London Archives - Page 2 of 171

Jeeves Takes Charge – Charing Cross Theatre

19Aug

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Jeeves Takes Charge – Charing Cross Theatre

A comedy of manners from a by-gone era, Jeeves Takes Charge is a highly enjoyable two hours in the company of P.G. Wodehouse's famous duo. Jeeves and Wooster are brought to life by Sam Harrison, who has the daunting task of playing both, as well as a host of other characters, from a schoolgirl to a doddering uncle, in this fast-paced one-man show. Written and performed first in 1980, the play is a collection of Wodehouse's short stories, one of them from Jeeves' perspective, showing some of the ridiculous situations that Bertie finds himself in. In Wodehouse's world, women are either fickle or domineering and men are boorish or inept, and no one is more incompetent than Bertie Wooster. Fortunately, he has a remarkable valet, Jeeves, to get him out of trouble. Co-creator of the show, ...

Jeeves and Wooster: Stiff Upper Lip – Actors’ Church

19Aug

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Jeeves and Wooster: Stiff Upper Lip – Actors’ Church

Is it possible to take a P G Wodehouse novel featuring his iconic characters and bring it to the stage with the silliness and farce turned up to eleven? Apparently, it is, if Oliver Stockley's adaptation of "Jeeves and Wooster in Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" is anything to go by. Stockley also directs the troupe of four performers in a show so fast-paced and full of laughs that it's a sheer delight to watch. The four players, Shaun Mendum (Wooster), Scott Slocombe (Jeeves/Sir Watkyn Bassett), Chioma Uma (Emerald/Rev Pinker), and Lowenna Morgelyn (Gussie Fink-Nottle/Madeline Bassett/Aunt Dahlia) romp through the story, shifting effortlessly between personas, playing instruments, and singing, all with perfect comic timing. The plot is a riot of misplaced relationships, a possibly curs...

17Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Cocaine – The Courtyard Theatre

Written by Pendleton King in 1917 and relocated to the 1980s for this Camden Fringe production, ‘Cocaine’ is an intimate and affecting examination of addiction, dependency and a relationship pushed towards breaking point. Directed by Sushant Nair, this compelling two-hander succeeds through simplicity, placing its confidence almost entirely in King’s writing and two extremely strong performances. Joe, once a promising boxer, has seen his potential consumed by cocaine addiction. Alongside him is Nora, who wrestles with her love for him, her own dependency and the exhausting reality of trying to keep them both afloat. The play is not principally concerned with the sensation or spectacle of drug use, instead, it focuses on the emotional consequences, examining the ways addiction distor...

17Aug

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Improv the Dead – Bridewell Theatre

Zombie-themed group, Improv the Dead, performed their one hour long-form improv show last night at the Bridewell Theatre as part of this year's Camden Fringe festival. With shambling, moaning and sparkly intestines, they turn audience suggestions into a zombie film with more laughs than horror. Last night's show told the story of 'Delay of the Dead', where terrified TfL workers had to escape a zombie-infested Bakerloo line. Time travel, rat catching and experiments in cloning led to an underground teeming with the undead, who were eventually defeated by being trapped in the carriages of the London Eye, doomed to an eternity of circular sightseeing. To start with, the story rambled a little, with scenes going on for too long with no real purpose. I was worried that we'd be in for ...

16Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Fagbreak – Cockpit Theatre

As its first and only staged performance, ‘Fagbreak’ arrives with the understandable rough edges of new writing, but unfortunately, in its current form, Purnima Rai’s play feels lengthy, unfocused and in drastic need of editing. Following 4 young people working together in a hot-dog takeaway, there are potentially interesting ideas around friendship, work and personal struggle, but these never coalesce into a sufficiently coherent narrative, and at around seventy-five minutes, Director, Estrella Mabika’s production feels considerably longer than the limited material can sustain, scenes frequently outstay their purpose and conversations meander without advancing either character or story. There may be a sharper, more impactful thirty-minute play buried somewhere within the material, ...

