Waterloo East Archives - North West End UK

19Apr

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

F**king Men – Waterloo East

When Tony Award-winning playwright Joe DiPietro first started writing his all-male adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde, he didn’t think anyone would be interested in producing it. So, he gave it what he considered to be an ‘un-producible title’: F**king Men. As the title of this review gives away, the play not only went on to be produced, but it was a runaway success. Debuting in London over 15 years ago, F**king Men became a fringe classic, and DiPietro’s updated version is back for a six-week run at Waterloo East Theatre until 26th May. Drawing back the curtains on the interconnecting sexual encounters between ten different men, F**king Men offers the audience a glimpse into the lives of modern gay men navigating sex, love, and monogamy in a world that still too often discr...

F**king Men – Waterloo East

F**king Men by Joe Dipietro is based on Schnitzler’s La Ronde, written in 1897 and first performed in 1920. It provoked an almighty scandal that escalated into anti-Semitic attacks on Schnitzler and a court case where he was accused (but acquitted) of obscenity. The primary text is laughably tame and early productions left the sexual encounters to the audience’s imagination, but the playwright was still labelled a ‘Jewish pornographer’. La Ronde dared to suggest that sexual desire cuts through class barriers and unwise copulation is a universal human frailty. This is no longer news in 2023 and perhaps Dipietro was chasing the original’s provocative vibes when naming this adaption and filling the stage with rampant, often naked, gay men. Either way, the gambit proved a box office smash....

Starting Here, Starting Now – Waterloo East

Maltby and Shire's revue, Starting Here, Starting Now, was first produced at the Manhattan Theater Club in 1976, with songs accumulated from the many shows they had written, some of which were never produced. As a revue, their songs have seen much more success. There have been frequent revivals and even a Grammy nomination for the original cast recording. Each song is a cleverly crafted mini-drama on the timeless themes of love and relationships, good, bad, broken, angry, joyful, new, old, hopeful and hopeless. It's an eclectic mix of songs and styles - sometimes thrilling, sometimes funny, and occasionally baffling. "Thrilling" are the performers, Nikki Bentley, Gina Murray and Noel Sullivan, all seasoned West End stars, whose voices individually and together are the en...