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...]
Review of The Rhythm of Life at St James Theatre
The razzle dazzle of one of Broadway's most prolific song writers just landed squarely in the intimate studio space in the St James Theatre, Victoria. And boy, does it ever work. Cy Coleman was an artist whose work spanned decades yet who is placed in that arena of musicians whose songs are more famous than he himself ever was. Perhaps this is because of the breadth of his talent which covers every musical genre from the ballad to the toe tapping Rhythm of Life which once featured, believe it or … [Read more...]
Review of The Liberty Tree at the Cockpit Theatre
It’s gratifying to see a theatrical production that so whole-heatedly embraces the need for political activism. In this current climate of austerity and government swindling, the need for clear and didactic lessons in how to propagate positive change has never been more necessary. As evidenced by the recent electoral farce, subtleties aren’t really cutting it anymore. The Liberty Tree is a collaboration of students and activists who have identified this niche and gleefully claimed it; using … [Read more...]
Hot Stuff at The Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch
Even if you're not a fan of 70s disco hits (and I certainly am), 'Hot Stuff' at Queens Theatre in Hornchurch is guaranteed to have you unsuccessfully suppressing an enormous grin, and trying, equally unsuccessfully, to stop your foot tapping along with the tunes that this show bowls at you. Ok, it's not a particularly clever reworking of the songs, and a storyline is practically nonexistent, but this show delivers a corker of a suburbanly gleeful night out, staying just the wrong side of … [Read more...]