has again been subject to religious criticism Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (ends Saturday February 25) In response to the original production of Romans in Britain in 1980, Mary Whitehouse launched legal proceedings... »