London Archives - Page 16 of 147

31Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Second Class Queer – Theatro Technis

Opening with a beautiful dance sequence that takes a ghastly turn to reveal the news of a horrifying homophobic attack, Kumar Muniandy’s solo play Second Class Queer is a raw exploration of identity through the lens of race, sexuality, and post-colonialism. Muniandy portrays Krishna, a queer Indian Malaysian man who is living in Berlin, where he attends a gay speed dating event. This event provides the framework for the majority of the 60-minute play as we watch Krishna chat with five different men, each conversation slowly revealing Krishna’s buried trauma and guilt over his role in his mother’s death. It’s a clever structural device that lends itself to some interesting dialogue and light humour — delivered with plenty of charm by Muniandy — but many of the conversations feel m...

31Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Macbeth – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Arriving in London from a sold-out season in Melbourne, The Australian Shakespeare Company brings Macbeth to the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Played outdoors, the sun sets, and darkness encroaches as much as it does within Macbeth providing a haunting atmosphere. Hugh Sexton and Nicole Nabout as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have strong chemistry and a magnetism between them, helping the relationship feel absolutely real. Sexton shines in the big moments, his ‘and tomorrow’ soliloquy is a highlight. Nabout really sells Lady Macbeth's journey into madness. Both excel as the story goes on and they move from their shared ambition into isolation and guilt. While the grief of Macduff is well presented by Jackson McGovern, a little more time would have been appreciated in particular ...

Rabbie Burns’ Bottom Drawers – Barons Court Theatre

30Jul

By Louise PennNo Comments

London

Rabbie Burns’ Bottom Drawers – Barons Court Theatre

Entering the space at Barons Court Theatre for this “hands on exploration” of the bawdy works of Robert Burns, we find Christine Weir and Jeremy Claydon already in character, welcoming us into this celebration. Framed as a chatty piece between Weir (vocals, keyboard) and Claydon (vocals, percussion), we open with “My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose”, that showcases the purity of the Sckts ballad. “Charlie Is My Darling” includes us in the chorus while allowing Weir and Claydon to prove their worth as musicians working seamlessly together. It also allows a bit of discussion about Burns’s reappropriation of material for nationalistic ends. It's a cautious step to the poems and songs of sexual explitiness, but when we get there, Weir’s outwardly staid Scots housekeeper runs with it w...

29Jul

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

People – Etcetera Theatre

Anna Manuelli’s People explores existential questions about the nature, purpose and meaning of life through an intriguing device; the use of doppelgängers. Manuelli plays four characters from different timelines, far removed from one another, who nonetheless share the same face. She uses this premise to demonstrate that the answers a person seeks, and indeed the questions they ask, can vary hugely depending on their context. Is it retribution and revenge that gives life meaning? Is it power? Is it happiness? The design of People is minimal, with limited use of lighting, sound and blocking. Thus, the show relies on Manuelli’s performance to keep the audience engaged. Luckily, her turn as the four characters is inspired, embodying each individual with unique physicality’s and expressi...

Maiden Voyage – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

29Jul

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Maiden Voyage – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Maiden Voyage, a new musical with book and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Carmel Dean, tells the story of the 1989-1990 Round the World Whitbread Race Maiden crew, an all-female sailing team that broke barriers in competitive sailing and made history in the worldwide race. The scope of this story is pretty narrow despite the globality of its setting, and the writers choose to focus almost exclusively on Tracy (Chelsea Halfpenny), the crew’s young skipper and navigator. Tracy builds the team up from her personal and professional circle into a solid chorus for her sea ballads. Halfpenny is an able performer and is well supported by the surrounding cast, but she is not particularly well served by the story itself, which doesn’t go very far in exploring its characters’ emotional dep...

Extraordinary Women – Jermyn Street Theatre

26Jul

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Extraordinary Women – Jermyn Street Theatre

In post-First World War Italy, a multi-national group of women are enjoying a bohemian lifestyle on the fictional island of Sirene off the coast of Naples, with new-found freedoms and relationships. The island's calm is maintained by a group of four sirens who watch over the island and its inhabitants. It's an idyllic set-up, until the arrival of the penniless Rosalba upends the island's serenity. Flirting with everyone, manipulating relationships, and enjoying creating chaos and mayhem, she causes distress and jealousy to her lover Aurora, who has sunk her money into buying a villa as their intended home. Friendships and relationships are formed and shattered as Rosalba romps through the group like a human Vesuvius, egotistically declaring how extraordinary she is. Every...

The Daughter of Time – Charing Cross Theatre

26Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Daughter of Time – Charing Cross Theatre

It must be the ultimate cold case: the investigation of the reputation of Richard the Third and his involvement in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower. This is the task which Inspector Alan Grant sets himself when he is laid up in bed convalescing from an injury in M Kilburg Reedy's new play, based on the renowned book by Josephine Tey. The setting is Grant’s rather spacious hospital room, where nurses are encouraging their reluctant patient to undertake the necessary exercises to ensure his full recovery. His interest in King Richard is stimulated by a portrait provided to him by a friend. Using his police skills and assistance from a number of friends and acquaintances, he obtains as many contemporary accounts as he can to try and uncover the truth behind the life of Ric...

25Jul

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

101 Dalmatians – Eventim Apollo

A well-known Disney classic retold in musical form, showing at the Hammersmith Apollo. This big production has spared no expense in its flashy lights, big stage and a few well-known faces. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hit you quite the same way as it may have in your childhood. This retelling is scatty, nonsensical and just basic. Photo: Johan Persson We begin with meeting Pongo, one of our central characters and told through puppetry. The stage is mostly filled with beautifully designed puppets, moving very effectively and breathes so much life into this story. Eventually met with Purdy before birthing 15 adorable puppies. After this, the story goes a little bit diagonally- Cruella played by Sydnie Christmas, a fashion idol is looking for her big hit for London’s fashion week and has h...

25Jul

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

For the Lack of Laura – Shaw Theatre

I have medals in Irish dancing. My Dún Laoghaire-born father busks in Borough Market with a fiddle, and my youngest sister plays jigs on a penny whistle, so one might say the Emerald Isle is in my blood. This cultural heritage led me like a lilting leprechaun to a musical by Kurt Rosenberg called For the Lack of Laura. It’s billed as, ‘a new Irish fantasy romance musical with Celtic and classic musical theatre-inspired songs. That’s a lot to live up to and a risky mixed grill to say the least. Thankfully, this project is in highly skilled hands. Over 26 songs, using a 12-person cast and a couple of hours, the show conjures up a charming and often dazzling dose of entertainment. Kurt Rosenberg is a multi-award-winning composer, lyricist, filmmaker, and theatre creative who hails fro...

24Jul

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Echo – King’s Head Theatre

I’d never been to the King’s Head Theatre before, which is criminal considering its proximity to where I’ve lived for the majority of my life. It prides itself, and rightly so, on being the longest running theatre pub in London, having been established in 1970 and recently moving to a new home, just around the corner. It’s a fantastic space with friendly, welcoming staff, and the perfect setting for an intimate and atmospheric production. And so does Suan Eve Haar’s Echo (previously titled Saugerties and performed as a one act titled Paper Dolls) begin, with Jen and Roge celebrating their tenth anniversary in a quirky B&B. Their exchange is heated and at times somewhat confusing – emotions are constantly at 11 out of 10 and the two swing between love and hate at an alarming rate. Th...