Chekhov’s First Play presented by Dead Centre got off to a dangerous start with the somewhat hubristic claim in the programme that they aim to improve on Chekhov by succeeding in making a show ‘about everything and the totality of living’, where Chekhov had distinctly failed. Even more dangerous was the attempt to appeal to audience members who were drawn to this show by their love of Chekhov. But the gamble completely and wholeheartedly paid off. In the way of good satire, this was a piece … [Read more...]

Soldier On, a daring piece of theatre performed by The Soldiers' Arts Academy adopts a fairly well used theatrical trope: it’s a meta-theatrical play about making a play - nothing we haven’t seen before, right? However, it is not the basic concept that makes this piece new and ground-breaking, it’s the people making it. Soldier On weaves together true stories collected by writer Jonathan Lewis over a five year period of working with British servicemen and women. What is delightful is that it … [Read more...]

In Showtime from the Frontline, Mark Thomas returns with his trademark politically motivated, immaculately conceived, comedic style and his riskiest and bravest show to date. As the show opens with Thomas’s characteristic conversational tone, the audience expects another well-crafted one-man show, a monologue detailing his latest anti-authoritarian high-jinks, until he welcomes to the stage his partners in crime and co-stars. This is a first for Thomas. Faisal Abu Alhayjaa and Alaa Shedhada … [Read more...]