London Archives - Page 28 of 107

Trueman and the Arsonists – The Roundhouse Studio

25Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Trueman and the Arsonists – The Roundhouse Studio

The scene is set by Truman himself played by Adam Owers, sitting in his living room, smoking verbalising his angst and confusion at the constant fires burning outside his window. All across the city fires are burning, as The Arsonists infiltrate homes of the wealthy and establishments of decadent luxury. It’s a plague, “The Arsonists are burning down our homes”, and there is confusion, “why are they doing this”. Truman is smart and he can recognise an Arsonist from a distance, he is smug and reassures his wife Bobsy (Nadine Ivy Barr) there is nothing to fear. He is finds himself in a situation where he takes in a stranger, Joe Smith played by the funny, assertive (Tommy Oldroyd) who turns up at his home wanting a bed for the night, he is ...

21Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Hamnet – Garrick Theatre

Based on the outstanding sell-out book by Maggie O’Farrell, Lolita Chakrabarti adapts the story for the stage under the RSC, which just recently transferred to West End at the Garrick Theatre. This being such a widely known story it is likely to match the book in being a sell-out, however we lose so much of the quality and depth of the characters to perhaps fit the time frame. We are introduced to Agnes (Madeleine Mantock) a young woman in Warwickshire inspired by plants, herbs and natural resources- she meets her new Latin tutor, William (Tom Varey). From there, they fall in love and Agnes falls pregnant out of wedlock. Quickly married and now twins on the way William goes to London to pursue his writing. Although we have moments with William as his career takes off, we stay with the wome...

21Oct

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Portia Coughlan – The Almeida

There were many factors that made me giddy to see Portia Coughlan. My Irish heritage, The Almeida’s track record for uniquely dazzling theatre, an attraction to the dark side and the play’s notoriety as a ‘90s game changer. Broadly speaking, Marina Carr’s Gothic shocker didn’t disappoint, but might be prey to having a lot to live up to. Alison Oliver plays Portia Coughlan and turns out a compelling, complex performance that’s haunting, oddly thrilling and almost alien to behold. Portia is a spiky, volatile mystery to the other characters in the play and the audience who’re also grappling with her quirks. We meet Portia on her 30th birthday. She is wallowing in pain and grief, fifteen years after the suicide of her twin brother. Portia chooses to self-destruct with drink and spiteful rag...

14Oct

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Jock Night – Seven Dials Playhouse

A decade ahead of its arrival to these shores, I was the first journalist in the UK to write about crystal meth in the gay press. In 1997, after spending a deranged summer in San Francisco, I returned to London and in the pages of QX warned readers of a highly addictive new drug that was decimating the community on the West Coast. That same year, I wrote and performed ‘Twisted’ with Wayne G, arguably, the first ‘chemsex’ dance tune. That portmanteau had yet to be coined by the late, great David Stuart, but excessive drug use and epic sex sessions were the central themes of that record. They are also the driving forces in Jock Night, a new play by Adam Zane. Methamphetamine hydrochloride (aka ‘ice’ ’Tina’ ‘crank’ ‘meth’ ‘tweak’) took almost 20 years to get a foothold in the UK, unlike in...

14Oct

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Delinquent Dad – Tabard Theatre

This kookily animated production took me back to watching My Parents Are Aliens on the TV. Yet, this play is set six months into the future, envisioning increasing rent bills, crypto cases, and an elevated housing crisis. Its incidentally interweaving connections tie into the small-world-feel of the sitcom trope, and the gloriously indifferent, haphazard Dad (John Gorick) makes for a likeable and oddly believable protagonist. A young couple, a pair of millennials as they call themselves, are baffled when what is meant to be a meal for the rents turns out to be a savage split, as Matt’s Dad is dumped on his doorstep with a holdall catapulted into the room by a furious wife. The timing couldn’t be worse – Matt (Bradley Crees) and Cara (Elizabeth Back) are in the midst of a rent strike, to...

A Night with Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda – Etcetera Theatre

14Oct

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

A Night with Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda – Etcetera Theatre

I’ve struggled with writing this review, as I have in the past when I've felt that the line between entertaining and educating are blurred in a production. In creating “A Night with Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda”, actress and writer Natasha Rae has used her own experiences with bipolar disorder and anxiety to paint a brutally honest picture of how she experiences life and motherhood under the cloud of mental illness. Rae is passionate and engaging, her manic energy on stage mirroring the periods of mania she has experienced as part of her illness over the years. She reflects on the impact bipolar has had on her loved ones, covers her coping mechanisms as well as her darker times which felt refreshing, and washes the show through with a thorough dose of self-deprecating humour. That ...

An Evening of Burlesque – Adelphi Theatre

12Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

An Evening of Burlesque – Adelphi Theatre

This variety show of burlesque was introduced as the longest running burlesque show in the UK. It contained magic and artistic performances were a stark contrast to what may have been known as burlesque ‘Victorian or French style’. The show opened with the host Ivy Paige who explained her career as a previous lap dancer, show girl and alluded many times to her experiences and cosmetic enhancements. She encouraged greatly audience participation, photography and to cheer “her girls and boys on”. Featuring strip tease, tantalising dancing provided the audiences with appreciation of the world of tease and burlesque. The nudity was tasteful and within the context of dance and flexible extensions and body control, which was artistic. The nudity did not appear shocking and q...

12Oct

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

The Empress – Lyric Hammersmith

Tanika Gupta takes on the mammoth task of weaving three narratives spanning over 13 years marking the golden era of the British Empire under the rule of Queen Victoria with her Golden Jubilee celebration. Directed by Pooja Ghai, The Empress reveals the larger truths about Asians, especially Indian Ayahs and lascars in Victorian Britain. A boat carries Rani (Tanya Katyal), an Indian Ayah accompanying a British family, Hari (Aaron Gill), a lascar/sailor, political leaders Dadabhai Naoroji (Simon Rivers), Gandhi (Anish Roy), and Abdul Karim (Raj Bajaj), an Indian servant meant to be a gift to Queen Victoria for her golden jubilee, to the cold British Isles, all with different expectations and dreams. As their narratives progress, colonial atrocities are revealed. While a 16-year-old Rani i...

10Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

What It Means – Wilton’s Music Hall

In the realm of theatrical productions that aim to explore important historical events and their relevance to contemporary society, 'What It Means' by James Corley certainly stands out for its ambitious premise. Based on the groundbreaking 1971 article 'What It Means to Be a Homosexual' by Merle Miller, this play endeavours to shed light on the struggle for LGBTQ+ equality, a topic of paramount importance in the current climate. However, whilst the play's intentions are noble, it is, unfortunately, an absurdly and unnecessarily long production that bears a striking resemblance to a dry academic lecture rather than a traditional piece of contemporary theatre, and this ultimately leaves audiences fighting to reach the finish line. The central pillar of 'What It Means' is the (near) solo p...

8Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Othello – Riverside Studios

The features which set this production of Othello apart are its length, only 100 minutes without an interval, and the casting of three actors to play the villain Iago. A full production of the Othello text would probably run to about three and a half hours although few productions are totally uncut. So, cutting it down so severely inevitably means that a lot of the background and subtlety of Shakespeare's text is lost, although the main plotline was preserved and presented in Shakespeare's language. The casting of the three Iago's was the defining characteristic of this production. The director Sinead Rushe, had apparently explored a similar methodology with Hamlet and says in an informative interview in the programme that this was intended to underline the conflict...