London Archives - Page 13 of 150

6Sep

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Home at Seven – Theatre at the Tabard

David Preston, an unassuming man, returns home after an uneventful day at the office, travelling on his normal train from Cannon Street. He is greeted by his distressed wife wanting to know where he has been for the past 24 hours. To his horror, he finds that it is one day later than he thought, and he has no recollection of how he has spent the intervening day. That is the first mystery of this intriguing sounding play by R C Sherriff. The second mystery is that in the time when he had disappeared, a theft and murder have occurred. Was he responsible? The play was written and is set in 1950. Although best known for his well-known and much performed Journey's End, Sherriff wrote a number of other plays and was a successful screenwriter. Home at Seven has rarely been ...

4Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Emerald Storm – Emerald Theatre

Emerald Storm is a dazzling fusion of dance, song, and cabaret that delivers an electrifying evening of entertainment. Combining the raw energy of Riverdance with the rhythmic flair of tap, the production sweeps the audience into a whirlwind of movement and music that is both exhilarating and immersive. From the moment you enter the Emerald Theatre, the atmosphere is carefully curated to set the tone. Guests are welcomed by an inviting bar area where live Irish music fills the space. The band Fiddlin’ About immediately charms the crowd, performing a lively repertoire that ranges from country classics to contemporary pop. The intimate setting, enhanced by plush seating and an upscale cabaret vibe, ensures that the evening feels special even before the show starts. When the show be...

4Sep

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

The Genesis – Peacock Theatre

Human beings are fragile creatures. The connections between us are fraught and tenuous, both physically and spiritually. Copenhagen Collective’s The Genesis offers audiences a powerful reminder of this gravitational reality. Photo: Luke Chadwick Beautifully choreographed and directed by Patrick King and Johan King Silverhult, and set to a mesmerizing score by composer Leif Jordansson, this one-hour circus piece is both awe-inspiring and astounding. As sixteen incredible acrobats weave, dart, pulsate, soar, and even sometimes falter, it is impossible to look away—even as tension builds to almost unbearable heights. The light conception by Stefan Goldbaum Tarabini is so entrancing it occasionally draws focus from the performers themselves—a welcome respite in an hour so deliriously ...

The Pitchfork Disney – King’s Head Theatre

3Sep

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

The Pitchfork Disney – King’s Head Theatre

“Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear / and fear is the most divine emotion.” Zora Neale Hurston’s sermon-like words, which open The Pitchfork Disney’s epigraph, paint fear as a sacramental rite in the pursuit of wisdom. Fear allows us to know truth; it is holy because it is the realest thing there is. Pitchfork’s characters live in the realm of dreams, but their words are devastating precisely because they touch the darkest knowledge each of us carries in our gut: we are afraid, and we are right to be. Philip Ridley’s debut play is often credited for sparking the ‘90s ‘in-yer-face’ British theatre movement. Its influence extends to the likes of Sarah Kane and Jez Butterworth: the blood, guts, sex and violence that is so unflinchingly depicted in Ridley’s script carries over i...

3Sep

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Cascando – Jermyn Street Theatre

Cascando was written by Samuel Beckett as a radio play, originally in French. It was first broadcast in English in 1963. Now, it has been boldly reimagined by Pan Pan theatre company as a promenade piece. Listeners arrive at Jermyn Street Theatre where they dump their bags, before being issued with hooded black cloaks, iPods, and headphones. They are lined up single file, the audio track is begun, and they are led in procession around St James’s. With their hoods up tp conceal their headphones, they appear to onlookers like some kind of strange, anachronistic cult or monastic order. Should the weather turn foul, umbrellas are provided, but audience members should bring their own layers for if the weather is chilly, and of course wear comfortable footwear. If you’re a lover of Beckett...

The Glamification of Loki – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

31Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

The Glamification of Loki – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

The gods must be crazy. Thor, Odin, Freya, and the rest are mad as hell. The cause? Loki. This new musical depicts the god of mischief according to tradition — which is to say, as unpredictably as possible. With a surprising and scintillatingly clever script by writer, composer, and lyricist Eden Tredwell, British Youth Music Theatre has a runaway hit on their hands, as much as the Norse pantheon has a runaway deity on theirs. Director Grace Taylor ably weaves a great variety of performances into a compelling and refreshingly easy-to-digest plot, despite an overwhelmingly large cast of young performers. Every actor has their chance to shine, and this production does, in fact, sparkle. Photography: Leanne Dixon The winning combination of Steven Moore’s choreography and Cory Ship...

The Trials – Southwark Playhouse Borough

31Aug

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Trials – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Southwark Playhouse Young Ensemble is a brand new theatre company comprising of young people 19-25yrs from South London; with the aim of giving young people an opportunity to take the next steps into a performing career. The Trials is a revival of Dawn King play previously staged in 2022 which takes you into the future and a lookback at the catastrophic effects of climate change. This play is not only thought provoking its hard hitting, but you also cannot hide away from the consequences. The serious impact of climate change on future generations, “the ones most affected by it” and planet earth is laid out clearly in Trials. The play focusses specifically on three people the ‘Dinosaurs’ the older defendant’s explaining within 5 minutes their actions as to why they ‘personally’ co...

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...