Frantic Assembly

My 2017 Theatre Highlights – Paul T Davies

Features, Reviews, Touring, West End
Angels in America Part 1 at the National Theatre

We asked our review team to nominate their 2017 theatre highlights. Paul T Davies nominated his favourites and a few productions for a special end of year ovation. Angels In America (National Theatre) About twenty-five years ago, I got a standing room ticket for the original National Theatre production of Tony Kushner’s epic. I stood for the whole seven and a half hour cycle, and, although I wore a younger man’s clothes then, I had to sit down afterwards not just because of the physical demands, but because of the emotional intensity. I had never seen a play like it, and it had a profound influence on me, it also became a cornerstone of my PhD. Marianne Elliot’s majestic production did what you hope every revival will do, it took every line, every scene, every act and every character anew and reinforced the play as a classic. It also had … Read more

REVIEW: Things I Know To Be True, Lyric Hammersmith ✭✭✭✭✭

Off West End, Reviews, Touring
Frantic Assembly Things i Know To be True

Families are complicated and messy, nevertheless, family dramas when captured correctly can be hugely touching. No matter what our background, we all have emotive views about ‘family’, and those connections usually run deep. Brookman and Graham have made Bovell’s already vital story come to life in such a way that the actors’ performances truly soar. I defy you not to be moved. This, in short, is a blistering production with universal appeal. All I can say is; go! You will not be disappointed.

Frantic Assembly Present Othello at Lyric Hammersmith

News, Off West End
Kirsty Oswald and Mark Ebulue in Frantic Assembly's Othello. Photo: Manuel Harlan

Frantic Assembly’s acclaimed and award-winning Othello  will explode onto the stage of London’s Lyric Hammersmith following its UK tour. Set against the backdrop of Yorkshire during the race riots of 2001, Artistic Director Scott Graham has bought a fresh take to Shakespeare’s timeless story of paranoia, jealousy, sex and murder. Fusing a taut adaptation of the classic text with its trademark hard-hitting choreography, Frantic Assembly takes a scalpel to 21st century Britain, exposing prejudice, danger and fear. The Yorkshire race riots of 2001 were a time of terrible divisions and some unexpected alliances. Othello’s passionate affair with Desdemona leaves him open to jealousy and attack – with devastating consequences. Violence is a way of life and reputation is everything… Mark Ebulue, recently of the RSC and a former kickboxer, plays Othello. Steven Miller, known for his four-year stint as Lenny Lyons in Casualty (BBC TV) plays Iago, with Kirsty Oswald … Read more