Paul in London Feed

Bit parts: Garry Starr Performs Everything @swkplay

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:01:00 +0000

Garry Starr Performs Everything is a bare-bones (and bare buttocks) tribute to the theatre. Theatre may be in trouble, and audiences are down, but Garry Starr aims to save the theatre and bring back to the masses every style of theatre possible. As long as each style involves wearing a transparent white leotard or a skimpy thong. And tassels. It's part comedy, part physical comedy and part perv at Gary's physical prowess. The sentiment "if you've got it, flaunt it" applies here. So here we are with a show that has been around for some years and is having its first proper London run at the Southwark Playhouse (Borough) through Christmas.

The premise is that Garry Starr (played by Damien Warren-Smith) has left the Royal Shakespeare Company over artistic differences. He is now on a mission to save the theatre from misrepresentation and worthy interpretations by doing things such as a two-minute Hamlet, recreating scenes from a Pinter play using unsuspecting audience members, or recreating tragedy using somewhat familiar lyrics to songs by Britney.

As Garry performs everything, there is plenty of scope for audience participation. He asks almost every audience member if they're familiar with the Japanese style of theatre called Noh with a "Do you know Noh?". Being from Melbourne with a reasonably solid Australian accent, it becomes a masterclass in flattening vowels and creating syllables where none exist. Then, a romantic comedy is re-enacted by sharing a plate of spaghetti with a volunteer until the lips meet. It is not a show for the shy unless you strategically place yourself away from aisles or rows he could easily access.

However, amongst the nude ballet and bare-faced cheekiness, there is a playful and silly approach to the theatre and some inspired comic set pieces that are hard to resist. There is also a tiny moment of introspection that gives us a glimpse of how Garry got here. But only after we've seen his penis. And that's something you can't unsee.

Directed by Cal McCrystal, Garry Starr Performs Everything is at the Southwark Playhouse Borough venue until 23 December.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Wil Hamilton-Coates and Jeromaia Detto

Christmas Mysteries: A Sherlock Carol @MaryleboneTHLDN

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 09:36:00 +0000

A mash-up of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes would seem an unlikely pairing. Yet it provides a surprisingly fun Christmas-themed adventure. These two Victorian tales (albeit separated by about 40 years) provide the basis for an inspired adventure at Christmastime that just also happens to turn out to be a murder mystery as well. With lavish costumes, a few spooky set pieces and some good old-fashioned stage trickery with lights and a lot of smoke machines, it is hard to resist. It returns to the Marylebone Theatre for Christmas after a run there last year.

The premise is that after Holmes sees off the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, he is left adrift in London. People thought he was dead, and he might as well be. Disinterested in the misdeeds of other Londoners, Holmes has even given up on his friend Dr Watson. It's almost as if he has become a Scrooge. Or half a Scrooge, moping about shouting, "bah" in response to any festive greeting. Yet he feels that everywhere he goes, he is being haunted by Moriarty. Meanwhile, Scrooge (of the Christmas Carol fame) has been found by a doctor who suspects there was foul play.

It helps to know your Sherlock and your Christmas Carol. Although given the number of productions of A Christmas Carol that run during December each year, following along for half of the story should be a doddle. But we get a flash of what makes Holmes so fascinating and the play so much fun, as he quickly sizes up the characters he meets based on small observations of their character. This is first evident when he meets the doctor. He determines that he was poor at an early age, and illness at the time could have killed him. The dead man (Scrooge) was his benefactor. In an instant, you realise this is Tiny Tim as an adult.

When the doctor informs Holmes there was a diamond on its way to Scrooge before he died, there is just enough to spark interest in taking the case. Then, the story is off and takes the audience on a ride full of laughs, mystery, and mild peril.

A cast of six led by Ben Caplan as the grumpy Sherlock Holmes and Kammy Darweish as Ebenezer Scrooge centre the piece. The others, including Rosie Armstrong and Richard James, play various characters along the way.

