Soho Theatre Archives - Page 3 of 6

Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not To Come – Soho Theatre

31May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not To Come – Soho Theatre

“What does it mean to be ‘brown’?” Based on the multi award-winning BBC Sounds podcast (‘Best Podcast of the Year’ at the British Podcast Awards 2020 and Asian Media Awards 2021), this production is a whirlwind of slapstick comedy, emotion and discovery. Starring Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani, this performance is an honest and true representation of second-generation Asian women growing up in Britain. As well as exploring their many fantasies and sexpectations, these women discuss their battle with wanting to be ‘white’ and embracing their ‘brown’ culture simultaneously. Set to a backdrop of 90s and 2000s nostalgia, including poster artwork of iconic films such as Bend It Like Beckham and 10 Things I Hate About You, the audience is completely transported into the bedroom of a teenage g...

22Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Splintered – Soho Theatre

‘How do you deal with coming out joyfully in a homophobic culture?’ This is the awkward question asked by Emily Aboud in her prize-winning show Splintered. In truth, same sex love isn’t overly celebrated anywhere on this melting, agitated planet. It’s geographical lottery that decides the level of homophobia one might experience should you start waving a rainbow flag. In Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and in some northern states of Nigeria, coming out might end in state enforced death sentence. Coming out in Cheam may be easier than in Chechnya, but unicorns and glitter aren’t guaranteed. Attitudes to queerness in the Caribbean stem from a very complex tangle of elements. It’s only quite recently that there’s been an understanding that laws criminalising homosexual relati...

6Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Sap – Soho Theatre

Originally performed at Edinburgh Fringe, I was eager to know why this show was a consistent sell out during the festival. Writer, Rafaella Marcus has brought us a retelling of the Greek myth ‘Daphne’ sought after by Apollo and to escape him turns herself into a tree. Often used as a device exploring sexual assault and violence however in this story, Daphne is Bisexual who is desperately ashamed and would much rather lie than confront the people she loves. With one lie, a seed is planted and from that a dark and tragic path is laid out. Only a 70 minute piece and every second completely enchanting to watch, two actors (Jessica Clark and Rebecca Banatvala) swerve through the space like seasoned pros with every click, move and nod perfectly synchronised with the lights and sound. Moving a...

1Mar

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

BriTANick – Soho Theatre

They tell you to laugh and you laugh. They tell you how much to laugh, and you listen. But when you try to stop laughing, that seems impossible. Welcome to BriTANick. The comedy duo of Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, under the direction of Alex Edelman and produced by Zach Zucker and Allegra Rosenberg, brings a thrilling series of short comedy sketches with a non-stopping rhythm and precision that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Starting with a very short slapstick sketch of an annoying spirit that decides to haunt an innocent reader, the audience will be quickly introduced into this clockwork machinery were the two actors play a version of themselves playing characters through eight sketches and some intermezzos. The deceptively simple mechanism of addressing the audience a...

22Feb

By Anisha AnantpurkarNo Comments

London

Age Is a Feeling – Soho Theatre

‘Here are twelve stories about what’s to come in your adult years’, says Haley McGee at the top of Age Is a Feeling, and for some reason, I instantly trust her. The stage is set with a tall lifeguard chair, with lit candles on a small platform underneath the seat. The chair sits in the centre of a circle marked by 12 pole-like potted flowering plants. Each plant bears a small card with a word written on it in large letters. The audience hears 6 stories, each picked by an audience member, and we are left with just a hint of what might’ve happened in the ones we don’t pick. Haley McGee, barefoot and dressed in a black blouse featuring some lace and jeans soiled by dirt, picks some cards off the plants and walks towards members of the audience seated closest to the stage. She then asks ...

10Feb

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Breathless – Soho Theatre

Laura Horton's "Breathless" is a stunningly crafted and expertly performed play that explores the complexities of self-discovery and the challenges of growth. The play follows the journey of Sophie, a woman in her late-thirties, who opens up to new experiences and begins to delve into long-repressed aspects of herself. With humour and poignancy, Horton delves into the heart of Sophie's struggle as she grapples with the secret of her compulsive hoarding habits and the fear of being discovered for who or what she really is. The play is heart-warming and offers up an incredibly genuine performance by Madeleine Macmahon as Sophie. Her portrayal of the character is both hilarious and touching, capturing the confusion and vulnerability of Sophie's journey with nuance and sensitivity. The w...

<strong>Welcome Home – Soho Theatre</strong>

30Jan

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Welcome Home – Soho Theatre

Willy Hudson takes us on an adventure into a lurid, phantasmagoria of his past. It begins with Willy returning to his parents’ house after a messy breakup, which ignites memories of the past as he inadvertently seeks closure. The older Willy decides to avenge himself and portrays himself as the villain, fighting the good. With clever Doctor Who crossovers, comparing monsters to certain daunting figures in his life, Hudson’s personal story feels epic. Hudson is an engaging storyteller with sass and warm expressiveness, keeping the narrative buoyant throughout with direction from Zach James. His descriptive, visual script evokes nostalgia, and the conversations are naturalistic with comedic undertones as Willy re-enacts them. The back and forth time jumping was in keeping with the Doctor ...

<strong>Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have – Soho Theatre</strong>

13Dec

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Jazz Emu: You Shouldn’t Have – Soho Theatre

A screen cycles through a mixed bag of tweets sent to the mysterious Jazz Emu (Archie Henderson) as we wait for the show to begin. The elaborate, bright red set designed by Bonson Bonsonson JR matches his grandiosity and has a talk show feel. He parades out in a metallic emu helmet and begins a song about his proficiency and brilliance while his equipment malfunctions. Jazz emu’s eclectic character is like the result of putting a scientist, evil mastermind, superhero and a presenter in a blender. Henderson is a natural performer with his expressive darting eyes, an array of physicality and sharp comic timing directed by Adam Flynn. We are welcomed into his existential, disco-like, jazz-emu-centred world where if he’s not thinking about himself, he’s wondering about how microwaves wo...

<strong>A Christmas Carol-ish – Soho Theatre</strong>

11Dec

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

A Christmas Carol-ish – Soho Theatre

I’ll say it now: I love a good Christmas Show. I don’t consider myself over-the-top when it comes to festive feelings, but I do like the spirit of Christmas – the warmth, good tidings and all that razz the season brings. And so it was with much excitement I got myself down to Soho Theatre for ‘A Christmas Carol-ish’ by Mr Swallow (aka Nick Mohammed). I was not disappointed. ‘A Christmas Carol-ish’ is loosely based on a musical retelling of Dicken’s festive classic ‘A Christmas Carol’. And when I say loosely, I mean basically think of the story outline: three ghosts turn up to change a man to be a better person, and that’s as close to Dicken’s as this show gets. And it’s all the better for it. The writing on this show in insanely clever, funny, relevant and on the pulse of current eve...

<strong>Evening Conversations – Soho Theatre</strong>

10Nov

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Evening Conversations – Soho Theatre

A one-woman show has its own stereotypes. Sudha Bhuchar smashes them and many others. But then, some also get reinforced. Bhuchar takes the audience on a journey of her strife and struggle, anchored in conversations had with her sons. She touches upon ideas of mixed identity (for both, her and her sons), being a middle-aged Asian woman in the entertainment industry, intergenerational trauma, the socio-political climates she’s lived through and the current generation’s outlook towards the world and life. These aren’t topics unheard of but what makes it interesting is Bhchar’s performance. She is a fabulous actor, no doubt, and her 39 years of experience clearly reflects in her delivery. She effortlessly reads the room and builds an intimate connection with the audience, making them feel ...