Accolade, St James Theatre

Billed as a tale of ‘sex, scandal and blackmail’, the press and politics of the 1950s find their way to the St James Theatre as Accolade opens later this month. The play sees prominent novelist Will Trenting struggle with the scrutiny that he finds himself under when he is afforded a knighthood – a scrutiny that is even more disquieting given a previous affair with an under-age girl.
When Accolade ran at The Finborough in 2011, it collected every fringe award going, including Time Out’s ‘Best Off West End Production’ and ‘Best Production’ at the Off West End awards.
Back at the reigns of this production is director Blanche McIntyre, winner of Best Director at the 2013 UK Theatre Awards – a pretty meteoric rise given that her first paid directing job came in 2012. McInyre is known for her clarity of staging and her strong collaborations with her actors, all of which stand her in good stead whilst trying to inject reality and empathy into some rather weighty subject matter.