Royal Court Archives - Page 2 of 3

19Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

That Is Not Who I Am – Royal Court

"Just cos it's in your imagination doesn't mean it's not real." Dave Davidson's first (and possibly last) play is a conceit, wrapped in an enigma, inside just about every conspiracy theory on social media. Set in the style of those ever-popular true crime drama documentaries, the playwright acts as narrator, but he/she is also hiding in plain sight. Undercover due to alleged Government surveillance, writer Lucy Kirkwood (Chimerica, Mosquitoes) gives actor Priyana Burford the job of setting the scene and giving voice to the various possibilities of what actually happened. It's the account of Noah and Celeste Quilter, who meet on a blind date, banter, lie to each other, get married, have a much-wanted baby and then fall down the rabbit-hole of conspiracy theories, all while in the grip o...

16Jun

By Daniel CoxNo Comments

North West

Mam! I’m Ere! – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Following its debut 10 years ago at Central Hall in Liverpool ‘Mam! I’m Ere!’ has gone from strength to strength as it found its home at Liverpool’s Royal Court. After providing one of the venues most successful runs in 2015 and still making audiences laugh in 2018, would it be able to bring the energy and audiences following the delayed 2020 run because of COVID-19? Well, Mam! I’m Ere! has arrived in 2022 and you best tell your mother that this production isn’t hiding away anytime soon (and it’s a good job). Along with the blessing of original Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd, director Stephen Fletcher takes a hilarious twist on the well-loved 2008 jukebox musical. He tells the story of Sally, a young woman inviting her potential mothers to her home at a Welsh caravan site to witness...

two Palestinians go dogging – Royal Court

19May

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

two Palestinians go dogging – Royal Court

Shireen Abu Akleh, celebrated observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Al Jazeera correspondent was recently shot and killed in Jenin in the West Bank. The 51-year-old reported on every flashpoint in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem over three decades. As the Arab world reeled from her death, accusing Israeli forces of wilful assassination, her funeral became an explosive scene as Israeli officers beat mourners while they carried her casket. The circumstances around Abu Akleh death are so inflammatory, emotional and horrific that it seemed sure to ignite new grievance and escalate the conflict. In fact, after 3 days, it’s fallen off the news agenda. There are other wars to focus on. Fresh, shiny battles that aren’t as complex and divisive as the atrociti...

Hey Bunny Get Loose – Liverpool’s Royal Court

13May

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Hey Bunny Get Loose – Liverpool’s Royal Court

A new play from the royal court theatre in the studio took place last night. Written by Wendy Dickinson, the play sees 30 something Gemma trying to write a blog. Her life has taken a bit of a downward turn. Her marriage is on ice and has unexpectedly been thrown in to caring for 3 rabbits Trent (Alexander Arnold), Mo (Salah) and Firmino. The show has occasional flashbacks in Gemma’s life that led her to this point in the present day. Her blog begins to take off and reaches the national press including the one show as people online want to know everything about her and her buns (bunnies) as well as Trent. Gemma was never one for children at least until Firmino (Robert Firmino) had a litter of bunnies. The show was full of comedy lines and indeed perfect comedy timing. But it also had a ...

5May

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Macca & Beth – Liverpool’s Royal Court

The Liverpool Royal Court Theatre took us on a trip to bonnie Scotland last night as Macca took his partner Beth to an old house up in the highlands full of secret passageways and mystery. Beth couldn’t believe her luck. Why on earth would Macca bring her to such a place, a place that had no Signal, running water or a toilet. But there was a valid reason. Macca had just been told that he was the last of the McMaccamac’s due to his Uncle McMaccamac’s death. He had to keep it a secret and pass a series of tests before he was to know what was left to him within his late uncles last will in testament. One of the tests being spending a night in the house. There were lots of weird and wonderful creatures within this house and I don’t just mean the taxidermy. Trouble was afoot in the Scottish...

If This Is Normal – Liverpool’s Royal Court

4May

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

If This Is Normal – Liverpool’s Royal Court

If This Is Normal, is a dark comedy drama about coming of age, the first time for everything and what happens when the lines between love and friendship blur. Written by Lucy Danser and directed by Helena Jackson, this highly emotional show takes you on a rollercoaster of highs and lows, making you laugh, cry and get lost in the euphoria and dread of first love, first heartbreak and that one defining moment everyone has where they realise that all too suddenly, they’re all grown up. The play opens with three wooden chairs facing the back of the bare stage with Alex (Aoife Smyth) and Maryam (Zarima McDermott) sitting while Madani (Isambard Rawbone) paces up and down while talking about his love of boxing and fledging career training local teenagers in the sport. More sporty than academi...

23Apr

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Making It – Royal Court Studio

Last night was rather exciting when I took a trip to Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre, as this time I was in their studio, watching their latest production called Making It. Penned by Stephen Fletcher writer of Mam I’m Ere and Catherine Rice a Liverpool based writer and Comedienne with additional material by Andrew Schofield. Known for playing many shows at the Royal Court as well as being the narrator in Blood Brothers back in 1983. The story is about our Bev (Catherine Rice) as she tells us about her acting career. She is currently waiting for her agent to call, to say she has the role in the film but until then she was singing in the local club. Bev opened up about how she had agents who were not quite legitimate. Also, a photographer who took loads of photos of her to be used to sai...

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy – Royal Court

8Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy – Royal Court

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy by Ryan Calais Cameron is a powerful, overwhelming and utterly entrancing piece where a group of individuals recall to their past as a way to understand each other and eventually succumb to the help they need and deserve although never being able to ask for. My only warning from Twitter was to take tissues and I pass that on as the topics discussed here are so painfully important and unfortunately not discussed enough in our theatres today. This piece was a privilege to watch but I would also describe it as one of the most essential pieces I have ever watched in my life. The company started their journey with this piece at the New Diorama, which created such a stir and therefore was commissioned for Royal Court. The...

Purple Snowflakes and Tittywanks – Royal Court

4Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Purple Snowflakes and Tittywanks – Royal Court

This a revolutionary piece that follows a young woman from Ireland to London with the suffocating pressures of a nation devout to their beliefs and their religion. How this manifests is in the bodies of young people who cover their sexual frustrations, eating disorders, depression and anxieties. This slightly nonsensical piece is high energy, a thought a minute as she revisits her later years in school with the complication of discovery and in how unlocking knowledge can be just as limiting as you may have felt before. Photo: Luca Truffarelli Written and performed by Sarah Hanly, awarded with the 2019 Pinter Commission and one of Royal Court’s Long Form Writer’s Group- she has written a piece that speaks to a nation in recovery. It is powerful, funny and dark as we uncover the truth...

30Jan

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

The Glow – Royal Court

“You go far back enough, and everything turns to myth” Alistair Mcdowall’s “The Glow” is written with a plethora of colours and flavours, bursting at the seams with ideas about time and the ephemerality of the past. Its central focus is on myth, with a defining character whose presence transcends the stage. Found in an asylum in 1863, a woman is assumed to be a perfect host for an ambitious necromancer but soon things turn awry as the woman’s magical powers come into their own. With an eclectic mix of characters and shifting timelines, it is a joy to watch the complete changes in mood from scene to scene. The plot is anchored by the pivotal character, the woman played by Ria Zmitrowicz, as her character slowly unfurls like she is learning how to exist. Zmitrowicz imbues the characte...