NATIONAL THEATRE SOUTHBANK, SE1 9PX 020 7452 3000 Translations To 11 August by Brian Friel Owen, the prodigal son, returns to rural Donegal from Dublin. With him are two British army officers. Their ambition is to create a map of the area, replacing the Gaelic names with English. It is an administrative act with radical consequences. Julie To 8 September by August Strindberg Wild and newly single, Julie throws a late night party. In the kitchen, Jean and Kristina clean up as the celebration heaves above them. Crossing the threshold, Julie initiates a power game with Jean. It descends into a savage fight for survival. Listings Theatre BRIDGE THEATRE SOUTHBANK, SE1 9PX 020 7452 3000 My Name is Lucy Barton 2 June to 23 June by Elizabeth Strout Unsteady after an operation, Lucy Barton wakes to find her mother sitting at the foot of her bed. She hasn’t seen her in years, and her visit brings back to Lucy her desperate rural childhood, and her escape to New York. Lucy Barton will be played by three-time Academy Award and four-time Tony nominee Laura Linney, making her London debut. Hallelujah! 11 July to 28 September by Alan Bennett The Beth, an old fashioned cradle-to- grave hospital serving a town on the edge of the Pennines, is threatened with closure as part of an NHS efficiency drive. Meanwhile, a documentary crew eager to capture its fight for survival follows the daily struggle to find beds on the Dusty Springfield Geriatric Ward. ENTERTAINMENTS P H O T O B Y C A T H E R I N E A S H M O R E Vanessa Kirby is ‘Julie’ at The National A scene from Translations at The National Theatre Alan Bennett’s new play Hallelujah! opens at The Bridge theatre 11 July | C U L T U R E | 28 THE RIVER MAGAZINE | Summer 2018 | C U L T U R E |