The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Rust at Bush Theatre

Rust at Bush Theatre | Theatre review
2 July 2019
Jim Compton-Hall
Avatar
Jim Compton-Hall
2 July 2019

Bush Theatre plays host to Rust, a sharp new show, well written and well performed.

The play tells the story of two unhappily married people who find happiness together. They rent a flat and meet there secretly every Monday for love and lust. Each scene is another glimpse at their affair and how it plays out. Nadia and Daniel try to define the rules of their relationship. And then redefine them. As time goes by their rules unravel and they worry that their secrets will too.

The writing is lovely. Kenny Emson’s dialogue is natural and compelling, while his characters are endearing. Both Nadia and Daniel are deep and well-crafted individuals who feel real and connected, and the relationship between them has been built wonderfully.

Aiding the script are the great performances from the two cast members, Claire Lams and Jon Foster. They manage to switch from happy-in-love to bursts of anger in a flash. Lams particularly stands out as Nadia, fiercely fun at times and just fierce at others.

The set design is simple yet works particularly nicely. A mass of pillows lie centre stage, making up the lovers’ bed. Director Eleanor Rhode makes good use of these props, having the performers interact with them in various ways to bring the bedroom to life.

While every element of the production is solid, it doesn’t really meet its promise of pushing “the boundaries of trust, love and lust to the limit”. Instead, it just about manages to comment on those themes. But is that necessarily a bad thing? What the piece loses in deep boundary-pushing thinking, it makes up for by being more accessible as a show. It becomes simply enjoyable to watch.

While Rust isn’t as cutting edge or thought-provoking as it would perhaps hope to be, it’s a decent, entertaining show that’s certainly worth the ticket price.

★★★★★

Jim Compton-Hall
Photo: Helen Murray

Rust is at Bush Theatre from 1st July until 27th July 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

Rita at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★★★
Mae Trumata
Read More

Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry

★★★★★
Ella Satin
Read More

Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances

The editorial unit
Read More

“Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

All of Us at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

★★★★★
Alexandra Fletcher
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: The Importance of Being Anxious at Museum of Comedy

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: Rome 3000 (Julius Caesar) at Canal Cafe Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Jim Compton-Hall

Rust

★★★★★

Dates

1st July - 27th July 2019

Price

£10-£15

Links & directions

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Eiffel
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances
    Theatre
  • Tips for creating a peaceful home
    Feature of the week
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Film offers a way of looking at the past, the present and the future simultaneously. That’s its wonder”: Sarah Beddington on Fadia’s Tree
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Five Days at Memorial
    ★★★★★
    apple
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

The Kooks reaffirm their status as indie kings at a sun-drenched Community Festival | Live review
Blue at Lion & Unicorn Theatre | Theatre review