Ben Pearson, Author at North West End UK

Lewd and Lascivious Acts – Hope Street Theatre

10Nov

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

North West

Lewd and Lascivious Acts – Hope Street Theatre

Danny Partington’s Lewd and Lascivious Acts is a heart wrenching love story wrapped in an unflinching examination of the brutality experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community at the hands of the Nazi regime. It’s 1931 and Freddie (James Sprague) and Paul (Evan Watkinson) have just met in Berlin’s famous Eldorado club. The chemistry between the actors is palpable, with Sprague’s earnest and vulnerable sincerity contrasting beautifully with Watkinson’s more flamboyant and captivating presence. An inescapable air of dread follows Freddie and Paul as they begin their enduring romance. While they hold one another and dream of better times, the audience is ever more aware of the horrors lurking on the horizon. Partington’s script plays on this awareness to great effect, frequently honing i...

7Nov

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

North West

Bad Lads – Unity Theatre

Created from a story by Jimmy Coffey and the testimonies of other men held in the Medomsley Youth Detention Centre during the 1980s, Bad Lads is a powerful, devastating and vitally important play which exposes the systemic abuse suffered by these men throughout their sentences. We follow Jackie Jones, a fictional character whose story is inspired by these testimonies, including Coffey’s own, as he serves his 3-month sentence. Jackie is portrayed by 3 actors: Danny Raynor as Older Jackie, Robin Paley Yorke as Younger Jackie, and Craig Painting as Signing Jackie. This was an effective decision, as conversations between Older and Younger Jackie not only rounded out the character, but also demonstrated just how severe and long-lasting the impact of Jackie’s terrible abuse was. Older Jackie,...

Please don’t fall in love with me (it’s really not sexy when that happens) – Hen & Chickens Theatre

22Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Please don’t fall in love with me (it’s really not sexy when that happens) – Hen & Chickens Theatre

Brought to the Camden Fringe by Pinklepause Productions, Please don’t fall in love with me (it’s really not sexy when that happens) is an entertaining comedy that dives into the world of 2007 London’s most famous knicker shop: Knickers Forever. We follow the AGENT, played by the show’s writer Mollie Blue, as she takes us on a roller-coaster of creepy customers, charming clientele, and the constant craziness that comes with her chosen territory. Blue is charming in the role, the perfect host for a show which aims to be ‘silly, shocking, and ever so sexy’. At times, I found her performance a tad over-blown, but this, it turned out, was entirely intentional. We’ll get to that later. Poppy-Anne Taplin plays the AGENT’S hapless but lovable colleague BIMBO. Despite not being given much em...

10Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Romeo and Juliet – Stratford East

This is how you do a modern retelling of a Shakespeare classic. In partnership with Sadler’s Wells, Stratford East have crafted a unique, vibrant, and exceptionally effective production that breathes new life into the timeless tragedy. Set against the East London skyline, realised through a relatively simple yet superb set, this adaptation uses music and dance to ground its events in a contemporary, familiar setting. As a result, everything felt fresh, bold and original. Despite the language, and the fame of the story, it almost felt like I was watching a brand-new play. Not a mean feat! The dances ranged from crackling whole-company numbers to gorgeous and evocative routines performed by Praeploy Pam Tomuan and Louis Donovan, who represented the inner emotional states of Juliet and Rom...

8Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Hamlet & Co – Barons Court Theatre

Anais Marchand’s, Hamlet & Co. is a modern, interactive retelling of Hamlet, which imagines Shakespeare’s tragedy in the ruthless world of modern business. We, the audience, have been invited to the wedding of Gertrude, widow of Hamlet Senior, the founder of Elsinore Tower, and Claude, Hamlet Senior’s brother and acting CEO. But when Amel, Hamlet Jr, crashes the memorial in frenzied grief over his father’s mysterious death, tensions run high, loyalties are tested, and all is to play for in the corporate ‘game’. It's certainly an interesting, ambitious, and topical idea. A modern retelling of Hamlet exploring the morality of big business, and the devastating consequences of viewing people as numbers, could have been fascinating. Unfortunately, the script falls far short. Marchand...