A Sherlock Carol is written and directed by Mark Shanahan and continues at Marylebone Theatre until 7 January.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Alex Brenner

Grief and fluff: Tiger @OmnibusTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 07:59:00 +0000

Death is something we all will face. After all, nobody gets out of here alive. But how do you get past it when grief is all you can feel? And this is the premise of Tiger, currently playing at Omnibus Theatre. It's a fascinating exploration of the stages of grief. And with a terrific cast to take you on this journey, it's an endearing and sweet story that has you engaged from the start, wondering what will happen next.

We are introduced to Alice (Poppy Allen-Quarmby) as she gives a stand-up routine. It's not particularly funny and starts to veer into the topic of dying. Something isn't right. She used to be good at this but can't move forward. Soon, she is back in her London apartment with her partner Oli (Luke Nunn), discussing that they need to get a lodger to make ends meet.

Oli is a doctor working night shifts at the local NHS hospital. Alice is not ready to face a return to stand up or anything. So when the first potential lodger arrives (Meg Lewis), looking slightly odd dressed in an orange suit and a long tail, she bonds instantly and asks him to move it without discussing it further with Oli. They're unsure what his name is, so they give him the name of Tiger. Tiger is full of optimism, endless facts, and knock-knock jokes. Some of them are funny (at least to some audience members the night I saw it, who let out loud chuckles after them).

But the simple forays into silliness may be concealing and delaying facing some harsher realities. And soon, Alice's plight, her struggle with loss and her mental health come to the fore.

Joe Eyre's play tackles the subject of mental health and grief with a playfulness and light touch. And while perhaps a little long, the cast also gives this piece a compelling human touch with their sensitive and often comic portrayals.

It's a simple production set in the traverse, with a fluffy-looking stage that had me initially mistake the characters for furries. There's more to it than that, but you should beware of the floating polyester kicked up as the actors move across it if you're sitting in the front row. Nobody needs to be eating that sort of thing.

Directed by Myles O'Gorman, Tiger continues at Omnibus Theatre until 2 December.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Harry Elletson

Axes to grind: Lizzie @Swkplay

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 07:59:00 +0000

Arriving at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant, there are plenty of pigeons (real and otherwise) inside and outside the theatre. Having not been there since it opened at the start of the year, I figured it was an art installation. Little did I know that it was a crucial part of Lizzie, the hard rock, full-throated true crime rock musical. Pigeons are solace from a stifling, oppressive life for an unmarried woman in 1890s Massachusetts. And that is probably all the subtlety you'll get in this high-energy production. It originated at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and now makes a lot of noise in the Southwark Playhouse's basement venue.

Based on the trial of the century in 1890s Massachusetts, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of murdering her stepmother and father with an axe. Over time, everyone believed she had done it. There's even a nursery rhyme about her. This piece is less interested in the whodunnit and more in the whyshedunnit. Set to a driving rock score.

Maybe it was the risk of being destitute and cut out of the will when their stepmother was due to inherit everything in the event of their father, Andrew Borden, passing. Maybe it was the ambiguous lesbian relationship between her neighbour Alice Russell. Perhaps it was the controlling and abusive relationship her father had with her. All is explored here with a light touch and hard-core rock score. But we are left without a doubt that Lizzie, her older sister Emma, Alice and their housekeeper conspired to do him in and keep her out of jail.

The musical by Steven Cheslik-Demeter, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt first premiered in 1990 and feels born in the era of experimental rock musicals. Almost sung through, you don't have time to ponder whether it would be best described as a song cycle or in the tradition of other shows such as Spring Awakening or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It just moves through the story at breakneck speed, even when the songs should feel as if they are slowing down the action. Last seen in London in 2017, but in the intimate space of the Southwark Playhouse Elephant venue, it feels intense. Loud and intense. The cast dance and gyrate with their headsets on and then switch to handheld microphones. Projections abound, and the lights flash. It's over the top and hard to resist as it builds a compelling case of women trapped in a world that seems to have no use for them.

By the time the murders come, it is such a cathartic release and depicted with such panache you're on her side. Music, performance and staging conspire to make a high (and bloody) point for the show.

