London Archives - Page 8 of 150

Fawlty Towers The Play – New Wimbledon Theatre

22Oct

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Fawlty Towers The Play – New Wimbledon Theatre

John Cleese’s iconic Fawlty Towers begins its UK and Ireland tour in Wimbledon following its record-breaking sold-out run in the West End and it does not disappoint. The nostalgia is evident from the start. The iconic opening theme track plays as the audience settle down into a completely immersive and true to style sequence at Fawlty Towers. The set is eye catching and captures the essence of the series completely. The familiar reception and dining area are the perfect spaces for the dialogue and humour to play out and the characters float effortlessly between the two sets, providing the perfect backdrop for the chaos to unfold. What makes this show standout is the performances from each cast member, their impeccable acting skills and comedic timing which is a true joy to experience...

20Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Skeleton – Etcetera Theatre

Skeleton is a new one-woman horror play, written and performed by Lucy Spreckley, which delivers some intriguing and spooky thrills. At its best moments, Skeleton is atmospheric, unsettling, and creepy. Spreckley’s script does an excellent job of keeping the audience slightly disorientated, by drip feeding just the right amount of information to keep us intrigued and wanting to know more, without leaving us totally confused. Uncomfortable descriptions of childhood trauma are sprinkled in with just the right amount of frequency to gradually build a sense of mystery and dread. Lloyd Smith’s direction makes effective use of sound and lighting design to enhance this sense of dread further. Spreckley’s performance is solid; she equally effectively portrays emotional vulnerability, panicked t...

Michael Rosen: Getting Through It – The Old Vic

20Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Michael Rosen: Getting Through It – The Old Vic

Getting Through It is a poignant, inspiring, heartbreaking and heartwarming storytelling show by acclaimed children’s author Michael Rosen (We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Michael Rosen’s Sad Book). Unlike Michael Rosen’s best-known work, Getting Through It is not aimed at children. The show is a double bill of two true, personal stories. The first – The Death of Eddie – is about the sudden death of Michael’s son Eddie to meningitis, and Michael’s subsequent grief. The second story – Many Kinds of Love – is about Michael’s 48-day stay in intensive care due to COVID-19. Despite the heavy subject matter of both stories, the show is life-affirming, humorous, and absolutely engaging. Like in his children’s books, Michel’s language is simple and matter of fact. He chooses to describe events s...

The Soon Life – Southwark Playhouse Borough

20Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Soon Life – Southwark Playhouse Borough

The Soon Life opens with precise staging, a brightly lit room with a sofa, table and garniture you would expect to see in any home. However, this was different a birth pool was inflated and positioned to one side of the room. Birthing books visible, a moses basket assembled, a sign of welcoming a new life, a baby. This was a planned home birth during a time of unknown risks from Covid 19, and hospital considered an unsafe place to give birth. Phoebe Mcintosh is Bec a mixed-race young woman, pregnant and in the early stage of her labour. Whilst bouncing on her birthing ball in a zen state, calm, in control, listening to direction from her headphones, in walks the ‘ex’, Alex, (Joe Boylan). This disruption sets the tone of the play and the couple’s timeline in their relationship which brou...

19Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Fanny – King’s Head Theatre

Fanny is a hilarious and clever play that blends fact and fiction to retell the story of Fanny Mendelssohn. Set in the nineteenth century, the play explores the life of Fanny, sister to the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn. While classical music lovers may be familiar with Felix’s work, Fanny’s contributions are often overlooked, despite evidence that she co-composed several of his pieces. The play highlights how Felix discouraged her from publishing her own music, adding a bittersweet edge beneath the comedy. This production offers a brilliantly funny introduction to the Mendelssohn family and the colourful cast of characters surrounding them. The story focuses on Fanny as she’s courted by Wilhelm, played by Riad Richie. Richie’s sharp timing, quick wit, and playful energy delivered s...

17Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Private Lives – Rose Theatre Kingston

What a life of ruse, where “Love and Chaos Collide” in Noel Coward’s Private Lives. It is evident that some knowledge of Noel Coward,his character as a playwright, composer and director, would stand you in good stead to appreciate this play. Coward was a distinguished actor flamboyant full of wit and charm using the English language like a tool to convey drama, comedy in a unique style that became his trademark. Private Lives a 1930 Coward’s comedy classic has seen many revivals in the past and this new production directed by Tanuja Amarasuriya has a sleek “modern connection” to the original. Written about the lives of a couple separated by divorce only to meet again on their honeymoon night with their new spouses. Their eyes meet on the hotel balcony, the chemistry reignites, and rekin...

The Flowers of Srebrenica – Jacksons Lane Theatre

17Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Flowers of Srebrenica – Jacksons Lane Theatre

The novel The Flowers of Srebrenica was written in 2022 by Aidan Hehir. In her director's notes Lara Parmiani states that this play is not intended to be an adaptation, but rather the spark for its conception. As a result, the play has a feeling of being devised in a theatre workshop rather than following a prewritten script. It is highly visual with a slight narrative and is performed by actors from three countries that have experienced recent civil wars. The play is performed in English, although some of the diction was not always clear. It tells the story of Aidan, an Irish lecturer, visiting Bosnia to expand his knowledge of the conflicts about which he teaches. He is driven to Srebrenica by Mohammed, who turns out to have been much involved in the conflicts, and who leads Aidan to ...

Top Hat the Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

15Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Top Hat the Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

Top Hat, a musical genre from bygone days comes to the New Wimbledon Theatre with style and grace. What is striking from the outset is Peter Mckintosh set designs which spin round and glide on and off stage to create the perfect scenic backdrop for this timeless performance. Together with Yvonne Milnes their costume design was exquisite and transports you right back into the grandeur of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, this did not disappoint. This 1935 crazy comedy with quirky storylines and ‘goofy’ mishaps is reflected very well in this version of Top Hat. A catalogue of mistaken identity, love and romance sees Jerry Travers played by Phillip Attmore shine with his toe tapping dance moves, sublime and joyous to watch. Complimented by Lindsay Atherton as Dale Tremont. In this perf...

14Oct

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Lifers – Southwark Playhouse Borough

As part of my drama degree in late ‘90s Liverpool, we were required to complete a Theatre In Education project (TIE). The aim was to bring live performance to a civic space where such larks are rare or unlikely. Stage a grime-infused Macbeth at an inner-city school. Perform avant garde ballet in a local authority funded care home. That type of thing. Together with my crew of fellow misfits on my course, we opted to bring our theatrical talents to the most captive of audiences, prison inmates. The concept shattered when faced with the complex, frustrating and brutal reality of staging anything in a prison. Simply visiting an inmate at a UK correctional facility is never less than a bureaucratic, dystopian terror trip. Do-gooding, weed-fuelled drama students are likely fall hard at the fi...

Radio Live: Next Generation – Battersea Arts Centre

13Oct

By Ralph JeffreysNo Comments

London

Radio Live: Next Generation – Battersea Arts Centre

Radio Live: Next Generation is not really a play, nor does it claim to be. It is something else altogether. Over two hours, Aurélie Charon speaks to two interviewees: Oksana Leuta, from Ukraine, and Amir Hassan, from Gaza. They recount stories of their childhood, their families and their communities. Then they tell us about the wars that have disrupted all of these things. It is an even-paced few hours in the theatre, never really seeking to grab you, but never lagging either. Whether the memory being discussed is extreme or more every day, it is approached in a similar fashion, with Charon asking her questions simply. Crucially, the focus of the interview is entirely on the experiences of Hassan and Leuta. The politics of the play are thus firmly grounded in the personal. This is th...