29Jul

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

People – Etcetera Theatre

Anna Manuelli’s People explores existential questions about the nature, purpose and meaning of life through an intriguing device; the use of doppelgängers. Manuelli plays four characters from different timelines, far removed from one another, who nonetheless share the same face. She uses this premise to demonstrate that the answers a person seeks, and indeed the questions they ask, can vary hugely depending on their context. Is it retribution and revenge that gives life meaning? Is it power? Is it happiness? The design of People is minimal, with limited use of lighting, sound and blocking. Thus, the show relies on Manuelli’s performance to keep the audience engaged. Luckily, her turn as the four characters is inspired, embodying each individual with unique physicality’s and expressi...

11Jun

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

The Ticking – Drayton Arms Theatre

Brought to the Drayton Arms Theatre by the Cellar Door Theatre Company, The Ticking explores the manic cocktail of emotions, questions and chaos that arises when 4 friends wake up after a night out with a mysterious ticking briefcase in their possession. As I’m sure you can guess, the briefcase contains a bomb. The 70 minutes that follow are just as absurd as the opening premise, and not only allow for some great moments of comedy, but also a discussion of blame, responsibility and climate change. The issue is that while these themes are undeniably important, they’re also well-trodden, and The Ticking does little to explore them from a new angle. We’re presented with a situation, a political message, and characters we’ve all seen before, which consequently makes it hard to emotionally inve...

4Jun

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Street – Barons Court Theatre

STREET, brought to the Barons Court Theatre by ‘Mos Sans Productions’, follows Miriam and Foster. Both are homeless, neglected and ignored by anyone but each other, and have little to no hope that anything will change. Writer and director Liviu Monsted uses these two compelling characters to explore the realities of living on the street. It’s a strong, moving and effective script, that only gets stronger when Miriam and Foster are joined by Fay and Christian. These newcomers hold up a mirror to those who romanticise homelessness and the ‘freedom’ it brings. Christian, in particular, is convinced that Foster and Miriam are lucky. Lucky that they don’t have a job, lucky that they are ignored by so much of society. It’s a wonderful depiction of the ignorance and privilege of those who view a ...

Radiant Boy: A Haunting – Southwark Playhouse Borough

26May

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Radiant Boy: A Haunting – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Radiant Boy is a unique, evocative, and intensely personal play that explores a young man’s relationship with his mother, his sexuality, and his faith. Russell has returned home after a ‘sickness’ prevented him from continuing his singing training in London. Unsure of how else to help Russell, his mother Maud has called a Priest who specialises in supernatural occurrences. Part kitchen-sink drama, part Exorcist style horror, Nancy Netherwood’s script effortlessly moves from understated but heartfelt conversations between a mother and son one moment and a dramatic exorcism the next. Her use of music, particularly traditional folk and New Wave, not only add to the atmosphere of the play but also embody Russell’s internal struggle. As Netherwood says in her Playwright’s note, folk and New Wav...

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody – Riverside Studios

6May

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody – Riverside Studios

I am under strict instructions from a fierce Imperial Officer (last night’s host Pete Anderson) not to give too much of the show away here, so I’ll keep this simple. The Empire Strips Back is an absolute joy to watch, and whether you’re a huge Star Wars fan or you just enjoy a comically risqué night out, I highly recommend you go and see it. As the title would suggest, The Empire Strips Back pays tribute to the beloved worlds and characters of Star Wars by reimagining them through a burlesque lens. The results are simultaneously hilarious, seductive and at times jaw-droppingly impressive. Creator Russall S Beattie, producer David J Foster and London director Bec have crafted an intricate production that allows the performers to form a relationship with the audience, flirting and teasing...