London Archives - Page 98 of 150

<strong>Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have – Soho Theatre</strong>

13Dec

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have – Soho Theatre

A screen cycles through a mixed bag of tweets sent to the mysterious Jazz Emu (Archie Henderson) as we wait for the show to begin. The elaborate, bright red set designed by Bonson Bonsonson JR matches his grandiosity and has a talk show feel. He parades out in a metallic emu helmet and begins a song about his proficiency and brilliance while his equipment malfunctions. Jazz emu’s eclectic character is like the result of putting a scientist, evil mastermind, superhero and a presenter in a blender. Henderson is a natural performer with his expressive darting eyes, an array of physicality and sharp comic timing directed by Adam Flynn. We are welcomed into his existential, disco-like, jazz-emu-centred world where if he’s not thinking about himself, he’s wondering about how microwaves wo...

<strong>Sons of the Prophet – Hampstead Theatre</strong>

13Dec

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Sons of the Prophet – Hampstead Theatre

I begin watching any show by giving it my full attention, like any respectful audience member. But how long can one keep the focus if the production doesn’t meet you halfway? Sons of the Prophet, unfortunately, doesn’t do much to keep the audience engaged through story or performance. The production design by Samal Blak is elaborate, with the stage accommodating multiple settings spanning across two levels. Such expanse is more typical to larger shows and musicals that have larger-than-life storytelling. For this story exploring the intimacies of a family in rural Pennsylvania, constantly moving across different spaces in 105 minutes took away from the inner conflict and intricate complexities of the themes being explored. Each scene is titled like a book chapter and takes place in a di...

12Dec

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Hex – National Theatre

Merry Christmas from the National Theatre in their extraordinary retelling of Sleeping Beauty’s story in the obscure and utterly brilliantly unusual ‘Hex’ directed by Rufus Norris and based on the book by Tanya Ronder. This piece threw what I know about the story at the wall and dissected everything. What it means to love, who to love and why we make the choices that we do. Paired with stunning composition by Jim Fortune, we are left leaving with the biggest smile mixed with awe asking “How. Did. They. Do. That.” To begin, a mega shoutout to Neïma Naouri who plays the understudy of ‘Fairy’. I am so glad I got to watch their performance as they brought such sweet naivety and passion to this role, truly a stunning performer to keep us engaged, at the end of our seats thinking ‘There’s no ...

<strong>Who’s Holiday – Southwark Playhouse Borough</strong>

11Dec

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Who’s Holiday – Southwark Playhouse Borough

The Ru Paul Industrial Complex continues its imperial sashay to every corner of the globe. This franchise mission creep can be viewed as a be-wigged beacon of tolerance or a toxic cash machine that bleeds underground culture. Drag Race alumni find themselves yanked from skanky obscurity to meet-and-greet mania in a matter of weeks. For the truly talented, this can offer a unique chance to shine and earn some coin after decades of thankless graft. Miz Cracker was a popular contestant on Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season Ten and made the final 5. She came back for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season Five and was placed in the top 3. Since then, she has been deservedly busy; podcasts, academic seminars, YouTube channel, one-woman comedy TV specials and a cookery show. Cracker has c...

Grandad, Me and Teddy Too – Polka Theatre

11Dec

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Grandad, Me and Teddy Too – Polka Theatre

Encouraging children to experience theatre at a young age can be difficult, as parents and grandparents know, asking a child to sit in a restrictive environment to watch a pantomime or similar, which can be two hours long, is not ideal. Polka Theatre in London offer the chance to combine theatre and play in their building which is especially dedicated to children. The theatre combines a café, playground, garden with access to books, colouring-in and dressing up. Grandad, Me and Teddy Too has a target audience of 2–5-year-olds and is performed in the Adventure Theatre. This space allows children to sit on the floor or sit around the edge of the theatre in seats. The feeling is of informality and provides a less stressful environment for parents and children alike ...

