London Archives - Page 32 of 149

25Feb

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Otherland – Almeida Theatre

Otherland is a remarkable, poignant, and emotionally all-encompassing play that explores love, the beautiful and terrifying nature of change, and the ‘many myriads’ of womanhood. In her ‘Note from the Author’, Chris Bush states that she aimed to ‘write with a vulnerability’ she never had before, but nonetheless create a ‘theatrically expansive… rollercoaster’. Well, if that was the goal, she’s passed with flying colours. Jo and Harry, despite a picture-perfect wedding and 5 years or marriage, are breaking up. Harry, assigned male at birth, needs to become her true self and Jo, though entirely supportive of Harry’s decision, needs space to figure out what she wants. She wants to be ‘unplugged’, for a while at least. We’re offered a window into their lives and the journeys they go on, bot...

24Feb

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Miss I-Doll – The Other Palace

The stage is set. The lights are rigged. Five archetypal contestants wait in the wings. It’s the live final of mega reality show Miss I-Doll, and anything can (and will) happen. The first hopeful we meet is Mia (Daisy Steere, who also plays all the other visible characters), who starts to tell her expertly honed sob story to the ‘Confesh Cam’, complete with childhood trauma and emotional support pets. Competing against our protagonist to be crowned Miss I-Doll and win the lucrative prize of heading up a charity of their choice are posh girl Veronica, nepo baby Samy Sire (whose resemblance to Dani Dyer is purely coincidence, I’m sure), buttoned-up Christian girl Prudence, and tough disaster-prepper Ren. As Steere depicts all of these contestants, as well as a ruthless Italian prod...

20Feb

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Richard II – Bridge Theatre

London’s theatreland has welcomed its fair share of buzzy Shakespeare productions as of late, and now the Bridge Theatre has gotten in on the action with a production of Richard II starring Jonathan Bailey, whose rising stardom shot into the stratosphere after his leading role as Fiyero in the Wicked movie last year. But this is no stunt casting; with an Olivier award and two WhatsOnStage nominations in his back pocket, Bailey’s theatrical prowess is well renowned by this point, and it certainly never falters in Nicholas Hytner’s new production of the Shakespearean historical tragedy. Hytner’s production brings the action into a loosely modern context, but it doesn’t quite go down the Jamie Lloyd-ification route of black athleisure and barren sets. Instead, here we see traditiona...

20Feb

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Gang Bang – Seven Dials Playhouse

This comedy written by Hughie Shepherd-Cross is based on the premise that in 1945 when Sicilians were pouring onto boats to America, one minor Mafia member by the name of Don Lambrini accidentally boarded an all-inclusive Thomas Cook cruise to England, landing in Blackpool. There he set up a derivative version of a Mafia gang, attempting to control such activities as ice cream selling, donkey riding and lemonade. This improbable scenario sets up the opportunity for a wacky, fast paced performance with lots of gags about the North of England. The three actors dressed initially as classic movie style gangsters played a range of parts with farcical names such as Fray Bentos, Al Dente and Jim Reaper. They changed costumes quickly as required. There was no scenery and the only furniture ...

20Feb

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

Riders to the Sea – artsdepot

Often, stories centred within specific contexts can resonate far beyond the reaches of the narrative – this is what we mean when we say that a piece of art may be universal. In the same way, forms or structures of performance, while quite alien to how we conduct ourselves in daily life, can still speak to, and deeply move, us. Opera is one such form, and Riders To The Sea, here reimagined and expanded by OperaUpClose and performed at artsDepot, is one such story. The production, directed by Flora McIntosh, features two parts: the first, a new prologue (“The Last Bit of the Moon”), composed by Michael Betteridge, and the second, the 1937 original Riders to the Sea written by Ralph Vaughn Williams with new chamber orchestration, also by Betteridge. Part one offers a window into the grief ...

19Feb

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Three Sisters – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

The Shakespeare Globe hosts the first Chekhovian play the Three Sisters directed by Caroline Steinbeis, produced and reworked narrative supplied by Rory Mullarkey. This play has been remastered in such way that makes it plausible and translatable to viewing audiences. The story revolves around the emotional lives of the ‘Three Sisters’ and their bother whom following the death of their father found themselves relocated to a town outside of Moscow. A place that lacked variety of life, opportunity and the people lacked self-worth, in their opinion. The sisters Michelle Terry ‘Olga’ was archetypical of a school mistress, although she never wished to be working let alone burdened with the responsibility of role, she found herself in. Irina the youngest sister portrayed by Ruby Thompson adde...

Outlying Islands – Jermyn Street Theatre

16Feb

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

Outlying Islands – Jermyn Street Theatre

What is human nature? How similar are our needs to those of the animals around us? Is society a force of refinement, or restriction? These are some of the questions posed by David Greig’s play Outlying Islands. August 1939, a prelude to the Second World War. Arriving on a remote Scottish island to a pagan chapel they will call home for the next month, Robert, (Bruce Langley) and John (Fred Woodley-Evans) are sent from London to undertake ministry-ordered observational research into the island’s seabird inhabitants. But this is not all that will be observed. Chaperoned by island owner Old man Kirk (Kevin McMonagle), accompanied by his young niece Ellen (Whitney Kehinde), the events which unfold offer a complex exploration of human nature. Our desires, when free from the shackles of socie...

14Feb

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Animal Farm – Stratford East

George Orwell's Animal Farm was published in 1945, in a world radically different from the modern political scene. Much may have changed in that time, but the themes of human nature, the lure of power and greed remain scarily relevant. Tatty Hennessy's revised working of Orwell's iconic novel highlights the changing work landscape, the loss of an industrial base, the realities of factory farming, and the roles of equality and fairness in society. On the run-down Manor Farm, owned by cruel farmer Jones, the animals long for a world in which they can be equal, free and happy. Major, the elderly and respected boar, calls on the animals to work together to overthrow the farmer. On Major's death, Napoleon and Snowball, two young pigs, assume the informal leadership of the group and org...

14Feb

By Ralph JeffreysNo Comments

London

More Life – The Royal Court

More Life is an exceptional and bold production, taking an ambitious and complex story and realising it expertly on stage. The play takes us inside the research lab of Edius, who are trying to upload the consciousness of dead people back into new, robotic bodies. After many failed attempts, Bridget is uploaded, and the promising signs she displays lead Victor (Marc Elliott) into a spiralling obsession with making her ‘work’, no matter her suffering and despite the objections of his lab assistant, Mike (Lewis Mackinnon). This torment leads Bridget (Alison Halstead) to break free of her captivity, running to the only place she can, the house of her former husband, Harry (Tim McMullan), and his wife Davina (Helen Schlesinger). Through this, the play explores the ethics of this search for ‘...

14Feb

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Ordinary Madness – Riverside Studios

“There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out, but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke.” Bukowski’s famous poem opens Ordinary Madness, the latest literature-based production from international ensemble company Art Theatre London. Cleverly staged into a series of sleek vignettes, the production attempts to stitch together Bukowski’s short stories and poems, but something crucial fails to connect. Bukowski’s world is dirty, grim, and visceral — his words make you taste the cigarette smoke, smell the sweat, and inhale the sensual perversion of our human condition. Here, under Anya Viller’s direction, the show too often feels like a sleek Drama Center showcase of its best and brightest: too safe, too clean, too polished. The young, dynamic cast struggles to capture ...