Latest Articles - Page 31 of 724

5Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Lads – Hen & Chickens Theatre

‘Toxic masculinity’ continues to be a fizzing hot topic. In the past few years, it’s curdled from legitimate concern and intelligent discussion to yet another flashpoint in the culture wars. Well meaning and bad faith operators were soon questioning the term, concerned that it reinforced negative stereotypes and might be detrimental to the mental health of young men. Meanwhile, the ‘manosphere’ continues to grow and curdle. The views of provocative influencers are seeping into the mainstream due to the monetisation model of online media and the grim logic of the algorithm. Andrew Tate went from a misogynist freak on the fringe of the Internet to a global pop culture phenomenon. The reasons for that evolution might be complex, but it’s hard not to conclude that the problem is escalat...

I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

5Aug

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

With everyone from Tina Turner to Frank Sinatra getting the jukebox musical biopic treatment as of late, it’s no surprise that “Queen of Funk” Chaka Khan wanted to get in on the action. But what is a surprise, sadly, is how her magnetic star power and iconic discography has been boiled down to such a muddled, lacklustre production as this. After teasing us with a few bars of the title track, the show starts by transporting us to a rehab session for Chaka (Alexandra Burke), attended by her loved ones. Before long, we’re sent back on a whistle-stop of her life and traumas, including her relationship with her heroin-loving father, her Yoruba naming ceremony, her affiliation with Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers, her two failed marriages, and her spiral into drug addiction. The problem i...

5Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Bathroom – Etcetera Theatre

‘Bathroom’ is a beautiful, deeply affecting piece of theatre, defined by vulnerability and an acute understanding of what happens when love is strained by emotional distance, language and cultural difference. Written and directed by Yijing Zou, this intimate two-hander explores the challenges of living and working abroad as a non-native speaker. Its storytelling is compassionate without becoming sentimental, gently confronting racism, the expectations we place upon our partners and the cumulative toll of navigating a multicultural environment. Inspired by Edvard Munch’s 1896 painting “Separations”, the production asks a painful question: “what remains when love can no longer bridge the space between two people?” Jinyu Dan, playing Siwen Yao, and Bowen Sun, as Shiming Liang, are e...

The Alternative to Living – Baron’s Court Theatre

4Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Alternative to Living – Baron’s Court Theatre

‘The Alternative to Living’ is an ambitious piece that aims to explore uncomfortable themes through deeply fragmented storytelling and experimental theatre. The central concept has genuine promise, inviting the audience to reflect on their very existence, their digital identity, and the way we construct meaning from fractured modern life experiences, however unfortunately, the execution and underdeveloped script struggle struggles to realise the potential at the heart of the idea. The writing feels intentionally disjointed, with dialogue frequently delivered in half sentences and broken thoughts. While this may have been a deliberate artistic choice from writer Fenn Telfer, it creates a barrier rather than a sense of intrigue. Instead of building tension or emotional depth, the frag...

White Bitch Bingo – Baron’s Court Theatre

4Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

White Bitch Bingo – Baron’s Court Theatre

Caroline Cole's ‘White Bitch Bingo’ is less a stand-up comedy than a warm and fuzzy, confessional storytelling hour, wrapped around a game of bingo and sprinkled with just the right amount of audience interaction. Billed as an exploration of privilege, identity and the contradictions of modern America, it never becomes preachy, instead it relies on Cole's natural warmth and self-deprecating humour to keep the audience firmly on side. The bingo element proves to be the evening's strongest theatrical device, and it gives the audience a genuine sense of participation creates an easy rapport and reminds us that everyone enjoys the simple thrill of winning and walking away with a prize! Those interactive moments inject welcome energy into what is otherwise an extended personal monologue....

3Aug

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

Ophelia — Etcetera Theatre

Ophelia by TheArchive is, in the company’s own words, not an adaptation; not a rewrite; it’s a reckoning. In Samuel George-Thomas’ new script, co-directed with Ava Benkova, the eponymous tragic heroine is given the opportunity to explain what really went down between her and Hamlet during the collapse of their relationship in Shakespeare’s play. TheArchive’s beautiful production steers clear of the cliché and contrived sass which sometimes accompany feminist retellings of famous stories, and instead leans into the poetry of Shakespeare’s language, the sincerity of Ophelia’s character, and the impossible double-bind of existing as a woman in a man’s world. The action of Ophelia takes place broadly over the same time period as Hamlet, often behind the closed doors of Ophelia’s room. I...

Announcing North West End UK and Theatre Muse UK Festivals Collaboration

2Aug

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Announcing North West End UK and Theatre Muse UK Festivals Collaboration

As we approach the biggest single month of the year for North West End UK in terms of reviews volume, we have an exciting announcement – North West End UK (NWE) is beginning a partnership with Theatre Muse UK (TM), who will manage and develop our festival coverage. Theatre Muse’s founder Caroline Worswick, has worked with North West End for eight years, developing and managing the London and Edinburgh teams, and has already developed our existing festival exposure. In January of this year, Caroline founded Theatre Muse, a theatre site that is dedicated to championing theatre-makers, specialising in fringe, festivals, and improv, as Caroline believes that these particular areas of theatre are under-represented with press coverage. As Caroline continues to develop Th...

CQD to SOS: A Titanic Story Sails into Edinburgh Fringe

1Aug

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

CQD to SOS: A Titanic Story Sails into Edinburgh Fringe

This reimagining of the last hours in the Titanic’s communications room is taut with desperate hope on the part of the radio operators: Jack Phillips and Harold Bride on the Titanic and Harold Cottam who heard the distress messages on The Carpathia. The narrative details the quiet heroism of men doing their job to the very best of their ability in the face of futile hope. It paints duty and despair in the context that the RMS Titanic is, to this day, cradled on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean, lying 3,800 metres deep. The slow engulfment of this vessel and the loss of life is as immutable as the icebergs the ship encountered. The three actors, Daniel Drever, Stephen McParland and Declan John Anthony are well cast. They embody tension in very different ways...

1Aug

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Bad Habits – The King’s Arms

Imagine Sister Act crashing headlong into St Trinian’s and you’ve got the gloriously chaotic energy of Bad Habits. Stu Meevens’ irreverent comedy throws a convent into crisis as an eccentric order of nuns hatch an increasingly ridiculous plan to save their home from becoming a supermarket, by stealing a collection of holy relics, resulting in two hours of organised theatrical mayhem. Meevens’ script is packed with one-liners, running gags and knowingly daft wordplay. The sisters’ names alone range from gloriously cheesy to outrageously NSFW that would make the Pope blush. Not every joke is original, but even the more telegraphed punchlines land thanks to the confidence and commitment of an experienced cast who know exactly how to sell them. Leading the convent is Dale Vicker’s wo...

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s your Head? – The Lowry

1Aug

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s your Head? – The Lowry

The comedian Aarian Mehrabani premieres ‘How’s Your Head?’ at the Lowry Theatre this week. Directed by Dec Munro and commissioned by The Lowry, with support from the Arts Council England, this performance was the perfect preparation for Mehrabani’s upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Performance later this year. Having had previous success with his company ‘FlawBored’, he won awards for his debut show, ‘It’s a motherf***ing pleasure’ that completed with a three week run on Broadway. Describing himself as a ‘triple threat’: Brown, Bisexual and Blind, Mehrabani is certainly one interesting guy. He relays funny tales including his experiences of having an STI, his thoughts on the children’s story ‘Elemer the Elephant’ and in dramatic contrast to much of his tales, he bravely discusses having sur...