Olivia Cox, Author at North West End UK

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...

Sam Dodgshon Tries to Hold Your Attention for One Hour – Club Silly

1Oct

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Sam Dodgshon Tries to Hold Your Attention for One Hour – Club Silly

Being a standup comedian already requires a certain level of bravery. In his latest comedy special at Lambeth Fringe, Sam Dodgshon takes this vulnerability to new extremes by giving the audience control over what happens in the show. The concept is simple but smart. We’re presented with a PowerPoint that resembles a flowchart, with slides prompting the audience to choose between various options that influence the direction of the show. These options range from the straightforward (“Can I speak?”) to the absurd (should he go to hell via purgatory), and each pathway ends the same: we’re asked if we’d like to “play again”. With the assistance of an on-stage technician who operates the laptop and encourages the audience to shout out our answers, Dodgshon throws his all into the piece...

6Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Invasive Species – King’s Head Theatre

Based on the true story of writer and star Maia Novi, Invasive Species opens with a life-altering realisation: Maia wants to be in the movies. But not the low-budget Spanish movies that blare out of the tinny speakers at her local cinema in her homeland of Argentina. Maia wants to be in “big, American movies” like The Amazing Spider-Man — the movie that triggers this epiphany in her youth. Before she knows it, she’s caught hook, line and sinker by The Acting Bug (brought to gloriously creepy life by Harrison Osterfield, playing one of several roles), setting her on a path of unsuccessful stints at acting schools in France and London before finally getting into Yale School of Drama. Disaster strikes weeks before her all-important final year showcase, however: after seeking treatment f...

2Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Spare Room – Hen & Chickens Theatre

As soon as you step into the Hen & Chickens Theatre, you’re immersed in the sticky world of Spare Room. A drunken girl flippantly tells you to “sit where you like”. Unconscious bodies slump over ratty furniture, grease-soaked pizza boxes line the floor, and dance music hums in the background. It’s an immediately familiar sight (shudder): a shared uni student house. The action kicks off with sweet Jodie (Georgina Housby) turning up at the grotty pad with a suitcase and admirable optimism as she introduces herself as the new occupant of the spare room. She initially thinks she has female company in the house after seeing a ‘Mary’ listed as a housemate in the online ad, only to find out that’s merely a bizarre nickname for a bloke called Richard — making her the only girl in a hous...

31Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Second Class Queer – Theatro Technis

Opening with a beautiful dance sequence that takes a ghastly turn to reveal the news of a horrifying homophobic attack, Kumar Muniandy’s solo play Second Class Queer is a raw exploration of identity through the lens of race, sexuality, and post-colonialism. Muniandy portrays Krishna, a queer Indian Malaysian man who is living in Berlin, where he attends a gay speed dating event. This event provides the framework for the majority of the 60-minute play as we watch Krishna chat with five different men, each conversation slowly revealing Krishna’s buried trauma and guilt over his role in his mother’s death. It’s a clever structural device that lends itself to some interesting dialogue and light humour — delivered with plenty of charm by Muniandy — but many of the conversations feel m...