London theatre reviews written by Faye Stockley.

When I think of Victoria Wood, I smile, I have a very clear memory of her sitting at a piano, wearing a blazer with sleeves rolled up, smiling at the camera, singing, and making me laugh. The song I always remember is the Ballad of Barry and Freda and that iconic line “Beat me on the bottom with the Woman's Weekly let's do it, let's do it tonight!” I’d imagine many Brits have a similar memory due to her prolific TV appearances starting in the late 70s until her death in 2016 - Victoria Wood, As … [Read more...]

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs, produced by Damsel productions, is currently running at The Soho Theatre until 11th June. I went along and was totally blown away! Everything about this production is first class, the writing, staging, lighting, sound design, casting and the performance levels. Damsel Productions have added all the ingredients to make this a 5-star production. The Piece is set around a lesbian choir in Soho. We meet the choir’s seven fully paid-up members and choir … [Read more...]

I was fortunate to catch Emily Davis at Jazz Bar, Toulouse Lautrec Kennington last week where she performed the first Edinburgh preview of her new one-woman show, Blodwen's in Town. At just under an hour in length, Emily's one-woman show is a character piece called Blodwen's in Town: Blodwen, an ebullient Welsh 30-something regals stories from her past; her family, her move to London from a small village in Wales. The piece is a mixture of songs and stories with a few costume … [Read more...]

I was fortunate enough to secure a seat at the final performance of The Dan Daw Show at Battersea Arts Centre this week, and I wasn’t disappointed. For the full run the show has been designed with audience care in mind; meaning the performance is captioned and relaxed. There is also a long list of triggers highlighted to you as you enter the performance space, these include; Kink experience, sexually explicit depictions, the reaching of physical limits, bright and/or flashing lights, blackouts, … [Read more...]

I'm not sure about you, but at this moment in time, I am crying out for light comic relief, and with Stretch Marks and Broken Hearts, currently playing at the Etcetera Theatre, it is exactly that. The piece could be described as a 21st-century take on a kitchen-sink drama - working-class protagonists, living their day to day, nothing extraordinary happening, just life in challenging circumstances, 4 people: 2 couples, living on the bread line, heating costs going through the roof, having to … [Read more...]

I’d not heard of the Tiger Lillies until I agreed to review their Christmas Show at The South Bank Centre, and, if I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t expecting a huge amount from the show and felt it probably wasn’t going to be to my liking, however, I was wrong. The show was fantastic, it was magical as it was melancholic, I’d happily go again and I am definitely adding the Tiger Lillies to my ones to watch list… and researching their back catalogue. For those of you not in the know, … [Read more...]

Although named Red Riding Hood the Theatre Royal, Stratford’s seasonal panto offering is not a pure version of the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is a homage to the whole world of Fairy Tales combined with a nod to climate change, popular culture including a famous cookery show and an anatomy lesson too! A perfect family treat for the holiday season, without a mention of Christmas in sight! The piece is set in the made-up land of Stratford - on the Down! As we enter the … [Read more...]