THEATRE / Critic's Choice
The Man Who. . .
Peter Brook makes theatre of the highest order out of Oliver Sacks' book of neurological case studies. A multi-ethnic cast of four swap roles as doctors and patients, dampening the them/us reflex. The tact and restraint of performances create a mood of puzzlement that is sometimes playful, sometimes pained, acknowledging that these conditions have their comic side but are no joke. National Theatre, Cottesloe SE1
Dead Funny
Terry Johnson's exploration of humour and sexual repression has tension as well as bite. The consumers' end counterpart to Trevor Griffiths' Comedians, it features Zoe Wannamaker as the dissenting wife who has to live with a comedy buff (David Haig), and his assorted chums (Niall Buggy, Danny Webb). Vaudeville, WC2
Hamlet
Julia Bardsley's deconstruction of Shakespeare uses puppets to investigate themes of illusion and pretence. Confuses and intrigues like a troubled dream, but keeps you intrigued to the end. Young Vic, SE1
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