Anisha Pucadyil, Author at North West End UK

17Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Vagina Monologues – Canal Cafe

Aurore Padenou's first production pulled together Director Lorna Dempsey, joined by Juliet Prew, Cara Kiri. Each of the actors gives an astounding performance. They carve out the diverse characters they alternatively play with conviction and tenderness. The Vagina Monologues was written twenty-seven years ago by Artist and activist V, formerly Eve Ensler. Based on interviews with more than 200 women, the play summarises different aspects of the participant's relationship with the vagina- the hair, the smell, the shame, the pleasure and the hate. An Obie Award-winning play has enjoyed a sold-out run on Broadway. V also initiated V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women. The vagina monologues have been rewritten, translated and adapted by various grassroots organi...

Chronically Hilarious – Museum of Comedy

15Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Chronically Hilarious – Museum of Comedy

Chronically Hilarious platforms disabled Comedians who pack a punch. It is often declared that any comedian worth their salt must be in Edinburgh, but no one ever talks about how inaccessible the city and the festival's structure are. So, buckle your seat belts for Six unsalty comedy comedians making a delightful evening about bits about being disabled with other disabled folks on stage and in the audience. Special mention for the BSL interpretation by Peter Abraham with the expert signing. 1 in 5 of the UK population is disabled, and 80% of these people have a hidden disability. That's over 10 million UK people with an invisible disability. Historically conversations are riddled with shame, disbelief and unasked advice. The collection of comedians who are so funny and also have auti...

15Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Singh’ing in the Rain – Camden Fringe

Mandeep Singh’s Singh’ing in the Rain is an effortless and fresh take on comedy. He breezes through bits of observation from tiny instances we have all faced but not dwelled on, perhaps. Mandeep's comedy timing is brilliant. He plays such a diverse set of funny and relatable characters. His judicious use of props and music, expertly supported by his tech Fiona adds to the comedic charm. From enjoying chips on stage that pack a punch to dojo eagle dragons who will listen to anyone troubling you and help you punch away your misery, Mandeep has the audience in splits. Remember thumb wars as a kid to pass the time waiting on the train? You can relive this memory on stage with a bit of competitive character, which will make you laugh till your stomach hurts. Remember that squishy banana you ...

Dad, Playboy, & Me…. Not Your Average Slideshow – The Water Rats

14Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Dad, Playboy, & Me…. Not Your Average Slideshow – The Water Rats

'Cathartic, creative and healing'. AG Nortan's Dad, Playboy, & Me... Not Your Average Slideshow has travelled all the way from the USA to share her story, first at the Brighton Fringe, then the Camden Fringe in London and then at Edinburgh Fringe. AG Nortan calls herself a Londoner at heart and deeply enjoys weaving this story of her father, her grandfather, and their mentors as she uncovers many boxes of unprocessed film in her parent's basement during the pandemic. The performance shares the painstaking process she went through to digitalise the photographs. Amanda is aware that what she uncovers is from another space/time continuum. She is trying to put her lived experience as a queer, feminist woman trying to humanise and understand an absent dad who passed away when she was ...

A Caravan Named Desire – Camden People’s Theatre

12Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

A Caravan Named Desire – Camden People’s Theatre

Split Infinitive presents the play 'A Caravan Named Desire'. The experimental piece is performed by married couple Alexander and Helen Millington. The play starts on the premise to curiously unpack the living experience of a sex worker but meanders into the personal journey of the writer/character's sexual exploration. 'A caravan named Desire' is the John Beecher Memorial Award winner for original, challenging work with high production value at the Buxton Fringe Festival. For time immemorial, men have lied and deceived women to share their stories and services. The play's premise's inherent deceit sits uncomfortably and is invisible in the room. Though the play's premise is attractive, the tension, curiosity and apprehension around sexual exploration falls flat in the latter h...

Quiz Night – Vaginus Hemmingway’s Cabaret Rathole

12Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Quiz Night – Vaginus Hemmingway’s Cabaret Rathole

'Quiz Night at Vaginus Hemmingway's cabaret rathole' by Lara Cosmetatos is a personal essay with a creative imagination and talented acting and singing. The solo piece contains multiple realities and endearing characters crafted and delivered with aplomb. Fruit of her labour of the past six years, one can't help but admire the many diverse stories she weaves, with characters who have some resemblances to those around us but are totally unique and quirky in how they express and exist. The most enchanting part of the show was Lara's voice and original songs. She sings like a nightingale, switching tones, delivering with precision and commanding stage presence. The songs also have so much depth, rhyme and poetic imagery, tying significant knots in the plot. The show is about a sweet...

Charlie Jackson: Bath (WIP) – The Rose and Crown Pub

11Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Charlie Jackson: Bath (WIP) – The Rose and Crown Pub

Charlie Jackson's hour-long deliberation of taking a bath brings together clowning, improv with earnest curiosity. The Victorian pastime without any remnants of prudishness. As you enter the basement of the Rose and crown Pub, you are greeted with Victorian images of women enjoying the bath in paper mâché frames, countless rubber ducks, and several bath-associated knick-knacks. Charlie loses no time connecting with each of the audience members with his determined and warm demeanour. The joy and enthusiasm on Charlie's face as he takes you through his elaborate mind map of different aspects of setting up his bath. He goes old school with a flip sheet and sketches. Hearing his experiences, you also remember the joy you had splashing water in the tub as a child. You wonder if he will s...

11Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Bareback Kings – The Hope Theatre

Hilarious, energetic and satirical comedy all rolled up in one. The Bareback Kings together since 2017 made up of Lynsey Bonnell, Rebecca Schuster, Juliet Morrish and Francesca Reid. Masters of their game from on point contour makeup to editing and ‘mansplaining’ they guarantee an evening of guffaws and chortles. The drag-king comedy group effortlessly saunters through improvisation, cabaret and sketch. The show begins with the Drag kings breaking out into a synchronized choreography with lip syncing to match that would make Nsync blush. The beats of the show explore themes of connection between audience members. Through the show there is a strong critique of the social assumptions, reinforcement of consent, and topical discussions about the threat of Barbie on the modern man....

How Long is February? – Edinburgh Fringe Online

5Aug

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

Scotland

How Long is February? – Edinburgh Fringe Online

How Long is February? A fantasy in three parts — a video production as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Voices from the South showcase. The play is part satire, part narrative retracing of actual events from recent pasts and part a fantasy of what could 'justice' appear as. A very timely production with the growing fanatic violence across the world. Nisha Abdullah's laser focus and thoughtful kneading of the audience back and forth across 15 years leaves one churned and thoughtful. The talented troupe brings to the stage the painful, poignant and patient questions we must ask. The play holds space for our disbelief that humans are meting out such violence to other humans. It dips into our collective unconscious of earlier pogroms that mentioned communities to be exterminated as 'co...

30Jul

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Word-Play – Royal Court

Artist – audience - resonance - reflection - WEIRD - discomfort - indifference - values - public - harm - community - responsible? – cracked - so many tiny pieces. Rabiah Hussain has made a masterpiece. Word- Play is evocative, heart-wrenching and poignant. Kudos to director Nimmo Ismail for the skilled use of light, space, and direction. Each of the actors painted with broad strokes scenes from across London. Some we have observed, some we have heard of and many that clawed into our skins and made us feel deeply. From scenes of bastions of power making guffaws to the playground to dinner-time social niceties, the drama uncovers the discomfort that often remains unexpressed in social interactions using words that give light to our unconscious biases and blind spots. Also, how we lean...