A hip-hop history lesson, a dizzy Dahl musical and a continent-hopping barbershop … The Guardian picks the finest new works of theatre since 2000

by Michael Billington, Alexis Soloski, Catherine Love, Mark Fisher and Chris Wiegand

31

Red Velvet (2012)

Theatre history is a rich subject. Lolita Chakrabarti seized on the stunning story of the passions aroused by the London debut in 1833 of the African-American actor Ira Aldridge as Othello. His presence provoked professional bitchery, press venom and popular prejudice. But this was also a play about the nature of performance and a reminder that Aldridge was resented because, like all great actors, he was seen as a pioneering realist. MB Read the review.

Source Guardian 2019