Monday, December 15

Author: Caroline Worswick

RSC’s Wendy & Peter Pan – The Barbican Centre
London

RSC’s Wendy & Peter Pan – The Barbican Centre

‘Peter Pan’ or ‘The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’ was dreamed up by Scottish author, J M Barrie and released in 1904 as a play, and then later written as the novel ‘Peter and Wendy’.  The story about the much-loved mischievous boy who did not grow up, was turned into a magical children’s Disney favourite in 1953, which was based upon the play.  The new script has been a labour of love for director Jonathan Mundy, and writer Ella Hickson, re-imagining this classic story into a modernised view of equal roles for women, with Wendy taking on a more vocal role dealing with the loss of her brother, and becoming the healer of wounds in Neverland, and at home with her parents.  Since the Disney movie was produced, the role of the woman has changed in society, with many more women bei...
Russia’s War On Ukraine’s Culture
Blogs

Russia’s War On Ukraine’s Culture

Historically, the last week of August in Ukraine is a time of commemoration, and this year was no exception.  The 29th August, ‘A Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine’, is a day when the Ukrainian people’s thoughts are with those Ukraine army soldiers, who in the Donbass in 2014, heroically broke through an encirclement of Russian occupying forces (Source – RBC Ukraine).  On the 24th August, the 34th Ukraine Independence Day, Ukrainians celebrated independence from the Soviet Union.  President Zelensky addressed the people in Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), and included an interesting element to his speech, “independence fights in the ring on world stages, and arenas where Ukrainians perform.  It is on the pages of books, and in the words of poems ...
The Ladies of Juliana – Etcetera Theatre
London

The Ladies of Juliana – Etcetera Theatre

Taken from historical accounts of ladies who were transported to Australia between 1788-1852, as convicts who had been convicted of petty crimes, and were being used to help to populate the colonies.  During this period 24,000 women were transported, and ‘The Ladies of Juliana’ tells the tale of six such ladies, and their experience aboard the ship – The Lady Juliana. The horrendous journey that these ladies suffered is graphically played out in this history play that attempts to draw back the veil of their gruelling treatment at the hands of men.  The shocking treatment of these ladies on the ship was so extreme, that they nicknamed the ship ‘the floating brothel’.  The six ladies in this play dramatically show their suffering, with Sarah (Lydia Moll) turning to drin...
Pop Goes The Dollar – The Hope Theatre
London

Pop Goes The Dollar – The Hope Theatre

As an ex-Investment Manager, this show was a must see for me, as I recall the stressful situations bought on by a stock market crash, and the difficult conversations that I had with clients, when trying to explain why their portfolio valuations had fallen.  Set in the run up to the 2008 financial crash, the chair of the Federal Reserve Timohy Geithner (Ayan Philip) is growing increasingly worried that in a bid to grasp short-term profits, investment companies are forgetting to manage risk, and the sub-prime market may collapse.  Soon the Federal Reserve hear that the bubble is indeed bursting, and BNP Paribas are closing three of their sub-prime mortgage funds due to an illiquid market, Bear Stearns a major investment bank collapses and is bought by JP Morgan with the Fede...
Spin Cycle – Etcetera Theatre
London

Spin Cycle – Etcetera Theatre

Set in a launderette, ‘Spin Cycle’ is a fly-on-the-wall peep into two strangers lives who meet whilst waiting for their laundry to complete its wash cycle – but are they strangers, or have they met before? Kitt (Zofia Zerphy) loads up her washing machine, just as Noel (Rhiannon Bell) attempts to do her own washing, but she has forgotten her washing tablets.  Offering to help out, Kitt gives her some of her washing liquid, which leads to reminiscences from Noel about how her ex-girlfriend did the washing, and she is useless at it.  As the conversation progresses, it becomes more heated and personal, and this familiarity can only mean one thing – that they have met before.  But how do they know each other? This one act play explores the feelings of a relationship end...
Richard II – The Libra Theatre Café
London

