Bush Theatre Archives - North West End UK

4Dec

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

The Horse of Jenin – Bush Theatre

Alaa Shehada’s one man show about growing up in Jenin is a funny and powerful tale of Palestinians trying to lead ordinary lives under the ever-present threat of violence. Comedy is the tone from the outset, as Shehada begins by engaging with the audience, getting us to laugh, clap along to music and interact with him to ease us in. He then tells us about his birth, the first boy born to his parents, passed around by all his aunts and uncles in celebration. At the same time, another boy was born in the area, Ahmed, who becomes Shehada’s best friend. When a German artist comes to Jenin and starts collecting the debris from the latest Israeli attack, the boys are confused at first – why would someone want this rubbish? But then a sculpture of a horse is unveiled, piec...

15Nov

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

After Sunday – Bush Theatre

After Sunday is an intimate and thought-provoking production set within a secure hospital where the characters join a Caribbean cooking group. Through this unique setting, the play allows us to explore how individuals cope with the emotional and psychological challenges of being in such an environment, especially when their stay has no defined end. The production sensitively portrays the complex emotions of those trying to find meaning and comfort through cooking, an activity that not only passes the time but also becomes a form of therapy. It’s a way to manage trauma, foster control, and help both patients and therapists connect in a more relaxed, human way. The cast delivers exceptional performances throughout, but Corey Weekes as Ty truly stands out. His portrayal is powerful and ...

15Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

North West

Not Your Superwoman – Bush Theatre

Not Your Superwoman, stars Golda Rosheuvel and Letitia Wright; two powerhouse actresses who breathed life into Emma Dennis-Edward’s deeply moving play. The story follows a mother and daughter, Joyce and Erica, who have grown apart over the years as they mourn the loss of their family matriarch — “Mummy” to Joyce and “Granny” to Erica. At its heart, the play is about family ties strained by silence, grief, and distance, yet bound by love and memory. Using Guyana as its vibrant backdrop, Not Your Superwoman becomes more than just a family drama, it becomes a meditation on the importance of culture as both a source of identity and a bridge across generations. Through the music, the language, the food, and the rituals of remembrance, Dennis-Edward captures how culture is often the thread...

7Jun

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Miss Myrtle’s Garden – Bush Theatre

Miss Myrtle’s Garden is a powerful and moving production that delicately explores the emotional terrain of memory, love, and loss. Centered around Miss Myrtle and the people closest to her, the story subtly but poignantly addresses themes of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Without ever explicitly naming the illness, the play allows the audience to experience the disorientation, warmth, and heartbreak that come with it. Diveen Henry gives a remarkable performance as Miss Myrtle. Her portrayal is layered and deeply human—she shifts effortlessly from moments of sharp wit to bouts of confusion and vulnerability. Her relationship with her late husband Melrose is the emotional core of the play. Mensah Bediako brings grace and gentle charm to the role of Melrose, and his onstage chemistry with H...

11Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Speed – Bush Theatre

An entrepreneur, a nurse and a delivery driver arrive for their speeding awareness course. Each of them at fault for getting too heated in the moment. To save their license, must complete their specialised course with Abz (Nikesh Patel). Abz is running a new course which combines the speed awareness with self awareness- what is making you so angry that you feel the need to act on it? Each of our guests find moments of self discovery and shame as we dig deeper to understand their moments of crisis but they start to realise something unusual might be at play. Abz’s twitching, quick to rage tendencies and judgemental opinions showcase a deeper reasoning for why they’re here today. Faiza (Shazia Nicholls) our entrepreneur brings an absolutely hilarious performance straight off the bat, prou...

26Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Real Ones – Bush Theatre

Romantic love is a road well travelled by storytellers, but what about its platonic counterpart? Olivier Award-winning playwright Waleed Akhtar seeks to shine a light on the similarly turbulent and complex dynamics within friendship in his new play The Real Ones, currently playing at Bush Theatre until 26th October. Set across a period of almost two decades, we encounter British-Pakistani best friends Zaid (Nathaniel Curtis) and Neelam (Mariam Haque) at various critical moments in their lives — and in their friendship — as they deal with growing up, family tensions, relationships, and identity. Closeted Zaid has his heart fervently set on becoming a playwright, and he’s also navigating his place in the world as a gay Pakistaniakistani man. Having developed a complex relationship with...

24Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

My Father’s Fable – Bush Theatre

Faith Omole' first produced play is a real cracker. It tells the story of Peace, a young black woman of Nigerian descent, who is living with her partner Roy, a mixed heritage man, in their comfortable middle-class home in England. Their lives are disrupted when Bolu, Peace’s half-brother from Nigeria of whom she was not previously aware, contacts her via social media and comes to England to stay with them. The domestic situation is further complicated by the fact that Peace's mother, Favour, also arrives, ostensibly ill and needing to be looked after. The play then becomes a fascinating psychological thriller as the four characters interact. Mysteries and suspicions abound. Who actually is Bolu? And why did he come to the UK at this time? ...

Michaela’s Fluent Aphasia – Bush Theatre

18Jun

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Michaela’s Fluent Aphasia – Bush Theatre

This play’s tongue twister title is aptly representative of the confusion its performance elicits in audiences. The direction is uninspired and although not entirely difficult to follow, neither is it enticing enough to engender much investment in the play’s plot or characters. The non-linear nature of Christina Carrafiell’s script most severely hampers this process and results in plot twists that feel like a dog chasing its own tail rather than a cohesive narrative unfurling. Individual scenes are punctuated with sharp, immediate, and absolute blackouts but despite the story featuring multiple shifts in time and place the elements of set and costume remain completely static. The play’s cast of four is forced then to flutter around the playing field without any grounding context ...

23May

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Lady Dealer – Bush Theatre

Business is booming. Bass is thumping. Charly’s heart is beating a little too fast, the world is spinning a little too quickly, and someone might be getting sick on the carpet any second now. In this production of Lady Dealer by Martha Watson Allpress, the explosive Alexa Davies plays Charly, the “Lady Dealer” breaking the greenhouse ceiling on feminist drug dealing. A whip smart and poetically eloquent but socially stunted and economically frustrated young woman cusping millennial and gen z identities, Charly is a dynamo in bed rot. Jasmine Araujo’s costume design is convincingly sloppy and effectively evocative of an era of isolation all too familiar to us all. The “Lady Dealer” is not a covid avoidant recluse, but her lifestyle will be comprehensible to anyone who at one point...

27May

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

Invisible – Bush Theatre

Invisible by Nikhil Parmar is a one man show centring on the life of Zayan. The play explores what leads Zayan to feel invisible, as he is outcast by his loved ones and wider society. Nikhil has crafted a piece of theatre that deals with racism, Islamophobia in a powerful and thought-provoking way. Zayan is a struggling actor who is trying to navigate co-parenting with his ex’s new partner. In the play, Nikhil takes the audience through a series of events that lead Zayan to having destructive violent thoughts. It’s easy to see how small moments can build up and have dire consequences. Zayan is also grappling with the death of his sister. Nikhil is a captivating performer and holds the space and audience’s attention throughout the piece. Nikhil quickly sets the tone of the piece an...