Riverside Studios Archives - Page 2 of 5

16Sep

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Shotgunned – Riverside Studios

Written and directed by Matt Anderson, Shotgunned gained some very good reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe and has now transferred to the Riverside Studios. It is an engaging 60 minutes of theatre. Cleverly written and excellently performed, it tells the story of a young couple, Roz and Dylan, charting their relationship from their first meeting at a party, through its highs and lows. The distinguishing feature of this production is that the story in not told linearly but in a series of short, some very short, vignettes in a seemingly almost random order. The fascination for the audience is piecing together from these fragments how the relationship has developed. This format presents particular challenges for the actors, who have to switch mood almost instantly during the s...

22Aug

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

A Manchester Anthem – Riverside Studios

A Manchester Anthem opens with Tommy (Tom Claxton) having it large to the 1990 dance classic ‘Anthem’ by N-Joi. He’s in underpants, dancing with the unhinged enthusiasm of a person who has no idea that anybody might be watching. It’s unsexy slapstick, totally relatable and introduces us to a character who’s about to take the audience on a one-man, one-hour trip into a messy night out in Manchester. When N-Joi released Anthem, I was at university in Liverpool and that summer, lived in a crazy rave squat in Hulme, Manchester. If you Google ‘Anthem by N-Joi Quadrant Park’ there’s a one-minute clip of the tune being dropped at the legendary Merseyside club. I was a regular at ‘The Quaddie’ and a loved-up devotee to the Hacienda too, but this show isn’t a misty-eyed flashback to ‘90s Madches...

17Aug

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Collapse – Riverside Studios

Allison Moore’s ‘Collapse’ takes a familiar domestic setup and detonates it in spectacularly funny fashion. Hannah’s carefully maintained and tightly controlled life, already visibly fraying under the strain of infertility, financial uncertainty, threat of unemployment, and a husband adrift, tips into complete chaos when her rebellious (and hilariously funny) sister arrives with a mysterious package she has agreed to deliver to a guy called “Bulldog”. What follows is a darkly comic unravelling where love, fear, and survival collide. Emma Haines delivers a commanding central turn as Hannah, balancing brittle control with flashes of honest vulnerability. She moves seamlessly between sharp, fast-paced exchanges with her co-performers, and quieter solitary moments that land with unexpected ...

Three Billion Letters – Riverside Studios

13Aug

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Three Billion Letters – Riverside Studios

Mimmi Bauer, Patrycja Dynowska and Michal Szpak's Three Billion Letters focuses on the impact of DNA, how everyone everywhere is inter-related since the Neanderthals and how we are still evolving. These are interesting themes which could provide the basis for a fascinating exploration of heritage and cultural identity and a reminder that we leave our DNA traces everywhere. Unfortunately, this production comes over as part TED-talk on DNA science and part experimental drama workshop. Attempts to involve the audience fall flat. Sections of the audience are moved around the auditorium, with one group deemed to be "superior" because they can taste something the "inferior" group cannot. Later, for no discernible reason, the audience is split into those who have grey hair and thos...

Dear Annie, I Hate You – Riverside Studios

15May

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Dear Annie, I Hate You – Riverside Studios

Samantha Ipema takes what is perhaps the most traumatic period of her life and turns it into a dramatic telling full of comedy and poignance. To say that this play offers a peek into its creator’s brain is not hyperbole, it is a mere fact. We do get to see her brain. But more on that later. The play is directed by James Meteyard and Ipema plays herself as she tells her life story from the day she met her adoptive brother, Mica. Their childhood shenanigans, school, friends, teenage, and her love for soccer. And that’s where Annie comes into her life. Annie is the personification of the aneurysm that doctors find in Sam’s brain. She is unpredictable, explosive, and is played with chaotic energy by Eleanor House. She is Sam’s unwelcome plus-one at spring break, in school, at parties. Th...

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody – Riverside Studios

6May

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody – Riverside Studios

I am under strict instructions from a fierce Imperial Officer (last night’s host Pete Anderson) not to give too much of the show away here, so I’ll keep this simple. The Empire Strips Back is an absolute joy to watch, and whether you’re a huge Star Wars fan or you just enjoy a comically risqué night out, I highly recommend you go and see it. As the title would suggest, The Empire Strips Back pays tribute to the beloved worlds and characters of Star Wars by reimagining them through a burlesque lens. The results are simultaneously hilarious, seductive and at times jaw-droppingly impressive. Creator Russall S Beattie, producer David J Foster and London director Bec have crafted an intricate production that allows the performers to form a relationship with the audience, flirting and teasing...

5Apr

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Per-Verse – Riverside Studios

Just about everyone would have those moments in life that seem to be straight out of fiction or could make for great stories. But only few of them actually go ahead and turn those into forms of entertainment. Georgie Wedge is one of them and that’s a good thing, because now we have Per-Verse. Written and performed by Wedge, this one-woman act is directed by Ilya Wray and combines poetry with stand-up with storytelling with physical comedy. It may not be all that new to get on stage and talk about your dating life, but it is the way in which Wedge does it that makes this a standout show. The script is tight, packed with wit, and engaging all through. The word play of the title carries on into the performance as well, with puns and rhymes by the dozen. You better keep up, because t...

28Mar

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Asbo Bozo – Riverside Studios

18 minutes to start her day in silence, our lead and Anti-social Behaviour Officer (Georgina Duncan) needs to start her day off peacefully before dealing with the gruelling week ahead. Even more excitingly- it’s her birthday! With high expectations of the day, she prepares herself to play it cool when presented with cake and cards at work! She whirls around positive thinking, her phone quietly buzzes with yet another work meeting, a voicemail, an email. Her 18 minutes are cut 5 minutes short, so we journey with her on her walk to work through Wigan high street. Observant and suspicious of the locals, she’s seen far too much to just take life at surface level, but rather than confronting these demons, she remains forever bubbling on top of a kill switch. One small spark could set off an exp...

21Mar

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Sisyphean Quick Fix – Riverside Studios

Few plays handle the quiet complexities of family duty with as much tenderness as ‘Sisyphean Quick Fix’, Bettina Paris’ semi-autobiographical debut now playing at Riverside Studios. Set between London and Malta, the story follows two sisters, Krista and Pip, forced to confront the worsening alcoholism of their father, a man whose reckless behaviour has long been their shared burden. Paris plays Krista, a struggling actor in London juggling auditions and bar shifts, while Tina Rizzo’s character, Pip remains in Malta, holding down a steady job and a seemingly more conventional life. What unfolds is a careful dissection of how physical distance can breed resentment, as the sisters wrestle with uneven responsibilities, and the question of what anyone truly owes a parent who repeatedly hits ...

14Feb

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Ordinary Madness – Riverside Studios

“There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out, but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke.” Bukowski’s famous poem opens Ordinary Madness, the latest literature-based production from international ensemble company Art Theatre London. Cleverly staged into a series of sleek vignettes, the production attempts to stitch together Bukowski’s short stories and poems, but something crucial fails to connect. Bukowski’s world is dirty, grim, and visceral — his words make you taste the cigarette smoke, smell the sweat, and inhale the sensual perversion of our human condition. Here, under Anya Viller’s direction, the show too often feels like a sleek Drama Center showcase of its best and brightest: too safe, too clean, too polished. The young, dynamic cast struggles to capture ...