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No country for old women: Old Ladies - at Finborough Theatre

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The day after seeing The Old Ladies at the Finborough Theatre , I was describing the play to someone in great detail: about three old ladies who lived in a rickety house in southern England in 1935. Based on Hugh Walpole’s novel and adapted by Rodney Ackland, it is the sort of story with enough believability, humour and mild thriller to stick in your mind. Perhaps it is the lure of this dark, forboding tale of a life without money, to be alone and to be old, that makes you feel attracted to this poverty porn. But then again, given the state of the world, the cost of living, an ageing population, or just the fact that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, it might as well be an every little old lady-for-herself, too. It’s a well-acted and staged piece that moves at a brisk pace, so there isn’t much time to think about it too much. And in the intimate (or should that be claustrophobic?) space of the Finborough, there’s nowhere to avert your eyes. Even if you wanted to.  The scene is a grim Cathe...

Previews: It curtains with Ron Arad’s Curtain Call this summer


Bloomberg Summer at The Roundhouse returns for its fifth year this August with Curtain Call by architect and designer Ron Arad.

It is a return performance of this piece after its original outing in 2011. This time around Arad will reinvent the curtain experience by inviting new collaborators to work with him on the 360° immersive installation, alongside returning artists from 2011.

The work will be showcased at the Roundhouse from 6 – 29 August 2016.


Curtain Call provides a canvas for films, live performances and audience interaction. Responding to the main space of the venue, the work is made up of 5,600 silicon rods suspended from an 18 metre diameter ring. This summer, Arad will again invite artists, musicians and friends to create unique works for the installation.

New artists for 2016 include: Kutiman, Marshmallow Laser Feast and Universal Everything. Returning from 2011 will be: Babis Alexia’s; Mat Coleslaw; Ori Gersht; Greenaway & Greenaway; Gabriel & Shira Klasmer; Christian Marclay; Javier Marshal; SDNA and David Shirley.

Photo credit: Stuart Leech

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