THE Theatre Royal in Bath is offering a not-to-be-missed opportunity to catch one of the great modern dramas of our time, immediately prior to its West End transfer to London’s Arts Theatre.

David Mamet’s Oleanna returns to Bath this summer with Jonathan Slinger playing the role of John and Rosie Sheehy the role of Carol.

The production is directed by Lucy Bailey and will appear at the Ustinov Studio from until Saturday, July. We will be reviewing it next week.

When David Mamet’s 1992 play Oleanna first opened nearly 30 years ago, it caused uproar among audiences from New York to London.

Writing in The Guardian, Michael Billington stated that it “enflamed passions and divided partners”.

When Lucy Bailey’s 2020 staging of Oleanna opened in the Ustinov Studio last December it was greeted with five-star reviews from the national critics who praised the sensational performances of Jonathan Slinger and Rosie Sheehy.

The public acclaimed it as a masterpiece which continues to provoke the passionate response for which this extraordinary drama is famous.

Set on an American campus, a seemingly innocuous conversation between a college professor and his female student warps into a nightmare which threatens to destroy them both, when she files a claim of sexual harassment against him.

With its take on the corrosive excesses of political correctness and exploration of the use and abuse of language, this is the ultimate drama of pupil power and student revenge.

Addressing issues which are strikingly current, this is a fascinating opportunity to see this landmark play from the perspective of our #MeToo era.