Review: Waste

Almeida Theatre, London N1

A new generation is discovering that Harley Granville Barker was one of the country's most astoundingly astute political dramatists - his work has as much to say about today's politics as those at the beginning of the last century.

Originally banned by the Lord Chamberlain in 1907, Waste has at its core a scandal involving high-lying hero MP Henry Trebell (Will Keen) laid low by an affair and an unwanted pregnancy.

Director Samuel West could have done his over-long revival more good than harm by cutting the first act. But the political argument about the church's disestablishment is thrilling, and Phoebe Nicholls as Trebell's loving but sexually uninterested wife outshines even Keen's excellent performance. (Tel: 020 7359 4404)