When I think of people being evacuated by train in the Second World War - not, admittedly, that this crosses my mind very often - the Kindertransport rescue effort comes to mind, or Operation Pied Piper, the evacuation of children from areas in Britain thought to be more at risk from aerial bombing to more rural areas. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about the experiences of Japanese Americans in the United States, forced into internment camps by an executive order from the White House, even if … [Read more...]
The Loaf by Alan Booty at Jack Studio Theatre
If someone discovers their spouse or partner has been lying about something, however trivial, it is, I suppose, quite natural to wonder what else they’ve been lying about. Such is the issue faced by Martha (Joanna Karlsson) who pops downstairs to the kitchen in the middle of the night to find out what, if anything, is going on. Hermann (Alan Booty) is up to something- he says he suspects a burglar. But of all the objects in the kitchen, and indeed elsewhere in the house, to whack an intruder … [Read more...]
A Child In Striped Pyjamas at the Cockpit Theatre
Like many people of my generation, I was on the receiving end as a schoolboy of visits to the classroom by survivors of the Holocaust. The purpose behind such visits, if I recall correctly, was to help pupils understand better what went on in a way that a textbook simply couldn’t. One of the many memorable points I took away from these eyewitness testimonies was the accepted fact that there were some other survivors who wouldn’t set foot in a classroom: rather like certain war veterans who would … [Read more...]
SIX the Musical at the Vaudeville Theatre, London
I am sometimes asked if I’ve seen something at the Edinburgh Fringe that went on to become a success elsewhere, and the default answer is Six. It was the talk of the Fringe in 2018, and having taken one of the largest Fringe venues, such was its success there that, if I recall correctly, they had sold out by the time I filed my review. They added extra matinees, and they sold out too. It is, truth be told, a lot of fun, and with the rising cost of living at the time of writing as well as … [Read more...]
The Revenger’s Tragedy by Thomas Middleton at Tower Theatre
Given The Revenger’s Tragedy is an early seventeenth-century play I had neither read nor seen before, I found this production to be surprisingly easy to follow. Modern infusions were few and far between, and only really consisted of set pieces of music, which suited the narrative whilst providing a twenty-first century audience with something to connect the storyline to, without being overtly signposted. Overall, the cast embrace the strong emotions of their characters, thankfully without a … [Read more...]
Salt-Water Moon at Finborough Theatre
Almost by way of necessity, there’s a lot of recalling of the past in this long dialogue (but short play) between Mary Snow (Bryony Miller) and Jacob Mercer (Joseph Potter). But, knowing there aren’t going to be joined by anyone else - because there is no one else in the cast list - the discerning audience is fully aware that one way or another, the lines of communication are going to be kept open. For instance, we know the running time, so when one of them leaves the stage, unless there’s going … [Read more...]
The Grotto at Drayton Arms Theatre
This show seemed to divide the audience, probably because of its style of humour: some were chortling away at almost every punchline, and others barely reacted at all. It’s not for the fainthearted - groaning could be heard at one point, and not because there was a lame joke - and it doesn’t often do subtlety, either, with the inclusion of lines one would reasonably expect to hear at a panto. Pete (Toby Hampton) and Leyla (Laurel Marks) used to be a pair - they split, for reasons revealed in the … [Read more...]