London Archives - Page 2 of 160

22Apr

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Managed Approach – Riverside Studios

Holbeck, Leeds made headlines in 2014 after the local government launched a trial initiative to decriminalise and regulate the sex work industry. The scheme, known as the “managed approach”, ultimately lasted until 2020, and Jules Coyle’s play of the same name explores the programme’s impact on the women and girls living in the area at the time, including those working within the initiative. A semi-verbatim piece, Mangaged Approach threads the stories and experiences of a number of sex workers (played in turn by Áine McNamara and H Sneyd) through a central storyline about 18-year-old Abbie (Coyle) and her mother Kate (Eanna Ferguson), with the managed approach stirring up new tensions between the pair as they debate whether or not the scheme is truly protecting women. It’s immensely ...

17Apr

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Avenue Q – Shaftesbury Theatre

Avenue Q returns to the West End for a new run, and it absolutely delivers. Hilarious, sharp, and surprisingly heartfelt, it’s often described as Sesame Street for adults, and that comparison feels spot on. From the moment the curtain rises, the bright set, puppetry, and use of screens give the impression of a cheerful children’s TV show, making the show’s more risqué humour land even harder. The story follows Princeton, played and puppeteered by Noah Harrison, a recent graduate trying to figure out life after university. Armed with a degree but no job, money, or clear direction, he arrives on Avenue Q in search of purpose, and somewhere affordable to live. It’s an instantly relatable premise, and the show cleverly uses its eccentric characters to explore themes of adulthood, identity, ...

16Apr

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Single White Female – Richmond Theatre

Ostensibly based on the early 90s erotic thriller of the same name, Single White Female really only takes on the idea of a disturbed stalker moving in and disrupting lives. It updates the setting to take on social media, photoshop and school bullying. There isn’t really much to do with the original film, vast swatches of the plot removed, new pieces added and a dramatically different ending. Faced with a sudden drop in finances, Allie (Lisa Faulkner), and her 15-year-old daughter Bella (Amy Snudden) take in a lodger, Hedda (Kym Marsh) in their new apartment. As Hedda settles in, it becomes clear - she thinks of herself as more than a lodger and oversteps boundaries, first tentatively then increasingly inserting herself into every aspect of their world. The suggestion that He...

14Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Iphigenia – Arcola Theatre

Iphigenia in Aulis was first staged, alongside the Bacchae and the Alcmaeon, at the Great Dionysia in 405 B.C. It premiered shortly after Euripides' death. It’s likely that Euripides' son (or nephew) took the reins and staged the play. Nepotism was as rife in showbiz thousands of years ago as it is today. Rather like the Bible, the original text remains an object of debate. It was probably incomplete when the playwright died. Scholars remain in a schism over what was added posthumously, by whom and for what reason. Adapted and directed by Serdar Biliş, Arcola Theatre’s Iphigenia uses Stephen Sharkey’s English take on the play. It dramatizes the myth regarding the sacrifice of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra's daughter Iphigenia. Why would a father slaughter his daughter? Well, the Greeks nee...

RH and Friends – Hoopla 20th Anniversary

13Apr

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

RH and Friends – Hoopla 20th Anniversary

Hoopla improv comedy club is turning 20 this Spring, and celebrating with a packed programme of improv shows. RH & Friends launched the anniversary celebrations last night, performing to an enthusiastic, sold-out audience. The Friends part of the title on this occasion consisted of two improv groups: relative newcomers, Not a Cult, who met doing classes at Hoopla; and the more experienced Valkyrie. In the first half of the show, these groups made up short scenes based around suggestions from the audience. We learned that it's important to have your chakras aligned before you take off in a space shuttle, and demons are responsible for Ryanair baggage fees. The experience of Valkyrie was clear in their adoption of different characters, but the Not a Cult performers had some clever...

13Apr

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Carmen – Richmond Theatre

Carlos Acosta’s Carmen isn’t the opera you know but you’ll recognize the music. Extremely danceable and performed by a highly competent company, Bizet’s famous score is in this case prerecorded and piped in to the Richmond Theatre offering a curious mixture of ecstatic dance and rather quiet song to theatregoers. Adria Díaz as Carmen and Alexander Arias as Don José both rise to the occasion and their dancing chemistry powers this performance forward with compelling turns by Paul Brando as Bull and Brandy Martínez as Zúñiga to compliment the molten core of sensuality at the heart of this piece. Music by George Bizet and arrangement by Rodión Schedrin is interspersed with additional music by Martin Yates, Yhovani Duarte and Denis Paralta fairly seemlessly. Set and costumes by Tim H...

Invisible Me – Southwark Playhouse Borough

13Apr

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Invisible Me – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Three individuals, turning 60 and leading solitary lives, starting to explore new horizons, eventually meeting up, may sound a bit of an artifice for a plot. But with a tightly written text by Bren Gosling and first-class acting and direction, it is a theatrical gem. We meet: Lynn, played by Tessa Peake-Jones. Divorced from her uncaring husband and now living in her late mother’s house, working as a cleaner in a Travelodge. A surprise encounter leads to an unexpected foray into the world of online "personal services". Alec, played by Kevin N Golding. A taxi driver, divorced with two adult children who he rarely sees. His tedious world interrupted by an encounter with a mysterious woman half his age. Jack, played by James Holmes. Still in grief over the death of his ...

13Apr

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Flyby – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Flyby at Southwark Playhouse is a new musical that explores love, regret, and the consequences of impulsive decisions. The story centres on Daniel and Emily, whose relationship is revealed through a mix of present-day narration and flashbacks after Daniel steals a spacecraft and disappears into space. This unusual premise works well as a metaphor, allowing the audience to reflect on what drives someone to run away rather than confront the realities of a relationship. At its core, Flyby presents a deeply relatable love story. The connection between Daniel and Emily feels authentic, capturing the highs and lows that many will recognise. Their dynamic moves naturally between affection, tension, and conflict, showing how small misunderstandings and emotional reactions can escalate into some...

13Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

A Doll’s House – Almeida

My first brush with A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen was in 1988. The play was a text for Theatre Studies ‘A’ Level. Our study of the Norwegian classic coincided with the Second Summer of Love. We were listening to French Kiss by Lil Louis on pirate radio, as E-fuelled Acid House swept the nation. Ibsen’s critique of the claustrophobic strictures of 19th century society, with its heavy sideboards and gloomy dialogue did not jive with the vibes of my fellow drama students. We yawned, eye-rolled and gurned, wearing smiley face t-shirts and muddy Kickers. In 2022, in the crazy throes of lockdown, Soho Theatre produced an online adaption of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. It was created, written and directed by Jen Heyes and starred the avant garde legend David Hoyle. HEDDA (after Ibsen), blew my mind....

7Apr

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Authenticator – National Theatre

The Authenticator at the National Theatre is an aspirational play that seeks to question past historical slavery, in a way that raises the sensitive points of shared ownership and interpretation of the truth. Set in a country house ‘Harford’ it focusses on a time from 1756 when “the fictional Henry Harford departs England for Jamaica” where he settles and acquires his own plantation. Following the uprising to abolish slavery and the plight of colonial enslaved Jamaicans Henry returns to England and buys Harford House. Living there is his “ancestor Fen -Fenella Harford”. This dramatic short production is centred around three female characters’ whose lives are exposed as they all uncover secret references to their own inherited colonial past. It has cursive dialogue which brings about many t...