I went to see PIT Theatre's Down and Out in Paris & London largely out of curiosity; I've never been able to get past the Parisian portion of the seminal George Orwell work and I wanted to learn if I could find something more in a stage adaptation. I wasn't disappointed. Ingeniously, this production weaves a contemporary account of poverty in London, 'Hard Work' by Polly Toynbee, into its structure so that, seamlessly, the two experiences align to show just how little has changed for the … [Read more...]
GIVE ME YOUR LOVE at Battersea Arts Centre – Review
Give Me Your Love, a transfer from Melbourne now playing at the Battersea Arts Centre until the end of the month, capitalises on a current and noteworthy discussion, that is, the use of recreational and, hitherto, illegal drugs in the battle against psychoses, specifically Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The company performing, Ridiculusmus, has a host of successes under their belt which stem from a personal motivation to discuss such radical ideas surrounding mental health, one such being The … [Read more...]
Review of See What I Wanna See at Jermyn Street Theatre
See What I Wanna See, a reprisal of a little known musical by eclectic writer Michael John LaChiusa, is running at the charismatic Jermyn Street Theatre near Picadilly Circus. It’s a suitably arty piece to be performed at this location and is an intriguing watch. It would be tricky to describe a distinct plot, as three different stories entwine with each other. It would be more accurate to explain the performance as a narrative of a series of dramatic events as seen from different … [Read more...]
The School of Light at The White Bear Theatre
The School of Light at The White Bear in Kennington started with promise and humour full of the potential of a sitcom or comic drama, lying somewhere on the spectrum between Peep Show and Jonathan Creek. Sadly the entertainment tailed off around half way through, which was unsurprising given that the only storyline was a non-committal romance-come-salvation plot concerning the two most 'normal' characters in the motley crew comprising the School of Light. That being said, with an edited script, … [Read more...]
Norm All Day with Dorothy Fale at COG ARTSpace – Review
Although I wasn't at all sure what to expect from the cryptically named 'The Norm All Day with Dorothy Fale' at the CogART Space in Old Street, it wasn't a feminist clown in a red suspender belt, six foot wings, a platinum blonde wig and a cycle helmet. However, despite her silence, the clown had plenty to say and somehow melded outright comedy with hard hitting statements about the position of women today. The night got off to a good start with a 10 minute warm up act by a stand-up comedian, … [Read more...]
Review of The Bald Soprano at Etcetera Theatre
The Eugene Ionesco absurdist drama 'The Bald Soprano' has a 3 day run during the Camden Fringe this year and it fits the bill for exciting and experimental new work perfectly. In the black box of the Etcetera Theatre the UCLU Drama Society played out the ironically tragic effect that our failure to communicate honestly can have on the quality of our relationships; on how our desperation to tell the stories that we think people want to hear, belies the truth of the stories we need to tell. The … [Read more...]
Review of HECUBA at the White Bear Theatre
As a novice to Greek theatre I was looking forward to an evening of education and entertainment watching CATHARSIS' new incarnation of HECUBA at the White Bear Theatre. This interpretation gave the audience the full force of Classical Greek tragedy detailing the lamentable tale of Hecuba Queen of Troy, whilst at the same time often to great effect, although sometimes clumsily, drawing parallels with a similarly bleak modern day experience of woe. 'Hecuba' played with great gusto and … [Read more...]