John Nathan

Latest from John Nathan

Theatre

The moment Tom Stoppard revealed his Jewish soul to me

The great playwright discovered his Jewishness late in life – and the impact was huge

5 min read

Extreme combover: Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart and Margaret Qualley as Elizabeth Weiland

Blue Moon review: ‘Ethan Hawke turns in a superb performance’ ★★★★

1 min read

Setting the trap: Rory Kennan as British spy Alec Leamas (Credit: Johan Persson)

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold review: ‘hugely satisfying stage adaptation’★★★★

1 min read

ALL MY SONS. Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Kate Keller) and Richard Hansell (Dr Jim Bayliss). Photo: Jan Versweyveld

All My Sons review: Bryan Cranston is terrific in this new Arthur Miller revival ★★★★

1 min read

Wicked: For Good: Pitch-perfect escapism that surpasses the smash-hit original ★★★★★

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are superbly matched in the roles of Elphaba and Glinda in this film version of Stephen Schwartz’s musical

1 min read

November 19, 2025 17:26

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked (Photo: Universal Pictures)

The Hunger Games On Stage: Concept and spectacle aplenty but no heart ★★

This theatrical adaptation of the trailblazing dystopian movie by Jewish director Gary Ross lacks the emotional depth of the film and book franchises

1 min read

November 19, 2025 17:06

Hunger Games on stage at the Troubadour Theatre (Photo: Johan Persson)

Nuremberg review: ‘It all feels too sexy, glamorous even’ ★★★

This crowd-pleaser about the first post-war international war crimes tribunal hits some wrong notes

2 min read

November 13, 2025 12:59

The Wanderers – review: Marriage? Be careful what you wish for ★★★★

The first act of this clever play about two Brooklyn marriages is a little ponderous, but stick with it – the second act is more than worth the wait

2 min read

November 12, 2025 16:36

I am my beloved's: Eddie Toll as Schmuli and Katerina Tannenbaum as Esther

This revival of Othello should be called Iago ★★★★

David Harewood is in the title role, but it is Toby Jones who steals the show

1 min read

November 6, 2025 14:33

Towering performance: Toby Jones as Iago and (right) David Harewood as Othello

Turn up the volume on this wartime yarn of death and Elgar ★★★

Nicholas Hytner’s production of Alan Bennett’s First World War drama in the Yorkshire Dales is quietly moving, but maybe too quiet

1 min read

November 4, 2025 17:06

Eminently watchable: Ralph Fiennes in The Choral

Fantasy Life review: ‘I think I suffer from internalised antisemitism’ ★★★

In this neurotic and funny film, Matthew Shear plays a failed tax lawyer who’s ashamed of being Jewish

1 min read

October 31, 2025 10:49

Fantasy Life review: ‘I think I suffer from internalised antisemitism’ ★★★

How bad can a Friday night dinner get? How long you got?

New York film director Daniel Robbins on his comedy about having your future Catholic in-laws over for Shabbat

5 min read

October 31, 2025 10:38

Don't say grace: the two families at the dinner table in Bad Shabbos

The Assembled Parties: ‘Oberman is in the form of her life’ ★★★★

The Jewish actor stands out in this beautifully performed play about Jews at Christmas

2 min read

October 29, 2025 16:19

Tracy-Ann Oberman as Faye (Photo: Helen Murray)

Unbelievers review: A mother in the grip of her worst nightmare ★★★

Nicola Walker conveys with fevered obsession how a mother’s mind implodes when her teenage son disappears

1 min read

October 22, 2025 15:18

Tortured: Nicola Walker as Miriam, whose teenage son disappears (Photo: Brinkhoff Moegenburg)

After The Hunt review: Julia Roberts at her superb best in campus thriller ★★★★

The actor shines as a lecturer caught in the crossfire of a culture war showdown

2 min read

October 22, 2025 15:05

Commanding performance: Julia Roberts as brittle, high-flying Yale professor Alma

Mary Page Marlowe review: ‘no life is uninteresting’ ★★★★

Susan Sarandon brings steel to Tracy Letts’s play about the unremarkable life of one American woman, but it is Andrea Riseborough who delivers an outstanding performance

1 min read

October 13, 2025 16:35

The drama of life: Andrea Riseborough in Mary Page Marlowe

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John Nathan

Latest from John Nathan

The moment Tom Stoppard revealed his Jewish soul to me

Blue Moon review: ‘Ethan Hawke turns in a superb performance’ ★★★★

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold review: ‘hugely satisfying stage adaptation’★★★★

All My Sons review: Bryan Cranston is terrific in this new Arthur Miller revival ★★★★

More from John Nathan

Wicked: For Good: Pitch-perfect escapism that surpasses the smash-hit original ★★★★★

The Hunger Games On Stage: Concept and spectacle aplenty but no heart ★★

Nuremberg review: ‘It all feels too sexy, glamorous even’ ★★★

The Wanderers – review: Marriage? Be careful what you wish for ★★★★

This revival of Othello should be called Iago ★★★★

Turn up the volume on this wartime yarn of death and Elgar ★★★

Fantasy Life review: ‘I think I suffer from internalised antisemitism’ ★★★

How bad can a Friday night dinner get? How long you got?

The Assembled Parties: ‘Oberman is in the form of her life’ ★★★★

Unbelievers review: A mother in the grip of her worst nightmare ★★★

After The Hunt review: Julia Roberts at her superb best in campus thriller ★★★★

Mary Page Marlowe review: ‘no life is uninteresting’ ★★★★