Cleansed review: A front row seat to the most controversial night in theatre

I finally watched the ultra-violent play I had avoided for 31 years

Torture, amputation – let's hope there are paramedics on hand for audiences at this revival of Sarah Kane's drama Cleansed. Why do we need to watch this?

Cleansed review: A front row seat to the most controversial night in theatre

Sarah Kane's Cleansed is an agony of gore and brutality that hasn't been staged in ten years. At the Almeida Theatre, Rebecca Frecknall reminds us why it is a once-in-a-decade wonder. Enter at your own risk.

Cleansed – The Almeida

I have heard Cleansed be described as unreviewable. Is this owing to its explicit, horrific imagery? Or its polarisation of audiences into the enthused and the disgusted? Tinkler, a doctor-drug-dealer, acts as puppeteer to lovers Rod and Carl; to siblings-turned lovers Graham and Grace; and to the juvenile Robin. Set in a university – although deeply unclear until spelled out by Dan Rebellato’s poignant programme notes – the trios and pairs of p…

Cleansed – Almeida Theatre, London

Writer: Sarah Kane Director: Rebecca Frecknall One thing you can be sure of when watching a Sarah Kane play is that it will not be a comfortable viewing experience. Cleansed is the apotheosis of that, with a list of content warnings far longer than most: Kane’s work includes nudity, violence, sex, incest, more violence, bodily [...] The post Cleansed – Almeida Theatre, London appeared first on The Reviews Hub.

Review: 'Cleansed' at the Almeida Theatre

Rebecca Frecknall concludes her time as Almeida associate director with a staging of Sarah Kane’s 1998 play. The post ‘Cleansed’ review – Why revive this horrendous trauma play? appeared first on Liam O'Dell.