London Archives - Page 3 of 174

9Sep

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Tempest – The Golden Hinde

Just when you think there can't possibly be any more ways to re-imagine a Shakespeare play, along comes Rebekah King's condensed version of The Tempest, performed in the unique surroundings of the iconic Golden Hinde, the Elizabethan galleon that was the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe. Director Callie Nestleroth uses the ship as part of the storytelling of the play, with creaking boards and cramped spaces creating an intense, almost claustrophobic, atmosphere. The Golden Hinde is presented as an additional character to Prospero, Ariel, Caliban and the rest as the tale of shipwrecks, magic, relationships, vengeance and eventual reconciliation unfolds, with the audience on board as shipmates. The ensemble cast of six navigate the tight spaces, avoiding audience limbs a...

EINSTEIN!: A Genius in Tumultuous Times – Playground Theatre

8Sep

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

EINSTEIN!: A Genius in Tumultuous Times – Playground Theatre

Written and performed by Jack Fry, this 85-minute solo show finds Einstein in Berlin in 1914, battling to prove general relativity while his world fractures around him. War, antisemitism, professional rivalry, ill health and a disintegrating marriage all compete for space within an already densely packed narrative. Fry has clearly undertaken formidable research and brings enormous commitment to the stage. This is clearly his passion, and for that he should be commended. Unfortunately, the resulting production feels overwhelmed by its own material. Rather than constructing a satisfying dramatic arc, the piece fires information, characters and incidents at the audience with an exhausting frequency that drove some from their seats and back out into the street. Everything about the s...

Sound Strokes: A Harmonious Blend of Chinese and Scottish Music – Camden People’s Theatre

7Sep

By Saloni SanwalkaNo Comments

London

Sound Strokes: A Harmonious Blend of Chinese and Scottish Music – Camden People’s Theatre

As in language there are untranslatable words which are uniquely capable of capturing the abstract, so in music there are sounds which are singularly placed to do the same. The Chinese instrument zheng and the four elements in our world— earth, wind, fire, water—is one such perfect marriage, as showcased by the masterful Wan Xing in Sound Strokes: A Harmonious Blend of Chinese and Scottish Music. Photo: Cheung Chi Wai The show combines pieces from Chinese, Scottish and Irish musical traditions to create fresh arrangements that demonstrate the commonalities between them as they seek to capture the elements. It begins with earth, played against the backdrop of a soil painting by the artist Qiu Yangzi and the calm thrum of Gregor Black’s brushstrokes on percussion, emulating the sound o...

4Sep

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Oil and Whiskey – Old Red Lion Theatre

An award-winning off Broadway country rock musical having just had a run at the Edinburgh fringe and now opening in London sounds promising. Unfortunately, it disappointed on most levels. The main problem was the venue. The Red Lion’s performance area is small with the audience on two sides. There were 10 artists in this production, including a band with a keyboard, full drum kit and two guitars. There were two backing singers and four other performers. By the time this crowd had been assembled on the performance area, along with their microphones, amplifiers, speakers etc, there was room for very little theatrical activity. The music and the singing were amplified to an unnecessary degree and was uncomfortably loud, at least for this reviewer, and more seriously the excessively clos...

4Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Krapp’s Last Tape – The Cockpit Theatre

On his 69th birthday, Krapp sits alone with his tape recorder and listens back to a recording he made thirty years earlier. Moving between listening, remembering and recording, he encounters his younger self, his memories and the life that has passed between the two voices. Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, performed at The Cockpit Theatre, becomes in Dave Wybrow’s production a remarkably immediate encounter with time. Peter Marinker plays Krapp, but the production also brings another Peter Marinker into the room: his own voice, recorded in 1983 for the BBC radio version of the play. The result is a conversation across more than four decades, between the actor he was and the actor he is now. Picture Courtesy - Cockpit Theatre Website What makes this particularly striking is the ...

4Sep

By Phil MeikleNo Comments

London

Holy Fool – Park Theatre

Throughout history, music and art have been used as vehicles to communicate hidden truths by creatives living under tyrannical states. Here, the legendary composer Dmitri ‘Mitya’ Shostakovich is presented as Communist Russia's Holy Fool; a man who must walk the tightrope between underplaying his talents and concealing his resistance to the state in order to survive the propaganda-led brutality of Lenin and Stalin’s Soviet Union. In Holy Fool, co-writers Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers document Mitya's life from 1936 to 1973, but in trying to navigate the tightrope of life-threatening political resistance through faux compliance, the play occasionally loses its balance. While Adler and Sellers stay faithful to the historical record and portray the sinister world inside the Soviet regime, ...

3Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Wicked – Apollo Victoria Theatre

Wicked is currently the ninth longest-running West End show in history, having been a staple of London’s theatre scene since 2006, and it is not difficult to see why. Already beloved as a prequel of sorts to The Wizard of Oz, the musical has reached an even wider audience following its recent blockbuster film adaptations. Yet, despite how familiar the story has become, the West End production still feels every bit as magical as it should. From the moment the curtain rises, we are transported to the land of Oz and introduced to a story that goes beyond the familiar tale of the Wicked Witch of the West. At its heart, Wicked is a story about an unlikely friendship, prejudice, ambition and the people who shape our lives. The production makes an immediate impression with Glinda’s spectacu...

2Sep

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Sunrise for the Blind – Cockpit Theatre

Sunrise for the Blind by Lee Thomas doesn’t shy away from the mood of the material. On the Camden Fringe website, it’s described as a “raw, naturalistic portrayal of life in a bleak North Manchester town centre”. Many might give such a prospect a sharp swerve. One friend said to me, “I’m sorry, but I can’t face any more bleakness right now.” It’s a valid sentiment in the current climate, so I was shocked, but buzzed to see busy pews for a 4pm matinee. While some of Grey Brigade were out in force, it was cheering to see a surprisingly young audience lapping up new writing in a fringe theatre. As someone who once squatted in a derelict Hulme council estate in 1990, I regard Manchester as my second home. And as for bleakness, I’m drawn to it like a junkie to a meth pipe. The author ...

26Aug

By Phil MeikleNo Comments

London

The Choir of Man – Richmond Theatre

From the moment you enter the auditorium, The Choir of Man transports you to the world's most joyous pub lock-in. For two glorious hours, the stench of real-world toxic masculinity and male bravado is replaced by the clinking of pint glasses and the warm embrace of an inclusive, fun-filled tavern where everyone is welcome and encouraged to open their hearts. Originally conceived by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay to celebrate human connection, the show loudly and proudly places men's mental health centre stage, with the charity CALM serving as the show's current charity partner. Here, the only male threat you'll find is that posed by the triple threat of nine incredibly talented singers, musicians and dancers performing together for the sheer joy of the shared experience. From its inception ...

26Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Belated – Etcetera Theatre

Celebrating a milestone birthday almost a year late might suggest poor organisation, but for Anna, it represents something far more purposeful: a refusal to let disappointment have the final word. In ‘Belated’, a postponed party becomes the stage upon which she takes stock of middle age, abandoned ambitions and the uncomfortable feeling that everybody else’s life has progressed more successfully than her own. Anna once worked as a professional dancer but now teaches Pilates to wealthy and famous clients. Approaching her 51st birthday, she is contending with the demands of motherhood, the aftermath of a painful separation and the lingering frustration of creative aspirations left unexplored. Rather than quietly accepting that those opportunities have passed, she transforms her long d...