London Archives - North West End UK

Grace Pervades – Theatre Royal Haymarket

2May

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Grace Pervades – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Grace Pervades – written by David Hare and starring Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison – tells the story of Victorian theatre giants Henry Irving (Fiennes) and Ellen Terry (Raison), as well as Terry’s two children Edith Craig (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis) and Edward Gordon Craig (Jordan Metcalfe), who each made their own contributions to theatre. Often both moving and funny, this play is a pleasant love letter to these important figures in the history of British theatre. The entire cast performs to a very high standard. Ralph Fiennes plays Henry Irving with nuance and finesse. The script characterises Irving as overly earnest and sincere, which – ironically – Fiennes is able to play to great humorous effect. Fiennes achieves a skilful balance between the shy and awkward elements of Irving’s per...

2May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Tender – Soho Theatre

Tender, written by Dave Harris and performed at Soho Theatre, centres on the struggling Dancing Bears strip club. Once thriving, the venue is now losing its appeal, with a rival club night down the street drawing sell-out crowds. Faced with declining audiences and relevance, Dancing Bears must reinvent itself to survive, setting the stage for a lively and unexpectedly thoughtful production. From the outset, the show leans into its immersive concept. Audience members are handed dollar bills and paddles to signal participation, effectively transforming us into patrons of the club. This interactive element is one of the production’s greatest strengths, creating an electric atmosphere and blurring the line between spectator and performer. The crowd quickly buys into the experience, and the ...

2May

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Mass – Donmar Warehouse

This is a play about restorative justice. Two couples, the parents of their sons who were involved in a school shooting some years ago meet for the first time in a church meeting room. One couple are the parents of a child who was shot and the other of the shooter. Both sons were killed in the incident. As would be expected there was a substantial amount of apprehension on the part of both couples about meeting face-to-face for the first time. They sit one on each side of the table and talk. That is basically all that happens in this play for 90 minutes of its 1 hour 40 mins playing time. We gradually learned about the events which happened on that fateful day, and the background, particularly of the shooter in the years preceding and the anguish of both se...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe Theatre

2May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Globe Theatre

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Globe theatre arrives with a blast of high energy and a mix of theatrical prose and modern slang. Shakespeare would be bewildered to see that his most popular playful enchanting comedy has been remastered to enhance the silliness and magic of complex human relations ships. The synopsis; the play is set in a forest outside Athens, where the worlds of fairies and mortals collide. It weaves together four main storylines: The lovers Hermia and Lysander, and Helena’s Love for Demetrius a ‘cat and mouse’ affair as each pair fall under the spell of the forest royalty. In the forest we encounter Oberon the Fairy King and Titania his queen involved in an argument. To trick Titania Oberon with the use of a ‘spell’ a magic ...

Mini Showstopper! The Improvised Musical and more! – Hoopla

1May

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Mini Showstopper! The Improvised Musical and more! – Hoopla

The Hoopla! 20th anniversary celebrations started in early April at their venue in London Bridge and over the next few months, they have a huge variety of improv shows from both new and established teams. Last night, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical made an appearance, with many of their members regular performers at Hoopla! over the past 20 years, and some of them currently teaching improv classes there. They were joined by two other groups of improvisers – The Inflatables, and Hell Yeah! in a two-hour show of music and laughs. The evening began with four members of The Inflatables playing Whose Line Is It Anyway style games. The team were great at getting the audience involved, even having audience members control the show at one point. You have to have a lot of talent to be th...

Entertaining Murder – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

1May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Entertaining Murder – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Entertaining Murder is a musical inspired by the true story of Edith Thompson, played by Daisy Snelson, and her young lover Freddy Bywaters, played by Dominic Sullivan. This is a fascinating story, and the production adapts it for the stage with real clarity and purpose. The narrative is well structured, with each character given space to develop. Sue Kelvin, who portrays Avis Graydon and also acts as narrator, is particularly effective in guiding the audience through the events. Through her narration, we are encouraged to question what actually happened: who murdered Edith’s husband, what motives were at play, and whether each individual can truly be considered guilty. It also raises a broader moral question about justice and whether those involved deserved to face execution for th...

26Apr

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Two Halves of Guinness – Park Theatre

It’s a lovely day for a Guinness but the Park Theatre hasn’t got any on tap. Their replacement, radio host Zeb Soanes, is a captivating storyteller but unfortunately not a convincing Sir Alec in this biographical one man show marking the twenty fifth anniversary of the great actor’s death. It is a testament to his charisma as a performer and his mastery of Mark Burgess’s script that he is able to keep the audience’s attention for what is ultimately a pretty uneventful two hours. Set and costume designs by Lee Newby and lighting design by Michael Fox are just at the level of competence, capable of communicating context well enough but never rising to the level of inventive expression or even attempting any degree of theatrical flourish. This is particularly disappointing considering the ...

Sorry (I broke your arms and legs) – Pleasance Theatre

26Apr

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Sorry (I broke your arms and legs) – Pleasance Theatre

Twelve-year-old Sam Wilson is convinced that he will be named Head Boy, so when he realises that he has a rival for the position, his jealousy leads him into increasingly awkward and hilarious situations. Written and performed by James Akka, this 60-minute, one-person show will have you laughing throughout. Akka bubbles with the energy of a pre-teen as he and his power-point presentation take us through the circumstances leading up to Sam’s apology. From worrying about the volume of his hair, to a disastrous attempt to gain popularity by playing football, the neurotic and likeable Sam catalogues his mistakes while continually telling us how good he is at everything (except P.E.). With the gangly physicality of a boy in early adolescence, Akka fills the empty stage; his only se...

26Apr

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Down to Chance – Pleasance Theatre

Based on a true story, Down to Chance, follows the events in an Alaskan town during the biggest earthquake that’s ever hit the US. Advertised as Come from Away meets The Play that Goes Wrong, this show is much more like Come From Away, as very little goes wrong in this slick, fast-paced tale of disaster and courage. Written by Ellie Jay Cooper and Directed by Caleb Barron from Maybe You Like It theatre company, the story follows Genie, a radio journalist in 1964, whose gender is hampering her ambitions. When the earthquake strikes though, she is the only experienced reporter available, and together with her teenage intern, they keep the residents of Anchorage informed and entertained during a terrifying night. A set of radio mics, portable recording equipment, and a c...

Should I Still Be Doing This? – Soho Theatre

26Apr

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Should I Still Be Doing This? – Soho Theatre

Susan Harrison's parade of weird and wonderful characters was a big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and it's not hard to see why. This hilarious mixture of stand-up, improv and character comedy is sharp, original, and best of all, funny. Depressed Sindy is a particularly brilliant and original skit, as the doll looks back on her life of always being negatively compared to her more successful American counterpart, Barbie. Angry panda from Chester Zoo makes cogent observations of how people view zoo animals and intrude on their private moments. Over-the-top “influencer” Fleur is recognisably cringe-worthy. Harrison also takes a deep dive into the surreal with her girl stuck in a well inside a woman - a bizarre alter-ego but strangely believable which even draws the...