Klervi Gavet, Author at North West End UK

The Shatter Box – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

16Sep

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

The Shatter Box – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

The Shatter Box, written by James Lewis and directed by David Brady, comes with a promising premise. Set in a dystopian world, a man awakens in a cage inside a mysterious facility. His captors probe him for the truth, though they themselves seem unsure of what they're seeking. The cage will only open when he provides the right answer. This intriguing setup, blending themes of ethics, scientific exploration and human consciousness, should generate gripping drama, but unfortunately falls short of its potential. At the heart of the story are four main characters: the prisoner (Fred Wardale), the examiner (Gabrielle Nellis-Pain), the guard (Nick Hardie), and the carer (Lauren Ferdinand). Despite life-and-death stakes, their performances generally lack the urgency needed. Wardale’s...

The Play That Goes Wrong Celebrates 10 Years of Chaos and Laughter at the Duchess Theatre

11Sep

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

NEWS

The Play That Goes Wrong Celebrates 10 Years of Chaos and Laughter at the Duchess Theatre

Last night marked a special milestone for The Play That Goes Wrong, as the beloved comedy celebrated its 10-year anniversary on the West End. The occasion felt like a family reunion, with former cast members, supporters, and fans gathering for a night filled with laughter and nostalgia. The evening featured the current cast: Jordan Akkaya (Trevor), Daniel Anthony (Dennis), Joe Bolland (Jonathan), Daniel Fraser (Chris), Billie Hamer (Annie), Owen Jenkins (Robert), Jay Olpin (Max), and Hannah Sinclair Robinson (Sandra). Together, they brought the house quite literally down with their chaotic performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery staged by the fictional Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, where everything that can possibly go wrong just does. The energy in th...

11Aug

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Bedroom Farce – The Mill at Sonning

Nestled on a picturesque spot over a water mill, The Mill at Sonning offers a charming escape only a short train ride from London. This gorgeous venue, celebrated as "Most Welcoming Theatre" three years in row, offers a tasty lunch, delightful scenery and impeccable service from an attentive staff both in the restaurant and at the theatre. Now if one cannot recommend this dinner theatre enough - one of the very few in the country - its lively charm stood in stark contrast to the underwhelming performance of Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, under the direction of Robin Herford. Set across three different apartments over one chaotic night, the play explores the entangled lives of four couples, each grappling with their own neuroses and relational issues. While Ayckbourn’s intent may...

27Jul

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Afrique en Cirque – Southbank Centre

"Afrique en Cirque," hailing from Guinea and making its debut in London, is a jaw-dropping riot of flexibility, tradition, and fun. With Guinean culture as a vibrant tapestry, the evening is a lively mix of thrilling circus acts, music, dance, and scenes from rural life. If you've ever thought your yoga class was tough, think again. For 90 minutes straight, the performers' flexibility and athleticism are on full display, making even the most dedicated yogis in the audience flinch at their spine-bending, gravity-defying feats. The acts flow one after another—high-flying gymnastics, balancing, juggling, and mind-boggling contortion—peppered with clowning bits and audience participation that are quickly to melt any hardened London little heart. The whole crew deserves a mention—from the...

28Jun

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

George – Omnibus Theatre

George, penned by the multi-talented French writer and actress Léa des Garets, is an enchanting blend of entertainment and education that delves into the life of George Sand, a French figure whose notoriety for wearing men's clothing has often overshadowed her literary genius. Sand (des Garets) is grappling with her next big literary project. Together with her muse and lover, actress Marie Dorval (Inki Mariano), Sand Birthes "Gabriel," a play on a 17th-century Italian aristocrat who was raised as a man, only to discover at age seventeen they were biologically female. The play proves to be way ahead of its time in 1830s Europe and becomes a vehicle of meta-reflection for Sand’s own gender identity. Developed with the support of the Institut Francais du Royaume-Uni, this collaboration ...

22May

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

The Great Privation – Theatre503

Shortlisted for the 2023 Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award, “The Great Privation” is a generous play filled with wit, vivid characters, and clever observations on systemic inequalities and the generational gap in African American experiences, which under Kalungi Ssebandeke’s direction sometimes lacks a little risk and finesse. Reminiscent of Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park," this UK debut play for Harlem playwright Nia Akilah Robinson navigates a dual timeline in Philadelphia: one in 1832 in an African Baptist Church’s graveyard, the other in modern times at a cabin behind the same burial site. The story centres around Missy Freeman (Sydney Sainté) and her daughter Charity (Christie Fewry), who, in 1832, pray at the tomb of Moses, their husband and father, victim of a recent...

20May

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Now I See – Stratford East

In a unique fusion of movement, music and text, “Now, I See” takes audiences on a vibrant, emotional journey through the joys and pains of being black and male in contemporary Britain. Directed, choreographed and written by Lanre Malaolu, this 130-min nugget offers a luscious dive into male consciousness and the culture that shapes childhood adventures and a man’s ability to choose his narrative later in life. Fans of Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog” should feel right at home. The story centres on three brothers, and the aftermath of the middle one’s death, Adeyeye, from sickle cell disease. His passing leaves big brother Kieron and youngest brother Dayo grappling with their grief and searching for a way forward. History, big and small, has not been kind to either and the brothers’ c...

9May

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Spirited Away – London Coliseum

Faithfully based on the 2001 legendary animated film “Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away”, this Ghibli-backed stage production is a big bet that sometimes falls a bit short but will still delight most Miyazaki fans. Young Chihiro and her parents stumble upon a mysterious, deserted theme park. After her parents devour a seemingly abandoned food stall, they turn into pigs. Spirits appear and a young boy named Haku reveals to Chihiro that the park is actually a spa resort for supernatural beings tired from their experiences in the earthly realm. To save her parents from slaughter, she must now join the spirit world and get a job at the bathhouse. Fresh off its 2022 Tokyo opening and extended run throughout Japan, this adaptation by RSC’s honorary associate director, John Caird, is the fir...

8May

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

The Return – Streatham Space Project

In this intimate devised solo performance, Natasha Stanic Mann attempts to thread together personal and historical narratives, but the execution falls short of its promising premise. Intended to explore the psychological remnants of war, the complexities of Yugoslavian identity and the poignant search for a new home free from oppressive legacies, the performance struggles to deliver a cohesive and impactful experience. Stanic Mann possesses a certain delicate charm which, while endearing, unfortunately leads to a show lacking in the necessary tension and conflict that such heavy themes demand. The piece feels more like an unresolved work in progress rather than a polished production, with its sentimentality often overshadowing the substantial issues it wishes to address. As she navigate...

20Apr

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Banging Denmark – Finborough Theatre

A fun, modern take on a romcom classic with a sociologist twist… Management consultant Jake Newhouse (Tom Kay) enrols super-duper feminist Ishtar Madigan (Rebecca Blackstone) to help him seduce the gorgeous, Danish, and totally unreceptive librarian of his dreams (Maja Simonsen). Now here’s the rub. Newhouse also goes by the name of Guy DeWitt, a powerful, misogynistic dating coach, pickup artist and deep voiced podcaster who recently sued Madigan for defamation. Unable to prove DeWitt sent his bros-before-hoes trolls out to destroy her reputation, her mental health and her mailbox, Madigan was forced to sell everything she owns to pay the settlement agreement. She now sleeps in the copy room of her university, a shadow of her glorious self - an alcoholic, paranoiac, horny PhD sch...