Richard II – The Libra Theatre Café

Shakespeare’s Richard II is the inspiration for The Whole Pack Theatre Company’s pared back version of the bard’s history play.  In a brief summary of the play – the play covers the last two years of King Richard II’s life 1398-1400.  The play begins with King Richard (Jessamy James) presiding over a dispute between nobles, in which Richard decides that the matter should be settled by ‘trial by combat.’  In a last-minute decision by King Richard, he instead, decides to banish both men from England.  Bolingbroke (Lydia Shaw), is allowed to return to England early, but the suspicion that King Richard may have had a role in the death of the Duke of Gloucester, will not go away.  Richard leaves England to join the war in Ireland but leaves himself exposed to treachery ...
Lavender – The Courtyard Theatre
London

Lavender – The Courtyard Theatre

We meet Edie (Maisy Fuggle) as she consults a psychiatrist in an effort to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.  We are then taken on a journey of Edie’s life with Harvey (Patryk Wachowiak), who she meets in a coffee shop when she is venting to the barista about her coffee, which is definitely not made with coconut milk as requested.  Harvey is intrigued by this fiery girl that he met in the coffee shop, and they begin dating.  Harvey is a book shop assistant, and Edie works in an estate agency in a job that she complains about constantly.  The couple grow closer together, meeting each other’s parents and eventually decide to move in together. The couple have their whole life ahead of them, making plans to go on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Australia, a...
Isn’t It Byronic – The Courtyard Theatre
London

Isn’t It Byronic – The Courtyard Theatre

As if you had not guessed by the title, this is a show about Lord Byron – no not the pub (of which I am sure there are many), but the romantic poet who penned his verse in the late 18th and early 19th century.  Performer Zoe Maltby is a little obsessed with Byron, and to prove it, she has made a show in reverence to him, but in allusion to his very promiscuous lifestyle, Maltby summons up the camp, drag artist within herself, to become Lord George Gordon Byron – well sometimes at least! Maltby, clearly knows her Byron, and as she explores his life and work in a chaotic, dramatic, festival of riotous fun.  Audience members are harpooned with the microphone and encouraged to participate within the realms of a script, but it is Maltby’s sharing of her personal difficulties, t...
Who Else Did Sam Hill Kill? – The Courtyard Theatre
London

Who Else Did Sam Hill Kill? – The Courtyard Theatre

Who is Sam Hill?  He is the guy that everyone puts upon, feeds his Aunt’s cat, covers other work-mate’s shifts at work without being asked if he minds – he is single, and he is invisible!  How easy would it be to blame a murder on him when he never raises his voice in protest, a perfect scapegoat! This farce dreamed up by Christian McKeon, is a mad-cap hour of fast paced theatre, which is fun, silly, and cleverly conceived.  The plot has Sam Hill (Raphael Kris) working at Costello’s, when his Aunt Sal (Bylli Gomez) requires him to visit her flat to feed her cat, but when Sam arrives Sal is dead, allegedly by a self-imposed shot to the head, but how easy is it to shoot yourself from behind?   As further people in Sam’s life are killed, all eyes turn to Sam, b...
Provocateur – The Hope Theatre
London

Provocateur – The Hope Theatre

Welcome to the world of Letitia Delish (Tish Weinman), a mistress who will certainly put you in your place, and you will love it!  But, under the veil of the dominatrix, lies a person who is exploring their gender identity, using the whip as a tool of the trade, and the persona of Letitia Delish to earn money.  Written and performed by Tish Weinman, this play aims to strip back the layers of the character Letitia, to find out why she was needed, not just by the men who visit her, but why was she needed by her creator? Supported by her co-performer Alex Chorley, we follow Letitia on her journey of how she became involved in the sex industry.  Letitia’s first experience is with a man whose sex-life with his girlfriend is boring, and he wished to explore a part of himself th...