London Archives - Page 6 of 149

Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

30Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical offers a fresh, musical twist on the beloved Percy Jackson books. It tells the nostalgic story of a boy born a half-blood: half human, half god, as he begins to uncover his identity and the challenges that come with it. As Percy searches for the truth about his father, a war between the gods breaks out, and he is faced with the task of proving his innocence in the theft of Zeus’ lightning bolt. The storyline of the musical is fast paced; however, each setback Percy faces seems to be resolved too quickly. There is rarely a sense of real danger, as every problem finds a convenient solution, from his mother’s sudden return to life, to the ease with which Percy and his friends reach the Underworld. These elements make the production feel som...

Moominvalley in November – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

30Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Moominvalley in November – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Moominvalley in November is a new musical adaptation of Tove Jansson’s book of the same name – the final book in the Moomin series. The first thing that stands out is the wonderful production design. The audience arrive to see gorgeous set (designed by Lu Herbert), with beautifully painted trees and fallen leaves, a lovely painted river and – in the centre – the Moominhouse. Warm shades of red, orange, and brown effortless evoke autumn, while the soft blue of the house stands out. Once the show begins, the costumes (also by Lu Herbert) are just as delightful as the set design. Even if you only have a passing familiarity with Moomins, you’ll recognise Snufkin’s iconic getup, which has been lovingly adapted. The designs do not attempt to perfectly imitate the original illustrations,...

RSC’s Wendy & Peter Pan – The Barbican Centre

30Oct

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

RSC’s Wendy & Peter Pan – The Barbican Centre

‘Peter Pan’ or ‘The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’ was dreamed up by Scottish author, J M Barrie and released in 1904 as a play, and then later written as the novel ‘Peter and Wendy’. The story about the much-loved mischievous boy who did not grow up, was turned into a magical children’s Disney favourite in 1953, which was based upon the play. The new script has been a labour of love for director Jonathan Mundy, and writer Ella Hickson, re-imagining this classic story into a modernised view of equal roles for women, with Wendy taking on a more vocal role dealing with the loss of her brother, and becoming the healer of wounds in Neverland, and at home with her parents. Since the Disney movie was produced, the role of the woman has changed in society, with many more women bei...

30Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Kindling – Park Theatre

Per the final wishes of a dead mutual friend, five very different perimenopausal women come together for a camping trip in Wales. The set design by Abi Groves goes a long way to make the play really feel like an authentic camping trip. The entire floor of the stage is covered with plant litter and woodland detritus. As the actors move around, they kick up leaves and twigs, creating realistic sound. The stage quickly becomes cluttered with tents, camping chairs, rucksacks, Ikea bags, and Tupperware, all haphazardly scattered around. The design immediately and evocatively captures the essence of a camping trip with friends. Not everything is as effective as the set design; some issue with the script and direction hold the play back in the earlier scenes. Some characters are presented a...

The Assembled Parties – Hampstead Theatre

29Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Assembled Parties – Hampstead Theatre

First impressions, this play has no boundaries when it comes to flaunting American political ideology and Jewish patronage. But it is difficult to comprehend where it is positioned within the context of contemporary societal life in Manhattan in the 1980’s. Is this a drama about exposing family truths and values in the guise of Christmas tradition, rented housing, or world affairs. There are more questions than answers in this adaptation of Richard Greenbergs American stage play, The Assembled Parties. Set in an opulent rented apartment, West Side New York a proud extended Jewish family settle in to share and celebrate a Christian festival ‘Christmas Lunch. Their son Scotty is home from college and has invited his pal Jeff Sam Marks to join in the celebrations. Jeff’s relationship with ...

29Oct

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Play Dead – The Horse Hospital

As the trend for celebrity performers and popular stories continues to dominate the West End, it becomes increasingly important to support and highlight new writing and underground talent. Last week, Nadine Rennie, co-chair of the Casting Directors Guild warned that this commercially driven, fever for the famous is like, “feeding a child too much sugar.” As the trend towards box office safe bets shows no sign of retreating, it was a bracing thrill to experience Play Dead by Bailey Edwards at The Horse Hospital. This wasn’t a spoonful of crowd-pleasing sugar. It more like a judicious jab of crystal meth, followed by a slap. Play Dead is a unique, queer, grimly comic modern myth about obsession, addiction, co-dependence and the fragile nature of sanity. It features the author, Edwards ...

1884, an anti colonial game-theatre show at the Wellcome Collection

28Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

1884, an anti colonial game-theatre show at the Wellcome Collection

Without any previous research, I chose to enter this piece blind in which I am immensely glad I did. Created by Rhianna Llube, we wait patiently at the doors. We are told this is as immersive as you chose it to be, you can simply observe or be as active as you desire. Once inside you have a choice of 5 tables to sit at, you are encouraged to start as strangers and so as a solo traveller that is what I did. In front of you, you have a home, a letter holder, and a few counters with pieces of furniture on them. The actors begin their welcoming speeches, inviting us to a new society in which we are all separate families building their homes. The set and costume is beautifully designed, almost 50’s American style with pale blues, pinks and browns to express solidarity and neutrality. We begi...

27Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

The Monkey’s Paw – The Hope Theatre

The Monkey’s Paw, currently haunting the intimate Hope Theatre, is a stage adaptation of the classic supernatural tale of the same name. This version narrows its focus onto a young married couple wrestling with real-world struggles, mounting bills and the deep emotional fallout of a recent miscarriage. The show opens with a beautifully staged movement sequence tracing their relationship from first sparks of romance to marriage, pregnancy, and heartbreak. It’s wordless but full of emotional detail, giving the audience a sense of the life they’ve built, and what they’ve lost, before the supernatural intervenes. When a mysterious talisman, the titular monkey’s paw, enters their lives, it allows them to grant their desperate wish: a child of their own. But as with all good cautionary tal...

The Constant Cold – Baron’s Court Theatre

27Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

The Constant Cold – Baron’s Court Theatre

With a runtime of just 30 minutes, The Constant Cold by Zoë Cooper delivers a tight package of thrills and jump-scares while attempting to explore wider themes of misogyny, gaslighting, sexual assault, and the silencing of women’s voices. The plot follows three flatmates, one of whom – Megan – comes home frightened after a terrifying experience while walking home at night. As more and more frightening and unexplained things happen, the three are forced to face the existence of the supernatural as well as confronting difficult truths about one another as past events resurface. The script is engaging and creepy at times, but falters during the more intimate, character-focused moments. The characters aren’t well-developed, including the protagonist Megan (Zoë Cooper). Most of what we le...

The Wolf of Poyais – Golden Goose Theatre

24Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

The Wolf of Poyais – Golden Goose Theatre

The Wolf of Poyais is a new one-man historical satire play from BlueBar productions, written by Sam Went and starring Joz Norris. It tells the fascinating true story of con man Gregor MacGregor, who – in the early 1800s – swindled hundreds of people out of hundreds of thousands of pounds with an outrageous, fraudulent scheme. Sam Went’s script is both well-researched and very entertaining. The story itself is absolutely fascinating in itself, but Went’s script injects it with even more humour and poignancy. The script is darkly funny; it revels in the absurdity of MacGregor’s scheme, while still treating the devastating impact it had on people’s lives with gravitas. Many plays based on true stories fall into the trap of simply depicting one historical event after another, w...