London Archives - Page 86 of 123

A Doll’s House Part 2 – Donmar Warehouse

24Jun

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

A Doll’s House Part 2 – Donmar Warehouse

A dark house lifts off the stage to reveal its interior, and we are drawn into the intimate space. The story follows on from Ibsen’s classic, presenting their world fifteen years later. Nora has found purpose as a famous writer under a pseudonym but returns home to settle pressing legal matters. The set designed by Rae Smith has a cool, clinical feel like it hasn’t been lived in as none of the characters are truly settled and its initial state is mysterious and bleak, like it holds a chamber of secrets. Noma Dumezweni’s Nora is controlled and meticulously crafted. With a fierce moral code and ideals, she is earthy and wise yet there is something indefinable about her. As Nora’s interacts with the other characters, she is fluid and playful yet grounded by her unswerving principles. ...

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World – Theatre Royal, Stratford East

24Jun

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World – Theatre Royal, Stratford East

The brand-new pop musical, Fantastically Great Women is an inspirational and moving celebration of female empowerment. Set to an original, fun, and strong score, this musical demonstrates the importance of being yourself and discovering how you want to change the world. We are introduced to the inquisitive heroine of the show, Jade, who gets separated from her school group on a trip to the museum. She discovers the not yet open Gallery of Greatness, where she meets twelve influential women from history, who help her on her path to discovering who she wants to be. At only eleven years old, Jade is concerned she is running out of time to make a difference, but she soon learns that it is not about when you make history, just that you don’t ever give up trying to. The show opens with the...

19Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

That Is Not Who I Am – Royal Court

"Just cos it's in your imagination doesn't mean it's not real." Dave Davidson's first (and possibly last) play is a conceit, wrapped in an enigma, inside just about every conspiracy theory on social media. Set in the style of those ever-popular true crime drama documentaries, the playwright acts as narrator, but he/she is also hiding in plain sight. Undercover due to alleged Government surveillance, writer Lucy Kirkwood (Chimerica, Mosquitoes) gives actor Priyana Burford the job of setting the scene and giving voice to the various possibilities of what actually happened. It's the account of Noah and Celeste Quilter, who meet on a blind date, banter, lie to each other, get married, have a much-wanted baby and then fall down the rabbit-hole of conspiracy theories, all while in the grip of...

18Jun

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Darkie Armo Girl – Finborough Theatre

Karine Bedrossian stuns in her fast-paced one-woman play. Her rollercoaster of a journey begins as a sprightly eight-year-old with a passion for dance who struggles with a lack of belonging and isolation due to her Armenian heritage. As she grows up and as her unhealed wounds take hold, she relentlessly searches for some kind of peace or fulfilment amongst chaos. Bedrossian’s writing is excellent with witty dialogue, dark humour, and a strong narrative thread. It is almost like reading a diary, with its intimacy and unabashed truthfulness. The events are retold in an unanticipated and sporadic way, much like Karine’s buzzing character which is exciting and dizzying to watch. She is emotionally raw and engaging without any indulgence or pretence. There is an honesty and concentration ...

Impromptu Shakespeare – New Wimbledon Theatre

18Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Impromptu Shakespeare – New Wimbledon Theatre

"The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral; scene individable, or poem unlimited." Polonius (Counsellor to King Claudius in Hamlet) would likely be itching to be involved in Impromptu Shakespeare if he was around now. This talented troupe of improvisers take random words from the audience - acrobat, gaolers, window, rift - and weave a complex, chaotic and bonkers tale of love, castles, self-loathing, lobsters and twirling. As it's shaped by audience intervention, every performance is different, the cast of five (from a company of thirteen) taking on a variety of roles, whatever is required to create the Shakespeare-esque tale. Producing a Sh...

18Jun

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

King Lear – Shakespeare’s Globe

An epic event overtakes The Shakespeare’s Globe this season in King Lear as the long-awaited return of director Helena Kaut-Howson, 25 years after debuting Kathryn Hunter in the role of King Lear the duo have reunited to place the production in the grandest of arenas. And even more of a treat is to spot Artistic Director, Michelle Terry as the Cordelia/ Lear’s Fool as she handles the text beautifully- we are watching a piece where masters of this craft manoeuvre us through a very complex tragedy with grace and fine tuning to each line spoken. It was a pleasure to see the excitement of the cast- the energy of the space was heightened by the meaning of placing this production back on a stage 25 years on. I wonder how the creatives tackled this piece differently, which parts hold different me...

Ten Days in a Madhouse – The Brockley Jack Studio Theatre

17Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Ten Days in a Madhouse – The Brockley Jack Studio Theatre

This multimedia adaptation by Douglas Baker is based upon the real-life account of Nellie Bly of her spell in New York’s notorious Blackwell’s Island Asylum in 1887. It documents her initial unsuccessful attempts to be employed as a journalist by the misogynist editor of the New York World, John Cockerill, who, taking advantage of her youthful enthusiasm to pursue investigative stories, sent her undercover to be committed to the asylum as a patient. The abuses of patients that she uncovered were published in The World and led eventually to the closing down of the asylum, as well as to a surge in young female investigative journalists. Although there are many characters in this story, there is only one actor, playing the role of Nellie Bly. Most of the other characters are portraye...

Alex Getting Better – Bread and Roses Theatre

16Jun

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Alex Getting Better – Bread and Roses Theatre

Set in the United States, Alex Getting Better explores the story of re-emergence of old trauma and how it can affect people in different ways. The playwright, Audrey Lang, describes the play as a play about strength, moving forward and learning to deal with the present and the future. Written from Lang’s own experiences, the principal character, Alex, navigates her past and sexual assault through speaking with her therapist and reconnecting with her old friends from middle school. The friends visit their old stomping grounds, talk about their previous experiences of sexual assault, and carry out activities reminiscent of their youth. As the audience enter the theatre, Alex (Erin Maria Walther) and her therapist (Alice Gold) are on stage. While not conventional for the performers to b...

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible – Sadler’s Wells

16Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible – Sadler’s Wells

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible has a rare quality of being ubiquitous, but consistently relevant, provocative and timely. There’s always a witch hunt somewhere. Medieval villagers with pitchforks have evolved into middle aged idiots on Facebook. Or mob-giddy kids on TikTok. Theocracies continue to thrive, and the oppression in those places can make The Crucible seem tame. I’m looking at you; Yemen, Afghanistan, The Vatican, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Arthur Miller was famously a victim of McCarthy era ‘Reds under the Bed’ paranoia. The playwright was questioned by the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956 and convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended. His play is more than just an allegorical spin on A...

Dictating To The Estate – Maxilla Social Club

15Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Dictating To The Estate – Maxilla Social Club

We are approaching the 5th anniversary of the cataclysmic inferno that engulfed Grenfell Tower and killed 72 people. Post-pandemic, as we ponder war in Europe, food bank ubiquity and a shifty party-clown PM, there’s a danger of taking an eye off Grenfell. More fatalities could haunt us, if we don’t wise-up, listen to campaigners and hold the guilty to account. The luxury of looking elsewhere is not afforded to those who lost their lives, or to their loved ones whose grief is poisoned by righteous fury. The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster has spent £117m of public money so far. £60m got sucked up by lawyers working for the core participants. Arconic, the company that made the combustible cladding sheets has splashed £55m on legal and professional advice for its defence. All. Tha...