All stories by Mert Dilek on BroadwayStars

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Antoinette Nwandu’s “Pass Over” at the Kiln Theatre by Mert Dilek

Antoinette Nwandu’s play Pass Over is a palimpsest. Its outer surface looks familiar: haunted by the ever-present threat of a murderous police force, two black men are paralyzed into inact…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 03:25PM
Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Tony Kushner’s “The Visit” at the National Theatre by Mert Dilek

Now that’s what I call a star turn. Hitting the brakes on an express train, Lesley Manville lands on the National Theatre’s Olivier stage surrounded by thick smoke, supported by prosthet…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 11:34PM
Sunday, February 16, 2020

Stef Smith’s “Nora: A Doll’s House” at the Young Vic by Mert Dilek

A woman walks into her home. Then does another. And another. Stef Smith’s Nora: A Doll’s House is not merely an adaptation of Ibsen’s 1879 play. It is three adaptations superimposed on…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 01:06AM
Friday, February 14, 2020

Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” at Wyndham’s Theatre by Mert Dilek

Towards the end of Leopoldstadt, a young writer named Leonard is handed a sheet of paper with his family tree on it. The chart spans four generations and bears the imprint of two dozen lives…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 11:13PM
Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Crongton Knights review at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – ‘an energetic and engaging adaptation’ by Mert Dilek

“Tonight’s been a drama-overload,” observes one of the “magnificent six” in Crongton Knights. She is not exaggerating: Emteaz Hussain’s adaptation of Alex

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:28AM
Friday, February 7, 2020

Chris Bush’s “Faustus: That Damned Woman” at the Lyric Hammersmith by Mert Dilek

Could diabolical interference be the only way for a woman in 17th-century London to advance in life without being bound to a man? For Joanna Faustus, the answer is in the affirmative. So she…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 03:15AM
Friday, January 31, 2020

Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” at the Harold Pinter Theatre by Mert Dilek

The wilting characters of Uncle Vanya would like us to believe that their scenes from country life should not amount to much, except, perhaps, for an endless succession of tedious trifles. T…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 09:40PM
Monday, January 20, 2020

Cops review at Southwark Playhouse, London – ‘undercooked play about police corruption’ by Mert Dilek

Set in Chicago in 1957, Tony Tortora’s Cops zooms in on four jaded police detectives trying to navigate a police force steeped

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:01AM
Friday, January 17, 2020

Hamlet: Rotten States review at Hope Theatre, London – ‘playful ambition and genial humour’ by Mert Dilek

Imagine if the “rude mechanicals” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream were asked to stage Hamlet in just an hour and with only

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:36AM
Thursday, December 19, 2019

Shelagh Delaney’s “A Taste of Honey” at the Trafalgar Studios by Mert Dilek

It is hard to believe that Shelagh Delaney wrote A Taste of Honey when she was only nineteen. This increasingly textured and knotty play, which received its first—and famous—staging in 1…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 01:00AM
Sunday, December 15, 2019

John Webster’s “The Duchess of Malfi” at the Almeida Theatre by Mert Dilek

This Duchess of Malfi is a cool one. It is so cool that it has lost its gripping temper and, with it, some of its fire. A surprising drop in temperature, because director Rebecca Frecknall h…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 01:47AM
Thursday, December 12, 2019

Martin Crimp’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” at the Playhouse Theatre by Mert Dilek

“You into words?” Jamie Lloyd’s magnificent treatment of Cyrano de Bergerac very much is. Refracted through Lloyd’s modestly masterful staging, Martin Crimp’s vigorous, insightful …

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 02:43AM
Tuesday, December 10, 2019

The Little Prince review at Omnibus Theatre, Clapham – ‘a joyously sparkling interplanetary journey’ by Mert Dilek

Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s beloved classic The Little Prince, this year’s festive show at the Omnibus Theatre promises a joyously sparkling

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 04:34AM
Sunday, December 8, 2019

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s “Fairview” at the Young Vic by Mert Dilek

Fairview is a scorching minefield that looks like a green meadow. At long last, London audiences can enter the beguiling terrain of Jackie Sibblies Drury’s 2018 play in a flawless Young Vi…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 02:55AM
Friday, December 6, 2019

