{"product_id":"red-velvet-9781350149137","title":"Red Velvet","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChakrabarti has crafted a rich psychological study that's also a shrewd portrait of the theatre as an institution  its vanities and strange conventions, its politics and sense of community, the opportunities it presents for both progress and blinkered traditionalism. \u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eTheatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage while playing Othello. A young Black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?Based on the true story of Ira Aldridge, an African-American actor who, in the 19th century, built an incredible reputation around the world. \u003ci\u003eRed Velvet \u003c\/i\u003epremiered at the Tricycle Theatre, London, in October 2012. This new Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Kenneth Branagh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChakrabarti's writing is funny and fierce . . . the issues 'Red Velvet' deals with are far from past tense. * Time Out London *\u003cbr\u003eChakrabarti smartly draws parallels between the world of Shakespeare's Othello, the 1830s and our own society. She writes shrewdly about the theatre's role as an instrument of both social progress and conservatism . . . an arresting and sometimes very funny play. * Evening Standard *","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51019630838103,"sku":"9781350149137","price":13.1,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781350149137.jpg?v=1750780838","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/red-velvet-9781350149137","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}