Southwark Playhouse Archives - North West End UK

12Apr

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Supersonic Man – Southwark Playhouse

Southwark Playhouse Borough hosted the world premiere of ‘Supersonic Man’ this week, a new musical written and directed by Chris Burgess, which sets out to blend science fiction spectacle with emotional resonance and love within the LGBTQI+ community. It is inspired by the remarkable real-life journey of Peter Scott-Morgan, as seen in Channel 4’s ‘Peter – The Human Cyborg’, and follows Adam, a Brighton-based influencer, who faces a devastating diagnosis and chooses to defy it, not by surrendering, but by exploring an experimental path, exploring transhumanism to reclaim control and live a full life. The production offers up a bold premise, full of potential for both drama and imagination, but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up to the ambition of its concept and remains somewhat und...

11Apr

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Midnight Cowboy – Southwark Playhouse

Midnight Cowboy stars Paul Jacob French as Joe Buck, a young and naïve cowboy escaping his small-town roots for the bustling, unforgiving streets of New York City. French delivers a perfect American cowboy accent and brings depth and vulnerability to his role, proving his impressive acting range. Upon arriving in the Big Apple, Joe crosses paths with Rico “Ratso” Rizzo, played by Max Bowden - a streetwise, scrappy hustler barely surviving on the fringes of society. Bowden’s portrayal is gritty and raw, capturing the desperation and charm of a man who’s constantly scheming just to make it to the next day. Together, Joe and Ratso embark on a heartbreaking journey through the underworld of sex work, chasing dreams of wealth, happiness, and an escape to a better life in sunny Florida...

23Mar

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Double Act – Southwark Playhouse

Two clowns enter the stage, their mission: to end their life tonight. We travel with them for the day as they quarrel over the best way to spend this final day. Representing one male, 28 and lost in what purpose his life might have, we meet strangers and exes on the way to the coast. Small gestures of kindness and connection breaks his mission to the cliff, giving him moments of doubt as he continues to question - what is courage? Is it to finally bring it all to an end or is it to keep trying? Written and performed by Nick Hyde, they play one side of the coin along with Oliver Maynard. Each of the pair double as other characters in this man’s life. The nosy neighbour, the ex and the unbearable finance bro from school. Each moment is relatable and hilarious, as we all connect over the j...

2Mar

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Son of a Bitch – Southwark Playhouse

Ten seconds, seven words. That’s all it takes for Marnie (Anna Morris) to become a viral sensation… for all the wrong reasons. After a stressful long-haul flight in which her husband has ditched her and their son in Economy while he sips champagne in Business, Marnie’s rising frustrations have an almighty climax as she loudly calls her four-year-old a c*nt in front of all the other passengers — including one opportunist filming it on their phone. Soon, Marnie is public enemy number one as she becomes the global poster girl for ‘bad’ motherhood. Some suggest child services need to get involved, some believe she should be sterilised, and #SaveTheSon is the latest trending topic. But in reality, as we discover in time-jumping scenes throughout Son of a Bitch’s 60-minute runtime, Mar...

8Feb

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Heaven – Southwark Playhouse

Of all the events in the social calendar, there are few with such potential to cause rifts, drama, and an onslaught of confusing emotions as a family wedding. In Eugene O’Brien’s Heaven, it’s this event that offers us a lens through which to observe the floundering marriage of long-time spouses Mal (Andrew Bennett) and Mairead (Janet Moran). While both characters are featured throughout, we never see them interact, instead hearing their differing accounts of Mairead’s sister’s wedding through a series of alternating monologues in which both characters speak candidly to the audience. As well as painting a colourful picture of the wedding, dancefloor scraps and dodgy speeches included, Mairead and Mal give the audience highly personal and often vulnerable insights into their lives and ...

The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary – Southwark Playhouse

11Dec

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary – Southwark Playhouse

‘The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary’ playing at Southwark Playhouse, attempts a brave, comedic overhaul of Gustave Flaubert's sobering classic, with varying degrees of success. For those of you not familiar with the novel (which is, as pointed out at the start of the show, most of us), the story centres around a woman battling the constraints of the patriarchy. Emma is portrayed as profoundly disenchanted, bored with her uninspiring doctor husband, her mundane provincial village, and her stifling role as a dutiful wife in nineteenth-century France. The character extravagantly spends beyond her resources to flee the dullness and void of provincial existence. This narrative is upended by Ha Hum Ah Productions & Minack Theatre as the audience is ushered into a more modern and rau...

A Very Naughty Christmas – Southwark Playhouse

4Dec

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

A Very Naughty Christmas – Southwark Playhouse

The ‘naughty set’ has arrived, fresh onto the London theatre scene from down under ready to shake up Christmas. Hold on to your hats as there are not many clothes featured in this Australian production, billed as a comedy concert for strictly adult members only. This one and half hours contains skits, dancing and burlesque whilst showcasing a musical feast of popular music to traditional Christmas tunes spiced up, reworded in a way you have never heard before or may never hear again. It’s rogue it’s risqué with tantalising moments of indulgence which hits the funny bone and very suited the mood and ambience of ‘A Very Naughty Christmas’ indeed, ‘Santa Loves You Less Because You’re poor’ ‘Jingle ball’s’ maybe not one to sing out loud; yes you get the idea. Photo: Mark Senior There are...

KENREX to transfer to Southwark Playhouse

18Nov

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

KENREX to transfer to Southwark Playhouse

Aria Entertainment and Sheffield Theatres are thrilled to announce that the world premiere of KENREX will transfer from Sheffield Theatres’ Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse to Southwark Playhouse Borough from 14th February – 16th March 2025, with press night on Tuesday 18th February 2025. Following a sold-out run in Sheffield where it garnered multiple five-star reviews, KENREX is part True Crime, part Western, with a foot-stomping live Americana soundtrack, KENREX is devised by Jack Holden (Olivier-nominated Cruise) and Ed Stambollouian. '911, what's your emergency?' 'My husband... they shot him... they all did.' July 10th 1981. Skidmore, Missouri. A man is shot dead in broad daylight. There are sixty witnesses — but no one saw a thing. Photo: Manuel Harlan Jack Holden (Marriag...

Land of the Free – Southwark Playhouse, Borough

16Oct

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Land of the Free – Southwark Playhouse, Borough

That Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while attending a theatrical performance is fairly common knowledge. Much less is generally known about his assassin: John Wilkes Booth. Booth's life is the subject of Simple8's production at the Southwark Playhouse. Booth came from a theatrical family and was himself an actor. It was his familiarity at the Ford theatre in Washington which gave him easy access to the President's private box on the fateful night of April 15 1865. His motivation was unclear, but probably arose from anger at the defeat of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and Lincoln's subsequent decision on the abolition of slavery. These provide the background to the play. The play is highly theatrical. This is appropriate given Booth's theatrical background ...

Julius Caesar – Southwark Playhouse Borough

17Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Julius Caesar – Southwark Playhouse Borough

The Southwark Playhouse Borough’s production of Julius Caesar offers a futuristic reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic tale of political intrigue and the lust for power. While the adaptation remains faithful to the original text and preserves the integrity of Shakespearean language, it falters in its execution, particularly in its attempts to merge modern technological elements with a centuries-old script. The integration of futuristic concepts—such as the use of advanced technology, weapons, and projections—initially seems like a bold choice. The clash between the antiquated language and the modernized aesthetic often feels forced, making it challenging for the audience to remain fully immersed in the world of the play. That said, the production’s technical achievements were impress...