“Under Nina Raine's fluent direction, Parker is a solid presence throughout as the ever-tetchy Morrow... While Stoppard struggles here to give his female characters the same love and attention he pours into Max and Jan, Nancy Carroll is a real treat in the dual role of Eleanor and the adult Esme while Phoebe Horn adds bounce and energy throughout."
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“Though this ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ sits fairly well at the Hampstead, perhaps a different take on the play could’ve given it a vibrancy lacking here.”
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“The meat of the play is the intersection – and sometimes the sharp bifurcation – between the personal and the political at a time and place in history when one’s very choice of music can itself seem seditious...But, equally, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ invites you to succumb to the innate musicality of the material, which exerts its own grip well before the company is seen rocking out collectively to the Rolling Stones.”
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“By focusing on the human aspect of political situations, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ offers a nuanced exploration of hope and despair, leaving us with a mix of emotions about the future.”
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“What makes it all worth it is the enduring quality of some of the writing. There are moments where Stoppard settles in and lets rip: big battling speeches about politics and humanity and all that good stuff. Zinging lines. Even emotion, bucking the received wisdom about Stoppard’s plays that head always beats heart.”
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“This isn’t a biographical play. As the ideological conversations build and break over the years it spans, and cast members swap out one character for another, it’s really the story of a relationship – the fragile, often fraught one we have with our own beliefs.”
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“Stoppard’s 2006 play asks important ideological questions with typically fizzing wordplay but its growling, feral energy comes too late”
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“Stoppard clashes together multiple ideas in this lusty, messy, exuberant play, allowing almost every character to hang themselves on the ropes of their moral confusion while largely withholding judgement...’Rock n Roll’ contains, too, an eerily prescient note, the intimation that tanks and totalitarianism come in many forms. ”
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