Evening at the Talk House, National Theatre ****

Firstly, it is a weird experience to sit in a theatre and, without expecting it, to hear a voice from your childhood. This is exactly what happened when I sat in the Dorfman to see an Evening at the Talk House. When an old man starts speaking and suddenly Rex from Toy Story is talking about how he wasn't a great actor, you become slightly scared, especially when there is no mention of the part in the programme (which, like most Dorfman programmes, is a pathetic excuse of a programme and is a rip-off at £3). However, it is not Rex but in fact Wallace Shawn in his own play which has premiered at the Dorfman theatre. It follows the character of Robert, played by Josh Hamilton, who meets with the crew of an old play at an old haunt called 'The Talk House'. Everything feels amiable enough until, piece by piece you start to understand the world they're in and the space and the play becomes more and more claustrophobic. The only production comparable to Ian Rickson's staging of Shawn's play is the hit of Hangmen at the Royal Court earlier in the year. Both McDonagh and Shawn have a similar aesthetic and both achieve the effect of making an audience feels incredibly uncomfortable. Shawn's play seems to be a critical standpoint on the role the privileged have in the decision making in the West. The characters in this play are very happy to sit around and discuss morality. Some are even happy to make decisions that make a large impact on people's lives. But it is left to those lower down the hierarchy to carry out the deeds. It addresses issues of scapegoating and it is incredibly powerful in the light of the recent atrocities in France. The Quay Brothers have created a set that alludes to the past and looks to the future whilst Neil Austin's lighting design creates a dim and grimy effect of a club fallen on hard times. Hamilton gives a wonderfully engaging opening monologue about the theatre at the beginning, playing almost a Nick Carraway- style role in the play, and his unreliability is fascinating to watch throughout. Performances are good across the board, notably Shawn as the not-quite-defeated Dick and Sinead Matthews as the mysterious waitress. This is an intriguing piece of theatre that is uncomfortable yet compelling to watch.

Husbands and Sons, National Theatre ***

My English teacher tells our class that 'it is better to write a lot about a little than a little about a lot.' This, for me, is the downfall of Ben Powers adaptation of three D. H. Lawrence. Perhaps it would be truer to say that Powers has constructed a play that investigates a lot about a lot. Running at three hours, the plays about families in mining village Eastwood never really merge together and remain three separate stories which need three separate productions to make them interesting rather than long-winded and tiresome. Despite this, Marianne Elliot has staged it in a way that tries to engage and emphasise the brilliance of Lawrence. Bunny Christie's set neatly conveys the background of mining with the dirt, grime and darkness of the show with each house, whilst similar, has their distinctions to show the family's place in the social hierarchy. For me, the main family which the piece concentrates on is the Gascgoine family yet the Holroyds and Lamberts get a pretty even share of the running time. It centres around the role of women in mining towns and their role extremely well, putting Lousie Brealey, Anne- Marrie Duff and Julia Ford in the main roles, each with their own struggles which each actor pulls off with feeling and emotional depth. The male characters are mostly unsympathetic characters and, even when they show feeling, their thoughts are usually driven by egoistic and physical means which may be an unfair representation of society but serves the play very well. This is a struggle to sit through and not entirely satisfying but undoubtedly intelligent and interesting interpretation of Lawrence's plays.

People, Places and Things, National Theatre *****

This is finally the National Theatre at full strength again. It's collaboration with Headlong has created a masterpiece in theatrical spectacle thanks to one person. People, Places and Things will be the play that will catapult Denise Gough into the public eye in her indescribable performance as a drug addict trying to get clean. Her curtain call reminded me of Gillian Anderson at the end of Streetcar; with a face of pure exhaustion and appreciation for the standing ovation that she more than deserved. She is on stage at every moment in the play in a role that uses tiny changes in accent to huge ranges in emotion. Her part requires her to have the audience on her side whilst she is being the most awful human being and perform on a traverse space whilst also moving to Bunny Chrisite's intricate designs and Jeremy Herrin's precise direction. There is one particular moment where I felt so connected with her that I was muttering 'don't do it' under my breath in perhaps the simplest yet most tense moment of theatre possible. A mixture of the clinical design and the clever direction adds yet more life to Duncan Macmillan's text. The post-modern attitude on theatre almost became pretentious but Gough's real portrayal of her character kept me from feeling annoyed at the jokes about Hedda Gabler, The Seagull and Titus Andronicus. The ensemble cast supports Gough wonderfully, especially Barbara Marten, Nathaniel Martello-White and Kevin McMonagie who help maintain a sense of realism. I don't think the National should be worried about another award free year this time around with this genius piece of inventive theatre.

