ED2016 4/5 Reviews ED2016 Theatre Reviews

Diary Of A Madman (Gate Theatre)

By | Published on Friday 26 August 2016

Diary of a Madman Ed2016

In 1835, Nikolai Gogol wrote ‘Diary of a Madman’, the journal of a man in tsarist Russia descending into madness because of his hunger for notoriety. Almost two centuries later, Al Smith updates this famous story, in a genius adaptation that preserves the brilliance of the classic yet also feels new and relevant. In a post-Brexit Scotland (yes, it’s that current), Pop Sheeran’s job, like his ancestors’, is to permanently paint the Forth Bridge. But the weight of tradition might make his foundations crumble. Insightful and mordant, Smith’s ‘Diary of a Madman’ is more than a critique of Nationalism. It feels like a parable: there’s a bit of Pop in all of us, waiting to crack under our own beliefs.

Traverse Theatre, until 28 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Aida Rocci]



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