A breath of fresh air and a London debut from a promising young writer and her Coventry based company. Predictable until it’s not, this darkly comedic morality fable draws heavily on Blade Runner and other sci-fi noir franchises. Set in a near future that is both dystopian and frighteningly real, the story is of the android Alice (Leonie Slater) and its exploration … [Read more...]
Under the Umbrella by Amy Ng – Review
At the age of 27, and in danger of crashing out of her master’s course at Coventry University, Wei (Mei Mac) has become disillusioned by a lifetime of academic endeavour, fulfilling the ambitions and dreams of her mother and controlling grandmother, in order to turn herself into the perfect wife. She has become westernised, led astray by her hard-partying flatmate … [Read more...]
Review of Little Echoes at Hope Theatre, London
A painful and difficult work from an emerging writer with a growing reputation, given its first outing. Three contemporary Londoners, each touched by evil. Three narratives woven together, slowly building in an escalation of horror that unfolds over 90 minutes. Like most 16-year olds, Danielle (Maisie Preston) knows it all, unlike her frankly embarrassing parents. … [Read more...]
VIOLET at The Bunker Theatre | Review
Twenty-seven-year-old Bertie is lost, adrift in the chaos that is the modern metropolitan existence. She flees the city and takes refuge in a sleepy seaside resort, house-sitting for her cousin, where she indulges in a depressive spiral, with enough self-awareness to identify the narcissistic indulgence of the privileged millennial, but too little to escape. Until … [Read more...]
Flotsam by Claire Erasmus at Canal Cafe | Review
This is the story of two women with little in common, and the formation of an unlikely bond, as their tales converge and combine. We first meet the damaged Jo (Jennifer Aries), desperate and alone on a beach, haunted by an ancient evil, shuffling a deck of precisely no cards. Aries gives a performance of agonising emptiness, director Barry wringing out the … [Read more...]
Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell at The Olivier Theatre | Review
The set is a multi-layered cacophony of Americana. A seven-piece band casually slip into their places as the house lights dim. Hermes the messenger (Andre De Shields) saunters on stage with reptilian grace and, flaunting a bejewelled waistcoat, greets the audience. The massive room shrinks, becomes intimate, as a congregation forms. Trombone (Nathaniel Cross) strikes … [Read more...]
Say My Name! – The Unauthorised ‘Breaking Bad’ Parody Musical
The 60 plus hours of Breaking Bad sets a new standard for epic drama, and Walter White is the iconic tragic figure of the early 21 st century. He and the damaged, beautiful Jessie Pinkman are the Lear and Cordelia of our age. Reimagined as a musical comedy by Rob Gathercole, one of a talented band of mostly Rose Bruford alumni, the show manages to combine the … [Read more...]
Flotsam a new play by Claire Erasmus at the King’s Head Theatre
Flotsam is a new play by emerging writer Claire Erasmus. It is a gripping exploration of our own mortality explored through the undeniable power of female friendship starring Jennifer Aries of BAFTA award-winning Call the Midwife, The Tunnel and Ripper Street. When an eternal optimist goes for her early morning swim in a quiet seaside town she encounters a messed … [Read more...]
Breathe written and directed by Lucrezia Pollice at Tristan Bates Theatre
Breathe pans across the struggles of four housemates living in London trying to successfully accomplish their dreams. Personal secrets, fears and dreams emerge as their lives intertwine, revealing the importance of friendship in the face of anxiety and depression. Will they choose security or transform their fears into fuel to conquer their dreams? A superb play, … [Read more...]