Olivia Cox, Author at North West End UK

3Oct

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

My Period the C*ckblock – Brixton House

Today is going to be a fantastic day, according to Bolade (Ruth Oyediran). Why? She’s discovered a pill that can delay her period, which means she’s pain-free to hit the biggest day party of the year — featuring her dream man Tion Wayne — with her best friend Jessica (Lara Grace Ilori). This is where we meet the two pals at the beginning of My Period the C*ckblock, written by Oyediran and directed by TD Moyo in this production at Brixton House. What transpires over the next hour is a remarkably well-written exploration of Black British sisterhood, female pain, and the taboos around menstruation. Oyediran’s vibrant and incisive dialogue depicts a charming and authentic portrayal of friendship — and all the entanglements it can bring. Bola and Jess are shown to have grown apart in the ...

26Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Real Ones – Bush Theatre

Romantic love is a road well travelled by storytellers, but what about its platonic counterpart? Olivier Award-winning playwright Waleed Akhtar seeks to shine a light on the similarly turbulent and complex dynamics within friendship in his new play The Real Ones, currently playing at Bush Theatre until 26th October. Set across a period of almost two decades, we encounter British-Pakistani best friends Zaid (Nathaniel Curtis) and Neelam (Mariam Haque) at various critical moments in their lives — and in their friendship — as they deal with growing up, family tensions, relationships, and identity. Closeted Zaid has his heart fervently set on becoming a playwright, and he’s also navigating his place in the world as a gay Pakistaniakistani man. Having developed a complex relationship with...

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker – Omnibus Theatre

20Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker – Omnibus Theatre

The story of Chang and Eng Bunker is one of enduring curiosity: two Siamese immigrant twins, conjoined by a band of cartilage and a shared liver, fascinated audiences across the US and achieved an unorthodox version of the American Dream. But on January 17th, 1874, Eng woke up to discover his conjoined twin brother was dead, before passing away himself a few hours later. The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker, directed by Iskandar R. Sharazuddin, depicts Eng’s final solitary hours through puppetry, music, and striptease. Across an enchanting 60 minutes, writer and performer Tobi Poster-Su is at one with his puppets, bringing each figure — no matter how big or small — to life with a thrumming heartbeat. From the smallest tea bag to the largest human-like puppet, Poster-Su takes an extrao...

12Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Kim’s Convenience – Riverside Studios

London’s theatre scene has no shortage of productions inspired by TV shows, from Stranger Things to Fawlty Towers. Kim’s Convenience, on the other hand, is the rarer example of a successful play that spawned an even more successful TV adaptation. Over 13 years since its first debut at Toronto Film Festival (and nearly six since the premiere of the Netflix sitcom it inspired) Ins Choi’s Korean-Canadian family comedy has debuted in London, transferring to Riverside Studios after a sell-out run at Park Theatre. In this Esther Jun directed production, Choi takes on the role of patriarch Mr. Kim, fondly known as Appa, who owns and runs a neighbourhood convenience store with the reluctant help of his daughter Janet (Jennifer Kim). With new condos springing up across the area and the impend...

Barbara (and Kenneth) — Greenside @ George Street

13Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

Scotland

Barbara (and Kenneth) — Greenside @ George Street

She’s the blonde, bold, pink-loving doll who needs no introduction: Barbara (not known by her other name in this show due to trademark reasons). But she also has an absolutely stacked CV, with more than 100 different jobs under her brightly coloured belt ranging from Olympic gymnast to presidential candidate, so why isn’t that what people choose to talk about? Now, she’s putting on a one-woman musical show to tell us all about her fight to prove women can do or be anything they set their mind to — oh, and her best accessory/boyfriend Kenneth will also pop along to say hello. Deanna Giulietti stars as the titular life-sized doll, and she’s an absolute revelation. Telling us stories of her rich career tapestry, while also weaving in real-life examples of historical injustices...

