Sunday, December 22

Author: Zoё Meeres

Bounce – The Lion and Unicorn Theatre
London

Bounce – The Lion and Unicorn Theatre

We begin at the beginning - so to speak - of a motivational seminar; the lights flash, the music booms and our presenter, Jesse (Nick Robinson), is propelled onto the stage, an energised picture of confidence seemingly powered on his own self-belief. Jesse, a self-help guru and his own personal hype man, is here to tell us how we can own our own destinies by facing forward, not seeing unwanted surprises as problems and pretty much every other self-improvement trope you can think of. If that sounds flippant then that is far from my intention - in this snappy 70-minute show, writer Tom Derrington creates a caricature of self-help culture that pinpoints why so many people are caught in its thrall, and why this is so problematic. There’s a precision to Derrington’s writing that from the sta...
The Shape of Things – Park Theatre
London

The Shape of Things – Park Theatre

My first introduction to playwright Neil LaBute’s work was Fat Pig, which premiered in London in 2008 and depicts the story of a shallow man who works in a testosterone fuelled corporate environment and falls in love, to his shame, with a plus-sized woman. There are definite parallels to be drawn between the two plays, which both feature two male and two female characters and centre around relationships, appearances and challenging ideologies and examine how far we will – or won’t – go for love. The play opens with the meet cute of Evelyn (Amber Anderson), a confident, headstrong art student and Adam (Luke Newton), a meek rather geeky English student in the art gallery where Adam works part time. As they begin dating, we see early indications of Adam’s Grease-style glow up, as directed ...
Blanket Ban – Southwark Playhouse
London

Blanket Ban – Southwark Playhouse

Performing to a packed Southwark Playhouse audience on Tuesday night, writers and performers Davina Hamilton and Marta Vella open their one act show by extolling the virtues of their home country, Malta. And it sounds idyllic – 300 days of sunshine, beautiful beaches and coastline, jewel blue sea – which features as a recurring theme of beauty and power – delicious food and a friendly community spirit across the country. Ah, and it has – or had up until very recently – a blanket ban on abortion. And so, the premise is set, with Hamilton and Vella breaking down the internal conflict they feel for a country they clearly love, with otherwise open and progressive views, taking such a stern, outdated position on abortion. The piece has been well researched and uses a mix of first-person t...
Grenfell: System Failure Scenes from the Inquiry – The Playground Theatre
London

Grenfell: System Failure Scenes from the Inquiry – The Playground Theatre

I still remember the horror I felt when I saw for myself the remains of the Grenfell Tower as I was driving through west London a couple of weeks after the fire. It was an appalling, brutal sight, and I found it so overwhelming that I immediately burst into tears. So, it was fitting that I – unintentionally – took that same route to the performance of Grenfell – System Failure last night, as the recollection helped set my mindset for the evening ahead. As the title suggests, the premise here is a snapshot into the evidence and conclusions from the first phase of the Grenfell inquiry. Richard Norton-Taylor, together with Nicholas Kent, have selected testimony from a range of people who were either affected by the tragedy or were part of the chain of events that led to it. The stage is se...
Romeo and Julie – National Theatre
London

Romeo and Julie – National Theatre

While any trip to the theatre is a joy and a privilege for me, occasionally something lifts the bar and the experience becomes “more than”. Those times when a production touches a place inside you and leaves you feeling full and empty at the same time, in line with your emotions being pulled to their extremities by characters that you’ll never meet again but somehow feel you know. Last night’s performance was definitely a “more than” event – truly great writing, brilliantly executed, phenomenal cast.  As the title suggested, Romeo and Julie takes its inspiration from the Bard’s classic Romeo and Juliet. While this is well-trodden ground as a storyline, Romeo and Julie genuinely feels fresh and unique. Gary Owen’s Romeo (Callum Scott Howells) is a single dad on the breadline with no...
The Beach House – Park Theatre
London

