Choice: Theatre

Lakeboat, Lyric Studio, London W6 (0181-741 2311) 8pm

One of the things which distinguishes theatre from film is the primacy of the voice. I don't mean vowel sounds, I'm talking about the unique voice of a dramatist. In film, writers get lost in the mix. Scripts are hacked about by studio executives and producers, cut to ribbons by editors, or disguised by directors who fill the screen with their own ideas. In theatre, the writer's voice is more central to the experience. If you're clever, like David Mamet, you direct your own filmscripts, but theatre remains the best place to hear his pungent, punchy dialogue. (And if you don't believe me, rent the movie of Glengarry Glen Ross whose dogged dialogue-led cutting makes you yearn for its original theatrical setting.) Mamet virgins (if you'll pardon the oxymoron) and hardened theatregoers alike would be advised to check out this, his theatrical debut, which for some obscure reason is only now receiving its European premiere.