Olivia Cox, Author at North West End UK

The Last Man – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

15May

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Last Man – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Deep down in an underground bunker made of concrete and reinforced steel, our unnamed protagonist (played by Lex Lee on press night, alternating the role with Nabi Brown) is seeking shelter from a zombie apocalypse caused by a mysterious unknown virus. As he stocks up his new abode with bulk bought food and supplies, some audience members may feel a shudder of deja vu as there is a touch of the COVID-19 about it all. But not to worry – there aren’t any Zoom quizzes or clashing of pots and pans this time. Photo: Rich Lakos/ArenaPAL Instead, The Last Man, a new English translation of Jishik Kim and Seungyeon Kwon’s Korean musical with dramaturgy from Jethro Compton, follows the protagonist as he reckons with what it takes to survive against all odds and leave the life he once knew behi...

Alastair Clark: On The Record at Flashback Records

3May

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Alastair Clark: On The Record at Flashback Records

After working in a record shop in Liverpool for a number of years, Alastair Clark quit to pursue his dream of being a full-time comedian. With many Edinburgh Fringe stints under his belt, he’s now bringing his show On The Record to independent record shops across the country. In London, the venue is Flashback Records — a lovely establishment in the beating, chaotic heart of Shoreditch. The shop’s basement is a quirky and cosy space (especially cosy on what was a particularly warm day) and armed with a can of Jubel I felt as though I was in a music aficionado’s living room. Clark perfectly matched the intimacy of the setting with his energy; both warm yet self-deprecating, he’s an incredibly engaging performer who immediately made me feel at ease. On The Record primarily sees Clar...

23Apr

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Waves – Jermyn Street Theatre

Virginia Woolf’s poetic, genre-resistent novel The Waves might not feel like an obvious candidate for a theatrical adaptation, but Flora Wilson Brown takes on the challenge with aplomb in this excellent new production at Jermyn Street Theatre. Director Júlia Levai reimagines the lives of friends Rhoda, Bernard, Susan, Neville, Jinny, and Louis in a loosely ambiguous time period, set against Tomás Palmer’s stark, metallic set design that becomes etched with the sextuplet’s memories — both literally and figuratively. Costume Designer Annett Black initially has the characters dressed in white t-shirts emblazoned with their names, which they shed as they grow up and into themselves, trying to discover who they are while also acknowledging the extent to which they are the sum of their experi...

22Apr

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Managed Approach – Riverside Studios

Holbeck, Leeds made headlines in 2014 after the local government launched a trial initiative to decriminalise and regulate the sex work industry. The scheme, known as the “managed approach”, ultimately lasted until 2020, and Jules Coyle’s play of the same name explores the programme’s impact on the women and girls living in the area at the time, including those working within the initiative. A semi-verbatim piece, Mangaged Approach threads the stories and experiences of a number of sex workers (played in turn by Áine McNamara and H Sneyd) through a central storyline about 18-year-old Abbie (Coyle) and her mother Kate (Eanna Ferguson), with the managed approach stirring up new tensions between the pair as they debate whether or not the scheme is truly protecting women. It’s immensely ...

20Mar

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Welcome to Pemfort – Soho Theatre

The titular Pemfort we’re welcomed to in Sarah Power’s new play is a castle – or, arguably, a fort – nestled in a sleepy village that’s home to a host of quirky characters. The 90-minute comedy-drama zeros in on Pemfort’s quiet gift shop, in which the absence of regular customers allows the staff to focus on a new venture: Pemfort’s first ‘living history’ event. The gift shop (brought to life exquisitely by Alys Whitehead’s vivid yet lived-in set design) is run by Uma (Debra Gillett), a dreamy and motherly figure with a penchant for calling her younger staff members “poppet” or “chicken”. The rest of her team initially comprises adventurous Ria (Lydia Larson) and strait-laced Glenn (Ali Hadji-Heshmati), who is especially passionate about ensuring the upcoming event is as historically ac...

