What are memories? According to Dictionary.com, memories are a mental impression retained, a recollection. But in fact, they are so much more than that. Every memory you hold in your head is in reality a recollection augmented by imagination. If you don’t believe me then just speak to a family member or friend about an event that occurred in the past, then see how their memory differs from your own. I mention this because memory and imagination are two of the major elements in The Ocean at the … [Read more...]
Heathers the Musical at New Wimbledon Theatre
The 14th amendment of the American constitution validated the equality provisions contained in the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which guaranteed that all citizens would have the guaranteed right to equal protection by law. So, the USA prides itself that all of its citizens are equal under the law. However, there is one area of American society where its citizens are about as equal as someone born in the most feudal and hierarchical of societies. That place is high school, where popularity is … [Read more...]
Tender Napalm at the King’s Head Theatre
On a pure white sunken stage, a man (Jaz Hutchins) faces a woman (Adeline Waby). There is a pause and then he says “Your mouth”. And so begins the rollercoaster ride that is Philip Ridley’s one-act play Tender Napalm at the King's Head Theatre. The man and woman are trapped on a desert island - or are they - and play a constant game of telling each other fantastic stories of who they are and their position on the island - again, or do they? This is the conundrum of Ridley’s writing, … [Read more...]
Theatre Royal Drury Lane Halloween Tour
Do you like theatre? Do you like theatre history? Do you like theatre history with a ghostly theme? If you can answer yes to all three of these then the Theatre Royal Drury Lane’s late-night Halloween tour is the place to be. The night starts in the Cecil Beaton bar where you can sip an appropriately themed cocktail before heading off to meet your host and explore the recently refurbished theatre. This is a fascinating trip around the theatre from top to bottom with the tour guides not … [Read more...]
The Tragedy of Dorian Gray – at Drayton Arms Theatre
I’m sure we all have that friend who never seems to age. I know I have. He’s approaching 50 now but somehow still looks as young and vibrant as when I first met him just before his 21st birthday. I’m convinced, and have told both his wife and him, that somewhere in the hidden part of their house, there is a picture of my friend which is aging in place of him. A joke, of course, but this idea was the crux of Oscar Wilde’s philosophical novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Since being first published … [Read more...]