London Archives - Page 3 of 181

tell me straight / aggy – King’s Head Theatre

21Oct

By Naina SidhuNo Comments

London

tell me straight / aggy – King’s Head Theatre

Paul Bradshaw’s debut play, ’tell me straight’ is an effervescent exploration of self in London’s jungle of sexual energy. The unnamed protagonist seems to always be on the cusp of something. Whether that be a new job or a new lover, Him is constantly chasing things that are just about unattainable. Him’s navigation of sexual conquests and intimacy asks us the long-standing question of which is better, the chase or the destination? tell me straight’s answer to this is a vulnerable and biting portrayal of internalised homophobia, balancing the confessional and charming levity. Him recites recollections from his life, detailing an odyssey of sexual encounters. Cheng Keng’s light design contracts the space, assigning each encounter to its own distinctive vignette. Bright spotlights squ...

When The Fun Stops, Try Again? – Pleasance Theatre

20Oct

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

When The Fun Stops, Try Again? – Pleasance Theatre

Described as 'part storytelling, part stand-up, part dream', When The Fun Stops, Try Again? is an interactive, audience-controlled show devised by Nathan Charles and Brightmouth productions. Drawing on his own experiences of gambling, Charles has created a show where the audience, guided by a PowerPoint presentation, goes through a series of stories and tasks exploring different forms of gambling and what it means to win or lose. The audience entered the space to see a screen at the back of the stage, various items on a table on one side, a microphone on the other side and what looked like rubbish covering the floor at the back - on closer inspection, this was made up of things like discarded lottery tickets and packs of cards. The audience waited in their seats in silence when the ...

19Oct

By Prateek SonnyNo Comments

London

Faith Healer – The Questors Theatre

If ever there was a play that asked its audience to pay close attention to every word, it is Brian Friel’s Faith Healer. Directed by Roger Beaumont, this production consists of four monologues that weave a gripping tale of faith, memory, and the elusive nature of truth. The stage is set with a backdrop of a giant banner saying ‘The Fantastic Frank Hardy. Faith Healer. One Night Only’. The set changes before each monologue establish the characters’ respective spaces as they recount their versions of a shared past. The story follows Frank Hardy (David Lemkin), the titular faith healer, who travels with Grace (Sarah Sharpe), his ‘mistress’, and Teddy (David Erdos), his manager, across villages in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Frank performs supposed miracles for the locals, but whether he c...

19Oct

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Dog Mom – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Newly-divorced Sarita has been forced to downsize from a house in New Jersey to a tiny New York apartment. She's feeling vulnerable, unsure about her future and overwhelmed with the effort of the move. She just wants to be left alone to get on with her life, neatly ordered by lists. The last thing she wants at that moment is for a stray dog to turn up and refuse to leave. Sarita is definitely not a dog mom. She doesn't want to get involved in dog walking, poop bags, vet visits and the whole messy drama that a playful dog entails. When the dog shelter makes it clear that, as an older dog, it's unlikely that Foster would be rehomed as everyone wants puppies, meaning that Sarita's new friend would be euthanised. So the dog stays, and they become soulmates, to the extent that Sarita and the...

16Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Sinatra The Musical – Aldwych Theatre

Charity Gala Performance in aid of Music Therapy Nordoff and Robbins Sinatra The Musical is continuing its run in the West End. This performance was in aid of the Charity Nordoff and Robbins; raising awareness of mental health and the benefits of music therapy. Sinatra is a staged biopic uncovering the ‘truth’ behind the man who captured the nations hearts and navigates the conundrum of his complex life. Supported by a talented cast, the story spotlights those who fuelled his meteoric rise to fame, as well as those who witnessed his turbulent downfalls. At its heart, the production portrays Sinatra as a devoted family man who remained fiercely close to his children—a narrative angle strongly backed by his daughter, Nancy Sinatra, who contributed to the show's development. The journey op...

16Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Gang Of Three – Richmond Theatre

The 1970s were a time of turbulence in British politics. The Labour Party, having held power during much of the 1960s, lost the 1970 general election and entered a period in opposition, struggling to define its identity in a changing world. This play by Robert Kahn and Tom Salinsky focuses on three major characters in that struggle: Roy Jenkins, Denis Healey and Anthony Crosland. It is a play about political ideas, but primarily about the personalities of these three titans of the Labour movement. They understand the importance of working together in order to create a united vision for the Labour Party, but their ability to support one another is undermined by their personal ambitions. One suspects that this is a universal problem with political egos and so makes much of...

16Oct

By Holly LilyNo Comments

London

Blind Spot – Bread and Roses Theatre

Fringe theatre is often compelling because it entertains through socially conscious narratives. Blindspot is no exception to this, cleverly and subtly touching on the prevalent topic of pregnancy, a woman’s body and the power she, her partner and society have over it. Written by Deanna Arthur and directed by Samantha Pears, Blindspot follows a couple, Sky and Noah (Deanna Arthur and Nathan Lwanga), as they take a pregnancy test and are forced to have a long-awaited conversation about the stage they’re truly at in their relationship. The play follows a non-linear structure and jumps between the past and the present, slowly revealing how no matter how much love there may be between two people, it doesn't guarantee their paths are aligned. Deanna Arthur has written a play with a ...

16Oct

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

Baby – Brixton House

Pearl Mackie takes on a whole cast of characters in Baby, with three chairs and a doll providing most of her company. Written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and directed by Milli Bhatia, the Brixton House and Clean Break production brings a woman’s struggle to keep her child onto a stage that needs very little to make her world feel full. Mackie plays Baby, whose name suggests a degree of care that her life has rarely delivered. She wants to keep Bliss, her own baby. Having experienced abuse and involvement with the criminal justice system, she turns to the audience in the hope that someone might help. There is something of Kafka in the distance between the person seeking help and the system’s ability to understand them, although Bhatti approaches that frustration through a mother’s desire ...

Uncle Monty’s Antique Shop – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

15Oct

By Prateek SonnyNo Comments

London

Uncle Monty’s Antique Shop – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

Spooky season is here, and it has brought with it a spine-tingling play. Uncle Monty’s Antique Shop is an anthology of psychological shorts written and directed by Alexander Wright and Nina Atesh. The production unfolds through the items in an antique shop, each introduced alongside its grim history. As we enter the space, Monty (Nicholas Benjamin) sits at his desk, unbothered and sipping his tea. A sense of unease is established almost immediately. When a tourist (Nina Atesh) accidentally wanders into the shop, she discovers that nothing is for sale. Monty’s unhinged, at times amusing, demeanour emerges as he enthusiastically presents his collection of disturbing objects. The first story, ‘The Photographer’, centres on a ruthless political leader (Ryan Williams), his photographe...

The Cherry Orchard – Harold Pinter Theatre

15Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Cherry Orchard – Harold Pinter Theatre

When you think of Anton Chekhov you expect a play of undefined logic and conflicting perspectives. Whilst mixing comedy with suffering often leaving the questions unanswered. The Cherry Orchard is one of Chekhov’s most recognisable plays and his last before his death. Written in 1903 published in 1904 it has been adapted and remastered for audiences over the years. This new adaptation by Conor McPherson has arrived at the Harold Pinter Theatre with a stellar cast, Stephen Mangan as Lopakhin, Kristen Scott Thomas as Lyubov Andreevna (Luba) and Ruby Bentall as Sharlotta. Act one is slow to form as the story takes time to build; there is an air of uncertainty at the end of this Act questioning, does McPherson and Ian Rickson’s adaptation work. Act two improves, the cast rel...