London Archives - Page 112 of 150

7Jul

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

I, Kermit – Lion & Unicorn

Years ago, one of my best friends slept with Mr Blobby. I don’t literally mean that she made the beast with two backs with a pink flump-like man with yellow spots, but rather that she had sex with a man who, at the time, was in possession of the Mr Blobby suit. Possession of the suit dictates that you are, in effect, Mr Blobby in residence, until such a time as the Blobby-Baton is passed on to a successor. I’m unsure of whether my friend’s conquest is still the keeper of the costume or if there's now a new Blobby on the beat, but in any event imagine the suit is currently languishing in a bin liner somewhere, perhaps with one of Mr Blobby’s mad, unseeing goggly eyes staring dolefully out of the bag. The question of character, character ownership and the blurring of the lines between act...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – St Paul’s Church

7Jul

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – St Paul’s Church

Snuggled in the heart of Covent Garden, the garden of St. Paul’s Church makes for a charming site for a Shakespearean rom-com. The setup for this show by Sophia Pardon - flags, lights, banners, flowers and even a pop-up bar serving themed drinks, get the audience to buckle up for a breezy adventure. They can’t buckle up for too long, though, as this promenade performance gets the audience up and moving across several locations through the show. This Shakespeare-meets-90s-high-school adaptation of the beloved play by Sara Aniqah Malik is planned chaos! The basic storyline is the same; lovers entangled in a triangle get further muddled by the intervention of an obnoxious fairy king until some fairy dust again brings them to a happy ending. Was it all a dream just before the school prom? W...

6Jul

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

The Lesson – Southwark Playhouse

A zealous pupil comes over a professor’s house to study for her total doctorate, an educational certificate in all subjects of life. The excessively polite and timid professor grows restless and domineering as his ignorant student struggles to level up with his academic demands. The pupil develops a painful toothache which renders her incapable of listening to the professor’s teachings. Their mutual pains turn lethal when in an orgasmic climax, the professor murders the young girl. The maid comes in and reprimands the professor - this is his 40th kill of the day… Fortunately she knows how to get him out of trouble and cleans it all up before another student comes to the front door, starting the play all over again. The Lesson is a seminal text in the Theatre of the Absurd, a short-lived...

5Jul

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Throne – Charing Cross Theatre

With ‘Prince’ Andrew embroiled in rape and sex trafficking criminality, while his brother, Charles, the future king, battles a ‘cash-for-honours’ scandal involving bags of cash, the monarchy has never looked so unworthy of our respect. As working families struggle to feed their kids, using food banks and benefits to survive, the gilded wealth of Buckingham Palace seems less like a glittering distraction and more like an insult to the moral fabric of society. There are many who’d disagree with this assessment, perhaps even the Queen herself. The Throne, a new comedy, by John Goldsmith, steps into this debate, using farce and satire to explore some of the questions around ‘monarchy Vs republic’. The play is set in a ‘sink comprehensive’ school, as it prepares for a visit from the Queen...

2Jul

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Favour – Bush Theatre

A traditional Muslim family are awaiting the return of Aleena (Avita Jay), mother to Leila (Ashna Rabheru) who went to prison two years ago and with her release is returning to Grandma Noor’s home (Renu Brindle). A generational family drama, we see Leila tackle her anxiety to keep her returning mother happy and avoid her downfall in her depression again whilst tackling her grandmother’s expectations and traditions that she has kept to on a tight schedule. With a very comedic performance from Neighbour Fozia (Rina Fatania) who gossips her way through the family, shunning certain members out of weddings until eventually the karma is thrown right back. An emotional, hilarious drama that presents very real family environment damaged by betrayal and selected loyalty. Photo: Suzi Corker Wr...

1Jul

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Beauty and the Beast – London Palladium

Extravagant. Exuberant. Exhilarating. I could expound so many other ‘E’s you’d feel as if you were on a hallucinogenic drug-induced trip. Which is exactly what it feels like watching the stupendously spectacular revival of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ The story needs no introduction, but if you’ve been hidden away for longer than the Covid pandemic, let me remind you: a handsome prince is rude to an old woman who turns him into a beast and the only way of escaping the spell is to find true love. In a nutshell, it’s a classic love story of finding beauty within. Fortunately for the audience, this production has beauty everywhere and I mean everywhere. It is stunning in its scenery (Stanley A. Meyer) and costumes (Ann Hould-Ward) and dripping with the sort of outrageously expensive...

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Richmond Theatre

30Jun

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Richmond Theatre

‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ by Jim Cartwright comes to West London’s Richmond Theatre this week as part of a national tour. An award winning, life-affirming play, originally introduced to the stage in 1992, but made famous by the screen adaptation starting Jane Horrocks and Brenda Blethyn. The story of Little Voice (LV) and Mari Hoff, a timeless classic exploring the highs and the lows of small-town dreams, family rivalry and finding your voice in a noisy world. The current production, directed by Bronagh Lagan has so much potential, and promises an uplifting and timeless tale. With a seasoned cast including the brilliant Shobna Gulati (Mari Hoff), Ian Kelsey (Ray Say), and Fiona Mulvaney (Sadie), plus the mega talented international sensation, Christina Bianco in the lead role ...

29Jun

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Metamorphosis – Lyric Theatre

Dating in your 30s is *hard*, if for no other reason than you’re just busier than you were in your 20s. And so it came to pass that I invited the guy I’ve recently started seeing to join me at Monday’s production of Metamorphosis. This was risky, but schedules dictated that it was the only viable option, and you can tell a lot about someone by the way they respond to dance theatre, right...? I say this because going into the performance I really wasn’t sure what to expect, and Maria Caruso’s solo production will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Indeed, it wouldn’t traditionally be mine, but I found last night’s performance so moving and relatable that I’ve been mulling it over all day, examining the work from different perspectives and having an indulgent bit of navel gazing along the way....

28Jun

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Evelyn – Southwark Playhouse

In a small Northern beach town, an accomplice to the murder of her own child has moved under police protection after serving 3 years in prison. Escaping her abusive relationship, her grief and horrific past she begins to start life anew with a new relationship and friends. Only until the power of social media, the mob isn’t far behind on a hunt to find out where Evelyn Mills escaped to with an obsessive mission to make sure she knows she doesn’t belong. Focusing on the concept of internet mobs taking justice into their own hands and questioning when forgiveness is actually accepted by the community allowing the rehabilitation of criminals into our society. Evelyn played by Nicola Harrison was a dark, quiet presence on stage who controlled how much she was seen as a person desperately tr...

27Jun

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Mad House – Ambassadors Theatre

Theresa Rebeck is a prolific American playwright having written Bernhardt/Hamlet, Dead Accounts and Seminar, who also turns her hand to writing for television and has a string of novels to her name such as Three Girls and Their Brother and I’m Glad About You. Her latest play Mad House examines an American family who are attempting to live with a past, which is also shaping their future. Michael (David Harbour) is living with, and caring for his dying father Daniel (Bill Pullman), who is not the easiest of patients to put it mildly, whom directs insults towards his son on a daily basis. Michael has been living with his father for eleven months and is nearing the end of his tether, when they are allocated a hospice nurse Lillian (Akiya Henry). Daniel has decided th...