Ravens: Spassky Vs. Fischer, Hampstead Theatre - ★★★★ - Until January 18, 2020


The game of chess has often been used as a metaphor for various aspects of the human condition, but in 1972 the whole world accepted a match between the Russian world champion, Boris Spassky, and American prodigy, Bobby Fischer, as a symbol of success in the Cold War. This was a period when the "bad boy" sports icon was being created with such personalities as John McEnroe and Muhammad Ali capturing the popular imagination. But, perhaps, the baddest boy of all was in the cerebral world of chess. Bobby Fischer set a new standard of eccentric and spoilt behaviour using it as a form of psychological warfare to undermine his opponent, and some would argue to change the game itself. Spassky is presented as a decent, non-political man who wanted to play by the old rules, what is referred to by one of his handlers as the bourgeois value of sportsmanship. He is the moral centre of the play and his world view is simply overwhelmed by Fischer's game changing behaviour. Robert Emms is mesmerising as the erratic, insecure American and he dominates the stage as Fischer does his opponent. Ronan Raftery is excellent and understated as the put-upon Spassky in this multi-layered play. Although it was rather long and the subject matter may seem dry to some, we were enthralled and couldn't help but think how this chess match's new pattern of psychological distraction, outside the rules of the game, has also become the modus operandi of current leadership in the political sphere. The metaphors continue.

 Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

 Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until January 18, 2020
Mon - Sat: 7:30 pm, Tue: 2:30 pm & Sat: 3 pm
Hampstead Theatre
Nearest tube: Swiss Cottage
https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2019/ravens-spassky-vs-fischer/
Map & Location: Eton Ave, London NW3 3EU, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Knocking on the Wall ★★★★ Finborough Theatre | Oct 31 - Nov 25, 2023

Image
Henry David Thoreau wrote that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,” and these three short plays by Ena Lamont Stewart provide a graphic reflection of Thoreau's incisive aphorism. The revival of the three works by Scotland's preeminent female playwright is an opportunity to appreciate both some beautifully etched characterisations and powerful insights into isolation and the challenges of human connection. The first play, "Towards Evening," presents the fraught relationship of an elderly brother and sister who have decided to live together in their later years. Their mutual incomprehension as they strive to overcome the barriers of their upbringing, the imposition of gender roles and differing educational backgrounds are brilliantly rendered by Robert Hands and Janette Foggo. They capture all the nuances of the siblings' tentative reaching out for emotional support across the barrier of the years and their secrets. The second play "Walkies Time f
Full Details »

The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Frans Hals ★★★★★ The National Gallery | Until January 21, 2024

Image
One looks at Frans Hals' portraits and immediately begins to speculate about the sitter's character. In his picture Jasper Schade (1645) looks sensitive, but a bit on the arrogant side. In another work, the anonymous young woman (c. 1658) appears sweet, but not too practical. In an instant, we feel we know these people, and we recognise them as kindred spirits. Even when the poses are formal, the artist ensures that the personality shines through. This extraordinary exhibition, which is next scheduled to move to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, has borrowings from most major holders of Hals' work and includes, perhaps, his best known piece, The Laughing Cavalier (1624), which has not left The Wallace Collection since it opened in 1900. Divided into six galleries: Early Work, Portraiture into Art, Invented Characters, Family Ties, Up Close and Late Work, the show provides an unparalleled look at the work of a painter who was admired by artists as diverse as Whistler and Van Go
Full Details »

Mates in Chelsea ★★★ Royal Court Theatre | Nov 3 - Dec 16, 2023

Image
Tug has run up a lot of debts and his mother informs him that he'll have to sell the ancestral castle in order to deal with the situation. It's a dilemma that leads to a lot of silliness and some serious commentary on the state of contemporary British society. While the first act of Rory Mullarkey's new comedy starts on a bit of a wobbly note, the laughs soon start to roll in as Tug (Laurie Kynaston) and his mate, Charlie, played by George Fouracres begin to trade quips in a manner reminiscent of Wilde's Algernon and Jack. Their dialogue is counterpointed by the comments of Mrs Hanratty (Amy Booth-Steel) the Lenin-loving, but consummate housekeeper who recalls J.B. Priestley's prescient Jeeves. The mood is further established and becomes enjoyably familiar when Lady Agrippina (equal parts Nero's mother and Lady Bracknell) appears on the scene. Fenella Woolgar does a splendid job of conjuring up the dowager viscountess and wrings the most from all of her lines. T
Full Details »

Burma to Myanmar ★★★★ The British Museum | Nov 2, 2023 - Feb 11, 2024

Image
Myanmar is a mystery! Effectively cut off from the outside world since 1982, it is not easy to shed light on this secretive society, but Burma to Myanmar provides a tantalising introduction to a region that is rich in natural resources and cultural diversity. One of the major challenges of mounting this peek behind the closed door is the fact that it has had to be done without the co-operation of Myanmar's government or cultural entities; by necessity, the majority of the objects on display are from British lenders. The over one hundred thirty pieces that comprise the exhibition tell the story of an area that produces gold, silver, rubies, cotton, oil and teak and that is a complex blending of peoples and religions. The exhibition is divided into four sections: An Abundance of Riches, States and Networks, Colonial Eclipse and After Independence. The scene is set with a brief introduction to the land and then to the tangled social and political fabric that existed before the coloni
Full Details »

