Red Velvet
From: Thursday, 11th October 2012
To: Saturday, 24 November 2012
Our Review: 
Your Reviews:
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Synopsis
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But, as the public riot in the streets, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?
Our Review:
Michael Coveney - 17 October 2012
A new era at the Tricycle - Indhu Rubasingham is only the third artistic director, succeeding Ken Chubb and the incumbent of 28 years, Nicolas Kent - is marked with a splendidly repainted front-of-house, all reds and greens and twinkling lights, and a play about the theatre.
Most impressively, it’s marked by a powerhouse performance from Adrian Lester, warming up for his Othello at the National next year with a smouldering, righteous impersonation of the 19th century black American classical actor Ira Aldridge, the “African Roscius,” precursor of Paul Robeson, who settled in England and played famously around the provinces and across Europe.
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Most impressively, it's...
Latest User Review
David Baxter - 22 November 2012:
The story of Ira Aldridge is a potentially fascinating one but in a two hour play Red Velvet is only able to scratch the surface. It focuses on the time when Aldridge was brought in at short notice to replace Edmund Kean as Othello to great consternation. The scenes contrasting his more naturalistic stle of acting to the prevailing ones of the day are very funny and there are terrific performances, particularly from Adrian Lester as Aldridge. Unfortunately the play does not explain how Aldridge recovered from the racism he encountered in London to become a major star thoughout Europe which suggests that this is not the best format to tell the story of what must have been a remarkable man....
Cast
Adrian Lester (Ira Aldridge)
Simon Chandler (Bernard/Terence)
Rachel Finnegan (Halina/Betty/Margaret)
Natasha Gordon (Connie)
Ryan Kiggell (Charles)
Ferdinand Kingsley (Casmir/Henry)
Charlotte Lucas (Ellen)
Eugene O'Hare (Pierre)
Creative
Lolita Chakrabarti (Author)
The Tricycle (Producer)
Indhu Rubasingham (Director)
Tom Piper (Design)
Oliver Fenwick (Lighting)
Paul Arditti (Sound)
Titas Halder (assistant) (Director)
