Arcola Theatre Archives - North West End UK

14Dec

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

Hold On To Your Butts – Arcola Theatre

Hold On To Your Butts, the frenetic, exceedingly clever work of New York-based company Recent Cutbacks, is exactly what it purports to be. Originating ten years ago with sold out performances in New York and recently transferring from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the show is (as far as I can tell, a completely faithful) shot-for-shot theatrical parody of Stephen Spielberg’s iconic tale of a dinosaur theme park that goes horribly wrong. But knowing that, and subsequently knowing the general plot (Arrival. Dinosaurs. Chaos Theory. Power Failure. Velociraptor Hijinks.) does nothing to capture the ingenuity and delight of this show. From the very beginning, when one’s eyes fall on the rickety-sparse stage, awash in a thin fog and a deep, anticipatory green lighting (courtesy of desi...

Distant Memories of the Near Future – Arcola Theatre

14Nov

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Distant Memories of the Near Future – Arcola Theatre

In the near future, love is just another commodity driven by an app called Q-pid. In fact, it’s a bit more than love, everything is commoditised. There are advertisements that it is legally mandated you listen and pay attention to, you are encouraged to report anyone you know who mutes the ad. In this future, AI dictates so much of life that those it cannot match with a partner are labelled as “undesirables”. In such a society, is there any space left for real human connection? Within this world, a lone narrator shares stories of love and connection. David Head, writer and performer, has an immediate rapport with the audience, he comes across as a natural born storyteller with a big heart, a warm smile and such a sense of humour with his wit and sarcasm sparkling across the stage. Dista...

25Jul

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Bangers – Arcola Theatre

“A lyrical love letter to UK garage,” Bangers is a mixed bag mix tape of bright futures and crushed dreams. Under the neon glow of Laura Howard’s chilled/chilly lighting design, the Arcola Theatre is transformed into a concert venue. DJ Tanya-Loretta Dee cues up tracks under an industrial scaffold as audiences file into the space, meander across the stage’s set of club speakers, and make their way to their assigned seats. There’s a strange uneasiness to the arrangement of the space which places a playing stage not above its audience but in the arena pit of the small Hackney theatre. Very much a North London storytelling theatre, and despite its ushering staff’s best efforts the atmosphere cultivated in the room is not that of bouncer patrolled nightclub where the music is booming and th...

11Jul

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Bindweed – Arcola Theatre

What can you do about domestic abuse? Martha Loader’s whopper of a one act, Bindweed, begs the question. Directed by Jennifer Tang, the play follows Jen (Laura Hanna), a group counsellor for men who have committed acts of domestic abuse. Although the bulk of the play’s plot comes apart in these facilitated sessions with the men she is attempting to rehabilitate, Loader does not confine her heroine exclusively to the therapeutic setting. We see her on a date with disappointing romantic prospect, Peter (Shailan Gohil), having drinks with married friends Nina (Josie Brightwell) and Ed (Simon Darwen) and in check-ins with her supervisor Alistair (Sean Kingsley) each played by an actor who also takes on a role in the world of the sessions themselves. This double casting and its both troublin...

30May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Fabulous Creatures – Arcola Theatre

“We used to kill, but now we cabaret!” “Fabulous Creatures,” written by Quentin Beroud and Emily Louizou, showcases creatures of Greek mythology in a captivating and unique setting. The story begins in a cabaret club where the monstresses welcome and seduce the audience members with their enchanting songs. The trio at the heart of the show includes Scylla, Charybdis, and a Siren. The narrative interweaves various Greek myths, mentioning a range of other creatures and Gods. The music, enticing from the start, features a variety of styles from ballads to disco pop and even rap, effectively moving the story along. Jazz Jenkins, who plays the Siren, particularly stands out with a stunning singing voice. The performance is set in one act and progresses quickly, transitioning from the caba...

21May

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Book of Grace – Arcola Theatre

This is an outstanding production of a gripping drama, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks in 2009. The Arcola Theatre presents the UK premiere of a revised version, with an all-black cast. The play tells the story of Vet and his second wife Grace who live on the Texas Mexico border. They receive a visit from Vet's son Buddy, who has been away and out of contact for 15 years. He has returned for his father's award ceremony, recognition for his single-handedly having detained a large group of illegal migrants on the border. The border runs through Vet's life: he is a very proud member of the border force, his house is within sight of the border fence and he has a live stream of the fence playing in his house. Borders generally are very important to Vet,...

25Apr

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

What (is) a Woman – Arcola Theatre

Set across four decades, the one-woman play tells the one woman’s story of sex, love and identity as she matures from schoolgirl to woman. From critically acclaimed West End and TV actress Andrée Bernard, best known for her roles in Holby City, Hollyoaks and Kiss Me, Kate, the piece is written, composed and performed by Andree herself, directed by Michael Strassen and asks the question of what it means to be a woman of the Modern Age. Bernard expertly commands the stage from start to finish, the audience were enthralled as she encapsulates the various characters in the story, from wide-eyed university student to an overbearing Drama teacher, she does a brilliant job of quickly adopting these characters, showing her versatility. Bernard playing her character’s sho...

5Apr

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

London

Life with Oscar – Arcola Theatre

Life with Oscar is a tumultuous to-and-fro between the cult fever of Hollywood and its horrible shadows, all through the autobiographical perspective of Nick Cohen. We are introduced to a round table of figures, immigrant creatives familiar to Cohen gathered round to discuss the casting of Superman. Soon we are whisked from Lewisham to Los Angeles, all the way back to the dawn of the Academy. It’s not just places and times we encounter; we’re also uncovering the ‘secret formula to winning an Oscar’ alongside Cohen’s persona. We chart Cohen’s quest with a sense of irony, given the show’s semi-autobiographical nature; before our eyes, Cohen is carving out his own Hero’s Journey as a writer. Cohen glides comfortably between portraying characters and describing their actions. Ultimately, hi...

When You Pass Over My Tomb – Arcola Theatre

14Feb

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

When You Pass Over My Tomb – Arcola Theatre

Finger-licking, or rather phalanx licking, good, When You Pass Over My Tomb by Sergio Blanco and adapted and directed by Daniel Goldman, is laden with content warnings (for assisted suicide, mentions of necrophilia, mental health, and blasphemous language) but where it might be expected to sink under the weight of its unwieldy themes, instead sails through increasingly murky waters with ease. Photo: Alex Brenner Neither linearly nor exclusively following the story of playwright Sergio Blanco himself as his fictionalized counterpart prepares to undergo assisted suicide and engages in flirtation with the convicted necrophiliac he plans to donate the majority of his body to, this three-hand play dips its toes into many different stories and traditions, including funerals, children’s gam...

9Nov

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Scratches – Arcola Theatre

Self-harm and comedy don’t seem like concepts that sit quite right together; it almost feels like a toxic pair. But Aoife Kennan nails this combination, and with such panache! Kennan starts off on stage with a sex story that seems like a one-woman comedy show, only to be interrupted by her ‘best friend’ played by Zak Ghazi-Torbati. Together, the duo challenge stereotypes, take a dig at how ‘diversity and inclusion’ boxes are commonly ticked, how GPs only focus on handing out medication instead of dealing with the feelings and how they can outdo each other’s stage presence - which is a hard contest because they’re both brilliant performers! In the power packed hour, we are able to gently unpack what goes on in the brain and body of those battling with anxiety and depression, and how t...