The Alchemist, directed by Polly Findlay, The Swan Theatre, Stratford, 26 July 2016, second row Ground seats

In the sulphur smoke-infused enclosed atmosphere of the Swan theatre a table piled high with objects including a skull, chemistry jars and herbs was placed in one corner of the stage whilst a crocodile hung from the ceiling. The apparatus was evocative of the seventeenth century but there was an obv