Warning! Not for faint-hearted (or easily offended). Dick! is an adult panto with an 18 certificate. Whereas a normal family panto is all about the innuendo and the double entendres, Dick! tells it like it is no blushes spared, no hints or teases; it’s direct, blunt and very, very rude. With a vague storyline regarding saving the village of Sohoho from the evil Queen filling it with designer eateries and pop up shops; the first half struggles trying to fit in both … [Read more...]
Caroline Bowditch – Falling in Love with Frida – Review
I think I was already a bit in love with Frida Khalo. Her art expresses her life and through her paintings and her voluminous written materials we have insight into her personality. Dark and brooding, sultry and self-obsessed, manic and convivial; her life story is compelling and captivating. It’s easy to see how performer Caroline Bowditch has been drawn to her and inspired to create a tribute to her. The performance is humorous, touching and at some points titillating. We the audience may … [Read more...]
Misch-Masch and Peter and The Wolf: Grimeborn 2015 – Review
The Arcola Theatre seems to be where the 'hip cats' are, it reminds me of a 'beatnik' bar; very urban and very trendy. It is in fact 'one of London's most extensive community engagement programmes staging a diverse offering of plays, operas and musicals'. The opportunity to watch not one but two childhood favourites performed here was enough to make a 7 year old me burst with excitement! The Basement Orchestra is an ad-hoc Orchestra for young people in London who fit in their passion for … [Read more...]
Impossible review: A fantastic night out for all the family
Having been brought up on Paul Daniels and David Copperfield, I eagerly awaited my first live magic experience. Taken on an incredulous journey 'now I'm a believer'! A line up of magicians from every genre gather on the same stage, introduce themselves in a cheesy 'Vegas' style, teasing what all their individual talents entail. Using the premise of showing a young boy what magic is really about the collective take turns to show us their skills. Danger, excitement, humour … [Read more...]
Review of House Of Burlesque Straight Up at Wonderground Spiegeltent
Having seen and thoroughly enjoyed the House of Burlesque’s 2014 show, I was very keen to see what they had to offer us for 2015 and I was not disappointed. London’s Wonderground is a perfect setting. The staff are not only helpful and courteous but fully engaged and in character for the cabaret, giving an almost circus like animalistic and carnal feel to the proceedings in the ‘Big Top’ style Spiegeltent. You can smell the pheromones in the air as the audience wait to be teased … [Read more...]
Powerfully performed I And The Village at Theatre 503
The dramatic opening of lights out/pitch black, certainly grabs the attention. There is silence as we sit and wait in the darkness, a heightened awareness that there is danger ahead. When the lights go up, a simple area of performance space is before us, a blank canvas that indeed the girl before us is using as such. As she spray paints her artwork, the chorus arrive dressed in white, mirroring the clean and unused walls of the set. It is upon these blank walls and personas that the story is … [Read more...]
Review of Pond Wife at New Wimbledon Studio Theatre
Question. How much fun can be had with two people and a bath tub with 'Blue Peter' style costumes and effects? Answer. Loads!!! Pond Wife is a very short and very sweet piece of entertainment, the perfect hors d'oeuvre to a night out that is guaranteed to put you in a good mood. Holly Norrington and Teddy Lamb are infectious funsters. A performance collaborative that owe as much to art as they do to acting, the result of which is a unique style of making theatre. Armed with only said bath … [Read more...]