Gaurav Singh, Author at North West End UK

10Dec

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Fair Play – Bush Theatre

Ella Road's new play 'Fair Play' offers an incisive look into the world of women's athletics and the lives of those who inhabit it. Premiering at the Bush Theatre, the show invites the audience to glimpse into the pressures and anxieties that these athletes deal with, having to contend with never-ending public scrutiny and judgement passed on their bodies, lifestyles and choices, on the track field and outside. Directed by Monique Touko and designed by Naomi Dawson, there is a searing rhythm to the evening that doesn’t let us look away for even a second. The play opens with Ann (Nick King), a young Black girl who has joined a local running club in London. Here, she meets Sophie (Charlotte Beaumont) has been training for a while. Both these young girls are short-distance runners in train...

Red Riding Hood – Theatre Royal, Stratford East

6Dec

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Red Riding Hood – Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Theatre Royal Stratford East returns with its 6th rendition of ‘Red Riding Hood’ as its winter pantomime in its 130+ years of operation. Reimagining a classical children’s tale for contemporary audiences, young and old, is never an easy task. However, the team led by Robert Shaw Cameron’s direction and Carl Miller’s writing succeeds in doing precisely that – this adaptation brings climate change, self-expression and many more important themes to the fore without letting go of the story’s inherently magical and whimsical charm that’s enthralled audiences around the world. With stellar performances by its cast, complemented by an eclectic musical arrangement by Robert Hyman who returns for his 23rd year at Stratford East, as well as a vibrant design by Jean Chan, this performance simply take...

Measure for Measure – Shakespeare’s Globe

4Dec

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Measure for Measure – Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare's Globe opens its winter season with a lively production of the bard’s more intriguing plays, Measure for Measure. Referred to as one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays’ for its ambiguous tone, the play may easily be described as a farce, a comedy or even a drama. It touches upon a vast multitude of themes, from the role of government in controlling individual liberty to the damning negotiation between morality and societal status. Director Blance McIntyre seeks to bring out and contextualise these threads to modern society by setting the play in mid-1970s Britain, where the state finds itself (and its powers) increasingly at odds with what the citizens desire. With a tight-knit performance by the experienced ensemble, a cross-casting of different characters and an intimate enviro...

30Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Old Bridge – Bush Theatre

British-Bosnian writer Igor Memic's debut play 'Old Bridge' seeks to shine a light on the on the armed conflict that took place in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Winner of the 2020 Papatango New Writing Prize, Memic situates the narrative around the Stari Most (also known as Mostar Bridge and Old Bridge), a 16th-century bridge in the city of Mostar that was destroyed during the conflict. The play is an intimately layered exploration of love, religion and identity during war and follows a group of friends whose lives get relentlessly entangled in the fallout. This production at the Bush Theatre is directed by Selma Dimitrijevic and designed by Oli Townsend, with Amela Beha as cultural advisor and George Turvey as dramaturg. The play opens at the site of the 'Ol...

Jazz Meets Flamenco – Sadler’s Wells Theatre

30Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Jazz Meets Flamenco – Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Professional dancer and singer Karen Ruimy took to the Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells Theatre to bring together two of her passions – Flamenco and jazz music. In this show, she brings together exciting, foot-tapping numbers from her album ‘Black Coffee’ with a live musical ensemble, including Flamenco dancers and musicians, from Spain and the United Kingdom. Released earlier this year, her EP 'Black Coffee' features a selection of covers in English, French and Spanish, blending Jazz ballads with a distinctive Latin flavour. Collaborating with the late producer Phil Ramone, Ruimy accesses musical influences from different cultures and fuses them together in what proved to be a thoroughly enchanting production. The show opens with first three songs of the evening, namely 'Black Co...

28Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Flinch – Pleasance Theatre

Emma Hemingford’s two-hander ‘Flinch’ returns for a new UK tour after its 2019 premiere at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London. Tracing the gradual breakdown of a young couple's relationship, Flinch offers a complex perspective on modern dating. Directed by Gemma Aked-Priestley and produced by Liam McLaughlin Productions, the show emphasizes the unrelenting negotiation between words and action in defining personal boundaries and shared intimacy. We meet Jess (Emma Hemingford), a 25-year old working actor who has just finished drama school and is on the lookout for her first break into the industry. She's expressive, extroverted and a little self-conscious. For the last three years, she has been dating Mark (Benjamin Aluwihare), a 25-year old working professional who works as a foreign ex...

While The Sun Shines – Orange Tree Theatre

26Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

While The Sun Shines – Orange Tree Theatre

British writer Terence Rattigan’s 1943 comedy ‘While The Sun Shines’ makes a grand return at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, after its sold-out run in 2019. Directed by Orange Tree Theatre’s artistic director Paul Miller, the show breathes a new life into Rattigan’s sharply-written farce about a lovers’ quarrel in the backdrop of the war through well-crafted performances and an engaging in-the-round staging. When it was first published, the show surpassed the success of Rattigan’s 1936 comedy ‘French Without Tears’ and had an immensely popular run of over 1000 performances on the West End. Many attribute this to Rattigan’s ability to wring humour from ordinary characters in absurd situations as well as subtly acknowledge the circumstances and implications of war in day-to-day life....

22Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Juliet & Romeo – The Chelsea Theatre

One common criticism about Shakespeare’s work (and any attempts stage in today’s day and age) is the inaccessibility of the language as well as the socio-political environment of the Elizabethan era which is harder for contemporary audiences to relate to. Both these concerns are allayed spectacularly in the Intermission Youth Theatre’s (IYT) adaptation of the bard’s Juliet & Romeo (note the change in order) that’s currently playing at the Chelsea Theatre. In an exciting and urgent production directed by IYT Artistic Director Darren Raymond, we witness an ensemble of young actors (some stepping on the stage for the first time) breathe fresh life into words written over 400 years ago and do so in a way that allows them to own the truth of the characters they embody. This is backed by ...

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge – Coronet Theatre

20Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge – Coronet Theatre

Adapting a world-renowned children’s tale for the stage is never an easy task, for one must find a judicious balance between the source text’s reliance on the reader’s imagination and the multisensorial viewpoints afforded by live action. For French playwright and director Joël Pommerat, this isn’t a new challenge. His new interpretation of his 2006 play for children ‘Le Petit Chaperon Rouge’ (Little Red Riding Hood) premiered for UK audiences at the Coronet Theatre on 17th November 2021. This was the first in a trilogy of fairy tales that have been adapted by Pommerat for the stage, having previously directed ‘Pinnochio’ in 2008 and ‘Cendrillon’ (Cindrella) in 2011. With minimal stage design and measured performances by the ensemble of performers, Pommerat’s treatment brings forth a darke...

18Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Holier Than Thou – Canal Cafe Theatre

For many of us, it’s the steadfast faith and belief into something bigger than ourselves is what keeps us grounded. The presence of religion (and associated rituals) in our every day lives cannot be discounted, especially in the UK where the Christian way of life finds itself in conversation one way or the other. For these reasons, the central premise of Freaky Geese Theatre’s new comedy ‘Holier Than Thou’ holds a lot of promise, but it doesn’t offer a substantial dramatic argument beyond a handful of clever one-liners and an intriguing character profile. Directed by Rhys Ashcroft and written by Dan Le Friec, we meet Reverend Keith Lorraine, who is struggling with his faith (and profession) after a series of intriguing encounters that have prompted him to have a ‘chat’ with the big boss...