London Archives - Page 20 of 149

4Jul

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Get Happy – Omnibus Theatre

Performer and writer of the wonderful ‘Get Happy’ Joseph Aldous greets his audience like a cheerleader. Big energy, smiling and excitable- it’s impossible not to be pleased as we take our seats and buckle in for a wild night. Get Happy focuses on a 30-year man, single and looking for a long term partner but being subjected to one night stands and transactional relationships. He is plunged into chaos as his flatmate ‘Ryan’ announces his perfect engagement and perfect to be life as he ends his tenancy. Adam has only one choice to prove that he’s as worthy as his flatmate. He needs to ‘get happy’. To do this he trusts his Alexa to journey with him through this week in London, hoping by the Sunday he 1. Has a new boyfriend, 2. Has a new promotion and 3. Finds a new flatmate. This 75-...

The Play That Goes Wrong – The Duchess Theatre

3Jul

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

The Play That Goes Wrong – The Duchess Theatre

This year marks the arrival of the 11th cast of The Play That Goes Wrong, and with it comes a fresh injection of talent and energy that truly breathes new life into this already beloved production. The new ensemble not only lives up to the show’s high standards but, in many ways, elevates it with their own unique flair. One of the most delightful aspects of this play is that it begins before the curtains even rise. From the moment you step into the theatre — even while waiting in the queue — the chaos has already started. For a first-time attendee like myself, I was completely taken in. I genuinely thought things were falling apart behind the scenes, only to realise later that it was all a brilliantly orchestrated gag. That level of immersion was not only unexpected but genius. Once ...

The Rocky Horror Show – New Wimbledon Theatre

2Jul

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Rocky Horror Show – New Wimbledon Theatre

Richard O Brien’s Rocky Horror Show is rolling on through time, like you are in a Time Warp. It premiered in London in 1973 and after 52 years, the newest stage production has hit Wimbledon theatre. Presenting Jason Donovan as the iconic Frank-N-Furter and a modest cast. A cast change for this performance of Janet saw Stacey Monahan take to the stage. It is important to know that the Rocky Horror Show has a vibrant following, this performance was no exception. O’ Brien’s writing was inspired by late night B movies and his own experiences as a ‘troubled teenager’ and his writing was a way of entertaining himself. This show is unique, unmatched and is a campy tribute to science fiction with a touch of B movie horror. Narrated by Nathan Caton with the style and quips to get any audience going...

A Moon for the Misbegotten – Almedia Theatre

29Jun

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

A Moon for the Misbegotten – Almedia Theatre

Tonight, at the Almeida, A Moon for the Misbegotten lands like a blow wrapped in poetry—a raw, heartfelt collision of booze‑scarred souls, human flinches, and a moonlight that enthrals as much as it devastates. Leading the charge is Ruth Wilson as Josie Hogan, delivering a performance that’s fiercely grounded, physically charged, and impossible to ignore. Set on a rundown Connecticut farm in 1923, A Moon for the Misbegotten follows tenant farmer Phil Hogan and his strong-willed daughter Josie as they face the looming threat of eviction. In a calculated gambit, Phil hatches a plan to use Josie to manipulate their landlord, James Tyrone Jr. But as night falls and moonlight casts its harsh glow, the façade of strategy gives way to something deeper—unspoken grief, buried longing, and a frag...

26Jun

By Ralph JeffreysNo Comments

London

Orpheus Descending – The Cockpit

Orpheus Descending is a difficult and unwieldy play in which the creative team and especially the cast of this production do an excellent job of infusing with serious energy and inventiveness. Orpheus Descending is another of Tennessee Williams plays set in small town USA examining the knotty and repressed relationships of its residents. Mostly we follow the story of Val Xavier (Johnathan Aarons), an outsider with a sordid past who is trying to make a new life for himself. He is quickly drawn into the maelstrom of the town. He is pursued by Carol Cutrere (Daisy Hargreaves), the town’s own scandal, who both wants him romantically and is trying to warn him of the potential danger he is in. Soon, however, Val is falling in love with Lady Torrance (Madison Coppola), the daughter of an I...

26Jun

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

This Bitter Earth – Soho Theatre

Following his recent turn as Emcee in Cabaret, American actor Billy Porter has clearly developed a taste for the West End. This time, however, he’s on directing duty, as he stages a new production of Harrison David Rivers’ play This Bitter Earth at Soho Theatre. It follows the relationship between Black playwright Jesse (Omari Douglas) and his white BLM activist boyfriend Neil (Alexander Lincoln), with fragmented snapshots of their love story playing out against the tragic backdrop of the killings of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and more Black people facing police brutality. Porter’s jaunty personal style translates to a slick and energetic staging, weaving the non-linear narrative together carefully through simple movement, props, and lighting changes. There are no other characte...

25Jun

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

54.60 Africa – Arcola Theatre

In 54.60 Africa, what begins as a funeral for a continent quickly turns into a breathless adventure as ten friends of different ages and backgrounds, all members of the diaspora in London, spurred on by their Mother Africa, seek to discover and document all those 54 countries, and all that one and a half billion people, have to offer. All in one week. All in time for Gambia’s 60th anniversary of independence. From South Africa to Tunisia, Cameroon to Seychelles, Kenya to the Republic of Congo, this show is nothing short of extraordinary. Written and directed by Femi Elufowoju jr and based on his own experiences visiting all 54 African nations before his 60th birthday, 54.60 Africa approaches the events on stage with a simultaneous vitality and thoughtfulness, deeply attentive to the hum...

21Jun

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

One Way Out – Brixton House

One Way Out is the kind of play that doesn’t just speak, it shouts. But in the same breath, it leaves you in silence, sitting with a truth you didn’t ask for but needed to hear. Montel Douglas’s coming-of-age story doesn’t try to be subtle. It’s loud, local, and full of heart. It asks what home really means when a window breaks and your whole life shatters with it. The show opens with a physical theatre sequence that, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy, but it was done incredibly well. Tense, explosive, choreographed with purpose. The fight unfolds like a dance, and it's this moment that sets everything in motion. A broken window leads to a suspension. That suspension alerts the police. The police alert the Home Office. And just like that, someone’s life is over. That some...

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs – The Kiln Theatre

21Jun

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs – The Kiln Theatre

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs holds counsel for all of us seeking to find our queer foremothers who lived and loved despite the unjust laws of the land that aims to criminalize love. The synergistic partnership between writer Iman Qureshi and director Hannah Hauer-King will be cherished. They have managed to not only centre ‘community building’ on the stage but also brought a nuanced, intersectional perspective to the structural challenges that pose barriers to many from joining and sustaining communities. Supported by an award-winning cast, each of them brings such diversity of perspectives and emotional vulnerability to the portrayal of their roles. Fanta Barrie (Ellie) plays the butch lesbian lover on a journey of self discovery and curiosity, Georgie Henley (Ana) plays the white l...

Swallows and Armenians – Chelsea Theatre

21Jun

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

London

Swallows and Armenians – Chelsea Theatre

The truth behind a British children’s classic is revealed with the premiere of Swallows and Armenians at the Chelsea Theatre. Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons, set in the Lake District, was an instant success when published in 1930. However, the truth behind the inspiration for the story has been suppressed until now. The actor-musician production by Karen Babayan is based on her book Swallows and Armenians, which she wrote after extensive research. An Anglo-Arminian, Babayan discovered the central characters in the book, a quintessential English family, the Walkers, were based on an Arminian family, called Altounyan. Close friends of Ransome, the family spent the summer of 1929 in Coniston with the author, sailing two boats on the lake. This new production tells the story of...