THE INFORMATION ON: 'ROSE'

What Is It?

A one-woman play by Martin Sherman in which the 80-year-old Jewish protagonist tells the story of her life, from the Warsaw Ghetto to Atlantic City, relating the history of the Jews in the 20th century in the process.

Who's In It?

Oscar-winner Olympia Dukakis (right), as the eponymous heroine, has been widely praised by critics and received standing ovations from the public. The production, directed by Nancy Meckler, has had a mixed reception.

What They Say About It

"... the wonderfully sensitive and adroit performance by Olympia Dukakis deserves acclaim... I applaud the play - though from a sitting position," Paul Taylor, The Independent.

"...Nancy Meckler directs [Rose] with an admirably invisible hand, and Dukakis performs it with enormous skill and sensitivity," Robert Butler, The Independent on Sunday.

"Dukakis holds our attention... it's a performance of effortless dignity that transcends Sherman's overreaching attempt to treat Rose as a shifting symbol of the entire Jewish experience."

Michael Billington, The Guardian.

"Ms Dukakis knits all the elements of Mr Sherman's text into a convincing whole.... Rose's story becomes, in fact, a story of our century, and a mighty moving one at that," Michael Coveney, The Daily Mail.

"Dukakis, with her gleaming, clever face and needling voice, holds it together as a tour de force. But in the end it's an argument against solo shows - not so much a monologue or portrait as a star turn," Susannah Clapp, The Observer.

Where You Can See It

In rep at the Cottesloe, National Theatre, London SE1 (0171-452 3000) to 8 Sept