In the title role, Lizzie, Lauren Drew shines but is joined by the formidable talents of Shekinah McFarlane as Emma, Maiya Quansah-Breed as Alice and Mairi Barclay as Bridget. It's a powerful quartet of voices and impeccable timing. The show's second half quickly dispenses with the trial of the century, but not without pointing out that having a little money and being a woman has advantages.

Directed and choreographed by William Whelton and music direction by Honor Halford-MacLeod, Lizzie continues at the Southwark Playhouse until 2 December before heading to the New Theatre, Peterborough, from 6 December.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Pamela Raith

Bad girl: Boy Parts @sohotheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 07:59:00 +0000

In these angry times, an angry anti-heroine is a cathartic release, even if you’re not quite sure what the anger is about. This stylish adaptation of Eliza Clark's Boy Parts with a charismatic performance by Aimée Kelly makes it engaging. And while we don't see the gore, with each scene, there's a slight dread as to what gruesome turn of events s is going to happen next in this piece, which takes Fleabag and adds a touch of American Psycho nonchalance. It's currently playing at the Soho Theatre.

I was unfamiliar with the book's runaway success and the TikTok phenomenon, where people #booktok reviews of the piece under flattering lighting and a series of jump cuts. However, a quick cursory glance at the material shows the play has captured all the best bits in vivid detail, particularly in its descriptions of men. There's Ryan, the bar manager, with his "big thick neck and tiny pea head, thinning hair." But people may have mistaken some of these for comic takedowns rather than factual depictions of English people.

But anyway. We are introduced to Irina, and it's soon clear that she's manipulative, toxic and generally not nice. She likes to photograph young men in states of undress or distress. And her work catches the eye of an edgy Hackney gallery. It's the chance to make a name for herself after a setback. But the gallery is after edgier stuff, so she needs to up her game and find the proper subject matter and splatter to make the exhibition, returning to past works and encounters. As the opening to the exhibition approaches, you're left unsure what is fantasy or reality.

Translated to the stage with Kelly's strong performance, you are drawn into her world and ready to forgive her for whatever she says. Even when she spews the darkest innermost thoughts out at you, it's all a very high-concept premise about turning the male gaze on its head. But apart from being a bad girl, you are left with the same gore that's gone before.

Maybe one day, there will be a compelling drama about a female photographer who photographs her male subjects without the need to shove a bottle up their arse. Until then, enjoy the ride. Assuming that you can stomach it.

Directed by Sara Joyce and written by Gill Greer, Boy Parts is at Soho Theatre until 25 November.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Joe Twigg

Repurposed: Owners @JSTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 06:59:00 +0000

Caryl Churchill's Owners is an excellent example of how you can feel nostalgic for an unpleasant time in history. After all fifty years since its premiere, the property market has gone from bad to worse. And despite the seventies look and feel, it feels as if it still has something to say about property, ownership, and the transactional relationships that make up life in the country. Not to mention the relentless pursuit of Victorian terrace houses that most parts of the world wouldn't touch, it is currently playing at the Jermyn Street Theatre.

The revival brings out the oddities of the piece. The freewheeling sexual politics and the changing legal environment allowing property to be bought and sold with less regulation seem like they are from a different time and place. And they are. It's almost as if we need a history lesson to understand the time and place. The programme notes that market rates for tenancies were only allowed in 1989. Since then, we have been through boom and bust cycles and new trends, such as the rise of property as an investment. Something to keep dark most of the year and only to park your money. Or launder it.

The premise opens with Clegg, the butcher (Mark Huckett), shutting his butcher shop. The neighbourhood isn't what it used to be, with people preferring to go to the nearby supermarket. But things aren't too dire for him. His wife, Marion (Laura Doddington), has a thriving business of buying up properties. She is good at it, too. With her assistant and part-time lover Worsely (Tom Morley), he makes deals to clear out tenants and take over the property. However, one property she has her eyes on is the one rented by a former lover, Alec (Ryan Donaldson) and his heavily pregnant wife, Lisa (Boadicea Ricketts).

