London Archives - Page 72 of 96

Operation Mincemeat – Southwark Playhouse

19Jan

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

Operation Mincemeat – Southwark Playhouse

One of the craziest true stories in Britain’s history, ‘Operation Mincemeat’ was a wartime deception that somehow successfully fooled Hitler into changing his invasion plans in 1943, and all thanks to the well-dressed corpse of a homeless man who’d died by ingesting rat poison and was shipped off to Spain with a briefcase full of fabricated documents. Production company SpitLip got their hands on this fascinating historical nugget, thought “that would make a great musical”, threw in some ‘Monty Python’-style shenanigans alongside the catchy tunes, and the result is a brilliantly entertaining show that is playing right now at the Southwark Playhouse, after enjoying successful runs in 2020 and 2021 following its 2019 debut at the New Diorama Theatre. ‘Operation Mincemeat’ is the...

The Rubber Merchants – Old Red Lion Theatre

14Jan

By Louise PennNo Comments

London

The Rubber Merchants – Old Red Lion Theatre

A lengthy and absurdist look at commerce, love and sex, this revival of Hanoch Levin’s tragicomic play is brought to the stage by Gamayun Theatre and proves to be an uncomfortable and disquieting watch. The Rubber Merchants is about staying safe, with Asya Sosis’s production attempting to merge “the absurdist comedy of Israeli literature, Ukranian theatre tradition and British styles of performance”. With a floor strewn with packing peanuts, a throbbing disco beat, and a constant drooling objectification of women, this play somehow struggles to hit its mark. Yohanan Tsingerhai (sweaty, nervous, a borderline pervert around women, played by Tom Dayton), Bella Berlow (unpleasant and impenetrable, played by Hadas Kershaw), and Shmuel Sproll (a jaded would-be rock star, played by Joseph ...

22Dec

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Julie Madly Deeply – Park Theatre

Dame Julie Andrews is one of the few genuine British theatre icons, beloved by millions the world over, and with a career spanning seven decades. One of those fans - a mega-fan in fact - is Sarah-Louise Young, who in this funny, affectionate and joyful tribute celebrates the life and work of the woman everyone knows as Mary Poppins or Maria von Trapp. Young may have written a fan letter to Andrews when she was a child, but she avoids simply gushing about the highs of Julie Andrews' career, also presenting the other side of her life, the failed marriage, the casting of Audrey Hepburn in the film of My Fair Lady despite Andrews' stage triumph in the role, the 15-year low point and lack of work after her topless appearance in second husband Blake Edwards' movie, S.O.B., the devastating...

Now That’s What We Call Musicals – Soho Theatre

17Dec

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Now That’s What We Call Musicals – Soho Theatre

With the threat of another cancelled Christmas around the corner, it can be tough to get into the festive mood. But have no fear, with ‘Now that’s what we call musicals’ you have no choice but to smile and sing and tap your feet and laugh and feel jolly and bouncy and happy and all of those wonderful emotions you wish could carry on forever. Because Le Gateau Chocolat & Jonny Woo, drag queens extraordinaire, are just the most entertaining and talented duo this side of the West End. Dubbed the ‘Ebony and Ivory of drag’, the sequin-wearing pair (one costume among many) perform a range of popular songs with comic effect. Marauding their way through a medley of musical highs their alternative take on well-known scores will razzle you dazzle you and have you shouting for more. But don’t...

17Dec

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Best of Enemies – Young Vic

Travelling back to 1968, we are thrown of where to look. Television screens dotted in all directors, visual designs bringing the floor to life and a sudden influx of the famous figures who used to run America’s screens. This incredibly insightful, heated performance of America’s leading news channels battling out to pull in the most viewers, follows the ABC network trying out a new form of entertainment: putting opposite political views together and discussing. Where this may be a very popular and everyday occurrence for this day and age, we see how this now, almost obsessive form of television was brought to life. In particular we follow William F Buckley, a conservative popular figure battle it out with the Liberal, ‘Gore Vidal’ as they discuss the upcoming election. Through these cu...

10Dec

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Fair Play – Bush Theatre

Ella Road's new play 'Fair Play' offers an incisive look into the world of women's athletics and the lives of those who inhabit it. Premiering at the Bush Theatre, the show invites the audience to glimpse into the pressures and anxieties that these athletes deal with, having to contend with never-ending public scrutiny and judgement passed on their bodies, lifestyles and choices, on the track field and outside. Directed by Monique Touko and designed by Naomi Dawson, there is a searing rhythm to the evening that doesn’t let us look away for even a second. The play opens with Ann (Nick King), a young Black girl who has joined a local running club in London. Here, she meets Sophie (Charlotte Beaumont) has been training for a while. Both these young girls are short-distance runners in trai...

Doctor Who: Time Fracture – Unit HQ, London

10Dec

By Coral MourantNo Comments

London

Doctor Who: Time Fracture – Unit HQ, London

17 different worlds, 43 live actors, around two hours and one mission; to save the universe. You've been selected by the Doctor to join the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, also known as UNIT, to investigate the time fracture. The rift in time and space is becoming out of control. There's not long left before it destroys all of existence! In this story there needs to be a hero, and this time, it's you. The Doctor Who experience, presented by Immersive Everywhere, is a masterpiece of promenade theatre. Whilst similar types of production exist, you have never seen one on this scale before. Catering to a beloved fanbase who know the details and expect perfection, I think what they get is pretty close. From the outside it looks like an ordinary warehouse, but, predictably, the building i...

8Dec

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

The Last Nativity – The Actor’s Church

“Now’s the perfect time for the nativity. They’re drunk enough that they’ll be forgiving but not so drunk that they’re falling asleep.” Thus, siblings Laura, Blake and Mia begin the performance of the nativity play that Laura scripted when they were just children. Now all grown up, and having grown apart, the three return home for Christmas to discover that the last minute addition of Nana Sue to the family celebrations means their Secret Santa exchange is a gift short. Younger sister Mia (they never say she’s the youngest, but you can always tell, can’t you?), an actor struggling for work, devises the idea of giving Nana Sue the gift of a performance of a much loved nativity play, complete with badly aged songs (Santa Give Me A Kiss For Christmas would definitely have attracted the at...

8Dec

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Algorithms – Soho Theatre

Every so often you come across a show that is pure theatrical brilliance. Witty, hilarious, sad, relatable and performed with delicious tragicomic timing, Sadie Clark's "Algorithms" is quite simply one of the best shows of 2021. It's not surprising that the play had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 and went on to win the TV Foundation's 'Stage to Screen' New Voice Award in 2020. Brooke is facing the milestone of her 30th birthday amid the debris of the sudden failure of her relationship, leaving her with nothing but Amira's dying succulents. She wants and desperately needs a new person in her life - hopefully hooking up before her birthday party so she can show her mother she has a date - and uses the services of the online dating company she works for a...

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Lyric Theatre

7Dec

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Lyric Theatre

To say that I went into Showstopper! not knowing what to expect is an understatement. I’m sure most people have gone to the theatre with minimal detail on what they’re about to see, but in the case of Showstopper! even the cast has no idea how the performance is going to unfold. This is because the entire production is completely improvised; from the musical numbers to the storyline and script, the cast and musicians are completely winging it, taking some direction from the audience. Audience participation is fast paced, led last night by Sean McCann who opens by taking suggestions for the location, inspiration and title of the show from the audience, which we voted on in the time-honoured tradition of applause and foot stamping. Establishing that “Ice-Olated” was to be set in a remote...