When writing about theatrical revivals, I generally follow the academic practice of including in brackets the date of the play. The advantage of such calendar accuracy is that it makes a big difference to know whether a Russian drama was written before or after 1917, or where an English one stands in relation to the 1914 and 1939 conflicts.Harley Granville Barker’s play Waste, however, has a slippery history. Written in 1907 and substantially rewritten in 1927, it was not staged until 1936, due to the theatrical censor’s objections to both its cynical depiction of politicians and a sub-plot involving an illegal abortion. So should Waste be regarded as a pre-First World War or pre-Second World War play?Roger Michell’s riveting new National Theatre production suggests that