Ever thought about going to prison? I have to admit that there are times when the idea has quite appealed to me. No real worries, three meals a day, do an OU degree/Masters for free and get fit in the gym. Of course, that is not the reality for many and prison is often a dark, frightening and violent place best avoided at all costs. Still, there's a fascination with … [Read more...]
Review of Lazarus Theatre Company’s The Tempest
How important is gender these days? Worry not, this is a review not a political commentary, but gender has recently been at the forefront of news around the world. The thing I, it's not a new phenomenon, back in William Shakespeare's day, only men were permitted to act on stage - bringing up the vision of a burly bearded bloke in a dress playing the teenage Juliet. … [Read more...]
Dracula at The London Library
Between 1890 and 1895, the Business Manager (Bram Stoker) from the Lyceum Theatre could be found in the London Library pouring over some very interesting books as diverse as “The Devil: His Origin, Greatness and Decadence” through to “A Glossary of Words used in the Neighbourhood of Whitby”. Subsequent research has shown that during this time, Bram Stoker was working … [Read more...]
Bleach presented by Dan Ireland-Reeves at the Vault Festival
The Vault Festival continues to amaze and entertain with a whole range of shows and productions that cover every taste and interest. Virtually everything I have seen in the years I have been covering the Vault Festival has been somewhere between good and awesome - in fact, only one show comes to mind that I really didn’t like. However, occasionally there is a … [Read more...]
Icarus at the Unicorn Theatre, London | Review
Whenever we hear of the downfall of a famous person, someone is bound to say that their problem was, they flew too close to the sun - or something along those lines. A strange expression but a famous one and I wonder how many people know where it originated. Well, if you get yourself along to the Unicorn Theatre for the first UK production of Katrin Lange’s Icarus, … [Read more...]
Review of Fight Night at The Vault Festival
Now here’s a conundrum. I love going to The Vaults Festival and I really enjoy immersive theatre. However, even my best friends wouldn't call me sporty in any way and I am really not all that keen on boxing - two men fight in a ring and get paid millions, two men fight in the street and end up in the cells. So you can imagine that when I was asked to go to the Vaults … [Read more...]
King Charles III by Mike Bartlett at The Tower Theatre
Imagine that you have been waiting for something your entire life. That you knew, no matter what else happened in the world, your destiny was preordained and nothing could be done to change it. Then suddenly, you are catapulted into that position and you are in charge. That’s what happens to the main character in Mike Bartlett’s play King Charles III which has just … [Read more...]
Stop and Search at the Arcola Theatre | Review
Hercule Poirot once said that “It is a profound belief of mine that if you can induce a person to talk to you for long enough, on any subject whatever! Sooner or later they will give themselves away.” And, in his various cases, this has often proved to be the case. Conversations are a potentially dangerous thing, particularly when two people don’t know each other very … [Read more...]
Kevin Elyot’s Coming Clean at Trafalgar Studios | Review
It’s always good to see a production transfer from the fringe into the West End, so I was really pleased to be invited along to review Kevin Elyot’s Coming Clean which following a successful revival at the King’s Head Theatre in July 2017, has now opened at the Trafalgar Studios. Tony (Lee Knight) and Greg (Stanton Plummer-Cambridge) have been together for … [Read more...]
Rhum and Clay presents The War of the Worlds at New Diorama Theatre
In 1938, The Mercury Theatre on the Air theatre company created radio history with a performance of an adaptation of H. G. Wells 1898 novel about a Martian attack on the planet Earth. The effect of the broadcast was profound and has entered the history books creating a story of its own. Fast forward to 2019 and Rhum & Clay have taken the original radio production … [Read more...]
Simon Callow in A Christmas Carol at the Arts Theatre
A one-person show needs to have everything right if it is to hope to succeed. A great script, fine staging and an actor who can grab an audience and hold them in the palm of their hand. Fortunately, A Christmas Carol at the Arts Theatre has all of these elements covered. It may surprise you to learn that Charles Dickens 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, has never … [Read more...]
Cinderella: A Fairytale at The Jack Studio Theatre | Review
Well, it’s pantomime time once more and as excited youngsters head off to the traditional Christmas entertainment, not many of them will give thought to the history of this particular theatrical genre. I mention this, as one of the most popular pantos is also one of the oldest, dating back in one form or another to the story of Rhodopis, recounted by the Greek … [Read more...]