Oh, how I love this time of year. Edinburgh in full swing and so the theatres in London are available to groups like the British Theatre Academy who are in residence during August with their version of Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty’s wonderful tale Once On This Island. On a stormy night in the Antilles archipelago, life goes on pretty much as normal. The … [Read more...]
80 Days: A Real World Adventure | Review
Interactive, immersive and promenade. Three words that when individually placed in front of the word theatre get me excited. However, if you add all three, then it's time for something unique, and this was certainly true with Fire Hazard Games Underbelly production 80 Days - A Real World Adventure. Following registration, I was emailed details on where we would be … [Read more...]
Shrek The Musical – A Creative Learning Summer Youth Production
I’m a believer in the power of theatre to inspire youth and a quick trip to the Churchill Theatre in Bromley reinforced my thoughts as the curtain was raised on the Summer Youth Production of Jeanine Tesori & David Lindsay-Abaire’s Shrek the Musical. In a swamp in a forest lives an ogre by the name of Shrek (Daniel Pratten, Benedict King and Ben Salter). He … [Read more...]
Review of Alpha Who? at the Cockpit Theatre
We are in an era where traditional ideas of masculinity are not necessarily ‘woke’. In fact, the word 'Toxic' is often put in front of the word masculinity to evoke a negative image of the word. This is leading to a society where men often don’t seem to know their place. After generations of being taught how a man is meant to act, we are now being told all that is … [Read more...]
Review of Fine and Dandy at the Kings Head Theatre
Once again, the King’s Head Theatre Queer Season brings out a fascinating show to challenge stereotypical ideas of how plays should be written, performed and acted. This time is it with Sue Frumin’s show Fine & Dandy. This is the story of Ernest Faigele Fine (Dani Singer) a young Jewish person who, at the turn of the century (19th to 20th) find themselves … [Read more...]
Review of Schlong Song at the King’s Head Theatre
Occasionally in the theatre, a show is just a show. The audience, and especially the reviewer, can sit back, relax and enjoy the production solely for its own sake without having to think too deeply about plot-lines, sub-text, or any of those other things. In fact, sometimes you just have to give yourself over to absolute pleasure. And this was definitely the case … [Read more...]
Review of Southern Belles at The King’s Head Theatre
Tennessee Williams was an outstanding playwright whose shows have become hits the world over. However, there is one of his plays (And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens) which is not only rarely performed but, due to its subject matter was never performed during Williams’ own lifetime. Luckily, the King’s Head Theatre has decided to bring the play out of the … [Read more...]
Review of Crystal Clear at The Old Red Lion Theatre
Every so often there will be a quiz or a dinner party topic around the subject of which of our senses we would be OK with losing. Safe in the knowledge it's unlikely to happen, we will plummet for a sense we think is superfluous, such as smell. The reality is that should we lose a sense we will not get a choice as to which one goes. We are so used to having all five … [Read more...]
Games for Lovers by Ryan Craig at The Vaults Theatre
Back in the mists of time, relationships and love were two separate things. A match between and a boy and a girl would be arranged and terms agreed between the respective families and that was that. If the couple were lucky, they might, over the course of their life together, fall in love with each other but, if not, as long as the relationship was stable, everything … [Read more...]