The Red Lion, National Theatre ****

Patrick Marber writes human life well. With this comeback play after a long hiatus, Marber's love letter to football with a piece about a young footballer, the manager and the kitman of a non-league football club. A result of the writers relationship with Lewes FC, the first half shows his love for the game. The speech at the beginning from Daniel Mays has a poetry to it when bemoaning the state of the pitch ('you can play... but you can't play...'). There are some parts of dialogue which evoked memories of my time at a football club, especially when it came to faking it slightly. The first half is truly wonderful and it flies by. The second half is when the beauty of the game is corrupted by power and money and is heartbreaking to sit through. The final moments of the play are painful to watch and is a perfect end to this play. Yes, the second half starts to drag slightly and could do with more than a few cuts, it made me forget my hatred for the space it was playing in and really feel for the characters. This is perhaps due to the extraordinary performances which brings to life the multi- dimensional characters Marber has written. Peter Wright is inviting and easy to listen to whilst Mays is, in contrast, harsh and, whilst comic, also dark. Calvin Demba is also wonderful as the young prospect Jordan after a disastrous previous production at the Royal Court. Ian Rickson's direction handles makes the lack of a full team of actors not seem strange whilst Ward's design captures the grime and harsh nature of non-league football. Whilst slightly long, this piece is magnetic and captures a different side to the beautiful game and tells it theatrically in a way that both makes you love and hate the sport.

Rules for Living, National Theatre ****

 Some situations just seem fun to make a play about. Christmas Day running side by side with a game show is one such situation. Unfortunately, it is being played in one of my least favourite theatres. Whereas the other two theatres at the National offer cheap seats with fantastic views of the stage, you have to pay £50 to get a full view of the stage at the Dorfman. The play itself lived up to the irresistible premise. It is hilarious yet, if you choose to delve deeper, Holcroft's play holds substance. Whilst no ones Christmas could get much worse than this, you will almost certainly identify aspects of each character in your family. For me, the Adam's (Mangan) views on games resonated with me as did the views on lager expressed at the beginning. This familiarity gets the audience on board so that they can take it darker and to extremes and get away with it. If you aren't taken in at the beginning, I could imagine that the madness that ensues could be quite tedious. The design is wonderful from Chloe Lamford, with a game board design that works cleverly, weaving the two main themes of the best lay in an aesthetically pleasing and realistic way. Kate Waters directs the fighting so that it is funny yet realistic. Perhaps Marianne Elliot directs it more comedically than dark making the final scene seem slightly disjointed. However, I feel that this is an excellently executed comedy that hits almost all the right notes in spite of it's venue.

The Hard Problem, National Theatre ***

Olivia Vinall in The Hard Problem

Stoppard's first play in about 8 years poses it's own hard problems. It has to deal with having to explain difficult science in an effective way which engages an audience which doesn't necessarily know or care about the questions the play asks. In the most, this play succeeds. The science is easy to get your head around as the theatre has a habit of getting you to understand concepts yet, once outside, not being able to explain it without getting terribly confused. The Hard Problem also has an interesting morality debate within it, even if it doesn't answer any of the questions it poses.  The main problem for Stoppard is that he only develops the protagonist Hilary leaving other characters to be incidental to Olivia Vinall's researcher. This frustrates me as this doesn't feel like a play from 'Britain's Greatest Playwright'. As the production goes, I have more problems. The acting is great; especially Vinall as the protagonist who creates such a complex character. However, the direction and design leaves something to be desired. In the transition from scene to scene, in order to change the set, a thing seemingly representing a brain flashes with some piano music accompaning a full stage crew in order to move furniture about in a way which could have been performed more effectively if better directed by Hytner. To be honest, this doesn't feel like the outgoing director's swan song. Stoppard describes his play as minimalist in style which is laughable when you see Ivory Van Hove directing true minimalism in A View From The Bridge. New writing at the  National has always been daring; diverse; dangerous. This just feels too safe. It is not a bad play yet I feel it needs to take a few more risks and be adventurous to engage the audience once the 100 minutes running time is up.

Here Lies Love, Dorfman Theatre ****

Natalie Mendoza in Here Lies Love

Nothing is as invasive on the senses as entering the Dorfman on it's inaugural production since being refurbished. Set out as a nightclub, you are encouraged into this space by wranglers dancing manically in pink jumpsuits to deafening music. Each piece of stage moves in, out and around throughout this experience. It acts as Miss Saigon meets Evita on crack. Telling the remarkable story of Imelda Marcos, this experience is like nothing I have ever seen. The story may lack some drive and if you aren't in the pit, the experience would be massively reduced. It was a whirlwind hour and a half and if theatre needs to adapt to modern culture, this is the way to go.