London Archives - Page 42 of 149

5Oct

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

The Gentlemen’s Club – Soho Theatre

If you want to experience drag cabaret Bollywood style woven into a well-crafted narrative about freedom, community and possibility, The Gentlemen’s Club is the place to be! Co-presented by the National Centre of Performing Arts and Soho Theatre, London’s finest cabaret-meets-theatre venue, The Gentlemen’s Club is not only Patchwork Ensemble’s debut in the UK but also India’s first Drag King show. The Gentlemen’s Club opens with a nostalgic act by Rocky aka Shamsher (Puja Sarup) playing a tribute to the legendary Shammi Kapoor and the golden era of Hindi cinema- performed to absolute perfection. As a senior among an ensemble of drag artists (Sheena Khalid, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Srishti Dixit and Amey Mehta) performing at the club, Rocky is both warmly welcoming and a lightly pat...

5Oct

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

Run, Rebel – Theatre Peckham

Run, Rebel is a heart-thumping tale, a visceral plunge into the complex reality of being a second-generation immigrant in the UK. It is a story that resonates with an audience familiar with the delicate balance between two worlds, especially those who have felt the penetrating gaze of watchful aunties, clutching their Lidl bags with an unspoken authority, ready to report where you've been and who you’re with. Something all too familiar. The star of the show, Jessica Kaur, who played Amber, delivered a commanding performance that truly set her apart. She infused her lines with a palpable energy, an emotional depth that made her a powerful presence on stage. She was a star, a brilliant axis around which the entire story spun. The story itself was laced with heart and grit. It spoke...

3Oct

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

My Period the C*ckblock – Brixton House

Today is going to be a fantastic day, according to Bolade (Ruth Oyediran). Why? She’s discovered a pill that can delay her period, which means she’s pain-free to hit the biggest day party of the year — featuring her dream man Tion Wayne — with her best friend Jessica (Lara Grace Ilori). This is where we meet the two pals at the beginning of My Period the C*ckblock, written by Oyediran and directed by TD Moyo in this production at Brixton House. What transpires over the next hour is a remarkably well-written exploration of Black British sisterhood, female pain, and the taboos around menstruation. Oyediran’s vibrant and incisive dialogue depicts a charming and authentic portrayal of friendship — and all the entanglements it can bring. Bola and Jess are shown to have grown apart in the ...

3Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Look Back in Anger – Almeida Theatre

Renowned as a theatrical landmark, John Osborne's 1956 play changed the face of British theatre forever with its gritty realism. For such an important play it is surprisingly infrequently performed. I have only seen it once before and had forgotten what a powerful piece of drama it is. Staged at the Almeida Theatre in repertory with 'Roots', Arnold Wesker's renowned play of the same era, it forms what they have titled 'Angry and Young' season. The most striking thing about director Atri Banerjee’s production is the dispensing of a realistic set, which was one of the hallmarks of the original production and presenting it on a bare circular stage with an outer ring revolve and an inner ring lift. The lift was used for raising the few pieces of set furniture that were needed, a table and t...

28Sep

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Giant – Royal Court

In 1983, weeks before Roald Dahl’s new book ‘The Witches’ is to be released, a fury is coming back round to question and confront Dahl’s recent book review in which he comments on Tony Clifton’s ‘God Cried’ picture book. This review sparked a huge amount of controversy and corrupted Dahl’s sweet and humorous image. In this imagined piece, Mark Rosenblatt creates a fictitious afternoon in which Dahl’s publicists are pushing for an apology for his review. John Lithgow as a superbly complex Dahl is adamant on standing by his beliefs no matter the consequences to who might cull his books from the shelves. Rosenblatt comments that this piece although fictitious, has intertwined verbatim comments made from Dahl on this matter. As our current day viewers are now confronted with the long hi...

28Sep

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Never Let Me Go – Rose Theatre

Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go has been adapted for the stage by Suzanne Heathcote. The story follows a group of clones raised at Hailsham, a boarding school where they learn about their purpose, born and bred to donate from their bodies. Here they make art, and they learn about their bodies and how to keep them healthy so that they can donate to the unknown people they are bred to serve. Although the specifics of the donation process remain shrouded in mystery, it’s clear that they are not expected to survive beyond their fourth donation. In the meantime, they take on roles as carers for those clones who have already started the donation journey. At the centre of this story are Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. Kathy harbours feelings for Tommy, but Ruth, despite knowing this, e...

26Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Real Ones – Bush Theatre

Romantic love is a road well travelled by storytellers, but what about its platonic counterpart? Olivier Award-winning playwright Waleed Akhtar seeks to shine a light on the similarly turbulent and complex dynamics within friendship in his new play The Real Ones, currently playing at Bush Theatre until 26th October. Set across a period of almost two decades, we encounter British-Pakistani best friends Zaid (Nathaniel Curtis) and Neelam (Mariam Haque) at various critical moments in their lives — and in their friendship — as they deal with growing up, family tensions, relationships, and identity. Closeted Zaid has his heart fervently set on becoming a playwright, and he’s also navigating his place in the world as a gay Pakistaniakistani man. Having developed a complex relationship with...

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

25Sep

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Well, these are two very well-spoken "tramps". A wired Didi (Ben Whishaw) jolts and flourishes across the space, amidst a more weighted, stony Gogo (Lucian Msamati). The two are equally as confounded as each other, torn between wavering uncertainty and resignation to the fact. As the title of the play reveals, they are waiting for Godot. In Beckett's classic, we are not entirely sure who Godot is or why he is being waited for, and neither, as it seems, are the characters. Whishaw and Msamati play their respective characters so beautifully. It is like watching a dance - their responsivity and spontaneity is glorious, and they find musicality in the repetition. This much studied play has plenty of meat to chew on. The real juiciness of it, as brought out by Whishaw and Msamati ...

24Sep

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Lilith – New Wimbledon Theatre

The stage is stark – white and blank save for the tree in the centre, laden with red fruit. This is the setting of an ancient story, the characters well known. You already know what that tree is, what it is going to do to Adam and Eve. But what of Lilith, the one who fell through the pages, the first companion of Adam, banished from paradise? The play – directed by Olivia Swain and Aimee Dickinson, written by the latter along with Aliya Gilmore – tells the story from the much-vilified Lilith’s perspective. Created along with Adam as a single entity “with four limbs and twin mouths”, Lilith was then cleaved from Adam and each named after the rhythm of their heartbeats. Together, they explore the garden of Eden with the delight of children, tasting fruits, naming animals and flowers, m...

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker – Omnibus Theatre

20Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker – Omnibus Theatre

The story of Chang and Eng Bunker is one of enduring curiosity: two Siamese immigrant twins, conjoined by a band of cartilage and a shared liver, fascinated audiences across the US and achieved an unorthodox version of the American Dream. But on January 17th, 1874, Eng woke up to discover his conjoined twin brother was dead, before passing away himself a few hours later. The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker, directed by Iskandar R. Sharazuddin, depicts Eng’s final solitary hours through puppetry, music, and striptease. Across an enchanting 60 minutes, writer and performer Tobi Poster-Su is at one with his puppets, bringing each figure — no matter how big or small — to life with a thrumming heartbeat. From the smallest tea bag to the largest human-like puppet, Poster-Su takes an extrao...