While the arguments and the characterisations are sometimes bizarre, if you succumb to the wackiness of the piece and go along for the ride, it's still a provocative and entertaining night of theatre, especially with the performances of the ensemble and the fabulously economical set design of doors of drab English homes by Cat Fuller. The smaller space of Jermyn Street may mean that the ambition and scale of the piece are difficult to appreciate. Still, instead, we have a detailed and evocative recreation of a time and place that seems almost palatable. And a series of observations about the random transactional nature of life in London.

Stella Powell-Jones directs Caryl Churchill's Owners at Jermyn Street Theatre until 11 November.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Steve Gregson

My night with Ben (and Kam and Russ and AJ and Simon): Jock night @7DialsPlayhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Some of the PR to Jock Night says London is about to get a taste of Manchester with this piece. You could interpret that many ways, but it does feel as if you become immersed in a particular Mancunian world of sex, drugs and Coronation Street. Written and directed by Adam Zane, it's a sharp-tongued, drug-fuelled odyssey into an unconventional world with more than a few sharp observations about life in the gay ghetto. It's currently playing at the 7 Dials Playhouse.

The play is set in Ben's bedroom and revolves around a famous party night in Manchester where the dress code requires jocks or sportswear. After the party finishes, then come the drugs. Then the sex and then the chillout, and then they do it all over again. But Ben (David Paisley) is also looking for love - albeit in all the wrong places.

His friends are Kam (Sam Goodchild), a quick-witted man from Sussex who found a home in Manchester. Then there's Russell (Matthew Gent), a gym bunny and aspiring Instagram influencer. A night out ends with AJ (Levi Payne) joining them. And then, a moderately known porn performer Simon (George Hughes), answers a dating app message, and there are five. But AJ's from Doncaster and doesn't understand about playing safely. Simon is out of control and struggling with multiple addictions. With such a premise, expect only an unconventional ending.

Yet, for a story that involves sex, and a lot of it, it's not a particularly erotic story. Instead, interspersed with Victoria Wood one-liners and the various drama arcs of Coronation Street, there are more digs at gay life in the Village. The endless hookups, the multiple dating apps, the drugs to get you up, take you down and keep you from catching something. When the newly written second act comes around, the message is clear that the party is over.

The cast works hard to deliver the comedy and drama, bearing their souls as they bare their buttocks in various jockstraps throughout the play's two hours.

But Zane has given the audience a gentle ride through the wild, crazy hedonism. With a mix of filthy talk, innuendo and bawdy laughs, he throws out a few life lessons and wry observations. Particularly as the play juxtaposes all the freedoms that gay men can enjoy post-Stonewall, post-AIDS crisis while remaining trapped in a culture partly of their own making. And in doing so, we potentially have an important new gay play for our time. Time will tell whether it was all just a phase.

Written and directed by Adam Zane, Jock Night is at the 7 Dials Playhouse until 4 November.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Dawn Kilner

Nasty boys: Gentlemen @Arcolatheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 06:59:00 +0000

It's a tough life in an elite university. If you thought college was a place for caring, understanding, nurturing and tuition, you might be in for a big surprise. In Matt Parvin's Gentlemen, it's the latest battleground for the culture wars. Everything is a score to be settled with sanctimony, mind games or both. Everything is about fitting in or resisting all attempts to conform. It's currently playing at the Arcola Theatre.

The premise is that Greg (Charlie Beck) is meeting with the college welfare officer, Timby (Edward Judge). Kaspar (Issam Al Ghussain) has alleged bi-phobic comments about his sexual orientation. Greg is also potentially up for charges of assault.

Both freshmen, the hormones and the anger race as fast as their minds. Soon, the concept of right and wrong, fitting in or being an individual, gets into many grey areas. Will an example be set of loudmouth Greg from a struggling background, or will he be given one last chance? Each takes turns pleading their case (or manipulating) Timby. And he seems sincere yet impotent.

