66 Books – The Bush Theatre
The Bush opened its new theatre with an extraordinarily energetic celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The 66 playlets, one inspired by each of the books of the Bible, included the occasional dud – but the overwhelming majority were sparklers. Stand-outs included Ony Uhiara as Esther, no longer an unwilling biblical wife but instead a courageous innocent fighting to survive the horror of human trafficking; Obi Abili in Tom Well’s tragicomic reworking of the Samson story; and the gentle mystery of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s own offering, a newly penned version of the resurrection of Lazarus.
It was a fitting farewell from Josie Rourke, as she moves on to inherit Michael Grandage’s legacy at the Donmar Warehouse, and a sign of exciting things to come from collaborator Christopher Haydon as he moves on to head up the Gate Theatre in Notting Hill.
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