Dominic Cooke RSS feed

It�s a Royal flush at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards

2009-11-23T14:39:24Z

The Royal Court turned cutting-edge drama into establishment success as it swept the board at the 55th London Evening Standard Theatre Awards

Royal Court stages family drama by girl, aged 17

2009-07-27T07:57:22Z

Aunt Dan and Lemon's sour taste

2009-05-27T23:00:00Z

There's nothing cute or reassuring about Aunt Dan and Lemon - a talky, fragmented essay in moral gymnastics.

The Fever is lurid but unbelieveable

2009-04-06T23:00:00Z

Wallace Shawn does not condemn the liberal rich, he renders them luridly unbelievable in The Fever.

Flap and fuss in Seven Jewish Children

2009-02-13T00:00:00Z

A post-show collection for a Palestinian charity doesn�t send out the most balanced message ever after Seven Jewish Children.

London's top theatres give free tickets to young people

2008-12-17T14:18:34Z

Twenty-five London theatres are to take part in the Government's free tickets for young people scheme

Wig Out! needs stronger agenda

2008-12-01T00:00:00Z

Wig Out! throws much glitter but little piercing light upon the complexities of erotic life for cross-dressing, gay, black men and their lovers.

Women taking the lead at Royal Court next year

2008-11-06T11:40:48Z

Miranda Richardson, Jane Horrocks and Mark Rylance are among the stars of 2009 season at the Royal Court

Theatre

2008-10-02T10:15:37Z

Big musicals may dominate the West End and box office receipts, but straight drama continues to thrive. These are the key people who make this city the global capital of theatre.

White House woes in Now or Later

2008-09-11T23:00:00Z

Christopher Shinn's provocative new play does not shrink from contending with big issues. In fact, Now or Later's dramatic potential could do with some shrinking itself.

Teachers have feelings in under the blue sky

2008-08-05T23:00:00Z

David Eldridge, who spent many years hanging out with teacher friends, nails a certain social milieu with wit and generosity in Under the Blue Sky.

Am I afraid of the critics? You bet I am

2008-02-13T15:11:27Z

After a career spent passing judgment on the works of others, the Standard's theatre critic, Nicholas de Jongh decided to write a play.

Schooled for scandal

2008-02-12T00:00:00Z

It took Nicholas de Jongh mere moments to turn up his own nose at Scarborough, a doomy romance drama about a dirty weekend in a bed-and-breakfast.

Ravenhill's 16 mini-plays set for London premiere

2008-01-31T12:14:24Z

Sixteen short plays written by Mark Ravenhill during the Edinburgh Festival are to have their London premiere.

A gripping adaptation

2007-12-10T00:00:00Z

Noughts and Crosses finds two would-be lovers split apart by social convention in this well constructed and gripping adaptation.

Triumph for the inner child

2007-12-10T11:01:45Z

Polly's dramatic debut

2007-11-26T13:35:12Z

Polly Stenham's first play, That Face, caused a sensation at the Royal Court. Now, two years after leaving school, she is nominated for the Charles Wintour Most Promising Playwright Award.

Mocking a metamorphosis

2007-09-27T23:00:00Z

Absurd and hilarious, black comedy Rhinocerous is an accomplished British send-up of Gallic pomposity and pedantry.

Goolden boy of theatre

2007-09-25T11:39:16Z

Prolific 35-year-old director, Rupert Goold, is the new darling of theatreland and has two new major plays opening in London this week.

Stylish satire on liberal guilt shows no mercy

2007-06-21T23:00:00Z

Matthew Macfadyen leads the cast of The Pain And The Itch, which is an outrageous and far-fetched story

Chip off the old block

2007-05-22T11:42:37Z

Rafe Spall - son of Timothy - talks to Claire Allfree about his latest role at the Royal Court and why he loves London, and its theatre.

Painful legacy of a Belfast childhood

2007-03-20T00:00:00Z

Lucy Caldwell's Leaves is a sensitive but shallow play which does little to shine fresh light on middle-class morals and manners, says Nicholas de Jongh.

Royal Court going back to its roots

2007-02-06T12:01:54Z

The Royal Court's new artistic director is taking the theatre back to its roots with a debut season showcasing young writers and experimental drama.

Courting controversy

2007-02-06T12:23:25Z

The Royal Court should provoke, says its new director Dominic Cooke in his first interview, and he plans to do just that.

Olivier nominations in full

2007-01-18T10:05:19Z

Rage and reconciliation

2006-11-16T00:00:00Z

Neither of Dominic Cooke's promenade productions of late Shakespearean romances Pericles or The Winter's Tale fascinates from start to finish, says Kieron Quirke.