London Archives - Page 85 of 107

30Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Old Bridge – Bush Theatre

British-Bosnian writer Igor Memic's debut play 'Old Bridge' seeks to shine a light on the on the armed conflict that took place in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Winner of the 2020 Papatango New Writing Prize, Memic situates the narrative around the Stari Most (also known as Mostar Bridge and Old Bridge), a 16th-century bridge in the city of Mostar that was destroyed during the conflict. The play is an intimately layered exploration of love, religion and identity during war and follows a group of friends whose lives get relentlessly entangled in the fallout. This production at the Bush Theatre is directed by Selma Dimitrijevic and designed by Oli Townsend, with Amela Beha as cultural advisor and George Turvey as dramaturg. The play opens at the site of the 'Ol...

Jazz Meets Flamenco – Sadler’s Wells Theatre

30Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Jazz Meets Flamenco – Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Professional dancer and singer Karen Ruimy took to the Lilian Baylis Studio at Sadler’s Wells Theatre to bring together two of her passions – Flamenco and jazz music. In this show, she brings together exciting, foot-tapping numbers from her album ‘Black Coffee’ with a live musical ensemble, including Flamenco dancers and musicians, from Spain and the United Kingdom. Released earlier this year, her EP 'Black Coffee' features a selection of covers in English, French and Spanish, blending Jazz ballads with a distinctive Latin flavour. Collaborating with the late producer Phil Ramone, Ruimy accesses musical influences from different cultures and fuses them together in what proved to be a thoroughly enchanting production. The show opens with first three songs of the evening, namely 'Black Co...

28Nov

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Aladdin – Lyric Hammersmith

Panto's resurgence in recent years has brought new attention to a format which often is a child's introduction to live theatre. Vikki Stone's re-imagining of the traditional Aladdin keeps the plot (well, not that there is much plot and what there is makes little sense) and brings in modern elements of beatboxing, references to TikTok, current politics and celebrity gossip. The leads wear tracksuits, the princess is feisty and unwilling to be married off to just anyone or at all but the villain is still evil and the good guys win in the end. The show starts with a song about how they all know they are just pretending because they are in panto. The audience does already know that, obviously, but it's a very on-the-nose statement to start by challenging the high level of suspen...

28Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Flinch – Pleasance Theatre

Emma Hemingford’s two-hander ‘Flinch’ returns for a new UK tour after its 2019 premiere at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London. Tracing the gradual breakdown of a young couple's relationship, Flinch offers a complex perspective on modern dating. Directed by Gemma Aked-Priestley and produced by Liam McLaughlin Productions, the show emphasizes the unrelenting negotiation between words and action in defining personal boundaries and shared intimacy. We meet Jess (Emma Hemingford), a 25-year old working actor who has just finished drama school and is on the lookout for her first break into the industry. She's expressive, extroverted and a little self-conscious. For the last three years, she has been dating Mark (Benjamin Aluwihare), a 25-year old working professional who works as a foreign ex...

While The Sun Shines – Orange Tree Theatre

26Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

While The Sun Shines – Orange Tree Theatre

British writer Terence Rattigan’s 1943 comedy ‘While The Sun Shines’ makes a grand return at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, after its sold-out run in 2019. Directed by Orange Tree Theatre’s artistic director Paul Miller, the show breathes a new life into Rattigan’s sharply-written farce about a lovers’ quarrel in the backdrop of the war through well-crafted performances and an engaging in-the-round staging. When it was first published, the show surpassed the success of Rattigan’s 1936 comedy ‘French Without Tears’ and had an immensely popular run of over 1000 performances on the West End. Many attribute this to Rattigan’s ability to wring humour from ordinary characters in absurd situations as well as subtly acknowledge the circumstances and implications of war in day-to-day life....

26Nov

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Yes So I Said Yes – Finborough Theatre

David Ireland is known for his particularly absurd, political and wildly unpredictable pieces. This new play does not fail to reach and exceed the marks he has set for himself. David was commissioned, along with Robert Anthony Welch to write in response to the 100th anniversary of the Partition and what was created was an utter shock from start to end. Starting with only tiptoeing into dark territory to then diving head first to the end of the dark comedy spectrum. This piece does push buttons and people- but that is the intention. The piece follows ‘Snuffy’ (Daragh O’Malley) a Northern Irish protestant who begins in a Doctors office asking for advice on his neighbour’s dog who is constantly barking, so much so that he cannot sleep at night. Although he asks the neighbour to keep his do...

26Nov

By Natalie J RomeoNo Comments

London

A Christmas Carol – The Old Vic

Returning for its fifth year to The Old Vic, Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ feels as new, as innovative and as compelling as it ever was and always will be. On entering the theatre, it’s as if the show has already started, as the entire company mill about, dressed head to toe in dramatic black overcoats and top hats, offering mince pies and oranges to just seated audience members. The hearty welcome and wishes of ‘Merry Christmas’ set the tone for the evening immediately; the excitement in the room was palpable. Enticingly, this show is performed in the round. This may not be entirely unusual, but it it’s not something all that typical in my experience either, and definitely piqued my interest as to how this would influence the production. As it turns out, this may be the most ...

25Nov

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

London

Constellations – Donmar Warehouse

“We’ve effectively asked the same question twice and come up with two completely different answers” says Marianne… and there, in a nutshell, is the essence of this beautiful play by Nick Payne. Constellations tells the journey of a relationship, but it is not told in order from start to finish. Instead, you see multiple possibilities for each conversation as the story unfolds, highlighting the various key points as Roland and Marianne meet and fall in love. Along the way it makes you question life’s purpose, and the control you think you have over your own situation. The writing is clever, and full of nuance; fully realised by the careful direction of Michael Longhurst. It would be easy for a production like this to become repetitive and slow, but the cast and creative teams have wor...

24Nov

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Rumi: The Musical – London Coliseum

Such a spectacular piece can only be matched with the grand space of the London Coliseum; however, I feel this musical may have struggled to reach to the far edges due to its complexity and subtlety. Rumi is a world-famous poet, many know him without knowing they know him, and this piece does an excellent re-telling played by the talented Nadim Naaman who voice, like many of the cast, has no problem with reaching the heights of the theatre. Matched with Ramin Karimloo who plays his guide and equal in learning, with a 28-piece orchestra, this musical experience is no less than magic. The style and intention, however, was quite unclear. Knowing that this is an idea come to life in lockdown and has been a work in progress for a while I feel slightly forgiving to the unclear moments howe...

22Nov

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Juliet & Romeo – The Chelsea Theatre

One common criticism about Shakespeare’s work (and any attempts stage in today’s day and age) is the inaccessibility of the language as well as the socio-political environment of the Elizabethan era which is harder for contemporary audiences to relate to. Both these concerns are allayed spectacularly in the Intermission Youth Theatre’s (IYT) adaptation of the bard’s Juliet & Romeo (note the change in order) that’s currently playing at the Chelsea Theatre. In an exciting and urgent production directed by IYT Artistic Director Darren Raymond, we witness an ensemble of young actors (some stepping on the stage for the first time) breathe fresh life into words written over 400 years ago and do so in a way that allows them to own the truth of the characters they embody. This is backed by ...