Down a side street in Leicester Square, behind a very unassuming entrance, past more guards and security checks than an airport lies Studio 88, the venue for the ‘One Night With’ series of events bringing us, the audience, closer to the people we see onstage in the West End so frequently. Once past the rather intimidating entrance rigmarole the strains of ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ by Guns ’n’ Roses floats up the stairs and it’s clear the house band have already warmed up and started their first … [Read more...]
othellomacbeth at the Lyric Hammersmith | Review
Taster menus are one of my favourite dining experiences and now, for our viewing pleasure, Lyric and HOME have come together to bring us taster theatre in the form of shortened Shakespeare, presented in the beautifully refurbished Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. With Hamlet famously having a 4-hour duration, Shakespeare is perhaps not best known for his brevity but thrusting together two of Shakespeare’s best-known works – Othello and Macbeth – this production takes what would be around 5 and a … [Read more...]
Taming of the Shrew at Tristan Bates Theatre
I think we’ve all seen at least one play by Shakespeare. Many of us will have seen more than one. What Shake-scene Shakespeare offers us is the opportunity to see Shakespeare ‘au natural’. No, not undressed but in its natural state using the ‘cue script’ technique. In short; cue script work was favoured in 16th and 17th-century theatre due to copyright issues, production time and cost of materials and involves each performer preparing their part in isolation. They get their cues and their … [Read more...]
Fabric by Abi Zakarian at Soho Theatre | Review
Powerful, moving and gritty, Damsel Productions are pulling no punches with Fabric, the story of Leah (Nancy Sullivan) and the events surrounding her life with boyfriend/husband Ben. This one-woman performance takes you on the roller-coaster ride from the joy of initially meeting the tall blonde man of her dreams (Ben), through their first dates and the feeling of their first kiss, to meeting her future mother-in-law (with the usual enmities of a protective parent), into their wedding and … [Read more...]
Review: The Valour of Robin Hood – Abney Park Cemetery
It’s a story known to everyone; brave Robin Hood and his merry band of outlaws robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. Throw in the obligatory rivalry with the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and we have the beloved tale of one of the first anti-establishment heroes in Britain. So why do another version of a story so well-thumbed? For the sheer joy of it, perhaps? Because there are stereotypes in the tale that are crying out to be broken by a predominantly female cast? Because you have … [Read more...]
Review: Central (Story) Line at the Camden Fringe | Theatre N16
They say that history repeats itself. That some things never change. Central (Story) Line is a stark reminder that if we as a species aren’t careful this rings very true and often not in a good way. Central (Story) Line by (the brilliantly named) ‘Fingers Crossed Theatre Company’ is the story of three friends thrust together through circumstance and held together through shared experience and understanding. The tale is told through a series of train/tube journeys, beginning with their escape … [Read more...]
the dog / the cat at The Hope Theatre, London | Review
Commissioned by Belvoir Theatre in Sydney and following two extended sell-out seasons, The Dog / The Cat makes its London debut at The Hope Theatre in Islington, running until the 22nd of September 2018. Not quite a double bill and not quite a single flowing unit, The Dog/The Cat is a play in two halves, sharing some references and with much the same minimalist staging. The performance opens with The Dog, the story of Ben (Thomas Blackburne) and his friend/flatmate Marcus (Frederick De Rosa) … [Read more...]