Cinderella – The Rockin’ Panto review at Artsdepot, London – ‘somewhat baggy panto’ by Mert Dilek

Written and directed by Peter Rowe, New Wolsey Theatre’s “rockin’ panto” Cinderella lands in North Finchley with a glittery, flaming bouquet of

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:49AM
Thursday, December 5, 2019

Jude Christian’s “Cinderella” at the Lyric Hammersmith by Mert Dilek

’Tis the season for Christmas pantos across the UK, and there could not be a more ideal opener to this mad tradition than Lyric Hammersmith’s joyously woke Cinderella. Written by Jude Ch…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 09:52PM
Monday, December 2, 2019

The Wind of Heaven review at Finborough Theatre, London – ‘rare revival of Emlyn Williams’ play’ by Mert Dilek

First performed in 1945, Emlyn Williams’ play The Wind of Heaven depicts a Welsh village caught in spiritual turmoil in the wake

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:10AM
Thursday, November 28, 2019

Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend” at the National Theatre by Mert Dilek

Adapting novels for the stage is a tricky business. When the novel in question happens to be wildly popular and epically proportioned, the challenges faced by the adapter can escalate withou…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 11:59PM
Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Celebrating Dramaturgy in the UK: The 2019 Kenneth Tynan Award by Mert Dilek

Founded in 2001, the Dramaturgs’ Network is the only organization in the United Kingdom solely dedicated to supporting dramaturgs and promoting the practice and theory of dramaturgy. Among…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 03:17AM
Sunday, November 24, 2019

Tue Biering’s “Land Without Dreams” at the Gate Theatre by Mert Dilek

What’s the use of thinking about the future? What’s the use of thinking about the future in a theatre? Created by the Copenhagen-based theatre company Fix&Foxy, Tue Biering’s one-w…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 12:33AM
Friday, November 8, 2019

The House of the Spirits review at Cervantes Theatre, London – ‘sensuous rendering of Isabel Allende’s epic novel’ by Mert Dilek

Isabel Allende’s 1982 novel The House of the Spirits is not an easy work to bring to the stage. An ambitious family

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:35PM
Thursday, November 7, 2019

Samuel Bailey’s “Shook” at Southwark Playhouse by Mert Dilek

The winner of the 2019 Papatango New Writing Prize, Shook by Samuel Bailey offers a glimpse into an unexpected corner of the criminal justice system. It is set in a classroom, but not in a s…

SOURCE: thetheatretimes.com at 07:47PM

Shadows review at the Coronet, London – ‘tedious meditation on old age’ by Mert Dilek

Performed in Norwegian with English surtitles, Jon Fosse’s play Shadows has a conceptual premise that depends on a disjuncture between the actor

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:47AM
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Match Box review at Omnibus Theatre, London – ‘a towering solo performance’ by Mert Dilek

Grief can be a blinding experience, but it can also give clarity of sight. This is what happens to Sal, the bereaving

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:37AM
Friday, November 1, 2019

Chemistry review at Finborough Theatre, London – ‘a moving, insightful love story’ by Mert Dilek

She suffers from chronic depression; he from unipolar mania. She cannot get out of bed; he cannot stay put. She thinks mental

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:59AM
Thursday, October 10, 2019

Mites review at Tristan Bates Theatre, London – ‘stylistically shifting and glib’ by Mert Dilek

James Mannion’s new play Mites is a shape-shifter. It begins on an absurdist register but gradually disrobes itself, shifting towards what it

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:51AM
Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Youth Without God review at the Coronet Theatre, London – ‘engaging adaptation of Nazi Germany story’ by Mert Dilek

One could do worse than turn to a classroom to find the microcosm of a society. Christopher Hampton’s stage adaptation of Ödön

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:35AM
Thursday, August 29, 2019

My One True Friend review at Tristan Bates Theatre, London – ‘vibrant but meandering’ by Mert Dilek

Rhodesia, 1978. Two visits coincide on the premises of Lady L’s estate: Gordon and Oonagh have arrived to celebrate their mother’s 60th

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:57AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards