London Archives - Page 22 of 123

10Jul

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Home, Sweet Home – Riverside Studios

Amalia Kontesi's contribution to Riverside Studio's "Bitesize Festival" of short plays explores the concept of home. Ellie lives in London, working in a high-paid marketing job which she hates, having left behind her parents and brother in Athens. Is "home" in London, Athens, or the summer cottage by the sea that the family scraped together the means to buy, and which Ellie and her brother adored? Ellie has returned to the cottage in order to sort it out prior to putting it on the market. As she reminisces about the wonderful summer times by the sea, the fun, her first kiss, first love and subsequent heartbreak, sibling rivalry and eventual loss, can she bring herself to sell up or does she need to hold onto this house that holds so many memories? Is the cottage her home now? Behind this...

Your Lie In April – Harold Pinter Theatre

8Jul

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Your Lie In April – Harold Pinter Theatre

A musical about musicians and for everyone, the play is based on the manga by Naoshi Arakawa and operates with a clear respect for the conventions of its source material and culture of origin. With a new English book by Rinne B. Groff, music by Frank Wildhorn, and lyrics by Carly Robin Green and Tracy Miller, the story is told concisely and movingly. Jason Howland’s music arrangement and orchestration is tremendous, and the work is as much a pleasure to listen to as any musical that so highly prizes musicianship. Directed and choreographed by Nick Winston, this production has a surreal gracefulness to it as transitions between scenes and musical numbers coalesce seamlessly and lend a magical quality to every encounter between character and audience. The venue is pushed to its full ph...

6Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Hedda Gabler – Bread And Roses Theatre

Out of all of Henrik Ibsen’s dramatic works, Hedda Gabler remains one of his most notorious. Featuring a supremely complex central character, it’s a realistic play that still leaves a lot up to interpretation — giving director Mya Kelln plenty to sink her teeth into in 13th Night Theatre Company’s new revival at The Bread & Roses Theatre. Set in an ambiguous time period, we follow 48 hours in the life of titular character Hedda (Eliza Cameron), a newly married woman who’s returned from a lengthy honeymoon with her academic husband Jörgen (Jack Aldridge). While navigating the boredom of her new life in a house she hates, the return of Jörgen’s academic rival — and, as it turns out, Hedda’s former romantic interest — Eilert Lövborg (Bede Hodgkinson) sets the character onto a path of m...

6Jul

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Sparks – Jack Studio Theatre

Sisterhood is complicated. Sparks, a ninety-minute play by Simon Longman does not make it any simpler. Directed by Julia Stubbs for the Upper Hand Theatre whose co-founders also star in this production, Sparks stages the reunion of two sisters separated by twelve years without contact and a lifetime of disparate experience. Lisa Minichiello plays Sarah, a young woman without any friends who lives in an apartment without a sofa, works in an office without any purpose, and goes through the first twenty minutes of the play without any lines. Emma Riches dominates the stage as Jess, Sarah’s chaotic older sister who materializes on her doorstep one night with a goldfish and a back bar. The contrast between them is extreme almost to the point of unreality and their distinguishing features ...

6Jul

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Medea Gosperia – The Cockpit

I have a mild obsession with Medea, prompted by the realisation that there is not enough time to read, study and analyse The Classics, so probably wise to just focus on one banger until the coffin lid closes on my life. It was Rachel Cusk’s brilliant vision of the Euripides shocker at the Almeida which put me on this path. Kate Fleetwood’s performance and the entire production blew my mind. It moved me as a piece of theatre, but also turned me on to the text. This nouveau fevered enthusiasm led me to the 1969 Pier Paolo Pasolini film with Maria Callas, which gave me full-blown Medea mania. Medea Gosperia is presented as a ‘brand new jazz/gospel opera’ which in many ways, ticked a lot of boxes for me, but led to widespread hoots and horror when mentioned to my peers. It’s fair to s...

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire – Southwark Playhouse

6Jul

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire – Southwark Playhouse

‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ takes audiences on a wacky ride, bringing them into the quaint and intimate setting of Southwark Playhouse Borough, which is creatively transformed to resemble a 14-year-old girl’s room. As you might have guessed, this girl is utterly obsessed with Tobey Maguire. Set in 2004, the play is drenched in nostalgia, featuring hit music from the era with songs by Britney Spears, Vanessa Carlton, Natasha Bedingfield, and Avril Lavigne. The story unfolds in Shelby's basement, which she has converted into her personal hub and shrine dedicated to her Tobey Maguire obsession. From the moment the performance begins, Tessa Albertson, playing Shelby, bursts onto the stage with infectious energy. Her portrayal vividly captures the wild infatuation and manic enthus...

3Jul

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

I’m Still Here – Ambassadors Theatre

Debbie Wileman found viral success during the pandemic whilst performing a ‘Song a Day’ as Judy Garland. She has now performed worldwide as Garland, singing the songs that we love and also the songs that we never got the chance to hear. A whirlwind start to her career has allowed her to release a debut album called ‘I’m still here’ in which she impersonates Judy Garland throughout a range of her repertoire and a few personal favourites that she wishes Garland could have sung. There is no doubt that Debbie Wileman possesses an incredible talent- her impersonation is staggeringly accurate and effortless. The difficulty in this performance is expert level but she holds her own. Beginning with a very famous ‘I’m Still Here’ and title of the album, we begin the show with a bang- conductor...

28Jun

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

Next To Normal – Wyndhams Theatre

When cult favourite ‘Next To Normal’ was announced at the Donmar Warehouse in 2023, critical acclaim and incredible word-of-mouth made it a sell-out smash, and one of the highlights of the year for many theatre fans. The Donmar’s intimate space meant many fans missed out on seeing it, and if you were one of them, you need to be heading to Leicester Square’s Wyndhams Theatre, where the show has returned for another limited run. Reassembling the Donmar’s celebrated cast (including Broadway belter Caissie Levy), the multi-award winning musical explores mental illness and grief in the face of trying to maintain a “normal” suburban family life, set to a rock-based score from composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey. Wife and mother Diane Goodman (Caissie Levy) is struggling wi...

28Jun

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

The Marilyn Conspiracy – Park Theatre

Who did it? What caused it? “The Marilyn Conspiracy" is a thought-provoking play that invites the audience to ponder the events leading up to Marilyn Monroe’s death. From the outset, it is clear that extensive research went into creating this magnificent play, which takes you on a journey of what could have happened and the reasons behind it. The play immediately introduces important historical characters who were "friends" of Monroe and perhaps involved in covering up something more sinister. Genevieve Gaunt embodies Monroe, showcasing the strong emotions that Marilyn was feeling on the day she died. Was she depressed, drunk, lonely or perhaps all three? The show highlights these emotions whilst allowing you to draw your own conclusions about what happened that night. The set initia...

28Jun

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

George – Omnibus Theatre

George, penned by the multi-talented French writer and actress Léa des Garets, is an enchanting blend of entertainment and education that delves into the life of George Sand, a French figure whose notoriety for wearing men's clothing has often overshadowed her literary genius. Sand (des Garets) is grappling with her next big literary project. Together with her muse and lover, actress Marie Dorval (Inki Mariano), Sand Birthes "Gabriel," a play on a 17th-century Italian aristocrat who was raised as a man, only to discover at age seventeen they were biologically female. The play proves to be way ahead of its time in 1830s Europe and becomes a vehicle of meta-reflection for Sand’s own gender identity. Developed with the support of the Institut Francais du Royaume-Uni, this collaboration ...