It's a tightly written piece, with the scenes moving between one character and the next. You also get some sense of the pressure facing young people to study, to succeed, to fit in or not with its perverse results. And while kudos for featuring a bi character, it's not the most positive depiction of bi-inclusion.

The cast does well, perhaps too well, at creating this insular world where outrage or fitting in seems to be the only two paths to follow and where common ground seems elusive.

And perhaps that's the point of the play. We're running out of safe places to learn and reflect. And that appeasing the polarised is not particularly satisfying. Whether you find it an enjoyable piece of theatre might depend on where your sympathies lie. I settled on the two boys being two little shits, so I remained ambivalent about the piece's politics and arguments.

Directed by Richard Spier and written by Matt Pravin, Gentlemen plays at The Arcola through to 28 October.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Production photos by Alex Brenner

Dad Jokes: Dead Dad Dog @finborough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 17:03:00 +0000

So what happens if your dad returns from the dead to haunt you for fun in mid-eighties Edinburgh? The first London production of Dead Dad Dog in 35 years shows that new ideas of the past just become the old things of the present. It’s an amusing concept made enjoyable by the likeable leads in the piece. Written by John McKay, who would go on to find fame in television and film, it’s currently playing at the Finborough Theatre.

Due to cast illness, the second half of this show, Sunny Boy, has not gone ahead. It’s a shame, as the second half was a sequel to the piece set in Glasgow in 2023. And so, while we miss the update, we can enjoy the eighties in all its glory and marvel at the fashion, thinking, and the fascinating possibility that if you died in the early seventies, you would never know who Margaret Thatcher was.

The premise is that young man Eck (Angus Miller) is getting ready for an interview for the BBC in Edinburgh when his father, Willie (Liam Brennan), appears. The only problem is that he’s been dead for years. And he’s not a ghost, either. Everyone can see him, and some unknown force field ensures they are kept within a few feet of each other. And so there they are, stuck with each other as he goes to an interview, goes on a date and tries to have a bath.

Part of the appeal to the piece is that while most sons probably don’t hate their fathers, they are probably not keen on spending much time around them, either. Whether it’s due to the clothes they wear, what they drink, think or joke about, it’s all from another time and place.

Miller and Brennan have fun with the premise, making it fascinating and fun to watch. They also play off the audience if you give them the opportunity, so be careful if you stand out for any reason.

Directed by Liz Carruthers, Dead Dad Dog continues at the Finborough Theatre until 28 October. It then has a short run at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in November.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos: production photos

Love is all you need: The Island @cervantesthtr

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 08:37:00 +0000

A drama set on the seventh floor of a non-descript hospital waiting room may not be everyone's idea of a great night at the theatre. But love and all other forms of the human condition are dissected in Juan Carlos Rubio's The Island. Translated by Tim Gutteridge, it feels like everything is up for grabs. What is love? Is it a bond between two women with a fifteen-year age gap? Is it the love between a mother and her son with a severe unknown disability? A wonderful life full of health and happiness is not always an option on the menu, and the choices may become a bit less palatable.

Throughout a series of sometimes banal conversations, what comes out is a story of two women with lives that are separate and together. And while the piece becomes darker on one level as it progresses, it never ceases to fascinate and draw further insights into the couples. It's currently playing at the Cervantes Theatre.

A couple waits in a hospital waiting room for the outcome of an accident with their son. But over the discussions about lousy coffee and age gaps, it becomes clear that there is something more than the potential loss of their son at stake here. There is the fragile nature of a relationship between two people. There is the resilience and resourcefulness of two people wanting to maintain the status quo. And there are also some pretty frank depictions about what being a mother can be.

The cast is like two islands, as described in the play. Coexisting and cohabitating. But not necessarily together. It's fascinating to watch as both evolve throughout the piece. The mother, Rebecca Crankshaw, is harrowing as she recounts the events leading up to the accident as if it were just another ordinary thing. Rebecca Banatvala, the younger woman in the relationship, provides a strong and stable character at first, but then you watch her crumble as events take a surprising turn.

