Reviews by Ruba Asfahani
Rachel Parris: Poise
Ruba Asfahani
What women want. Liz Truss. Awkward greetings. Rachel Parris covered it all at the Playhouse this week as part of her UK tour - her biggest yet, in fact.
Those who know Parris from The Mash ...
3 months ago
Rachel Parris: Poise
The Museum of Marvellous Things
Ruba Asfahani
Well, that really was marvellous… I always love going to the Pegasus. It’s one of those places that I know I can trust to entertain, educate and fill my kids with so much energy, they pass out on ...
8 months ago
The Museum of Marvellous Things
Madama Butterfly
Ruba Asfahani
In the heartbreaking tale of Madama Butterfly, we first meet American Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton, a man who seemingly has fallen head over heels in love with the young Japanese girl, Cio-Cio-San of ...
11 months ago
Madama Butterfly
Blood Brothers
Ruba Asfahani
Let me start by saying that don’t let the title fool you, this play is very much about women… But I’ll get to that in a bit.
For the first time, Oxford Playhouse is presenting the hugely ...
a year ago
Blood Brothers
Rush: A Joyous Jamaican Journey
Ruba Asfahani
Oxford Playhouse labels this production as a “narrated musical”, but it is SO much more than that. We’re welcomed by DJ Ken Dread, who has flashing shoes, sequinned waistcoat and dreads ...
a year ago
Rush: A Joyous Jamaican Journey
Marina Abramović: Gates and Portals
Ruba Asfahani
It’s been a year since MAO brought in such a big name - Anish Kapoor in 2021 was a major coup for the gallery, but this time, it’s Marina Abramovic’s time in the spotlight. Abramovic is ...
2 years ago
Marina Abramović: Gates and Portals
Hey Little Bird!
Ruba Asfahani
On a sunny Sunday, my three year old son and I headed off to the North Wall to see one of the many offerings of the first ever Tiny Ideas Festival. I’d been made aware of the festival through work, ...
2 years ago
Hey Little Bird!
How To Buy a Planet, by D A Holdsworth
Ruba Asfahani
“It’s the Year 2024. Drowning in debt following the pandemic, and facing ruin, the leaders of the G7 have taken the only logical decision. They’ve sold the planet”. What a timely read… ...
4 years ago
How To Buy a Planet, by D A Holdsworth
La Bohème
Ruba Asfahani
For those unfamiliar with Puccini’s La Bohème, it tells the heartbreaking love story of poet Rodolpho and his neighbour Mimi. Over 120 years after it was first performed in Turin, the ...
5 years ago
La Bohème
Disaster By Choice - Climate Talk With Ilan Kelman
Ruba Asfahani
“Disasters are not natural. Disasters are not
natural”; this is the mantra that Professor Ilan Kelman wanted us to take home
more than anything. Until now, my knowledge on climate change has ...
5 years ago
Disaster By Choice - Climate Talk With Ilan Kelman
The Lovely Bones
Ruba Asfahani
The Lovely Bones is a novel by Alice Sebold that I devoured months after its release back in 2002. It was then made into a film in 2009 with a stellar cast including Rachel Weisz and Saoirse Ronan, ...
5 years ago
The Lovely Bones
The Immigrant
Ruba Asfahani
I don’t think I will even bother trying to find fault in this fantastic production. From the moment Chris Michael comes out on stage, the sold-out audience were in fits of laughter. Not easy to do ...
5 years ago
The Immigrant
When The Rain Stops Falling
Ruba Asfahani
The dead look after the dead. Remember that phrase as you weave through four generations and seven family members’ stories in England and Australia. It can get confusing at times, especially in the ...
5 years ago
When The Rain Stops Falling
Tangomotion
Ruba Asfahani
Full disclosure: before attending Tangomotion at the Oxford Playhouse, I knew absolutely nothing about the tango apart from the famous leg flick, and that it shows up on Strictly Come Dancing every ...
5 years ago
Tangomotion
