Gesthemane by David Hare - Upstairs Belvoir, 'til 18 October

Poppea by Barrie Kosky - Drama Theatre, 'til 22 Aug

Fabulously Artaudian.

The Promise by Alexei Arbuzov (a new version by Nick Dear) - upstairs Belvoir, 'til 23 Aug

Slow to start; strong to finish. I found the hard-to-confront truth at the end of the play face-slappingly refreshing. It woke me up from a state in which I thought I was being critical and aware. Hmm, not sure if this was the aim of the piece but, especially the end, I loved.

What I often find difficult, is to distinguish between ineffective acting or an ineffectively written character. The beta-male character of Leonidik played by Chris Ryan was an insipid try-hard working to be a hero and to achieve happiness at any cost to his pride and better judgement. This, I imagine, is a difficult character to create on stage without falling into prosaic vapidity.

Thom Pain (based on nothing) by Will Eno - downstairs Belvoir, 'til 16 Aug

I am left simultaneously wanting to crawl in a hole and stand up scream out into the nothingness. It's great to be confronted about what we ignore every day. Some might not agree. And therein lies the beauty of this piece - you can go along for the ride and not read anything further.

I am now watching Crash. I really have to stop torturing myself. But that is what this play does to you - you want more.

When do we stop being innocents? What incident forces us to cease to be naive? Does sexuality kill it all? How can we find happiness? Well, if this sounds cliche; it's not. A fantastically, original and postmodern success.

The City by Martin Crimp - STC Wharf 2, 'til 9 Aug 09

Finally I got to seeing a Benedict Andrews show.

I can't say I was blown away by Martin Crimps script, however. I just left feeling confused about what was real and what was fantasy. There were little snippets that seemed undeveloped or put there as suggestions in order to taint the way of seeing. For example, when Christopher (Colin Moody) is acused of spying on the neighbour it is taken no further. The young daughter of Christopher and Clair (Belinda McClory) is reciting her lymerics she deviates into swearing for what I can only guess to be shock value - yet not that shocking.

But, the show was beautifully executed with the stark set to isolate the characters from each other in this series of intimate and agrevating dialogues. Middle-aged domestic love at the point of frustration and unrealisable desires and mounting frustrations. The space is overpowering and when it is closed, tantilisingly claustrophobic.

Elling based on a novel by Ingvar Ambjornsen, adapted by Axel Hellstenius, translated by Nicholas Norris - STC Wharf 1, 'til 18 July 09

Shocked and surprised to be walking out of the theatre with such a sense of joy and warmth, I also realised I was a little in love with Elling played by Darren Gilshenan. The script is so unpredictably a story of success and society pulling together with idealistic morals, it is not surprising it comes out of Scandinavian writing. Are we stuck in the overly dramatic story at the moment and think that good theatre has to be touching the deep dilemmas of our time or are we just disgruntled here in this land. Or maybe we think we won't be taken seriously unless we have everyone leaving the theatre in a state of shock, discomfort or angst. I don't think the happy ending has to be passe, does it?

No Man's Island by Ross Mueller - Old Fitzroy Theatre, 'til 27 June 09

Deep and disturbing. I need to recover before I write any more.

Fantastic set.