Ron's rages are sincere and — according to his wife — healthily cathartic. But can these splenetic outbursts loosen the grip of capitalism at its most monstrous?
The Stars Are Made of Concrete
Oldham Coliseum/Touring
5/5
THE STARS are Made of Concrete couldn’t be more topical. It opens with news footage of the junior hospital doctors’ dispute, with the main character Bev (Zoe Mathews) one of the thousands of NHS workers who have been made redundant without anyone noticing.
Like many, even though she has a son who’s unemployed, she doesn’t realise how difficult it is to get work and — even more importantly — claim the benefits for which she has paid into the system all her working life.
PAUL FOLEY revels in the coolest, most joyful piece of theatre you’ll get this summer
GEORGE FOGARTY is dazzled by a breathtakingly skillful puppet version of Shakespeare’s greatest love poem
GORDON PARSONS is blown away by a superb production of Rostand’s comedy of verbal panache and swordmanship
MARY CONWAY applauds the success of Beth Steel’s bitter-sweet state-of-the-nation play