It is a small-scale drama that feels epic in scope by the end of it as it delves into darker feelings about human nature. But one that is a revelation all the same.

Directed by Jessica Lazar, The Island is at The Cervantes Theatre until 21 October.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can’t stop the boats: Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea @ParkTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:53:00 +0000

Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea by Italian playwright Emanuele Aldrovandi and translated by Marco Young, has made a topical return to London at the Park Theatre after playing earlier this summer at the Seven Dials Playhouse. In a week when leaders and leaders in waiting were talking about illegal immigration, it seemed like a topical choice. It also has one hell of an evocative title.

The piece opens with Adriano Celantano’s Prisencolinensinainciusol, which sets the scene for what we are about to see. After all, a song about communication barriers seems perfect for a play about people trafficking and illegal immigration. One side doesn’t understand why they happen, and the other still comes regardless of the latest government announcement / slogan.

However, the twist here is that the crossing is undertaken the other way. People are fleeing Europe instead of escaping war or poverty in Africa or the Middle East. It’s set sometime in the not-too-distant future. There is a crisis causing people to flee the reverse way. Europe is no longer inhabitable except for the extremely rich. And so we’re introduced to four characters. They have no names, only descriptions. Three characters pay the fourth to travel in a shipping container to an unknown destination. But as things go wrong, things take a darker and abstract tone.

The ensemble balances the darkness of the subject matter and the banality arising from seemingly lighter-hearted moments. As The Burly One (and smuggler), Felix Garcia Guyer addresses the audience with facts about shipping containers and Italian recipes. The staging is kept simple with a red curtain evoking the red container ship they are within.

The overall impact is less realistic than Tess Berry Hart’s excellent CARGO at the Arcola in 2016. This piece explored similar themes about illegal immigration from a container ship. However, I suspect the point is more about getting the audience to try to understand the informal immigration trade. It isn’t a journey you can take with a wad of cash, a waterproof suitcase and a few folded shirts and expect to survive even if one of the characters tries to do that.

There may not be a solution by the end (or a straightforward conclusion), but who can honestly believe anyone has one? Directed by Daniel Emery, Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea is at Park Theatre until 30 September.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Production photos by Charles Flint

Seconds: Makeshifts and Realities @finborough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 16:59:00 +0000

The Finborough Theatre presents three short plays about women at the turn of the last century that feels both modern and foreign. The manners and traditions may have changed since the early 1900s. Still, something about the expectations for women and the challenges of being independent resonates today, not at least given the popularity of a particular summer movie.

Gertrude Robins wrote the first two pieces. She was an actor who turned to writing plays focussing on issues of the day; she died from tuberculosis in 1917, and performances of her works stopped. Her contribution to theatre may have been forgotten, at least until now.

The first piece, Makeshifts, introduces us to the Parker sisters, Caroline and Dolly. Caroline is the older sister with her shy demeanour and sense of duty to her family, which includes caring for their older mother and keeping the house in order. While Dolly is a teacher, she notes that "men fight shy of girls like me. They think we're too clever". Neither are married and long past the usual marrying age and barely making do in their lower-middle-class London suburb. Facing a potentially uncertain future without husbands to protect them, they have few choices of men. The ones they know are either dull or dangerous. An evening visit by the smooth-taking gentleman caller Albert Smythe (Joe Eyre) catalyses them to make decisions about their future. The second piece, Realities, takes place two years later, where two unexpected visitors give Caroline a chance to think about her choices and question her decisions.

As the quiet Caroline, Philippa Quinn holds this drama together, conveying the anxiety, desperation and barely concealed longing for a better future. Even if the drama concludes in a reassuring but potentially uncertain way, it feels satisfying.

In the third piece, Honour Thy Father, by H.M. Harwood, the Morgan family live in Belgium. It is 1912, and deciding to be there is not by choice. They live in exile because their father's gambling habit bankrupted them. Their eldest daughter, Claire (Poppy Allen-Quarmby), is arriving from London. Claire is a professional woman in London, but the family doesn't appreciate that working as a shop girl would not provide the income to live the life they expect to.

