London Archives - Page 13 of 149

Mark Guest: Believe – Calder’s Bookshop and Theatre

31Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Mark Guest: Believe – Calder’s Bookshop and Theatre

Mark Guest’s evening of magic and mentalism promises wonder, laughter and a touch of the inexplicable, all in support of an important cause: raising funds for cancer charities. On that front, it succeeds, the show is engaging, slickly delivered, and full of impressive routines that had much of the audience gasping in delight. Guest himself is a charismatic performer with natural showmanship, blending classic sleight-of-hand with modern psychological trickery in a way that feels fresh and accessible to all. The evening included a variety of complex pieces: card tricks performed with apparent ease, mind-reading demonstrations that seemed uncannily accurate, and larger sequences involving multiple audience members, adding both energy and scale. These moments showcased Guest’s undeniabl...

Eireann: A Taste of Ireland – Peacock Theatre

31Aug

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Eireann: A Taste of Ireland – Peacock Theatre

Brent Pace's Eireann: A Taste of Ireland takes the audience on an exhilarating journey through the length and breadth of Irish history, from the arrival of the Vikings to the present day, while not avoiding the dark periods of Irish history, such as the Great Famine and the Easter Uprising. It's not all serious though, with a good deal of light-hearted and comedic moments and overall a feeling of warmth and joy. The dancing can only be described as spectacular. Led by principal dancers Gavin Shevlin and Brittany Pymm, the company's impressive energy and talent make every step look easy and light as air. The footwork is so fast, the athleticism and precision so perfect, it's hard to believe that the performers are actually human. There is the traditional, Riverdan...

Twelfth Night or What You Will – Shakespeare’s Globe

26Aug

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Twelfth Night or What You Will – Shakespeare’s Globe

In the fictional Illyria, most of the inhabitants are enjoying a crazy summer festival, getting drunk, dancing and singing while adored in masks and oversized head-dresses. But not all the Illyrians are so joyful. Olivia, in mourning after the death of her brother; Duke Orsino, desperately in love with Olivia; and the steward Malvolio, who is also in love with Olivia, are too melancholy to take part in the revelries. Into this mix comes shipwrecked Viola, thrown into a world she must quickly come to understand, while still grief-stricken over the loss of her twin brother, Sebastian, who she believes has perished at sea. She disguises herself as Cesario and becomes steward to Duke Orsino only to then fall head over heels in love with the duke. When Orsino sends Cesario to woo Olivia o...

The Ladies of Juliana – Etcetera Theatre

26Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

The Ladies of Juliana – Etcetera Theatre

Taken from historical accounts of ladies who were transported to Australia between 1788-1852, as convicts who had been convicted of petty crimes, and were being used to help to populate the colonies. During this period 24,000 women were transported, and ‘The Ladies of Juliana’ tells the tale of six such ladies, and their experience aboard the ship – The Lady Juliana. The horrendous journey that these ladies suffered is graphically played out in this history play that attempts to draw back the veil of their gruelling treatment at the hands of men. The shocking treatment of these ladies on the ship was so extreme, that they nicknamed the ship ‘the floating brothel’. The six ladies in this play dramatically show their suffering, with Sarah (Lydia Moll) turning to drin...

26Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Pop Goes The Dollar – The Hope Theatre

As an ex-Investment Manager, this show was a must see for me, as I recall the stressful situations bought on by a stock market crash, and the difficult conversations that I had with clients, when trying to explain why their portfolio valuations had fallen. Set in the run up to the 2008 financial crash, the chair of the Federal Reserve Timohy Geithner (Ayan Philip) is growing increasingly worried that in a bid to grasp short-term profits, investment companies are forgetting to manage risk, and the sub-prime market may collapse. Soon the Federal Reserve hear that the bubble is indeed bursting, and BNP Paribas are closing three of their sub-prime mortgage funds due to an illiquid market, Bear Stearns a major investment bank collapses and is bought by JP Morgan with the Fede...

24Aug

By Ralph JeffreysNo Comments

London

81 (Life) – Almeida Theatre

81 (Life) is an interesting experiment with a lot of heart, lacking in the structure and drive to make it fly. 81 (Life) is part of a set of community plays designed to examine what it means to be a part of Islington’s community. This installation follows a group of Islington residents (played a cast of 60 local participants) as a semi-secret group called ‘The Forum’ develops within their community. With them, we set out to explore the plays central questions of life: How to begin, how to join, how to choose and how to let go. The first two of these come through the story of Anya. After her friend Happy decides that she has become bored of their regular TV Tuesday nights and needs a break, she finds herself suddenly alone. In steps The Forum, magically appearing in her living room and e...

24Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Lobster Pot – The Space

The Space is a theatre on the Isle of Dogs, managed by St. Paul’s Arts Trust (registered charity no 801587). As an organisation, they aim to increase access to the arts and support new artists. The venue was formerly St Paul’s church, built by a Presbyterian mission that started praying in the area around 1856. It’s been operating as an arts space since the late ‘90s and boasts Ian Mckellan as a patron. It’s got a charming bohemian bar and lovely staff, but visitors to this theatre might be advised to plan their journey to this ‘hood with better precision than yours truly. A security guard at Canary Wharf had never heard of the D7 bus and sent me in the wrong direction, to a remote and incorrect bus stop. He was friendlier than Google Maps, but just as useless in the maze of me...

Caged Sisters Musical – Phoenix Arts Club

24Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Caged Sisters Musical – Phoenix Arts Club

Inspired by the Chinese epic Dream of the Red Chamber, this new musical—with book and direction by Sheldon Long—is a diminutive adaptation with much to recommend it but little to actually say. This iteration of the script, which is still under development, runs under an hour and feels more like a presentation of vignettes for audiences already familiar with the source material than a fully realized adaptation in its own right. Mounted by East Meets West Theatre in the iconic Phoenix Arts Club; this production was unfortunately riddled with technical difficulties that interrupted its flow and obfuscated its already difficult-to-follow plot. It tells the story of sisters You Er (Yiting Jian) and You San (Yiqian Shao), although this fact is not revealed until almost halfway through its...

24Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Spin Cycle – Etcetera Theatre

Set in a launderette, ‘Spin Cycle’ is a fly-on-the-wall peep into two strangers lives who meet whilst waiting for their laundry to complete its wash cycle – but are they strangers, or have they met before? Kitt (Zofia Zerphy) loads up her washing machine, just as Noel (Rhiannon Bell) attempts to do her own washing, but she has forgotten her washing tablets. Offering to help out, Kitt gives her some of her washing liquid, which leads to reminiscences from Noel about how her ex-girlfriend did the washing, and she is useless at it. As the conversation progresses, it becomes more heated and personal, and this familiarity can only mean one thing – that they have met before. But how do they know each other? This one act play explores the feelings of a relationship end...

24Aug

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Richard II – The Libra Theatre Café

Shakespeare’s Richard II is the inspiration for The Whole Pack Theatre Company’s pared back version of the bard’s history play. In a brief summary of the play – the play covers the last two years of King Richard II’s life 1398-1400. The play begins with King Richard (Jessamy James) presiding over a dispute between nobles, in which Richard decides that the matter should be settled by ‘trial by combat.’ In a last-minute decision by King Richard, he instead, decides to banish both men from England. Bolingbroke (Lydia Shaw), is allowed to return to England early, but the suspicion that King Richard may have had a role in the death of the Duke of Gloucester, will not go away. Richard leaves England to join the war in Ireland but leaves himself exposed to treachery ...