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17Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Wormholes – The Other Palace

Dracunculus medinensis, otherwise known as the Guinea worm. After making its way into the human body, no symptoms of its presence are shown until (like many other things) it will start to eat you from the inside out. ‘Wormholes’ is a modern age, solo performance which I experienced at The Other Palace studio. It followed the story of a woman in a mental facility recalling her life and what had led her to the facility she is in now. The woman is interviewed and at first seems ordinary, regular. However, the further into this hour-long performance we experience, the more sympathetic we as an audience become. Written by Emily Jupp, this show explores the theme of domestic abuse and raises awareness to the fact that such a heinous feat could happen to anyone. After we learn what happens ...

549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War – Traverse Theatre

17Oct

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War – Traverse Theatre

The 549 of the title is the number of Scots who took part in the Spanish Civil War, fighting a losing battle in the name of democracy (and, in some cases, money) against fascism, which was encroaching its way into Spain with Franco in much the same way it was everywhere else with Hitler, Mussolini, Mosley, Petain, etc. The parallels to modern nationalism are difficult to miss (particularly with our own modern European war for which many non-natives have volunteered), and the show goes into them further still with a framing device set in the modern day. We then travel back in time to the true story of the four men from Prestonpans who went to Spain to fight, George Watters, Bill Dickson, Jimmy Kempton and George Gilmour. This is clearly a personal story. The team have spent eight year...

Witness For The Prosecution – London County Hall

15Oct

By Ely KingNo Comments

London

Witness For The Prosecution – London County Hall

Agatha Christie’s Witness For The Prosecution recently had its 5 Year anniversary performance and it’s clear to see why it has been so successful. This play tells the story of Leanord Vole and his court trial following his arrest for murder. From beginning to end, the storyline has numerous twists and turns, keeping the audience captivated. Agatha Christie has somehow perfected the balance of being able to keep everyone on their toes by adding in curveballs but still having her storylines be straightforward to understand and follow. This play is one of the most universally enjoyable murder mysteries for any age, somehow including drama, romance and just a touch of blood - in no particular order. Before the show even begins, the immersion into the story starts. Upon enteri...

Orpheus In The Record Shop – Leeds Playhouse

15Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Orpheus In The Record Shop – Leeds Playhouse

One of the rare bright spots during the pandemic was getting masked up between outbreaks up to see Orpheus In The Record Shop, and this unique collaboration between rapper Testament and Opera North is back as we return to whatever the new normal is. Fusing mysticism, rap, beatboxing and some of the country’s best classically trained musicians, Testament has boldly reworked the Orpheus myth of a musician descending into the underworld to reclaim his lost love. It’s a broad mix of influences that shouldn’t really work, but it does partly due to Testament’s confidence is his ability to beatbox and rap his way through this classic tale, and the fact that the members of Opera North’s Chorus and Orchestra have totally bought into his vision as they drift onto the stark Quarry stage through...

15Oct

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Moors – The Hope Theatre

‘Tis the season for spooky revivals, cobwebbed drama & cheap Halloween tat in the supermarkets. Creeping into this uneven milieu, like fog from an icy lake is the professional premiere of Jen Silverman’s gothic romp, The Moors. Silverman has taken Bronte as a backbone and given the whole haunted hoo-ha a queer, feminist twist, with a knowing nod to the comedic quirks of the genre. The excellent cast, all graduated from full time actor training in the jaws of the pandemic, with much of their theatrical education gleaned online. It’s a joy to see fresh talent claiming the stage and given an opportunity to flex their chops. As a venue, The Hope is a prime example of ‘black box’ theatre in a poky room above a pub. In a such an intense, cheek-by-jowl environment, there’s n...

15Oct

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

Fiddler On The Roof – Gladstone Theatre

Young performers show great potential. This well-loved musical by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick offers many memorable songs. Even if the story is dark in places, it does have plenty of ‘Yiddish’ humour and opportunities for a large cast of mixed ages. After a three-year break from a main production, St Paul’s performed to good houses this week at The Gladstone Theatre, Port Sunlight. Set at the turn of the 20th century, Fiddler opens in Anatevka in the western region of Imperial Russia. It is a hard, bleak life for the families, held together by their religion and tradition, when an edict from the Tsar evicts the Jewish settlers from their village. Who would have thought that just over a hundred later we would see people from that same region, modern day Ukraine, fleeing from ...

The Day They Kidnapped The Pope – Rainhill Village Hall

15Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Day They Kidnapped The Pope – Rainhill Village Hall

Rainhill Garrick Society start their 80th birthday celebrations with a bang with this startling and surreal comedy whose improbable events become all too believable through the magic of the theatre. Written in 1979 by Joao Bethencourt, a celebrated Hungarian actor, playwright and director, it was well received throughout Europe including a rave review when presented in Rome. On a visit to New York, the Pope (Rick Young) mistakenly gets into a taxi and is immediately kidnapped by its driver, Samuel Leibowitz (George Lowe) who takes him to his Brooklyn home much to the surprise of his wife Sara (Tracey Duffy) and daughters Esther (Sophie Brogan) and Miriam (Lucy Whitfield). As events outside unfold through TV media (Angela Vose; Tom Nevitt), the demands of the ransom become clear: a day o...

14Oct

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Good – Harold Pinter Theatre

The Harold Pinter theatre brings us a revival from C.P Taylor exploring the idea of what makes a person ‘good’. Set in the early stages of World War 2, Halder (David Tennant) is picked up by the SS regarding his writing about Pro-Euthanasia after recently having his mother move in. His best friend Maurice (Elliot Levey) acts as a soundboard to his ramblings and stories as he endures the slow evil creeping upon his Jewish community. Meanwhile, Helen (Sharon Small) plays the part of wife at home although finding it more and more difficult to keep it all afloat. This piece explores brilliantly the idea that evil can suffocate us without acknowledging it, that a person may continue to convince themselves they’re good although actively contributing to the disaster. Tennant’s character is fla...

14Oct

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

London

La Performance – Tron Theatre

In La Performance, we peek behind the pretence of theatre and language. Instead of words, the performers use non-verbal techniques to tell the story, drawing on the Commedia dell’Arte tradition. On the stage of the intimate Changing House space, we see a dressing room in a theatre. The composer (Ross Whyte) enters and takes the outer layers of wood off his piano so that its inner workings are laid bare. What about the inner workings and inside the people on stage? Will we see those too? Him (Ramesh Rayappen) enters and begins his warm up with frantic, anxious energy. He warms up his hands and arms, acknowledging the language of gestures that is used. Her (Emmanuelle Laborit) joins him. She is chic and disdainful in a little black dress. Th...

Wipe These Tears – Camden People’s Theatre

14Oct

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Wipe These Tears – Camden People’s Theatre

BÉZNĂ Theatre brings another powerful and hard-hitting performance traversing space, time, years and gender to centre conversations about love, sacrifice, strength and war. Wipe these tears is based on interviews with over 90 individuals, including survivors of war and torture, clinical psychologists and medics working with ex-service people and the UK's leading anti-war, anti-Islamophobia, state crime and colonial studies academics and activists. The ensemble of female, working class and BME-led cast hold forte traversing the narratives and transforming characters, accents and costumes seamlessly. It was satisfying to witness symbols of British Imperialism receive what they deserved and see how capitalists profit from the wars on stage. We start at the innocuous setting of a teac...