King Lear ★★★★ Wyndham’s Theatre | Oct 21 - Dec 9, 2023

Image
Kenneth Branagh takes on a formidable challenge with his decision to both direct and star in Shakespeare's tragedy about age and the dynamics of power. The play is pared down to two hours and is set in what appears to be Stonehenge. While there will certainly be objections to both Branagh's abridging and interpretation of the work, for us, the pacing and stark staging brought a refreshing energy and intensity to a play which can sometimes seem uninflected and somewhat belaboured. Branagh, the director, has created a rich atmosphere that resonates with action and passion. He also draws some strong performances out of his cast, and we were particularly taken by Corey Mylchreest's malevolent Edmund and Joseph Kloska's tormented Gloucester. In fact, it is Branagh's own interpretation of Lear that raises some questions. From the outset, it is never quite believable that such an imperious and vigorous monarch would choose to divide his kingdom amongst his children in the
Full Details »

Discover Liotard & The Lavergne Family Breakfast ★★★★★ The National Gallery | Until March 3, 2024 (Free Entry)

Image
This exquisite, small exhibition will be every art lover's cup of tea. Jean-Etienne Liotard is an 18th century artist more celebrated in his time than he is today, but this delightful look at his work should be an important step in rectifying this situation. Liotard worked in a variety of media from oils to ceramics, but his crowning achievement was in pastels. He was a master of this extremely fragile medium, and the central point of the current exhibition is an excellent opportunity to compare and contrast his representation of the same subject, The Lavergne Family Breakfast , in both pastels and in oil. For the first time in almost 250 years, Liotard's masterpieces come together and are placed side by side. The pastel version was acquired by The National Gallery in 2019 and the oil, which was painted almost twenty years later, has been lent from a private collection. Contrasting the two representations highlights how the two media can be employed to deal with volume, tone an
Full Details »

The Mongol Khan ★★★★ London Coliseum | Nov 17 - Dec 2, 2023

Image
The Mongol Khan is a genre-defying spectacle that incorporates song, dance, puppetry and drama. Created by Mongolia's leading playwright the epic story tells the tragic tale of a leader who is deceived by his wily counsellor into thinking that the latter's son is actually Khan's heir, while the true son is being ignored. Westerners will probably be thinking of Shakespeare's Lear and Iago but there's a dash of The Comedy of Errors , and also a hint of Oedipus Rex . With a cast of over seventy, there are some amazing costumes, spellbinding choreography and clever special effects. It all adds up to an evening that really takes one back to the origins of theatre when people expected a feast of entertainment for their money and would have felt cheated by the contemporary predilection for two acts squeezed into about two hours. In fact, the current production has apparently been abridged for Western tastes and this does take away a bit from the majesty of the piece. Its
Full Details »

Nutcracker ★★★★ Southbank Centre’s Tuff Nutt Jazz Club | Until January 6, 2024

Image
Time to create a new Christmas tradition! This updated, jazz version of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet is definitely worth adding to the annual entertainment list. In Drew McOnie's contemporary interpretation Clara becomes Clive, and his youthful imagination is much more engaged by a sugar plum fairy doll than by his father's gift of an action man figure. Distressed by his father's incomprehension of his preferences, Clive falls asleep, and it is then that he encounters an enchanted realm which allows him to escape and to experience life outside the stifling simplification of the binary quotidian reality. McOnie's charming tale inventively blends classic and modern dance movement and is beautifully underpinned by Cassie Kinoshi's lively reimagining of the Tchaikovsky score. While the energy and power of the ensemble is quite impressive it is the fluidity and prowess that Mark Samaras brings to the role of Clive that is quite mesmerising. His virtuosity is only ma
Full Details »

LIZZIE ★★★★ Southwark Playhouse | Oct 26 - Dec 2, 2023

Image
LIZZIE is ostensibly about one of the most famous trials in American history. In 1892, Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe, and in 1893 the highly publicised trial took place. The creation of tabloid news and the public fascination with true crime stories can almost be directly traced to these events. It is a dark tale with undertones of emotional, physical and possibly sexual abuse. This 2009 version of Lizzie's story takes those events as a starting point and creates a wild, gothic rock and roll musical that is about harbouring secrets, being an outsider and female empowerment. While it is hard to avoid the comparison with SIX , this work actually preceded that phenomenal hit by several years. The hard working cast of LIZZIE really give it their all, delivering a series of catchy tunes that become instant earworms. "Forty Whacks" and "The House of Borden" will haunt the listener long after leaving the theatre, as will
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings