London Archives - Page 57 of 115

24Feb

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

The Winter’s Tale – Shakespeare’s Globe

Imagine that you go to see a play, and someone tells you everything that is going to happen next, but it is so amazing that it's hard to believe. That's when one knows the experience one is about to go through is unique. Marking the opening of the Globe's Folio 400th celebrations, The Winter's Tale, directed by Sean Holmes, takes us to a trip between the intimate and oppressive setting of Sicilia, staged in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and the open-air colorful and mostly vivid lands of Bohemia, staged in the Globe Theatre. The original five acts of the play are then organized in three acts, and the audience is led from the first hall to the second and then back inside again. As it is customary in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the empty stage greets us with the warm light of many cand...

22Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

My Brother’s Keeper – Theatre 503

Mahad Ali’s new play follows two refugee brothers, Aman and Hassan (Tapiwa Mugweni, Tito Williams) finding new life in a UK coastal town. Their new home is the local Bed and Breakfast owned by father and son; Bill Bradley and Aidan (Phillip Wright, Oscar Adams). Undergoing the stress of his father’s failing business, Aidan invites the brothers to stay in one of their rooms, much to his father’s concerns. We follow the rise of Aidan and Aman’s sweet romance; although Aidan struggling with his depression, he is pulled into new territories and told to face them as Aman says ‘we face forwards, not backwards’. Hassan’s main focus is to make as much money as he can, only to send it back to his wife and child. An unexpected friendship brings Hassan and Bill together in the form of running, Bill b...

22Feb

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Romeo and Julie – National Theatre

While any trip to the theatre is a joy and a privilege for me, occasionally something lifts the bar and the experience becomes “more than”. Those times when a production touches a place inside you and leaves you feeling full and empty at the same time, in line with your emotions being pulled to their extremities by characters that you’ll never meet again but somehow feel you know. Last night’s performance was definitely a “more than” event – truly great writing, brilliantly executed, phenomenal cast. As the title suggested, Romeo and Julie takes its inspiration from the Bard’s classic Romeo and Juliet. While this is well-trodden ground as a storyline, Romeo and Julie genuinely feels fresh and unique. Gary Owen’s Romeo (Callum Scott Howells) is a single dad on the breadline with no...

22Feb

By Anisha AnantpurkarNo Comments

London

Age Is a Feeling – Soho Theatre

‘Here are twelve stories about what’s to come in your adult years’, says Haley McGee at the top of Age Is a Feeling, and for some reason, I instantly trust her. The stage is set with a tall lifeguard chair, with lit candles on a small platform underneath the seat. The chair sits in the centre of a circle marked by 12 pole-like potted flowering plants. Each plant bears a small card with a word written on it in large letters. The audience hears 6 stories, each picked by an audience member, and we are left with just a hint of what might’ve happened in the ones we don’t pick. Haley McGee, barefoot and dressed in a black blouse featuring some lace and jeans soiled by dirt, picks some cards off the plants and walks towards members of the audience seated closest to the stage. She then asks ...

21Feb

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

The Beach House – Park Theatre

Arriving at the theatre last night to find an almost full choice of unreserved seats I instantly regretted tucking myself into a corner and wondered if I’d get the most out of the four-sided stage. I needn’t have worried, though; and was heartened to see that Director Bethany Pitts’s biography includes Jules and Juniper, which was my North West End UK pick of 2022. The Beach House was reminiscent of this in terms of the fluidity and the smoothness of movement – fitting for a play set by the sea. The performers make full use of a tight space and are in almost constant motion – physically and maybe emotionally too. This is complemented by the gentle use of lighting which perfectly moves the action through time, from a dawn interrupted by a crying new born to New Year’s Eve fireworks. &nbs...

20Feb

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

The Tinker – VAULT Festival

In the middle of the night, as a storm rages all around, there is a sudden knock on your door. A man in ragged clothes seeks shelter for the evening - do you let him in? Frank (Keon Martial-Phillip) and Evelyn (Lauren O’Leary) left the big city and moved to a distant rural home to take over the day-to-day running of the family whiskey business. The house is described as built for company, but it feels cold and impersonal. There are hints of love and warmth between the couple, but they are bogged down with distance and loss which threatens to overwhelm them as they seek solace following the disappearance of their only child. It is only in brief moments we see their love through the tangle and depression, almost as if they both know their relationship is broken but have made an active dec...

19Feb

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Text & Delete – King’s Head Theatre

We’ve all had a flatmate we’ve hated right? Two women who are each other’s complete opposites attempt to coexist in a flat share, and after deeply hidden secret is revealed, we explore the continuum from enemies to budding friends. A fantastic new show, from In Her Element theatre production bringing together drama and comedy for a one act production full of laughs and unexpected comfort. The staging of this show at the King’s Head Theatre was well done, the small space was made to look like a living/dining room through furniture and through characters being off stage when they were in bedrooms or the kitchen. This made the production feel so intimate, like we were spectators sitting inside their living room. Both actresses multi role in this show and they do it fantastically. ...

19Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Medea – Soho Place

Soho Place’s second classic, since recently opening as the newest West End theatre, is ‘Medea’ played by Sophie Okonedo and directed by Dominic Cooke. This tale is renowned, presenting to the world a woman consumed with revenge. Opposite her is Ben Daniels, taking on all male parts swiftly moving between characters like putting on fresh new skin. The space being in the round completed this picture of judgement circling Medea as she mourns the life she left behind, killing her own brother and defying her city to live a life with Jason. Upon arrival, Jason moves on to Creon’s daughter with the desire of power and wealth, leaving Medea and their two children. As the tragedy begins, Medea wails beneath the stage as her nurse seeks our guidance. Placed within the audience, the Women of Corin...

19Feb

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

The Masks of Aphra Behn – The Space

Seeing passionate performances is always a beautiful experience, and performers who love their work are always an enjoyable company. Even more so if they are former spies. The Masks of Aphra Behn, written and performed by Claire Louise Amias and directed by Pradeep Jey, is being brought back to The Space in the context of a fundraiser to build a statue in Canterbury commemorating Aphra Behn. This interesting piece is a well told story about the adventures of the historic figure as a spy. The play begins with one mask, the only physical mask we will see during the performance. The other metaphorical masks will come in and out in a succession of interesting intrigues and political affairs. The actor and writer Clare Louise Amias strongly connects from the very beginning with the audien...

18Feb

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Phaedra – The National Theatre

Simon Stone’s take on this Greek Tragedy finds itself in a domestic setting, ostensibly a quintessentially British family sitcom. It feels familiar, from the witty, jesting Dad (Paul Chahidi), to the moody teenage son (Archie Barnes), the uptight, activist daughter (Mackenzie Davis) and the quirky son-in-law (John MacMillan). But in spite of the sharp back-and-forths and intellectual masturbation, the mother, Helen’s cool, detached demeanour belies an unsettling tension. The family eagerly await their guest, Sofiane (Assaad Bouab), the son of Helen’s dead Moroccan lover Ashraf. His arrival creates a seismic wave over the family, as he seems to exude a profound peace, intrigue and wisdom. When it becomes clear that Helen and Sofiane hold different versions of Ashraf’s death, Sofiane rages b...