About John OBrien

JOHN O’BRIEN born in London in 1960 is a born and bred Londoner. His mother was an illiterate Irish traveller. His early years were spent in Ladbroke Grove. He was born at number 40 Lancaster Road. In 1967 the family was rehoused in Hackney. He attended Brooke House School for Boys in Clapton, - as did Lord Sugar. He became head boy and was the first person in his family to make it to university, gaining a place at Goldsmiths College in 1978. He took a degree in Sociology and a PGCE . From 1982 until 1993 he taught at schools in Hackney and Richmond. In 1984-85 he attended Bristol University where he gained a Diploma in Social Administration. From 1985 until 1989 he studied part-time in the evenings for a degree in English Literature at Birkbeck College. He stayed on at Birkbeck from 1990-1992 to study for an MA in Modern English Literature. He left teaching in 1993 and has worked as a tutor, researcher, writer and tour guide. He leads bespoke guided tours on London’s history, art , architecture and culture. He has attended numerous courses at Oxford University - Exeter College, Rewley House & Kellogg College. In London, he attends courses at Gresham College, The National Gallery, The British Museum, The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, The British Academy and The Royal Society.

Dead Poets Live – The Dead by James Joyce

December 20, 2018 Last updated: December 21, 2018 3:25 pm By John OBrien

James Joyce not only wrote the greatest novel of the twentieth century Ulysses (1922) but also the greatest short story The Dead (1906). Both are set in Dublin and both contain the most memorable endings in literature written in English. Ulysses the famous unpunctuated monologue from Molly Bloom … [Read more...]

A Christmas Carol adapted and performed by Clive Francis

December 15, 2018 Last updated: December 15, 2018 6:39 pm By John OBrien

The Coronet is the perfect venue to recreate the Victorian/Dickensian world of A Christmas Carol (1843). Itself a product of the Victorian age (built 1898) to enter The Coronet is to travel back in time. The architectural features are as they were over a hundred years ago. The lighting, fixtures and … [Read more...]

Stig of the Dump at the Tabard Theatre

December 11, 2018 Last updated: December 11, 2018 4:38 pm By John OBrien

Stig of the Dump is a children’s classic which in my opinion is up there with Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, The Railway Children, Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear. Richard Williams has brilliantly adapted Clive King’s novel. His “lossless compression” of the original … [Read more...]

Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s The Snowman at The Peacock Theatre

November 29, 2018 Last updated: November 29, 2018 5:46 pm By John OBrien

Since its first showing on Channel 4 in 1982, The Snowman has established itself as a Christmas must-do activity alongside presents, the tree, mistletoe, sending cards, turkey, A Christmas Carol, Carols from Kings College Cambridge and The Sound of Music. Based on the book by Raymond Briggs the 1982 … [Read more...]

Macbeth, a gender-fluid version abridged by Moira Buffini

November 24, 2018 Last updated: November 24, 2018 11:14 pm By John OBrien

The National Youth Theatre have been given the opportunity to perform in the wonderful Garrick Theatre (in the afternoons) and boy do they grasp the moment with both hands. This production of Macbeth is engaging, energetic and enthralling. Moira Buffini’s abridgment manages to retain the heart of … [Read more...]

The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar | Review

November 11, 2018 Last updated: November 11, 2018 11:40 am By John OBrien

The Recruiting Officer (1706) by the wonderfully named Irish dramatist George Farquhar is a classic of English comic satire so it is most welcome to have the pleasure of seeing Charlie Ryall’s adaptation at the historic Red Lion pub (built in 1415, customers include Hogarth, Dr Jonson, Dickens & … [Read more...]

Melinda Hughes: The Satirical Diva Live At Zedel

November 7, 2018 Last updated: November 7, 2018 2:33 pm By John OBrien

Melinda Hughes is indubitably the most glamorous goddess of comedic cabaret Britain has produced since Millicent Martin and the legendary That Was The Week That Was back in the 1960s. Relevant and irreverent her every pun packs a punch, her satirical surgical strikes take down the pompous, the … [Read more...]