Wallace Shawn is a lovely old sausage. A stalwart of American theatre, he’s taken cameo roles in classic movies like Clueless and Manhattan. He’s also a playwright whose new script has received its world première at the National Theatre. Lucky chap. He spent three or four years writing Evening at the Talk House and it reveals a peculiar methodology.

Why is there no one at the National Theatre preventing these duds getting staged?
Evening at the Talk House is like witnessing a drunk trying to set fire to an ice cube, while Waste is three hours of moral tribulation performed inside a giant Hovis loaf

Comments
Don't miss out
Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.
UNLOCK ACCESSAlready a subscriber? Log in