some reviews of Cleansed currently being performed in Almeida Theatre, London

"...There is sudden, immense beauty, declarations of love, romantic clinches and humour. Set alongside Kane’s brand of post-dramatic theatre, the play’s message is strangely romantic: the human need, maybe even demand, for love and for beauty persists, every bit as vital a force as violence" (Arifa Akbar, The Guardian, 30 July 2026, click here https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jul/30/cleansed-review-almeida-theatre-london-rebecca-frecknall )

"...The fleshy pink walls of Madeleine Girling’s set, where a corridor with glass windows runs behind a doctor’s room-cum-torture chamber, become increasingly bloodied over time. And when a field of brilliant yellow daffodils springs up in front, it’s as if their taunting promise of sunnier times remains just out of reach, or perhaps only obtainable in dreams or death.

The symbolism scorches. So while being confronted with this much violence paired with so little plot or, seemingly, purpose, does indeed seem gratuitous, in light of all we know about Kane’s own torment (she took her own life the following year), staging it now is really about keeping alive the memory of a playwright whose light shone too briefly. Still, it certainly doesn’t leave you feeling cleansed" (Holly O'Mahony, London Theatre, 30 July 2026, click here https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/cleansed-review-almeida-theatre )

Ken Russell's Tommy will be shown on Sky Cinema Greats on 26 July 2026.

"A teenager is struck deaf, mute and blind by a childhood trauma. He finds self-expression through pinball, proving his worth by beating a master of the game. However, the pressures of fame take their toll on the youngster, who becomes the focus of a religious cult. Ken Russell's rock opera based on the Who's album, starring Roger Daltrey, Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Robert Powell, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner and Keith Moon"

For the Sky website click here
https://www.tvguide.co.uk/schedule/d1209df2-dc9b-5b40-bf9e-707bf644fb2f/tommy
For more on Tommy click here
https://iainfisher.com/russell/ken-russell-film-tommy.html

A letter from Steven Berkoff to The Times, 2 July 2026

Sir, Regarding Richard Morrison's article (Jun 19; letter, Jun 23) on the enormous gap in our national life left by David Hockney's death, I would like to suggest as his replacement as a member of the Order of Merit Peter Howson, a Scottish realist painter who has for years been at the forefront of modern art. He has created a furious collection of the most dynamic images seen in recent years. Lamentably I feel his work has been disgracefully neglected, even though he was appointed the official painter for the Bosnian war, where his paintings depicting the atrocities of war were not only shocking but deeply personal. Steven Berkoff London E14

You can see Peter Howson's work here
https://peterhowson.co.uk/

Theatrical Outfit and True Colors Theatre Company present a reading of Blood Knot in Atlanta, USA in Spring 2027.

The performers are Tom Key and Kenny Leon.

For the theatre website click here
https://www.theatricaloutfit.org/
For more on the play click here
https://www.iainfisher.com/fugard/athol-fugard-plays-port-elizabeth.html