London Archives - Page 19 of 149

19Jul

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

Four Play – King’s Head Theatre

If you’re queer and living in London in 2025, chances are you know someone in an open relationship. You might think it’s a fad; you might think it’s the only reasonable response to widespread capitalist ideas about love. Either way, it feels like monogamy is increasingly followed by a question mark in discussions around modern dating. Monogamy, non-monogamy and their common downfalls are the subject of Jake Brunger’s Four Play. A couple of seven (and a half!) years strong start to feel the itch. They believe that a one-off arrangement with their friend Michael will solve the problem: one shag each, questions answered, book closed. Michael’s relationship governs that he cannot sleep with friends, but a discussion with his partner gives him the green light. The arrangement proceeds, and t...

17Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Poor Clare – Orange Tree Theatre

The Clare in this story starts off far from poor. She was born into a noble and wealthy family in Assisi in 1194. Religiously pious, at the age of 18 she heard a young man preach and thereafter determined to forego her worldly possessions and devote herself to a life of poverty and God. The young man was Francis, who became the renowned Saint Francis now associated with a simple life, and love of animals and nature. In this dramatisation playwright Chiara Atik chooses to put the issue of wealth distribution at the centre of the play, and also Clare's decision to renounce her former privileged life. She also made the decision to use contemporary vernacular language and forms of speech. So, while the costumes and stage furniture and props were, with a few exceptions, authen...

16Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

That Bastard, Puccini – Park Theatre

James Inverne has written a fascinating new play based upon the rivalry between the two Italian opera composers, Giacomo Puccini and Ruggero Leoncavallo, at the end of the 19th century. At that time, as Inverne explains in his programme introduction, Milan was a hive of theatrical creativity with numerous composers competing to be the successor to Verdi. This play, which has its premiere at the Park 200 theatre, focuses on the race between two composers to produce a new opera entitled La Boheme, based on the 1851 book by Henri Murger. The play starts in Leoncavallo’s living room, with him railing to his wife against Puccini, who he claims, has stolen his idea for the opera after a conversation in a coffee shop. Puccini’s account is very different, claiming that he had had the origi...

Kaleidoscope Festival 2025 – Alexandra Palace

14Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Kaleidoscope Festival 2025 – Alexandra Palace

Perched high above the city, on a glorious July summer day, with the most breathtaking panoramic views stretching across the city of London, Alexandra Palace once again played host to the Kaleidoscope Festival, a one-day celebration of music, art, food, comedy, and local community that’s as much about the atmosphere and vibe as it is about the on-stage acts. In its sixth edition, the 2025 festival delivered a packed programme and an unmistakable summer spirit. It must be said that very few London venues rival “Ally Pally”, and very few can compete for the perfect festival setting, with the Palace itself presiding over the main stage, while the surrounding green and luscious parkland offered space to relax, stretch out, dance, and soak up the sun. With the city skyline sparkling in the d...

13Jul

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

Lil.Miss.Lady – Brixton House

If early 2000s UK grime is in your bloodstream, if you grew up on pirate radio, Nokia polyphonic ringtones, and Channel U, then Lil.Miss.Lady at Brixton House should be on your watchlist. This production isn’t theatre in the conventional sense, it’s part rave, part memory lane, part cultural reckoning. Like a reload-worthy set in the middle of a sweaty basement rave, it demands your full attention. The cast aren’t just actors, they’re MCs, lyricists, hosts, ravers. Hypez (Alexander Lobo Moreno) spun with serious dexterity, blending narrative with nostalgia, and Lil.Miss.Lady (Lady Lykez) herself was magnetic: part MC, part griot, part survivor. The bars were sharp, the energy relentless. And DJ Rat (Aliaano Elali)? Deserves his flowers, no question. His ability to hype the crowd while s...

The White Chip – Southwark Playhouse Borough

13Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The White Chip – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Sean Daniels’ semi-autobiographical play ‘The White Chip’ has arrived in London for its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Having enjoyed a successful 2019 stint Off-Broadway, directed by Matt Ryan, and produced by Danielle Tarento and Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, ‘The White Chip’ is a cleverly constructed play, widely noted for its darkly comic take on painful realities. It chronicles the painful descent and recovery of Steven, a high-functioning alcoholic US theatre director, presented through fast-paced, vignette-driven, and monologue heavy script that, whilst offering insightful clarity to the character’s journey through addiction, at times sacrifices any real depth and dynamic, and as a result this production doesn’t quite land the emotional punch it clearly aims for....

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare’s Globe

10Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare’s Globe

Published in 1602 and traditionally believed to have been written at the specific request of Elizabeth I, The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of Shakespeare's less frequently produced and not so well-regarded plays. It's a great romp though, and the perfect choice for a summer evening at the iconic "Wooden O" on London's South Bank. Sir John Falstaff, the large, impoverished and corpulent knight from Shakespeare's Henry series, secretly propositions the wives of Ford and Page, with the intention of relieving them of their husbands' money. He sends both women identical letters hoping to woo them. The women discover that Falstaff is communicating with both of them and decide to lead him on, to mock and shame him and teach him a lesson. Through the meddling of the servant, Mistre...

9Jul

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

The Constant Wife – Swan Theatre

W. Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife, written and set nearly half a century after A Doll’s House, transforms Ibsen’s critiques of marriage into a sparkling 1920s comedy of manners. It’s hard not to compare with Ibsen’s masterpiece, but the purpose here is different: less a rallying cry, more a pragmatic question. What should you do if your perfect husband has an affair? The eponymous Constance is married to the right kind of man, with the right kind of job, in the right kind of house. Unfortunately, the man in question is having an affair with Constance’s best friend. By a stroke of (bad?) luck, Constance catches the two of them in the act - but decides to keep it to herself. Over the course of the next year, she hatches a plan to gain economic independence from her husband in secret...

Noughts & Crosses – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

9Jul

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Noughts & Crosses – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

What means more to you: being someone or making a difference? Based on the acclaimed novel by Malorie Blackman and adapted by Dominic Cooke, Noughts & Crosses tells the story of two star-crossed friends-to-lovers who learn to grow and adapt together in this Romeo & Juliet-esque love story. In this world, there is a divide between the Noughts and the Crosses. Callum, is from a Nought family and Sephy, from a Cross family. Their worlds have intertwined since childhood, with Callum’s mother working for Sephy’s family and the two becoming firm friends. However, Noughts and Crosses are not to be seen together. After many meet ups on their secret beach, as teenagers their world is turned upside down when Callum gets accepted at Sephy’s prestigious Cross school. The play focuses ...

Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll – Leicester Square Theatre

6Jul

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll – Leicester Square Theatre

Wilko: Love and Death and Rock ‘n’ Roll is a play with music that tells the story of legendary guitarist and songwriter Wilko Johnson, most famous for his work with the band Dr. Feelgood. As someone unfamiliar with Johnson’s legacy before watching this, the show served as a striking introduction, not just to his music, but to the man behind it. The play begins at a pivotal moment: Wilko being diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a year to live. Rather than retreating, he sets out on a final farewell tour, determined to go out doing what he loves. This sets the stage for a reflective memoir-style journey, as we’re taken back through his life, glimpses of his childhood, the formation of Dr. Feelgood, his creative process, and the personal moments that shaped him, including his marr...