<strong>Harry’s Christmas – King’s Head Theatre</strong>

11Dec

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Harry’s Christmas – King’s Head Theatre

One could say that it is a brave choice to put on a play about mental health at Christmas whilst the populous spreads festive cheer, and shops, bars and restaurants play Christmas music on a loop. But I guess this IS the time to put on such a play, as many people struggle with loneliness and isolation, feelings that are magnified at Christmas. Threedumb Theatre offer their second Steven Berkoff play of the year, having performed Dog/Actor at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. When Berkoff wrote this play which was first performed at the Donmar in 1985, he received responses from many people who felt similarly, that this time of year overwhelmed them and exaggerated feelings that during the rest of the year, they could just about cope with. Harry (Stephen Smith) lives al...

<strong>Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor – Park Theatre</strong>

11Dec

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor – Park Theatre

Park Theatre have teamed up once again with the team that gave us ‘When Darkness Falls’ in 2021. This play delves into the mystery of the disappearance of three ‘wickies’ (lighthouse-keepers), who were staffing a lighthouse on one of the remote islands in the Outer Hebrides called Eilean Mor in December 1900. Their task was to keep the light always working to aid ships in the hostile seas and severe weather. Eilean Mor was uninhabited apart from the lighthouse keepers. As the play explains, this is the bleakest place on earth to do your wickie shift, and the weather was particularly bad when the men went missing. Their disappearance was discovered after a particularly bad storm hit Eilean Mor, and the supply vessel managed to reach the island after being de...

<strong>Newsies – Troubadour Wembley Park</strong>

11Dec

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Newsies – Troubadour Wembley Park

One of Broadway’s biggest hits in recent years, Newsies has finally landed in London for the first time ever. Set in New York City at the turn of the century, the show is based on the true story of the Newsboys Strike of 1899 a group of working-class boys who fought for better working conditions, standing up against the exploitation of wealthy publishing tycoons. The story was made into a Disney film starring Christian Bale before being adapted for the stage, becoming a Broadway sensation With no expense spared, Morgan Large has truly transformed the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre for Matt Cole’s fresh version of the show. From the huge gangways to the West Side Story-style scaffolding, this production means business from the moment you step inside the auditorium. The cast emerges from...

<strong>A Christmas Carol-ish – Soho Theatre</strong>

11Dec

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

A Christmas Carol-ish – Soho Theatre

I’ll say it now: I love a good Christmas Show. I don’t consider myself over-the-top when it comes to festive feelings, but I do like the spirit of Christmas – the warmth, good tidings and all that razz the season brings. And so it was with much excitement I got myself down to Soho Theatre for ‘A Christmas Carol-ish’ by Mr Swallow (aka Nick Mohammed). I was not disappointed. ‘A Christmas Carol-ish’ is loosely based on a musical retelling of Dicken’s festive classic ‘A Christmas Carol’. And when I say loosely, I mean basically think of the story outline: three ghosts turn up to change a man to be a better person, and that’s as close to Dicken’s as this show gets. And it’s all the better for it. The writing on this show in insanely clever, funny, relevant and on the pulse of current eve...

<strong>Alice in Wonderland – Brixton House</strong>

8Dec

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Alice in Wonderland – Brixton House

Alice in Wonderland devised by Poltergeist is an original, lurid take on the classic. On the tube, Alice and her Mum wait on the platform after a Christmas shopping spree. An argument ensues and suddenly Alice gets transported to a zany, alternate dimension of the London underground, meeting strange characters at every turn. She explores the world with confusion and wonder as she tries to return home, before becoming embroiled in the problems in her new environment. It is magically creative in the way it transforms some mundane aspects of tube life into strange, absurd characters. Photo: Helen Murray All of the odd characters created a coherently bizarre world tied together by effective, energetic multi-roling. Rabbit (Khai Shaw) stresses as he rushes to his corporate job. Tortoise (...