London Archives - Page 5 of 181

User Manual for a Broken Machine – Holy Cross Church

10Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

User Manual for a Broken Machine – Holy Cross Church

A vacuum cleaner might seem an unlikely starting point for an absorbing piece of theatre about growing up under the demands of economic and technological progress. Yet KASSNA’s ‘User Manual for a Broken Machine’ takes this ordinary domestic object and builds an inventive, energetic production around it, exploring the human cost of being expected to always function efficiently. Written and directed by Namoo Chae Lee, the work begins with a broken Daewoo vacuum cleaner and the instructions intended to restore it to working order. From this simple premise emerges a much larger question: who actually gets to decide what constitutes a malfunction? Applied to a machine, the answer might appear straightforward, but applied to a person (or society), it becomes considerably more troubling. ...

10Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Fences – Lyric Hammersmith

Fences by August Wilson “is a powerful family drama about racism, lost dreams, fatherhood, betrayal and the emotional barriers people build around themselves and the people they love”. This production is directed by Daniel Bailey and with Ray Fearon playing Troy Maxson and Madeline Appiah playing his wife, Rose. The time is the 1950’s America when Black working class families were trying to survive racial discrimination and generational trauma. The story centres around Troy Maxson, a Black man in his fifties working on the streets of Pennsylvania. What becomes evident early in the play is that Troy is a troubled man scarred by this past, trying to live in the future; but his demons uncover a deep abyss of loneliness. His actions towards his relationships with his wife Rose and his c...

The Love That I’ve Lost – Bread and Roses Theatre

10Oct

By Holly LilyNo Comments

London

The Love That I’ve Lost – Bread and Roses Theatre

Love is very complicated, and The Love That I’ve Lost undoubtedly demonstrates that. Written and directed by Morgan Clarice, The Love That I’ve Lost follows three generations of women: Lillie (Harriet Spence-Reid), Michelle (Amelia Dunn) and Betty (Nina Anderson), as they navigate their complex love lives. Lillie, the youngest of the three, is new to dating and struggles with the rejection that can come with finding the right person. Her mother, Michelle (though difficult to believe with the age gap not seeming believably big enough), is going through a messy divorce, finding it hard to move on when she is still so in love. Betty’s husband is suffering from dementia, and so despite still being in a long-term relationship, she feels a lack of love as a result of feeling him slowly s...

Don Black’s From the Heart – Garrick Theatre

9Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Don Black’s From the Heart – Garrick Theatre

A lyricist’s words can become so familiar to us that we forget the person who wrote them. ‘From the Heart’ brings Don Black, one of the world’s most accomplished lyricists into focus, offering a beautifully presented musical revue that traces his career through songs and autobiographical reflections. Directed by Nick Winston, the evening feels carefully assembled, with a thoughtfully curated programme that makes room for discovery alongside recognition. The lesser-known numbers provide an opportunity to appreciate Black’s work beyond the songs audiences can immediately hum, and there is considerable pleasure in hearing these pieces given such accomplished treatment, allowing the lyrics their place in the spotlight. The staging of this revue is equally assured. Sophia Pardon’s minimal...

God Save Us – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

9Oct

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

God Save Us – The Lion & Unicorn Theatre

French spies, educated women and badly filed paperwork make for chaotic comedy in this new show set in 1066. Only nine months since King Harold had an arrow through his eye, and the French are changing laws and imposing their language and customs on their newly conquered country. Clergymen Theodore (George MacGowan) and Nicholas (Xavier Atkins) have enough problems keeping the villagers in line, and when their French superior arrives and helps himself to a farm at the same time as a woman arrives from Yorkshire claiming the farm is hers, Theodore has his work cut out keeping everyone distracted while he tries to fix the mess. Rabble-rouser, Joan (Julie Joubert), is asked to write a morality play and Yorkshire woman Asa (Lily Blunsom) is given the lead part to keep both of them busy....

8Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

An Oak Tree – The Other Palace

Tim Crouch’s interesting spectacle is back after a fiercely popular run at the Young Vic last year. Now placed at The Other Palace main theatre and the performance is led by Tim Crouch himself and a different second performer every night. On this evening, we had the wonderful Gwyneth Keyworth. The script doesn’t change but in essence the performance will, having a different actor every night who is unaware of the script or the journey that their character will take. Crouch leads this second performer into the abyss with small scripts on clipboards, headphones linked to his microphone or at some points leading them with ‘now you say…’. This journey follows a father coming to a hypnotist’s (Crouch) failing show to confront him as he accidentally killed his daughter. Through this jo...

8Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Oh Zeus! – Queens Theatre

Oh Zeus! literally feels like a fever dream unfolding right before your eyes. We are introduced to three extremely talented and quick-witted actors: Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt. Between them, the trio take on a range of characters in this fast-paced and wonderfully chaotic production, which sees the Greek gods descend upon the wedding of Hebe and Gregg. As the celebrations unfold, we get to see how the gods react to the unlikely union between a Greek goddess and a mere mortal, with Zeus, played by Al Dunn, in particular, not taking the marriage particularly well. The humour is very much in the style of pantomime, sitcoms and childish comedy, with the production embracing the ridiculous and never taking itself too seriously. At times, the jokes are so absurd that you cannot help ...

8Oct

By Prateek SonnyNo Comments

London

What Would Jarvis Do? – Omnibus Theatre

Absurd, uncomfortable, silly, and hilarious - What Would Jarvis Do? is an intriguing production that draws heavily on the themes of theatre of the absurd while also having its own unique voice. Written by Laura Grillo and directed by Maiya Pascouche, the play tells the story of best friends Didi (Annabel Smith) and GG (Isabel Butt) – superfans of Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. Through their unconventional therapist, Ms Lacy (Maggie Daniels), they buy a pair of yellow trousers once owned by Jarvis Cocker – only they might not be Jarvis’ trousers at all. The play takes us on an unconventional yet familiar ride that explores the themes of materialism, identity, loss, grief, delusions, and recovery. You will see the shades of Beckett, Pinter, and Ionesco in its nar...

8Oct

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

10 Loves – The Bread & Roses Theatre

If a law required you to tell your partner that you love them ten times a day, would you do it because you do actually love them, or because you have been told to do so? Would you trust your partner when they said it back? Does saying it change the way you feel about the person one way or the other? Written and directed by Sining Gui, 10 Loves brings to life a dystopian alternate reality. One in which the government sets the rules for relationships. In this world, the law requires every married couple to spend an uninterrupted half an hour alone with each other. Additionally, they are required to say “I love you” to each other ten times a day. Taking us through this reality is a young couple played by Moana Doll and Daniel Hintner. A constant presence in their lives is a screen monit...

6Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Franz & Marie – Charing Cross Theatre

Franz & Marie is a tragic love story set in 19th-century Europe, where men are stationed on the front line and life is shaped by war, poverty and violence. At its heart is the relationship between Franz Woyzeck, played by Brenock O’Connor, and Marie, played by Jade Oswald, who have recently welcomed a newborn baby. Desperate to leave the front line and build a life with Marie and their child, Franz turns to medical experiments conducted by doctors to earn extra money. O’Connor is exceptional, portraying Franz as a vulnerable and increasingly traumatised man subjected to ludicrous experiments, including being forced to eat nothing but peas. As the production progresses, we see the psychological impact of war take its toll, with Franz’s mental health deteriorating before our eyes....