The use of acetate sheets and an overhead projector in Villain, Interrupted would surely mean there is less opportunity for things to go wrong - it’s not like the wrong video would play at an inappropriate moment, or a laptop would suddenly decide to go on the blink mid-performance. But then there’s Murphy’s law - whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, and at the opening performance of this Camden Fringe 2019 show, such was the energy of the physical theatre elements of the production that the … [Read more...]
Etcetera Theatre London - News & Reviews
The Etcetera Theatre: 265 Camden High Street (above the Oxford Arms), Camden, London NW1 7BU
TUBE: Camden Town (Northern Line) - BUS: 24, 27, 29, 31, 88, 134, 168, 214, 253, 274, and C2 - OVERGROUND: Camden Road
http://www.etceteratheatre.com/
Have I None at the Etcetera Theatre | Review
Edward Bond’s Have I None is an ideal choice for London pub theatre and the spring of 2019 is optimal timing for a revival of this haunting 2000 one-act play. Anyone with an interest in the rich tradition of British political theatre (from David Edgar to Caryl Churchill to Lucy Prebble), or in theatre history more generally, needs to spend some time with the works of Edward Bond. Four Points Theatre’s production at Camden’s Etcetera Theatre (over the Oxford Arms) is an excellent entree to the … [Read more...]
Review of A Calling at the Etcetera Theatre
Is the proverbial grass always greener on the other side? For some who have lived in London or in other major urban areas, there’s a desire to, in the words of a television show, ‘escape to the country’ to have more room – or, rather, room in the first place – and less frantic activity. Others may even feel forced out of the city to the suburbs or even further afield, property prices being what they are. Then there are people close to Mark (Aidan Valentine), who want the urban life. Mark works … [Read more...]
Jailbirds at the Etcetera Theatre | Review
It is impossible to get too spooked by anything that happens in Jailbirds: time and again, the momentary (and deliberate) on-stage presence of director Luke Culloty, guiding and realigning, is a reminder that this is stagecraft. As tends to be the case with futuristic shows, not everything quite adds up – the sound of birds tweeting can be clearly heard as the audience continues to file in, only for that same audience to be told that proceedings take place a few miles underground. Which is it? … [Read more...]
Never Swim Alone at the Etcetera Theatre | Review
One should not, apparently, swim alone in the open sea. The only times I have ever bothered going to the seaside in my youth was when I was (metaphorically) dragged there by relatives on a warm and sunny weekend, and there would have been so many witnesses if anyone did get into trouble that technically, nobody was ‘alone’ out there. But Never Swim Alone considers what happens in the middle of the night, when the crowds have long since dissipated. School friends Frank (Jack Dillon) and Bill … [Read more...]
Review of Rats at the Etcetera Theatre, London
Imagine, if you will, a world where it has become possible, and then desirable, and then somehow established practice, for people’s ego to be suppressed at birth. Rats goes to some lengths to explain this concept – it needs to in order for it to be coherent, and even then, there are still questions about this kind of world and how it came about. Not everyone has had their ego suppressed – those who have are referred to as ‘rats’, and those who have not are ‘cons’. It’s one thing to have … [Read more...]
Review: Little by Little at the Etcetera Theatre
It’s a well-drilled production, this: a reasonably busy set (Russo Rainaldi) combines with some sprightly and energetic choreography (Becky Harrison) in a relatively confined performance space. There have been shows with considerably more room to manoeuvre that have had bits of set and props knocked into – here, everything retains its rightful place, and I found it quite remarkable that, with all the vigour this American musical gives demands of its characters, a balance was both struck and … [Read more...]