Around the World in 80 Days – St Paul’s Church Covent Garden

14Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Around the World in 80 Days – St Paul’s Church Covent Garden

Around the World in 80 Days is a new production inspired by Jules Verne’s classic tale. This summer, it is being performed at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, with the grounds outside the church transformed into a secret open-air theatre tucked away between the surrounding buildings. With benches for seating, bunting decorating the space and fairy lights glistening along the path, it is a beautiful setting for an evening performance. The rustic wooden stage and outdoor atmosphere help transport you to another time period and make the setting feel particularly charming. The production itself, however, felt somewhat too ambitious for the space and format. With a small cast playing multiple characters, constantly switching between roles, breaking the fourth wall and occasionally stepping...

Are you there, Mother? – Etcetera Theatre

14Aug

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Are you there, Mother? – Etcetera Theatre

A dying mother, a grieving daughter and a jobbing actor/stand-up/drag artist come together in this dark, witty comedy written and performed by Thomas Carruthers. Lured by the possibility of actually making some money, Vincent agrees to pass Martha's daughter a message after her death. Martha, a strong-willed and persuasive woman, plays on his emotions using the fact of her imminent death, until Vincent reluctantly agrees to do this as an act of kindness to bring the daughter peace at her mother's passing. After Martha dies, Vincent feigns psychic abilities to "channel" Martha and pass on the message. Rather than being a one-off event, Vincent is increasingly drawn into the daughter's manipulations in her desire to keep the supposed connection with her mother. The deception continu...

Beats + Strings Soul Renaissance – Hen & Chickens Theatre

11Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Beats + Strings Soul Renaissance – Hen & Chickens Theatre

The Hen and Chickens in Highbury is a charming boozer. As the sun sets, golden light floods the room, and it feels warmly bohemian. The Theatre upstairs is bijou, but a perfect theatrical attic for intense, intimate performance. BEATS + STRINGS- Soul Renaissance are a fledgeling 3-piece band from Kansas. Each member boasts a credible solo career that thrived before they got their groove on as a trio. While they did a stellar job of bringing funky brunch party vibes to their performance, the space and set up felt overly formal for the occasion. Their repertoire felt honed for a subterranean, rose-hued jazz club. They needed a space where tables are dancefloors and smashed martini glasses add notes to the soundtrack. This room was not right, but as Whitney agreed- it’s okay. The strin...

Murder on the Allotment: The Musical – The Cockpit

11Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Murder on the Allotment: The Musical – The Cockpit

‘Murder on the Allotment: The Musical’ arrives at Camden Fringe with an intriguing premise and worthwhile intentions, but unfortunately the resulting production falls considerably short of its ambitions. Elizabeth Wood’s story centres on Karwan, a 17-year-old asylum seeker who finds himself navigating the prejudices and petty territorial disputes of a provincial allotment. There is undoubtedly fertile planting ground here for satire, particularly around immigration, xenophobia and attitudes towards belonging. Yet despite positioning itself as funny and provocative, the production rarely achieves either. The principal problem is the score by Elizabeth Wood, Tess Adèle Glinert and Scarlet Billham. A mammoth eleven original songs are packed into an hour, yet few feel sufficiently devel...

10Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Can You See Me? – Museum of Comedy

I got a U (ungraded) for ‘O’ Level Physics and failed my Maths four times. My attempts to defeat these numerical frailties via exams, evening classes and persistent application continued into my early twenties. For decades, I believed that STEM subjects were my Achilles heel and leaned into the Humanities with avant garde enthusiasm. In retrospect, this mix of avoidance and failure was fuelled by uninspiring teachers and shame-based anxiety. My life could have taken a different turn entirely if my early education had been blessed with a teacher like Vivien Puppa Kocsis. Can You See Me? is a pop-science seminar which serves as a cool mix of entertainment and education. Is it a stretch to define such an event as ‘theatre’? Probably. However, this show was staged as part of the Camden ...