FIRST LOOK: Timothy Spall in The Caretaker at the Old Vic

Timothy Spall in The Caretaker

When it premiered in 1960, The Caretaker changed the face of modern theatre. Now Harold Pinter’s groundbreaking classic comes to The Old Vic in a new production directed by Matthew Warchus and starring Timothy Spall, Daniel Mays and George MacKay. Disturbed handyman Aston has invited an irascible tramp to stay with him at his brother’s jumbled London flat. At first it seems that the manipulative guest will take advantage of his vulnerable host. But when Aston’s brother Mick arrives, an enigmatic power struggle emerges between the three men that is in equal parts menacing, touching and darkly comic. BOOK NOW FOR THE CARETAKER

REVIEW: The Red Lion, Dorfman Theatre ✭✭✭✭

The Red Lion at the National's Dorfman Theatre

Marber is not writing just about football. The play is fundamentally about notions of masculinity as well as about modern society. The trio represents a kind of football holy trinity – all connected, and representing father, son and spirit. Which of the trio fulfils which role is not always clear, sometimes shifts, and this is perhaps the most interesting aspect of Marber’s play. Calvin Demba is adept at displaying Jordan’s naivety as well as his darker, more complex side. Peter Wight is compelling as the sad, lonely, committed club man, Yates, whose life is entirely centred on the game and The Red Lion.