Four stars for THE NIGHTMARES OF CARLOS FUENTES

Reviews are in THE NIGHTMARES OF CARLOS FUENTES at the Arcola Theatre.  

Written by Rashid Razaq (based on the short story by Hassan Blasim), it is directed by Nicolas Kent and designed by Ellan Parry.

'* * * * … THE NIGHTMARES OF CARLOS FUENTES is Rashid Razaq's blackly witty, tonally false-footing and cumulatively devastating play based on a short story by the exiled Iraqi film-maker and writer, Hassan Blasim ... I regret to say that I haven't yet read any of Hassan Blasim's fiction.  This show (expertly directed and rawly topical) is a strong inducement to do so ' The Independent

'* * * * ... Nicolas Kent’s nearly three decades at the helm of London’s Tricycle Theatre were marked by a number of productions that showed a political and moral directness, neither chin-strokingly abstruse nor agitprop-strident. His first London stage production since leaving the [Tricycle] is driven by the same spirit of straightforward engagement' Financial Times

'* * * * … Razaq is, uncannily, a news reporter ... his writing for the stage is similarly crisp and informative ... a gripping 85-minute play' Evening Standard

'* * * * … Rashid Razaq's gem of a script is littered with humour ... Ellan Parry's set design is a joy, fluidly depicting hotel rooms in London, bomb-ravaged streets of Baghdad and detention centres as Nicolas Kent's slick direction ensures the story whips along' What's On Stage

THE NIGHTMARES OF CARLOS FUENTES runs until August 16th.  Tickets are available here.