London Archives - Page 82 of 149

26May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Aspects of Love – Lyric Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love originally came to stage in 1989, this beautifully written adaptation with Lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart revisits the emotional tumultuous and ethically challenged love triangle set in post war France and Venice. Michael Ball returns to the stage as the accomplished George Dillingham. Actress Rose, fickle and in need of male affection is performed with palpable emotion and grit by Laura Pitt-Pulford. Giulietta, the Italian sculptor played by Danielle de Niese wows the theatre audience with her performance as George’s mistress. Their relationships become entwined within a web of egotistical jealousy, passion and complexity when Alex, Jamie Bogyo a soldier whose infatuation of love for Rose shifts awkwardly to Jenny his young cousin in an ...

24May

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Absent Friends – OSO Arts Centre

When you think of an Alan Ayckbourn play, a tragi-comedy set at a tea party, at a fringe venue overlooking a pond, you set yourself up for a lovely evening of theatre. And the theatre was indeed lovely, a beautiful exterior with an intimate performance space, but the venue is about the only thing that the show got right. Diana (Polly Smith) invites friends over for a tea party, after their long-lost friend, Colin Thomas Willshire), is supposedly grieving the death of his fiance. Tension is evident between and within the couples; Evelyn (Liv Koplick) has been sleeping with Diana’s husband, Paul (Eoin Lynch). Evelyn’s husband, John (Kieran Seabrook-France) is aware of this but doesn’t say anything; he is in business with Paul. Marge (Bridget Lambert) unsuccessfully attempts to maintain th...

22May

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Brokeback Mountain – Soho Place

Set in the wild Wyoming mountains during the 60s, Brokeback Mountain is based on Annie Proulx’s 1997 short story of the same name about two cowboys, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar working on a ranch who struggle with their feelings for each other in a hostile and unforgiving world. Most will be more familiar with the hit film adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. Directed by Jonathan Butterell, the story is told through the perspective of an older Ennis (brilliantly played by Paul Hickey), depressed and drinking alone in a bedroom, looking back on his past life with the solemn ‘Don’t Let the Years Get Your Down’ playing on the radio. Hickey appears throughout the story, sorrowfully looking back at his younger self, softly reacting to painful moments and decisions that shap...

A Brief List of Everyone Who Died – Finborough Theatre

20May

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

A Brief List of Everyone Who Died – Finborough Theatre

“There is no me in me without the way I love you”. A light, convivial family atmosphere transitions into a dark comedy as Graciela’s (Vivia Font) parents figure out how to tell her that their dog has died. Denial and questioning turns into blame and Graciela develops some sort of fear of her loved ones dying. Members of the cast take it in turns delineating the time passing as Gracie ages. Jacob Marx Rice’s script is mischievously witty and exuberant one moment before revealing undercurrents of disquiet and grief. Throughout the play, people in Gracie’s life die, and she struggles to deal with each one, until it eventually becomes her turn. What I loved about this play was its earnestness and the acute portrayal of grappling with something beyond your control. Font was emotiona...

20May

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Bleak Expectations – Criterion Theatre

Based on the award-winning BBC comedy of the same name, Mark Evans' Bleak Expectations takes everything you think you know about Charles Dickens work, chucks it in the air and sees where it lands. There are some recognisable features of Dickens - foggy London, mistaken identities, legal intricacies, cruel headmasters. There the similarities deliberately end. Evans' hilarious comedy is narrated by Sir Philip Bin, who takes the audience through his life, introducing the characters who have shaped him. Known as Pip, Sir Philip's overwhelming motivations are to protect his family and find true love. This does not always prove straightforward; he survives the cruelty of a public school with its regular beatings and lack of edible food, his mother goes mad after Pip's father dies abr...

20May

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Mustard – Arcola Theatre

Mustard, both written and performed by Eva O'Connor, is a one-woman show about Eva, a young Irish woman escaping the religious trappings of rural Ireland to London to study art. On a night out clubbing she meets a ‘smoking area man’, and after going back to his and discovering he is a professional cyclist, he is then known only as The Cyclist. O'Connor’s script is smart and zings, mustard being the only English ‘colonial’ item allowed in Eva’s home, lines about dipping Tayto and other moments leading to extra laughs from the knowing Irish in the audience. There are some lovely turns of phrase throughout including describing the caller id of her ex as ‘the letters and numbers that make him up’. O’Connor keeps the audience's attention throughout, a focused and measured delivery with lyric...

20May

By Anisha AnantpurkarNo Comments

London

At Birth – Baron’s Court Theatre

The stage is set with 3 stage-blocks, a couple of wine glasses, a bottle of white wine, and an assortment of stuffed animals neatly arranged in a corner. Sitting in an intimate setting watching Isaac (Ty Autry) and Anna (Thalia Gonzales Kane) work through an unplanned pregnancy was like dropping in on crucial moments of their life. The premise of the show is hilarious and intriguing– two best friends Anna, a lesbian, and Ty, a gold-star gay man, have sex. What starts off as a funny, light-hearted, and awkward piece, then explores the difficulties Anna faces after finding out that she is pregnant. Isaac and Anna, drinking wine, talking about past relationships, and feeling sexually frustrated but also too lazy to find other partners, express their desire to have sex. The first scene is l...

Once on this Island – Regents Park Open Air Theatre

18May

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

Once on this Island – Regents Park Open Air Theatre

I arrived back at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre to watch them kick off their 2023 summer season with a revival of Once on this Island. This 1990 original musical retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson version of the little mermaid tale, was set against the heat of the Caribbean sun, in the jewel of the Antilles. Once Upon This Island tells the story of the unending love of peasant girl Ti Moune for a boy Daniel. Where we will see if love can overcome death and settle a wager made by the Gods. The story and told through the staging of informing two young girls about their culture, within a fairy tale structure. Ti Moune is an innocent girl who longs for something more than the normal day to day life she lives “Waiting for Life”, she becomes the figure of interest of the G...

Around the World in 80 Days – Richmond Theatre

18May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Around the World in 80 Days – Richmond Theatre

The classic tale of Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, who, to win a wager, travel around the world in no less than 80 days, is back and this magical adventure has been brought to life once more. Fact meets fiction in this production as the audience is treated to the incredible true story of American journalist Nellie Bly who decided to take Phileas’ goals and make them a reality. In a somewhat Brecht style, the show is a “play within a play” and creates some fun stylistic moments. The set is bright and vibrant, allowing for dynamic movement across several levels, featuring some unusual and fun props. Though a cast of only five, this performance is nothing less than rich. Every cast member gives a full and polished performance, each playing at least three different characters, making it ...

10May

By Ely KingNo Comments

London

Operation Mincemeat – Fortune Theatre

A dead man, a newt obsession, and a birthday. If you’re looking for a camp, overambitious comedic production, then Operation Mincemeat is just for you. As long as you’re fine with being cramped into tiny seats and potentially having knees in the back of your head for the entire production. The Fortune Theatre has long been a theatre that has a love-hate reaction with punters, some adore it, some despise it. Sitting in the second row of the upper circle, the view would be expected to be clear, albeit slightly high up, however the safety rail completely blocks the entire centre line of the stage, and your neck can only handle so much craning – especially when your legs are in your chest and leaning back a fraction would have your head in the lap of the person behind you. Aside fr...