Married at Fringe Sight — theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

11Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

Scotland

Married at Fringe Sight — theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Are you looking for love at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe? Whether you’re on the hunt for a quick fling or your future spouse, The Queer Comedy Club are here to help with their very fun new show Married at Fringe Sight. Hosted by comedians David Ian and Jeremy Topp, audience members are invited to scan a QR code and answer questions about topics such as their worst ever date, their ideal partner, and the worst thing about their last (or current) partner to help the duo play match-maker. But this isn’t just a show for singletons. We’re told that in this space, for one night only, relationship status, sexuality, and preferences are thrown completely out the window — handy, given that the ratio of straight women to straight men in my audience was approximately 20:1. Once the comed...

Maria Telnikoff: All The Men Are Going To Hate Me — Underbelly, Bristo Square

10Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

Scotland

Maria Telnikoff: All The Men Are Going To Hate Me — Underbelly, Bristo Square

As soon as Maria Telnikoff bursts onto the Buttercup stage at Underbelly Bristo Square in a frenetic, gyrating dance to Charli xcx’s ‘Guess’, she totally commands the space with her charisma and physical comedy skills. It’s an energetic start, and she maintains this electric energy throughout her 60-minute show All The Men Are Going To Hate Me. After she’s got that dance out of her system, Telnikoff introduces us to the concept of the show: she wants to write the next great work of literature — about all the men she’s slept with. It’s a simple but clever framework that allows her to break up and act out each of these stories as individual ‘chapters’, which she punctuates with a series of placards. As she takes us through the journey of her sexual history, we’re introduced t...

Is The WiFi Good In Hell? — Underbelly Cowgate, Iron Belly

10Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

Scotland

Is The WiFi Good In Hell? — Underbelly Cowgate, Iron Belly

Meet Dev: a young, queer boy growing up in the seaside town of Margate in 2008 who is absolutely itching to escape. Is The WiFi Good In Hell?, written by and starring Lyndon Chapman, is a richly detailed and beautifully touching coming-of-age story supported by an electrifying solo performance. We’re first introduced to Dev at the age of 12, where he spends most of his time hanging out on a derelict with his best mate, imagining his life when he leaves the so-called “dystopian wasteland” of Margate for a thriving life in London. In the 60-minute show, we follow Dev as he navigates school, university, and post-graduate life while discovering who he is in a world where he never quite fits in. Chapman is an absolute tour-de-force in this show, weaving the intricate web of Dev’...

Police Cops in Space – Underbelly Festival

2Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Police Cops in Space – Underbelly Festival

With multiple sell-out Fringe runs and an acclaimed full-scale musical under their belts, it’s safe to say that comedy group Police Cops (made up of Zachary Hunt, Nathan Parkinson and Tom Roe) have had a busy few years. Not ones to take their feet off the pedal, the trio are back at Underbelly Festival in Cavendish Square this summer, with the return of their 2017 sci-fi send-up Police Cops in Space. We meet galaxy-dwelling Sammy Johnson, the son of the late Jimmy Johnson — the so-called ‘Best Damn Police Cop Ever’ — who becomes embroiled in a cosmic caper after the Australian humanoid who killed his father returns for his revenge (and to destroy the universe, obviously). Parodying the likes of Blade Runner, Star Wars and The Terminator, Police Cops in Space picks apart the genre’...

12Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Dog Sh!t – Theatre 503

With a title like ‘Dog Sh!t’ and a promotional poster featuring a cartoon canine caught in that very act, audiences watching Bellaray Bertrand-Webb’s play at Theatre503 should know to expect the unexpected. Selling out an acclaimed run at the Dublin Fringe Festival last year, Dog Sh!t has transferred to London’s Theatre503 for two nights, directed by Ursula McGinn. The 70-minute play focuses on four characters: the existentially melancholic Emma (Laura Brady), passionate thespian Raven (Gracie Oddie-James), creative-turned-corporate Nora (Breffni Holahan), and Nora’s boyfriend Obi (Aaron Shosanya), the tech bro with a surprising obsession with Greek philosophy. Advertised as a satirical comedy, I’m happy to say that Dog Sh!t definitely isn’t all bark and no bite. Firstly, the c...