London Archives - Page 44 of 148

Ghost The Musical – Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

23Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Ghost The Musical – Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

The stunning Aylesbury Waterside Theatre last night hosted the opening night of the latest UK tour of Ghost the Musical which extends into 2025. This musical will forever be judged against the original production which began in Manchester in 2011. Sadly, in today’s climate it will never be possible to tour this show in that original format due to the ever-rising costs and the logistical complexities the show displayed. In this production, slightly updated from its last tour the set serves its purpose but no more and audiences need to accept that. Based on the hit movie Ghost is a story about Sam Wheat who is murdered on his way home from visiting his girlfriend Molly’s art exhibition and becomes trapped between this world and the next. His subsequent journey teaches him the circumsta...

21Aug

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

The Fabulist – Charing Cross Theatre

1920’s Tuscany, Mussolini and the Church hold overwhelming authority and in the mix lives two sisters, their movie studio and their big dreams for the future. Screenwriter Clarice (Réka Jónás) is a well sought after, independent woman. Her 43 previous suitors have never quite lived up to her and her father’s standard- or more appropriately haven’t lived as they all died in their heroic demonstrations to deem themselves worthy. An unsuspecting 44th suitor tumbles on stage, clownish and down to earth ‘Julian’ (Dan Smith). A ‘fabulist’ or as more often known be a ‘magician’ who is being hunted by the church for fears of the Occult. Julian’s presence alters the course of the play as the question of magic vs science stirs our characters who believe themselves to be logical and marry fo...

17Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Northbound Boy – King’s Head Theatre

Northbound Boy, staged at the King's Head Theatre, stars Neil Ashton as Ken, Sarah Moyle as Aunt Ivy, and Cormac Hyde-Corrin as Rory. The play opens with Rory, a nineteen-year-old hitchhiking his way to Blackpool. It's during this journey that he meets the older Ken, who offers him a ride at a service station. The set design for the production is minimalist, consisting of a simple sofa, chair, and table to represent Ken's living room. Despite the minimalism, the fast-paced dialogue delivered by Neil Ashton and the charm exuded by Cormac Hyde-Corrin quickly draw you into the world of the play, making you forget the simplicity of the surroundings. While the play takes time to reveal its direction, it soon becomes clear that it is an exploration of the different ways homosexuality a...

A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch – Hen and Chickens Theatre

15Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch – Hen and Chickens Theatre

It’s a tale as old as time and a song as old as rhyme. Beauty is painful and beastliness is punishable. For a young girl trying to break the glass ceiling of her blossoming rose’s bell jar there’s just no wiggle room. Written and performed by Celeste Cahn, A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch is permeated with plenty of (a little too) personal details but carries a near universal appeal. Partially thanks to the ubiquity of Disney but in greater part due to the depressing universality of coming-of-age angst and female sexual frustration, A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch hits right in the soft spots of its audience. Cahn is in turns pathetic and poised, cringe-inducing and awe-inspiring. Her generosity with the audience is palpable (really, you can touch, and we’re not playing by P...

14Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Farm Hall – Theatre Royal Haymarket

"The world is ugly; the work is beautiful." Farm Hall is an extraordinary production directed by Stephen Unwin in the beautiful historical Theatre Royal Haymarket. The show explores morality and historical events, focusing on the physicists detained at Farm Hall in Cambridgeshire just after World War II. The play opens with all six cast members introducing themselves as they find themselves held at a stately home in Cambridgeshire. The set is minimal, depicting a single room where the men pass their time by chatting, playing games, and enjoying music. In the first act, we see them struggling to fill the long hours with little to do. The arrival of a new piano, for example, provides a brief moment of excitement and distraction. The first act is brisk and fast-paced, filled with di...

13Aug

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

When It Happens To You – Park Theatre

Firstly, a trigger warning - When It Happens To You deals with issues of sexual assault and violence from the outset and throughout, and there’s nowhere to hide from it in this gutturally raw and confronting 90 minute performance. But Tawni O’Dell’s tale of a family dealing with the aftermath of tragedy is a tale of compassion, of surviving, and ultimately of love. Told through a series of monologues interspersed with conversation, Amanda Abbingdon is our focal point as a mother struggling to support her daughter and her family in the wake of a terrible assault. The action unfolds from Abbingdon’s point of view, with her heartfelt performance moving the narrative from the night of the attack. Abbingdon is arresting - she has the audience hanging on her every word as she wrestles with he...

11Aug

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Bedroom Farce – The Mill at Sonning

Nestled on a picturesque spot over a water mill, The Mill at Sonning offers a charming escape only a short train ride from London. This gorgeous venue, celebrated as "Most Welcoming Theatre" three years in row, offers a tasty lunch, delightful scenery and impeccable service from an attentive staff both in the restaurant and at the theatre. Now if one cannot recommend this dinner theatre enough - one of the very few in the country - its lively charm stood in stark contrast to the underwhelming performance of Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, under the direction of Robin Herford. Set across three different apartments over one chaotic night, the play explores the entangled lives of four couples, each grappling with their own neuroses and relational issues. While Ayckbourn’s intent may...

Beauty and the Beast – Greenwich Theatre

7Aug

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Beauty and the Beast – Greenwich Theatre

"Beauty and the Beast" is a beloved classic cherished by families across the globe. However, this new adaptation offers plenty of twists, new characters, and fresh plots, taking us on an entirely new spin of the well-known production. The cast was extraordinarily talented, not only acting, singing, and dancing but also providing the melodies for the show using various instruments, from guitars and accordions to even the small triangle. Each cast member's musical contributions enriched the performance, adding a unique charm for this whacky adventure. The story began by immersing us in the familiar tale of Beauty and the Beast. However, the Beast's character development felt lacking. He was immediately kind to Belle and, besides instructing her to clean, did not exhibit the loud or...

5Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Edward II – Courtyard Theatre

The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer is a title too long by half but hardly shorter than this abridged adaptation of Marlowe’s malleable history. Cut down to a run time of a mere fifty minutes by the Small Beer Theatre company this fun size production powers through pages of plot at an astonishing pace. Beginning with the recall of controversial courtier and king’s favourite Piers Gaveston (Ciaran Barker) to Edward II’s (Alex Levy) well fashioned domestic abode and ending with a slew of homebrewed murders, the play’s middle section is populated with brief love scenes and extensive ireful monologues. Gaveston’s sway (and bend) over the delicate monarch draws the wrath of Queen Isabella (Zoe Mavri...

3Aug

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

I Love You, Now What? – Park Theatre

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes anticipatory grief? Written by actor and comedian Sophie Craig, I Love You, Now What? is a play that weaves its way through the chronology of courtship just as it plows headlong through each of the stages of grief. Craig plays Ava, a young musician who idolizes her father (Ian Puleston-Davies) both musically and personally. When he is diagnosed with a terminal illness Ava tries to blow off steam with a young actor named Theo (Andy Umerah) and instead finds herself completely fogged up in love. As their romance blooms and her father’s health fades, the intermingling of joy and grief becomes too potent a force for one woman to bear and Ava begins to lose her grip on all the things she loves most. Director and dramaturg Toby Clarke a...