The Olive Boy – Southwark Playhouse Borough

20Jan

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Olive Boy – Southwark Playhouse Borough

In Ollie Maddigan’s The Olive Boy, he tells us how his mum used to compare him to the stoned fruit not only because he was born with a condition where his skin looked green, but because he is “pure and sweet”. Of course, Maddigan thinks this is “bullshit” — everyone knows olives are bitter and too salty. This story feels like the perfect way to summarise Maddigan’s solo show, now playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough. In his portrayal of his 15-year-old self, over 70 minutes we see classic teenage delusions, selfishness and crassness slowly melt away to reveal a truly sweet heart at the centre of this very funny show about love and grief. As the sole performer on stage, with nothing more than a chair for a set piece, Maddigan is an absolute firecracker who immediately has the au...

29Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Lovers Actually – The Other Palace

A perfectly floppy-haired Hugh Grant. A “quite pretty” Keira Knightley. A child dressed up as a lobster for the school nativity. ‘Tis the season for Love Actually, of course. The Yuletide classic gets a cheeky send-up in The Other Palace’s Lovers Actually, penned by Neil Hurst and Jodie Prenger. With Alex Jackson directing, the creative trio have crafted a Christmas musical parody that’s fun, festive, and — most importantly — full of filth. Covering nearly every base when it comes to spoofing the iconic characters of Love Actually is an excellent quartet of performers: Joseph Beach, Ross Clifton, Martha Pothen, and Holly Sumpton. Photo: Pamela Raith Each of the four get to play their fair share of hilarious characters. Beach is a gun-wielding Liam Neeson, aging rockstar Billy M...

Jack and the Beanstalk – Lyric Hammersmith

24Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Jack and the Beanstalk – Lyric Hammersmith

Written by Sonia Jalalay and directed by Nicholai La Barrie, Lyric Hammersmith’s new production of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn’t totally follow the classic pantomime story. Introducing the story is the Fairy Godfather (a hilarious Jade Hackett), who explains that the people of Hammersmith are in a critical imagination deficit. With an ‘imagination meter’ framing the whole stage, our Fairy Godfather wants us to hit the top level of HEIOMGN: Huge-Epic-Imagination-OMG-Nirvana. The big problem? The ruthless, authoritarian Fleshcreep Academy. John Partridge hams it up — literally, donning a pepperoni-print suit — as the cruel Fleshcreep, instilling rules such as “no singing”, “no dancing” and “no joy” as part of his educational regime. His greatest punishment for children is sending them...

20Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Porn Play – Royal Court

As its unashamedly frank title suggests, Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s Porn Play isn’t afraid to tackle the taboo. At the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, Director Josie Rourke has staged a production that’s willing to match the script’s boldness. From the off, Designer Yimei Zhao’s pillowy, plush, almost vulvic set draws the audience into the action at a perhaps uncomfortably close proximity. The whole room is covered in a pale, bouncy carpet; we’re asked to put covers on our shoes before we nestle into the space’s uniquely cosy seating plan. After we’ve settled in, we meet an unnamed seductress (played by a fantastic Lizzy Connolly, taking on a number of other roles) who slinks across the bed-like pit in the centre of the stage, writhing and sticking out her tongue in an arguably...

14Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Old Fat F**k Up – Riverside Studios

“What are we going to do about all the men?” It’s a broad question that lacks any tangible answer, and “millennial, middle-aged theatremaker” Olly Hawes isn’t concerned with providing an answer. Instead, his new solo play Old Fat F**k Up occupies space within and around the question, tackling the meaty subjects of masculinity, fatherhood, and inherent violence. As Hawes clarifies at the top of the show, staged in an intimately small traverse that brings us right into the world he’s creating, this is not a stand-up comedy show. Nor is it an autobiographical tale – but he’d happily sell it to Netflix in exchange for a glossy 6-part limited series. Old Fat F**k Up is rather a blend of storytelling and comedy that runs for a well-oiled 70 minutes, and acts as an incredibly sturdy vehicle...