A heady mix of Gayness; Blackness; and Superhero. Ness. And as in all good threesomes, there is inevitably a dominant strand. Here, regrettably, it's the superhero that comes out on top, so to speak. Like a cactus in a bath, superheroes, on stage, are as out of place as a dead shark lacking formaldehyde. It just doesn’t work. The play, without all the stage-superhero-trying-to-be-a-cinematic-superhero and simply failing would be no worse than it is with it. In fact, it might well be … [Read more...]
My Brother’s Keeper at Theatre503 | Review
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. But Margate was.” Mahad Ali’s script gives us a powerful, intelligent, sensitive window on today’s Britain - in general - and Margate in particular. We have white English residents pitted against black African insurgents (refugees) who are basically wannabe English residents to the chagrin of the incumbents and the discomfiture of… er… well… the racists. At heart, though, it’s not a play about racism: rather it’s a play about identity. And it’s … [Read more...]
Crackers: A Festive Family Farce at Polka Theatre
Doors. Lots of them. Stage Left. Stage Right. Upstage. Mid-stage. Downstage. A big cupboard - with, yes, you’ve guessed it - doors. And drawers. And a suspicious-looking fireplace, bricked-up and covered with wallpaper. And a table - also with drawers. And there’s holes: in the walls. Lots of holes. And crevices. And gaps. And nooks. And grannies. Sorry - I mean crannies. But there will be grannies, I bet - watch this space. So - pre-curtain - what does this (more than) cursory scrutiny of the … [Read more...]
Idolatry written and performed by Paul Bridger – Union Theatre
The beautiful game. Or not so beautiful perhaps. Score a goal, win a cup, get the car and the house and the girl. Bask in the glory. Drink in the idolatry. Live the dream. But at what price? Here, in Idolatry, writer Paul Bridger tells us, in intricate detail, exactly what that price can be. For some boys, some up-and-coming stars, some football desperados who can't see anything other than the prize of fame, those innocent dreamers who think they can only get it by doing what their coach … [Read more...]
The Light Trail at the Hope Theatre
Do you hear God? Is it your intention to run Google? Are you working, intensely, on a plan to bring peace to the intractable situation in the Middle East? Do you hear a voice - a voice that suggests it may just be better for all concerned if you decided that you shouldn't be around anymore and shuffled yourself off this mortal coil? Yes, we’re talking psychosis, here. Or, to put it in layperson's terms: madness. The Light Trail is an extraordinarily powerful script written by Lydia … [Read more...]