London Archives - North West End UK

7Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Juno and the Paycock – Gielgud Theatre

Juno and the Paycock is widely regarded as Sean O'Caseys's theatrical masterpiece. Set during the Irish Civil War in 1922 the first act starts almost as a melodrama with " Captain" Jack Boyle( Mark Rylance) and his dissolute companion "Joxer" Daly (Paul Hilton) indulging in drunken excess and an attempting to avoid all forms of work while dodging the wrath of Juno Boyle (J.Smith-Cameron), the redoubtable female head of the household. The impoverished family’s fortunes seem to take a dramatic turn for the better when they are informed that Jack Boyle has received a large inheritance from a relative. As the second act opens, we see them in the same rundown dwelling, but now bedecked with new expensive furnishings and the family wearing new clothes for which they ha...

5Oct

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

One of the Boys – Playground Theatre

One of the Boys leads it’s audience through an Indusry-esque exploration of the corporate ‘boys club’ and the women it leaves behind, but with too little nuance or introspection to make for a truly engaging watch. The play, written by Tim Edge and directed by Lydia McKinley, was a feat of endurance for its cast. Giving 85 minutes of action with no interval, all four of the cast should be praised for the great amount of work they put in to bringing this performance to life. Energy never dropped and the quality of performance was, for the most part, high. Playing the cold-career-woman turned heart-of-gold lead Eve, Miriam Grace Edwards was a stand-out within the production, bringing nuance and sensitivity to a character which could have easily been reduced to stereotype. Edwards played...

5Oct

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

The Gentlemen’s Club – Soho Theatre

If you want to experience drag cabaret Bollywood style woven into a well-crafted narrative about freedom, community and possibility, The Gentlemen’s Club is the place to be! Co-presented by the National Centre of Performing Arts and Soho Theatre, London’s finest cabaret-meets-theatre venue, The Gentlemen’s Club is not only Patchwork Ensemble’s debut in the UK but also India’s first Drag King show. The Gentlemen’s Club opens with a nostalgic act by Rocky aka Shamsher (Puja Sarup) playing a tribute to the legendary Shammi Kapoor and the golden era of Hindi cinema- performed to absolute perfection. As a senior among an ensemble of drag artists (Sheena Khalid, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Srishti Dixit and Amey Mehta) performing at the club, Rocky is both warmly welcoming and a lightly pat...

5Oct

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

Run, Rebel – Theatre Peckham

Run, Rebel is a heart-thumping tale, a visceral plunge into the complex reality of being a second-generation immigrant in the UK. It is a story that resonates with an audience familiar with the delicate balance between two worlds, especially those who have felt the penetrating gaze of watchful aunties, clutching their Lidl bags with an unspoken authority, ready to report where you've been and who you’re with. Something all too familiar. The star of the show, Jessica Kaur, who played Amber, delivered a commanding performance that truly set her apart. She infused her lines with a palpable energy, an emotional depth that made her a powerful presence on stage. She was a star, a brilliant axis around which the entire story spun. The story itself was laced with heart and grit. It spoke...

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 ...

3Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Look Back in Anger – Almeida Theatre

Renowned as a theatrical landmark, John Osborne's 1956 play changed the face of British theatre forever with its gritty realism. For such an important play it is surprisingly infrequently performed. I have only seen it once before and had forgotten what a powerful piece of drama it is. Staged at the Almeida Theatre in repertory with 'Roots', Arnold Wesker's renowned play of the same era, it forms what they have titled 'Angry and Young' season. The most striking thing about director Atri Banerjee’s production is the dispensing of a realistic set, which was one of the hallmarks of the original production and presenting it on a bare circular stage with an outer ring revolve and an inner ring lift. The lift was used for raising the few pieces of set furniture that were needed, a table and t...

28Sep

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Giant – Royal Court

In 1983, weeks before Roald Dahl’s new book ‘The Witches’ is to be released, a fury is coming back round to question and confront Dahl’s recent book review in which he comments on Tony Clifton’s ‘God Cried’ picture book. This review sparked a huge amount of controversy and corrupted Dahl’s sweet and humorous image. In this imagined piece, Mark Rosenblatt creates a fictitious afternoon in which Dahl’s publicists are pushing for an apology for his review. John Lithgow as a superbly complex Dahl is adamant on standing by his beliefs no matter the consequences to who might cull his books from the shelves. Rosenblatt comments that this piece although fictitious, has intertwined verbatim comments made from Dahl on this matter. As our current day viewers are now confronted with the long hi...

28Sep

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Never Let Me Go – Rose Theatre

Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go has been adapted for the stage by Suzanne Heathcote. The story follows a group of clones raised at Hailsham, a boarding school where they learn about their purpose, born and bred to donate from their bodies. Here they make art, and they learn about their bodies and how to keep them healthy so that they can donate to the unknown people they are bred to serve. Although the specifics of the donation process remain shrouded in mystery, it’s clear that they are not expected to survive beyond their fourth donation. In the meantime, they take on roles as carers for those clones who have already started the donation journey. At the centre of this story are Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. Kathy harbours feelings for Tommy, but Ruth, despite knowing this, e...

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...

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

25Sep

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Well, these are two very well-spoken "tramps". A wired Didi (Ben Whishaw) jolts and flourishes across the space, amidst a more weighted, stony Gogo (Lucian Msamati). The two are equally as confounded as each other, torn between wavering uncertainty and resignation to the fact. As the title of the play reveals, they are waiting for Godot. In Beckett's classic, we are not entirely sure who Godot is or why he is being waited for, and neither, as it seems, are the characters. Whishaw and Msamati play their respective characters so beautifully. It is like watching a dance - their responsivity and spontaneity is glorious, and they find musicality in the repetition. This much studied play has plenty of meat to chew on. The real juiciness of it, as brought out by Whishaw and Msamati ...