Wednesday, November 13

London

When Darkness Falls – Park Theatre
London

When Darkness Falls – Park Theatre

If you have a liking for ghost stories, then make your way to the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. James Milton and Paul Morrissey have written and directed a modern take on the genre, which is intriguing, well-acted and excellently presented. The staging is the disorganised office of John Blondel, a teacher and historian, on the island of Guernsey. For his weekly Vlog on the subject of paranormal events on the Channel Islands he has invited a young man to recount some of the extraordinary tales of the supernatural, for which the islands are apparently renowned. Although an avowed sceptic, as the stories unfold, he becomes increasingly involved in a series of stories which become more than fiction. Apparently based upon true events, the five stories which were told by the visitor, know...
Murmur – Camden Fringe
London

Murmur – Camden Fringe

Magpie’s Murmur, written and directed by Susanne Colleary, is a surreal fairy tale audio play, which explores trust and confidence against a backdrop of rich and intricate sound effects and a bizarre and original story of friendship and encounters with strangers. Ren (Orla McSharry) is the expectant mother of Baba who lives in a ramshackle dwelling in the woods. Mag (Isabel Claffey) spots her and points her out to Bee (Sandra O’Malley) who then invades Ren’s home and mind with talk of health and safety, responsibility and welfare, before offering a number of solutions. But this Emperor’s New Clothes style tale teaches Ren that not everything or everyone is as they seem, and the best person to keep her and Baba safe, is probably Ren herself. Haunting singing throughout the piece pairs...
Tell Me Straight – King’s Head Theatre
London

Tell Me Straight – King’s Head Theatre

Tell Me Straight is a new two-hander play written by Paul Bradshaw about a gay man on a path to self-improvement. Staged as part of the Queer Season at the King’s Head Theatre, the show is produced by Gartland Productions and directed by Imogen Hudson-Clayton. With inimitable performances and quick-witted dialogues, the audience witnesses the many layers to dating in the modern age and how our relationships with our sexuality, identity and self-worth are far more intertwined than what we perceive.  The lead character, played by Bradshaw, has set himself a solid 30-day plan to bring order back to his life – no booze, no fast food and most importantly, no more random hookups. His friend Dani (voiced by Stephanie Levi-John), whose disembodied presence is manifested through funny voice...
Jersey Boys – Trafalgar Theatre
London

Jersey Boys – Trafalgar Theatre

Jersey Boys has always been a huge favourite amongst the group of Jukebox Musicals. It is not difficult to see why: A compelling story to success, the music of the Four Seasons is perfectly structured and paced to allow each member of the Four Seasons to have their full character explored through monologues, which are spoken directly to the audience. Brickman and Elice’s book moves at a thunderous pace with numerous scene changes happening within a single song. As soon as the show opens, you are whisked away with Tommy De Vito’s snappy account of the boys meeting and the formation of the group. Benjamin Yates' performance as Tommy bounces off the stage with energy, wit and humour- a great way to open the show! A recent Mountview graduate, Ben Joyce takes on Frankie Valli with youthfu...
Shut Up, and Drive! – Lion & Unicorn Theatre
London

Shut Up, and Drive! – Lion & Unicorn Theatre

Sitting your driving test is a very nerve-wracking experience and as most people today tend to learn to drive, this play will resonate.  Robert Jones (Garth Oates) is sitting in the reception of the driving test centre with his driving instructor Kelly Preslie (Jemma Carlton), waiting to take his driving test.  He is nervous and his instructor is not helping to calm him down with her inappropriate comments.  John, the examiner (Phil Broomhead) breezes in to take him for his test and its all good so far.  Rob visibly relaxes and he chats to the examiner, maybe relaxing a little too much.  All of a sudden, he does an unscheduled emergency stop, as a man is standing in front of the car pointing a pistol at them and tells them to get out.  At this point Rob has...
Spells for a Broken Heart – Hen & Chickens Theatre
London

Spells for a Broken Heart – Hen & Chickens Theatre

What is the worse way that someone can break up with you?  If you are involved in the dating scene this is a thorny issue and one that is tackled by ‘On the Common Theatre Company’.  After graduating from The BRIT School in 2019, the company have been working on writing and devising plays that feel fresh and exciting.  This play is their take on modern dating with all its joys and heartbreaks. As we walk into the theatre, we are handed a very cute little booklet that accompanies the show which includes the recipes for spells that help to mend a broken heart.  This is a lovely touch and something that is frequently overlooked, that clever marketing can help to keep the image of your play in your audience’s mind, even when they have left the theatre. The play revolv...
Village Wooing – Etcetera Theatre
London

Village Wooing – Etcetera Theatre

Produced as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, George Bernard Shaw's "Village Wooing" was written in 1933 while he was on a world cruise on the Empress of Britain. This two-hander in the form of three conversations has characters loosely based on people Shaw knew - writer Lytton Strachey and Jisbella Lyth, postmistress in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, where he lived for most of his life. Shaw said of his play, "..my efforts to write resulted in nothing at first but a very trivial comedietta which only Edith Evans could make tolerable."  He was wrong. This is a mini gem of a play, very much of its time and a period delight. The unnamed characters, known only as "A" and "Z" meet on board a cruise liner, he a widowed writer and aesthete, struggling to find the words for his Marco ...
Wild Waxflower – Camden Fringe
London

Wild Waxflower – Camden Fringe

Part of this year’s Camden Fringe Festival and the debut play of No Salad Productions, Wild Waxflower explores the trials and tribulations of a young woman’s first night working at an adult entertainment club. Written and starring Siane Faye, the digital performance follows her journey from the changing rooms to the stage, exploring themes of sexuality, identity and religion. Although a short one-woman piece, Faye certainly commands attention with her stellar performance as this young female character and her inner battle as she decides to step into the world of adult entertainment. There is a lack of dialogue, particularly in the first 10 minutes, yet Faye’s portrays the character’s emotional conflict with just her facial expressions extremely well. Set within a quiet alleyway in Lo...
Bad Teacher – Etcetera Theatre
London

Bad Teacher – Etcetera Theatre

Not to be confused with the Cameron Diaz film in 2011, Bad Teacher offers a tongue in cheek look at the teaching profession and how this particular teacher manages to deal with the day-to-day frustrations of the job.  As an introduction, the screen on the backdrop projects news articles about Government cuts to education, mental health and general unrest within the teaching profession because of pressure, leading to teachers quitting. Evie is a 26-year-old drama teacher who feels that she is underpaid and underappreciated.  She has decided that as no-one has offered her a pay rise, that she must ask for it herself; you don’t ask you don’t get.  Today she is feeling the power of BPE (big pussy energy), so she feels superhuman.  Head of the arts department Nina is t...
Meat Cute – Hen & Chickens Theatre
London

Meat Cute – Hen & Chickens Theatre

After a successful debut at the Chiswick Playhouse, ‘Meat Cute’ returns to the stage at the Camden Fringe Festival at the Hen & Chickens Theatre.  The play is written and performed by Bibi Lucille and produced by Patch Plays.  Patch Plays was formed in 2020 by Anastasia Bunce and Maria Majewska who are interested in exploring issues such as the environment, and animal ethics and how theatre can throw a spotlight onto these issues. Lena is on a quest to find her perfect tinder date and she’s on her 3rd guy this week.  In her quest to find that special guy she searches through tinder and decides to go on a date with Chad.  Her previous date had been vegan, and she had walked out on him, but would Chad fare any better?  He has taken her for dinner, and he chose a vegan starte...