London Archives - Page 12 of 111

Pull My Goldfinger – Hen and Chickens Theatre

18Jun

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Pull My Goldfinger – Hen and Chickens Theatre

Shaken, not stirred, both intoxicating and disgusting, the worst of James Bond is what we love most. Fearless and feckless, this secret agent is on a mission to make a mess. From the deranged mind and nimble body of writer/actor, Carlos Sandin, Pull My Goldfinger is a seductive wingding of a play and a delight to behold and be held by. This absurd and interactive one-man clown show is chock full of buffoonery. Performed with aplomb, surprising sound effects, bare bravado, and unmitigated waggery, this hour’s entertainment is sure to amuse and arouse. Woodwind enthusiasts will be either delighted or horrified to see the tremendous use Sandin manages to put his clarinet to. In fact, there is very little in the playing space that Sandin doesn’t manage to pervert in some delightful a...

The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women – Brixton House Theatre

18Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women – Brixton House Theatre

Throughout mythology and history, women who go against societal norms face the judgement of others and come up against a justice system that appears to be designed against them. Theatre makers Janaina Leite and Lara Duarte here produce a journey exploring the nature of judgement - by others, by the legal system, by other women and too often by themselves. The show presents a gamut of historical figures such as Jean d'Arc and Mary Queen of Scots, alongside mythological goddesses, plus the contemporary, personal stories of women who are seen as transgressive. Told in three parts, the first, in promenade form, focuses on the goddesses, forthright and full of passions, and chastised and pilloried as a result. Act 2 moves to the courts in what is part drama, part TED-talk on the evolution of...

Three Men in a Boat – The Mill at Sonning

17Jun

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Three Men in a Boat – The Mill at Sonning

Three Men in a Boat was performed in a delightfully charming theatre nestled by the waters of the Thames, just outside London in Sonning. The theatre itself featured a beautiful mill inside the building, adding to the unique and picturesque atmosphere of the venue. Each theatre ticket included an exemplary two-course meal, with attentive staff who ensured everyone was well looked after. The meal for me was the highlight, offering delicious options that catered to various tastes. The dining experience set a warm and inviting tone for the afternoon, making the audience feel well cared for even before the performance began. The production was set just before the First World War, highlighted by a poignant final image. It followed a trio of friends: Jerome, played by George Watkins; his b...

17Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Longitude – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

There seems to be no story which cannot be made into a musical nowadays. The fascinating history of the struggle to devise a marine navigational aid to accurately measure longitude is the latest, in a new musical written and produced by Kaz Maloney. The story focuses on John Harrison, the northern carpenter and clockmaker, who responded to the Board of Longitude's appeal in the early 1700s for solutions to this navigational dilemma, which was causing the loss of thousands of lives at sea. For the most part, the narrative of the story accurately follows John Harrison's story and his interactions with the Board, who were made up of well renowned establishment figures of the day. The style of the production was an interesting contrast between the more or less realistic ...

15Jun

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Julie: The Musical – The Other Palace

A French-Opera-singing, sword-fighting, bisexual convent arsonist sounds like a character you’d meet in an especially bizarre dream after one too many espresso martinis. But life is often stranger than fiction, and this multi-hyphenate wonder was a very real person: Julie d'Aubigny, to be precise. Born in 1673, Julie had a particularly storied existence, and while some of her tales have been lost to history, many of her adventures are well-recorded, from romantic trysts with nuns to illegal duels (often with multiple men at once), to a prestigious career as an opera singer. So it’s no surprise that this legendary figure is the inspiration for a suitably quirky show: Abey Bradbury’s Julie: The Musical, playing at The Other Palace after a successful UK tour and sell-out run at the Edin...

14Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

London

Andréa Chenier – Royal Opera House

David McVicar’s spectacular staging of Umberto Giordano’s epic verismo opera of revolution and forbidden love from 2015 is brought back to life by Revival Director Thomas Guthrie with the orchestra under the baton of Antonio Pappano in his last production as Music Director of The Royal Opera. At a glittering party in 18th-century Paris there are distinctly two tiers of society on display from the lowly footman Gérard (Amartuvshin Enkhbat) who follows in the footsteps of his father who has been in service for sixty years, to the sumptuous host, Contessa di Coigny (Rosalind Plowright), whose daughter Maddalena (Sondra Radvanovsky) straddles both as she eschews the fancy dress and faux manners in favour of intellectual discussion, so when the poet Andréa Chenier (Jonas Kaufmann) delivers a...

13Jun

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Babies: The Musical – The Other Palace

After a rise in teenage pregnancies a school sex education department felt compelled to act and educate their year 11 students by rolling out a 5-day project in which the students were given their own baby to ‘parent’. Let the mayhem begin. Babies is a new (born) rock fuelled musical featuring nine, year 11 classmates who whilst living through their own personal life challenges, of being teenagers and self-discovery dealing with interrelations not only with their families lives but with each other had the task of being responsible for someone else, a baby! The story follows each character and their personal journey and tribulations of comparisons, judgements and relationships. It is funny, energetic and uplifting peppered with real serious moments of challenges they face day to day. Rig...

Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! – Ambassadors Theatre

13Jun

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! – Ambassadors Theatre

The true crime genre of entertainment has had a strange rise to prominence in recent years and has a grip on people interested in mystery and criminal events. There are many ways to consume true crime content and many people love true crime podcasts, this show is a culmination of these things: a fictional true crime podcast hosted by Kathy and Stella. Following two seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe and a UK tour, the show is premiering in the West End. Kathy and Stella are two late twenty somethings who have been friends for most of their lives. They have both been othered for their obsession with death and fascination with true crime cases. They host a true crime podcast and inadvertently become involved in the murder case of one of their favourite true crime authors. We have a murder my...

12Jun

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Miss Julie – Park Theatre

August Strindberg’s Miss Julie formed part of my GCSE drama syllabus, so I approached yesterday’s performance with a warm, hazy nostalgic feeling. A classic love/lust between the classes scandal, set in the midst of wild and carefree Midsummer celebrations – maybe this production would compensate for the current lack of summer and merriment London currently seems to be experiencing and I’d be able to lose myself in high drama and raw passion for a short while. Kit Hinchcliffe’s traditional set is detailed for the relatively small space, with the action so close that you can see and sometimes even smell everything that’s happening in front of you. Servants (and partners) Jean (Freddie Wild) and Christine (Adeline Waby) are setting about their evening when the Count’s daughter, Miss Julie...

Black is the Color of My Voice – Stratford East

12Jun

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Black is the Color of My Voice – Stratford East

"Black is the Color of My Voice" is a captivating one-woman theatre production, both written and performed by the incredible Apphia Campbell. The show is inspired by the real life of Nina Simone and the show takes the audience on an emotional journey of reflection and revelation. Entering the performance, I knew little about Nina Simone's life and was only familiar with her famous hit "I Put a Spell on You." The production centers on Simone conversing with her late father, sharing poignant stories from her life and expressing her profound grief. Through these conversations, the audience gains insight into Simone's transformation from a young piano prodigy to a powerful voice in the Civil Rights Movement. The show effectively highlights Simone's impact as an activist, emphasising ...