New Wimbledon Theatre Archives - Page 5 of 5

Epic Love and Pop Songs – New Wimbledon Theatre

21Oct

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Epic Love and Pop Songs – New Wimbledon Theatre

What do you call a musical that isn’t really a musical but sort of is a musical? And how do you explain it to people who might want to see the not-quite-a-play but not-quite-a-musical? Here is my attempt: Epic Love and Pop Songs is confusing; think Marmite but for your cultural tastebuds. The story explores the complex dynamics of teenage friendship; needing to find your tribe, wanting to belong and wanting to stick out at the same time, the politics of the secondary school hierarchy. It also looks at love, loss and tragedy - Doll and Ted are teenage friends, bound together by hurt and need, and their friendship will eventually be the making or the end of them both. From the off, the stage is cluttered and it’s not clear why, the basic props sort of work but I didn’t understand the c...

Funny Girls – New Wimbledon Theatre Studio

23Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Funny Girls – New Wimbledon Theatre Studio

In his new play Funny Girls, English playwright Roy Smiles imagines a fictional encounter between two American pop culture icons, Barbra Streisand and Joan Rivers. From their first on-stage gig as co-actors in an off-Broadway show called ‘Driftwood’ (an event that actually happened in real life) to their run-in many years later at the height of their stardom, this two-hander play examines their friendship built on shared Jewish identities and insecurities about a life in show business, among other things. This production is created in collaboration with Ambassador Theatre Group’s Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre as part of their new Premieres Season, travelling Upstairs at The Gatehouse Theatre next month. Throwing a spotlight on their early lives and the decisions that influenced their car...

23Sep

By Natalie J RomeoNo Comments

London

Rock Of Ages – New Wimbledon Theatre

For a show that defiantly publicised itself as the worst show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the atmosphere at the New Wimbledon Theatre yesterday evening was one of indisputable excitement. Rock of Ages, the undeniably funny musical that has lavished audiences with classic rock anthems that have been our guilty pleasures for decades, has returned to a packed out theatre. It’s understandable why some just won’t like this show- the obvious objectification (and dismissal) of women being a prime example. This is obvious from ten minutes in when Sherrie Christian (Rhiannon Chesterman) bends down to pick something up whilst wearing very short shorts, giving Dennis Dupree (Ross Dawes), the owner of The Bourbon Room, the Hollywood bar where most of the show takes place, all the motivatio...

8Sep

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Waitress – New Wimbledon Theatre

After a premature West End closure due to the pandemic, Waitress, the smash-hit musical comedy written by Sara Bareilles is opening up (again), kicking off its UK tour at the New Wimbledon Theatre. Based on Adrienne Shelley’s cult film of the same name, the show tells the story of Jenna, a talented pie-baking waitress with a big heart whose life unexpectedly changes when a new doctor arrives in town. Several cast members from its West End run have returned to reprise their roles, most notably Lucie Jones who plays the lead, Jenna. From her debut in 2019 to coming back after the show’s closure, Jones has grown in leaps and bounds in her portrayal of Jenna. From her beautiful rendition of ‘What Baking Can Do’ to the incredibly emotional ‘She Used to Be Mine’ which received a well-earned s...