The Beach House – Park Theatre

Arriving at the theatre last night to find an almost full choice of unreserved seats I instantly regretted tucking myself into a corner and wondered if I’d get the most out of the four-sided stage. I needn’t have worried, though; and was heartened to see that Director Bethany Pitts’s biography includes Jules and Juniper, which was my North West End UK pick of 2022. The Beach House was reminiscent of this in terms of the fluidity and the smoothness of movement – fitting for a play set by the sea. The performers make full use of a tight space and are in almost constant motion – physically and maybe emotionally too. This is complemented by the gentle use of lighting which perfectly moves the action through time, from a dawn interrupted by a crying new born to New Year’s Eve fireworks. &nbs...
<strong>Nerubashenko Ballet presents Swan Lake – Richmond Theatre</strong>
London

Nerubashenko Ballet presents Swan Lake – Richmond Theatre

I should start this by qualifying up front that while I enjoy the ballet, I am by no means a seasoned or knowledgeable audience member. I find ballet staggeringly impressive in terms of the talent and physical/athletic demands and beautiful as an art form while still thinking things like “I wonder if her feet hurt” and “I hope he doesn’t drop her”. With that in mind, we continue… The story of Swan Lake is the stuff of fairy tales – prince falls in love with enchanted swan-woman, is tricked by evil magician into falling for an evil look alike; it’s all very Disney. The musical score will be recognisable event to those who have never been to the ballet before, so it’s one of my ‘entry level’ ballet suggestions for people who are keen to go. I’ve always thought of a trip to the ballet a...
<strong>Mr Charles Dickens presents A Christmas Carol – Greenwich Theatre</strong>
London

Mr Charles Dickens presents A Christmas Carol – Greenwich Theatre

I’ve been struggling with this review since I left Greenwich Theatre last night, unsure of whether I’d just witness a masterclass in stage performance or a relatively dry rendition of a festive favourite. I shall expand; the clue is in the title, and ‘Mr Charles Dickens presents’ means exactly that. For an hour and 35 minutes, John O’Connor in the role of Charles Dickens narrates and performs A Christmas Carol solo on a static stage, as the author himself would have in the mid-1800s. Sound and lighting are used sparingly to create effects such as the weighty chain Marley forged in life, but otherwise this the epitome of a pared back performance. On the one hand, O’Connor as Dickens is superb. Alone on stage for the duration of the play, O’Connor’s Dickens is jovial and charming and deli...
<strong>Picture Perfect Christmas – National Gallery</strong>
London

Picture Perfect Christmas – National Gallery

While I’m a cynical native Londoner, even I buy into the idea that there’s nowhere quite like the big city at Christmas. So, when I arrived at Trafalgar Square and saw the Christmas market and the (slightly sad, granted) Trafalgar Square tree, my Christmas spirit began to peak. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t even realise there was a theatre in the National Gallery, much less visited it, but it’s a neat and spacious auditorium that I’d definitely return to. The stage for Picture Perfect Christmas is set to resemble Hendrick Avercamp’s wintery painting and set designer Jill Wilson has done an incredible job of creating something that’s both magically beautiful and pleasingly functional. Writer and director Francesca Renèe Reid uses the painting as the inspiration for the production...
<strong>Elf the Musical – Dominion Theatre</strong>
London

Elf the Musical – Dominion Theatre

Ask anyone what their favourite Christmas films are and Elf will inevitably be up there. Buoyant Will Ferrell, singing and silliness and just the right amount of schmaltz to give you the festive feels - it ticks all the boxes. So as a self-confessed enthusiast for all things Yuletide and a long time musical fan, I was made up at the chance to see Elf the Musical. To say festive cheer has been in scant supply this year would be an understatement, and so with a month to go until the big day I was absolutely ready for Buddy the Elf and friends to send some joy my way. And there was much joy to be had. The staging is top notch; with ever shifting back drops, moving scenery and a sleigh that gives Back to the Future’s Delorian a run for its money, the action shifts seamlessly from Santa’s No...