Riana Howarth, Author at North West End UK

10Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Richard II – The Vaults

This inventive take on a Shakespearean classic finds itself in the grizzly, ambient Vaults. Quandry Collective presents a world in which a woman disguises herself as a man to hold onto the throne. The story follows Richard II’s demise starting from the moment he banishes Bolingbroke to his bitter end. The cast is all male with the exception of Coco Maertens who plays Richard. They convey a harsh, sterile environment full of dormant aggression and angst which often explodes into violence and you appreciate her precarious position as a woman. The set designed by Valentine Gigadet is cluttered with pieces of fence and other units amongst bric-a-brac that double up as percussive instruments used by the performers. This sets an ominous tone and with the pulsating electronic beats, they both ...

8Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Dirty Corset – The Pleasance

Bang Average Theatre’s playful restoration comedy follows a troupe of actors, Mary Moralless, Isabinda Mclovealot and Neil Hasbeen and their drama both on and off the stage. From shifting dynamics between the three to bickering, grief, unrequited love and disease, there is mayhem throughout. We are transported to the grimy 17th century with crude snippets of the past, featuring an animated skincare routine and multiple dance sequences. I loved the minimalistic staging with undergarments hung on a clothing line around the room and the imaginative use of props for swift transitions. The script, written by the performers had fresh, witty dialogue that felt spontaneous as it bounced back and forth. Some of the first scenes were slightly confusing without context but they were then easy t...

6Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

The Fever Syndrome – Hampstead Theatre

Alexis Zegerman’s new play takes the form of a sitcom with heightened drama, raising thought-provoking questions about science, morality and sociology. The Myers family are united to witness their father receiving his lifetime of achievement award for his contribution towards IVF treatment. Dr Richard Myers suffers from Parkinsons disease and as his children co-habit under one roof, along with his new wife, tensions ensue as they grapple for his inheritance and as wounds of the past are reopened. The play is packed full of different topics for speculation, but perhaps the most pertinent and most interesting is the difference between parenting and raising a child and the physical ability to create new life. The set designed by Lizzie Clachan is grandiose, the interior of a three-storey h...

27Mar

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London

Psychodrama – Battersea Arts Centre

Sleepwalk Collective and Christopher Brett Bailey’s experimental piece is a fusion of titillation, poetic imagery and philosophical exploration. From the get-go, there is an overt sense that we are audience members with an assumed passive role, and we are reminded of the undulating relationship between the collective and our anonymity. It feels like we are slowly spacing out into a nebulous, creative void. There is terror and excitement and freshness, and we feel oddly safe as we enter it, guided by the two characters (Christopher and Lara) who feel just as lost as we are. Fragmented and episodic, the script is disorientating as it whispered through headphones, both soothing and unsettling like an ASMR. Its ambiguous storyline begins to piece together later in the play. With evocative, ...

10Mar

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Fiji – Omnibus Theatre

Conflicted Theatre’s Fiji is a morbidly quirky two-hander between Nick and Sam. We are drawn in as we witness them meeting for the first time. There is a rawness and intimacy as a wet-haired Nick enters the room and it feels like we are also complicit and an unspoken part of their relationship. What appears to be a slightly awkward and unconventional first date takes a shocking turn. With hints at the characters’ back stories, it inspires the audience to psychoanalyse and question the two whilst also empathising with their situations. The writing is witty, fluid and dynamic as it explores taboo topics with ease, without forcing opinions. It switches between highly personal moments and more casual chit chat, which are both subtly emotionally charged. Pedro Leandro is impressive as gaw...

After The End – Theatre Royal Stratford East

3Mar

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

After The End – Theatre Royal Stratford East

Dark, disturbing and incisive, Kelly’s apocalyptic play examines human nature and hostility like a thought experiment. Louise and Mark are the lab rats in this harrowing social commentary. Louise finds herself in Mark’s bunker as they shield themselves from a nuclear attack outside. With limited supplies and suffocating, rising tension, anything could happen. The two work colleagues, make for an unlikely pairing with Louise’s feisty, uncompromising strength and Mark’s dorky enthusiasm and rigidity. As a result, it is fascinating to watch their sharp back and forth dialogue. Nick Blood is particularly skilful at bringing Kelly’s idiosyncratic style of writing to life, catching its jerky rhythm. He is perfect as Mark, balancing his comical strangeness with his darker aspects which seep ou...

23Feb

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Red Pitch – Bush Theatre

This is an electrifying piece of theatre with a strong sense of community at its core. From the moment you enter the performance space, it is buzzing as the boys bounce around the stage, preparing for a match. You are plunged into their territory from the get-go and feel drunk on their energy and enthusiasm. Omz, Joey and Bilal navigate their worlds of South London as 16-year-old boys at an exciting, pivotal point in their lives. The play is a testament to the strength of friendship and the trials and tribulations of youth as well as an exploration of gentrification from the differing perspectives of these young people. This outstanding play-writing debut by Tyrell Williams is a masterclass in comedy and authenticity. Williams truly captures the spirit of banterous teenage boys on the b...

17Feb

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Running With Lions – Lyric Hammersmith

Running With Lions is a colourful, vibrant and life-affirming celebration of family, which also addresses the dark shadows lurking in the corners, where things have been swept away and repressed. Gloria returns to her parents’ home where her daughter has been staying whilst she has been away at a mental health clinic. She struggles to get through to her parents, who feel too ashamed to acknowledge her condition. Problems ensue as desires clash and as the family grapple with the past and the underlying tensions between them. The play begins with Gloria’s perspective but then widens into others showing the inescapable intermingling of worlds. Carter’s writing is very true to life, reflecting conversations which I feel like I have witnessed or had with my own family. She doesn’t compromise...

30Jan

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London

The Glow – Royal Court

“You go far back enough, and everything turns to myth” Alistair Mcdowall’s “The Glow” is written with a plethora of colours and flavours, bursting at the seams with ideas about time and the ephemerality of the past. Its central focus is on myth, with a defining character whose presence transcends the stage. Found in an asylum in 1863, a woman is assumed to be a perfect host for an ambitious necromancer but soon things turn awry as the woman’s magical powers come into their own. With an eclectic mix of characters and shifting timelines, it is a joy to watch the complete changes in mood from scene to scene. The plot is anchored by the pivotal character, the woman played by Ria Zmitrowicz, as her character slowly unfurls like she is learning how to exist. Zmitrowicz imbues the character...

Freud’s Last Session – King’s Head Theatre

24Jan

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Freud’s Last Session – King’s Head Theatre

Freud’s Last Session directed by Peter Darney is an Off-Broadway success combining philosophical thought with comedy. As its foreboding title suggests, the play imagines Sigmund Freud’s final psychoanalysis session. He invites C.S. Lewis to meet him, to help him make sense of something that disturbs him. A debate ensues between the two, as they grapple with an age-old question; the existence of God. The eagerness and receptivity of the characters carries the arguments through with an aliveness, keeping it engaging as well as educational. Séan Browne brings C.S. Lewis’ character to life, endowing him with an earnestness and a stark vocal resemblance to Lewis himself. He enters Freud’s room as a visitor, polite and reserved with a kind of reverence for Freud but as the play progress...