Park Theatre Archives - North West End UK

24Nov

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Jobsworth – Park Theatre

Cast your mind back a few years and it’s easy to recall how the concept of a ‘zero hours contract’ was presented to the public as a gift to those seeking employment. Workers could choose when to work, without the onerous restrictions of a full or part-time contract. Students, single mothers, people with caring responsibilities and even those struggling with mental health problems would be able to dip in and out of work without compromising their other concerns. That was the spin. Like many aspects of late-stage capitalism, it was sold to the nation as freedom and choice. The reality has proved to be a boon to ruthless employers and tax-dodging global corporations. Even the term ‘gig economy’ feels less like a hipster lifestyle choice and more like a fun-sounding euphemism for workplace exp...

30Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Kindling – Park Theatre

Per the final wishes of a dead mutual friend, five very different perimenopausal women come together for a camping trip in Wales. The set design by Abi Groves goes a long way to make the play really feel like an authentic camping trip. The entire floor of the stage is covered with plant litter and woodland detritus. As the actors move around, they kick up leaves and twigs, creating realistic sound. The stage quickly becomes cluttered with tents, camping chairs, rucksacks, Ikea bags, and Tupperware, all haphazardly scattered around. The design immediately and evocatively captures the essence of a camping trip with friends. Not everything is as effective as the set design; some issue with the script and direction hold the play back in the earlier scenes. Some characters are presented a...

16Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

That Bastard, Puccini – Park Theatre

James Inverne has written a fascinating new play based upon the rivalry between the two Italian opera composers, Giacomo Puccini and Ruggero Leoncavallo, at the end of the 19th century. At that time, as Inverne explains in his programme introduction, Milan was a hive of theatrical creativity with numerous composers competing to be the successor to Verdi. This play, which has its premiere at the Park 200 theatre, focuses on the race between two composers to produce a new opera entitled La Boheme, based on the 1851 book by Henri Murger. The play starts in Leoncavallo’s living room, with him railing to his wife against Puccini, who he claims, has stolen his idea for the opera after a conversation in a coffee shop. Puccini’s account is very different, claiming that he had had the origi...

14Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Steel – Park Theatre

Written by Lee Mattinson and first performed at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Steel centres around two teenage boys from the depressed ex-industrial town of Workington. They are informed that one of them is unexpectedly the beneficiary of an inheritance, from a distant relative, of one mile of British rail track estimated to be worth £1 million. However, there is a catch; the original copy of the contract for the purchase of the track has to be delivered by midnight that same day. This improbable scenario sets the scene for a frantic series of encounters by the beneficiary with almost forgotten relatives, and old school friends with whom he has lost contact. This leads him to relive parts of his earlier life and re-evaluate his relationship with the Lake District and realise what is ...

10Jun

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Our Cosmic Dust – Park Theatre

Written and directed by Michinari Ozawa and translated by Susan Momoko Hingley, the critically acclaimed Our Cosmic Dust tells the story of Shotaro, a young boy who believes his recently deceased father has become a star. Originally a Japanese play performed in Tokyo, Our Cosmic Dust kicks off its UK premier at the Park Theatre in London. The story is an enchanting blend of puppetry, animation and acting, exploring the concept of death and what happens after we die. The play begins with Shotaro running away from his mother, Yoko (Millie Hikasa), in her desperate attempt to find him, she meets some colourful characters along the way. Hikasa does a great job of playing a grieving mother struggling to cope with her recent loss as she feels her quiet son slipping away from her. Pho...

One Day When We Were Young – Park Theatre

4Mar

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

One Day When We Were Young – Park Theatre

Opening with a bang (both literally and lasciviously) but ending with a whimper, One Day When We Were Young illustrates a little too effectively that for war’s hollow men, life is very long. The framework of the script is slightly too frail to support both its underwritten characters. Like the Titanic’s infamously splintered door, this play can only hold up one of its young lovers’ character development. Resultantly male lead Barney White gets to cut his teeth on a sturdily written World War II conscript while Cassie Bradley exhausts her jaw attempting to chew through all the scenery provided to the young lover turned middle aged mother turned elderly author who plays second fiddle to him throughout. Designer Pollyanna Elston’s set is surprisingly rich but unfortunately clashes in palet...

4Feb

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

Antigone (on strike) – Park Theatre

Antigone (on strike) written and directed by Alexander Raptotasios offered an exciting premise. The Greek classic reimagined into an all too relevant exploration of “the online court of public opinion”. Antigone, sister of an Isis bride righting for her remittance into the country. The likelihood of this, swayed by audience participation. You vote for how the story will turn out. A though provoking premise and a story of serious importance. Unfortunately, it sorely under delivered. Antiya is troubled by the loss of her sister. Not dead, rather at risk of a horrible fate, Esmeh is stranded in a refugee camp with her citizenship cancelled by the UK’s home secretary – Creighton. Having ran from home and joined ISIS at the impressionable age of 14, she is now forced to reckon with the conse...

29Jan

By Sadie PearsonNo Comments

London

The Gift – Park Theatre

What is the worst thing you’ve ever done? And what are the consequences you think you deserve for it? These are some of the questions which The Gift by Dave Florez seeks to answer. Colin is bereft, having received a beautifully packaged human excrement in the post. Unbeknownst to who it may have come from, Colin (Nicholas Burns), his sister Lisa (Laura Haddock) and his brother in law Brian (Alex Price) are subject, throughout the play, to a psychologically tormenting game of “who did it?” As the gift in question continues to anguish Colin, paranoia takes hold and domestic instability bubbles at the surface. More complex than meets the eye, this brilliantly absurd plot has the potential to travel to some truly dark places. Burns’ performance spanned a wide emotional range, veering fro...

18Dec

By Ralph JeffreysNo Comments

London

Cyrano – Park Theatre

Cyrano at the Park Theatre is an exceptionally entertaining evening out. Virginia Gay’s reworking of Edmond Rostand’s 19th century play is transformational, turning an old, ossified tragedy into an uplifting and heartfelt exploration of queerness and love. The play follows Cyrano, who has a brilliant mind but is deeply insecure in her body. She falls for the equally intelligent Roxanne, who instead falls for the handsome yet ineloquent Yan. Unable to express her love openly, Cyrano takes to seducing Roxanne through Yan, feeding him the right words. Through this tension, Cyrano explores unrequited love, self-hatred, arrogance, and manipulation. Virigina Gay and Jessica Whitehurst flourish as Cyrano and Roxanne respectively. Their chemistry is compelling as are the barriers to their ro...

7Dec

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Bette and Joan – Park Theatre

Bette and Joan is a lively exploration of the rivalry between two Hollywood legends, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, set against the backdrop of the making of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Directed by Sue Jenkins, this production offers a humorous and sharp dissection of their frenemy dynamic, blending biting wit with illuminating glimpses into their shared struggles. Photo: Simon Annand The play thrives on the fiery chemistry between the leads - "two queen bees in one hive” battling for the same crown. Neil Gordon’s masterful set design, paired with gorgeous costumes, features opposing dressing rooms without actual mirrors. The actresses’ reflections are thus projected onto one another, cleverly underscoring how deeply intertwined their lives are. The initial exchange of barbs an...