“When a man is tired of London he is tired of life.” This quote by Samuel Johnson sums up Dirty Special Thing perfectly. In London (the dirty, special thing) there’s so much to do, so many people, so many places, and so little time to see it all in. But have you ever tried looking at London from another person’s perspective? The taxi driver? The Big Issue seller? Or maybe even the city banker? This play is an interesting take on all these questions, giving snapshots into the lives of many … [Read more...]
Review of The Clockmaker’s Daughter at Landor Theatre
What is a fairytale? Something with heroes and villains, something with Disney princesses and princes or something more deep and meaningful? The Clockmaker’s Daughter is what the writers Michael Webborn and Daniel Finn believe a fairytale to be. The story of a clockmaker who creates a daughter to run like clockwork. What he’s not banking on is that she has her own agency, that she can make her own decisions, and that she can therefore leave his house and live in the real world. The only problem, … [Read more...]
Review of Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre London
The first song of this show asks ‘let me entertain you’ and it didn't disappoint. This incredible show will do more than just entertain - it will keep you on the edge of your seat, it will make you laugh and cry, and I challenge anybody not to give it a standing ovation. The story of the ultimate pushy parent, Mamma Rose (Imelda Staunton), and her daughters takes you on a roller coaster of emotions from the off. The Overture begins with possibly one of the most familiar sequences in musical … [Read more...]
Review of Shrapnel: 34 Fragments of a Massacre
A civil war in Turkey between the Turkish and the stateless Kurdish. A massacre which kills 34 people. Who's at fault? This play, split into 34 ‘fragments’ for the 34 men killed explores the nature of war and blame. Maybe it’s the army. They’re the ones that made the call to take out these ‘targets’. The language of war which dehumanises the people they are killing. They’re the ones who tell the world the dead are terrorists rather than smugglers. They’re the ones that pull the trigger. Or … [Read more...]
Review of Joan of Arc at the New Diorama Theatre London
I have to confess that before seeing this play I knew very little about the life of this legendary woman and so firstly I have to thank the play for informing me of her story which was portrayed in a clever and emotional manner. I always enjoy a play which informs me and this one did not disappoint. The lighting was very clever, meaning that a clear message was sent out. Joan (played by Kate Sawyer) was in some way communicating with a higher power - be it God or, as some believed, the devil. … [Read more...]
Review of My Night with Reg at the Apollo Theatre
My Night with Reg is the story of five gay men living in the 1980s. A mixture of comedy and poignancy, it uses humour to deal with some of the difficult situations homosexual men would deal with at that time, especially within the context of the AIDS epidemic. The cast were fantastic, excellently portraying the different personalities such that the only real thing they had in common was their sexual orientation (and a liking for conservatories). Jonathan Broadbent in particular did an … [Read more...]
Review of Letters from Everyone at Drayton Arms Theatre
This story of Sam, the educated homeless girl who starts begging beside the memorial of a boy who died after being stabbed, and the people she encounters, cannot fail to make you question the way society is. Sam encounters many people throughout her daily life, most of whom look straight through her or ignore her, yet there are three people she meets time and time again, all of whom interact with her. The father of the victim, Andy, would do anything to get her moved on; the posh student, … [Read more...]