Paradise Lost (dir. Joseph Winters)
Baigent, Winters, the cast and crew, created, with this production, a work that brings Milton’s Paradise Lost and the modern world into conversation, in an utterly captivating night of
Criticks – BSECS online reviews
The eighteenth century was the first great age of criticism. In this spirit, the Criticks website provides entertaining, informative and provocative reviews of events and media that are of interest to scholars of the eighteenth century. These complement the reviews of books that are published in the journal of the Society, Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies.
Plays, concerts, operas, exhibitions, films, broadcasts and online resources are here considered in depth by experts in the field. If there is an event that you would like to see reviewed in these pages, or if you would like to review for us, please contact one of the editors below:
Criticks Editor
Criticks Subject Editors
Fine and Decorative Art: Miriam Al Jamil
Media: Gráinne O’Hare
Music: Brianna Robertson-Kirkland
Theatre: Katie Noble
Jack Absolute Flies Again
While Jack Absolute Flies Again was much better received than that first version of The Rivals, I was nevertheless left wishing for a touch of rewriting.
Dangerous Liaisons (Northern Ballet)
A complex emotional and sensual performance that was matched with equally beautiful music.
The Witlings, a TV Mini-Series in Two Parts
The resourcefulness and ingenuity of online theatre has generated completely new ways to perform.
The R/18 Collective: Performing Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Theatre in the Age of Covid
The R/18 Collective has been doing energizing work even during the pandemic.
Criticks Reacquainted: The Whip
The play tackles the difficulty of moral duty and political compromise, posing the poignant question: what is the right thing to do, and how much will it cost?
The Woman Hater by Frances Burney
The Red Bull company has contributed a worthy version, against the odds, and given us a cause to celebrate in these difficult times for the arts.
The Emperor of the Moon
This remarkable digital production not only energizes and makes relevant this gonzo comedy, but also uses an otherwise perfunctory technology to bring to life its crucial themes about knowledge,
Criticks Reacquainted: Oranges & Ink
While we can’t experience the atmosphere of crowded theatres, the tight-squeezed rows and bright lights, at least we can continue to support these artists making the long eighteenth-century come to
Criticks Reacquainted: Hamilton
A story about the importance of recovering stories runs the risk obscuring the stories of all except its main character, yet another great man from history.