PARLIAMENT SQUARE won the Judges’ Award in the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting and has been co-produced by the Royal Exchange Theatre and The Bush. Director Jude Christian’s credits include Lela and Co and Bodies both at the Royal Court.
Kat gets up one morning, leaves her family behind and travels to London to carry out an act that will change her life and, she hopes, everyone else’s. For those it touches, their lives will never be the same. But what, in the end, are the real consequences of her actions?
Raw, disturbing and compassionate, James Fritz’s searingly powerful play forces a confrontation with some of the most urgent questions we face. What can one individual do to effect change? And where do we choose to draw the line between absolute commitment and dangerous obsession?
PARLIAMENT SQUARE runs until Jan 6th and has opened to great reviews. More info and box office here: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/parliament-square/
★★★★
“A statement of searing power”
“A hugely original, intricate work”
“A harrowing exploration of the void between feeling something, and taking action”
“Refreshingly ambiguous”
“Fast-paced and almost physically painful to watch”
London Theatre 1 | Christina Calgaro
★★★★
“Standout female performances”
“Chilling piece of new writing from James Fritz”
“Incredible grace”
“Spine-tingling”
“One of the best plays you can see right now”
Review This Story | Shaun Dicks
★★★★★
“Tragically beautiful”
“This protest drama is a pivotal piece of theatre that needs to be seen by all”
“A masterpiece”
Evening Standard | Fiona Mountfound
★★★
“A slick and nimble-footed production”
Esther Smith “is fiercely good”
Financial Times | Sarah Hemming
★★★
“There are echoes of Sarah Kane’s Blasted“
“plugs into contemporary angst”
“clever and gripping”
“a fine cast and a terrific central performance from Smith”
Ought To Be Clowns | Ian Foster
“Jude Christian is becoming one of those directors whose work cannot be missed.”
“A magnificently fearless piece of writing from James Fritz”
“An ephemeral but awesome power”
“Disturbingly compelling”
“Chillingly beautiful… devastatingly effective”
“Esther Smith (the original Delphi Diggory) is painfully excellent as Kat”
“Christian is finely tuned to the shifting rhythms of the play, ensuring that we’re neither too at ease or too alienated by the formal adventurousness but rather, intrigued by the questions it poses”
BBC Radio London | James Fritz
From 2hrs 49 mins