A series of sharp digs at English values are among the drama and what for the time would have been shocking subject matter (and censorship laws meant performances could only take place in private clubs). There are wry observations about men's and women's roles, what constitutes work, and class. Its shock value may have diminished, but its subversiveness and cynicism remain admirable and relevant.

The decision to stage the pieces in the traverse heightens the ensemble's performances. Every look and every spoken word seems to take on additional meaning. The small space of the Finborough Theatre means that you feel like you are in the living room with these families. It becomes an intimate and immersive experience—an evening to savour.

Directed by Melissa Dunne, Makeshifts and Realities continues at the Finborough Theatre until 2 September.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Carla Joy Evans

Grand designs: The Garden of Words @ParkTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 05:59:00 +0000

The Garden of Words explores what it is like when you're alone but surrounded by thousands of people. Projections, music and an engaging cast tell a unique story about an unlikely bond between a young boy and an older woman. The bond leads to a thoughtful and emotional journey about discovering yourself and being okay with that. After all, as the play reminds us throughout, people are indeed weird. Although being surrounded by peculiar people is probably good, it might make you feel a bit more normal. But that's not quite how the story pans out here. It's currently playing at the Park Theatre.

The piece introduces us to Takao (Hiroki Berrecloth) and Yukari (Aki Nakagawa). They first meet one day, escaping from the rain in a Japanese Garden. He's skipping school, seeking solace among the birds and the trees, and she is missing work. It's a chance encounter that, over the seasons, becomes a friendship bonding over poetry, shoemaking and exciting choices in cooking and why eating beer and chocolate isn't such a great idea. And the events in their lives over the season bring them closer together.

While unfamiliar with the source material, this piece captures the time and place beautifully. It's at its strongest, exploring the relationship between the young student and the mysterious older lady. Berrecloth, as the young man, is mesmerising as we follow his journey. There's a nice touch where his drawings are on an old-style overhead projector, long disused as a teaching aid in schools here but seemingly pertinent as he learns from his older tutor.

Nakagawa, as Yukari, the lost woman with the red umbrella, is equally compelling as she moves from mystery to form a tentative relationship with the young Takao.

Heightening the drama is the gorgeous use of projections to evoke the changing of seasons and the city of Tokyo. And a music score by Mark Choi helps maintain the atmosphere and focus.

The Garden of Words is at Park Theatre until 9 September, directed by Alexandra Rutter. Worth a look, even if you're not too weird.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos: Piers Foley Photography

Dark Neighbourhoods: Union @Arcolatheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 14:48:00 +0000

A journey through the dystopia known as modern-day London - or at least the stops of gentrification along the Grand Union canal - is at the heart of Union—a provocative look at change, urban renewal and sanitisation. Written by Max Wilkinson, it's currently playing at the Arcola Theatre.

The premise is that successful property developer Saskia (Dominique Tipper) is about to sign the deal of her career. She is at the peak of her career and the height of her physical appearance. She asks the audience to check out her stomach as you could "eat an egg off that". But tonight, something isn't quite right. She has decided to go for a run along the Union Canal. She is ignoring calls from her boss and her partner. Having flashbacks and meeting characters along the canal forces her to confront some hard truths.

It's a fast-paced show with a breathless performance by Tipper in the lead role. She conveys the madness, the enthusiasm and the contradictions of living and working in London. Anyone who has worked in a communications or engagement role (and who hasn't in London?) could see her perspective. Her role in the development company is to do community engagement, ensuring that people disrupted or (even worse) displaced feel good about the developments. Yet the characters along her journey along the canal point out that everything seems the same. The characters are all played by two actors - Sorcha Kennedy and Andrew Bullock -and they keep the momentum through a series of fast-paced changes.

While writer Max Wilkinson puts the developers in the firing line, building blandness and upheaval across London is not just their fault. Geography, low density, an over-regulated planning regime and a dogmatic affection for the green belt are other contributors to the housing crisis. And looking at the more recent regeneration exercises such as Dubai on Thames (otherwise known as Nine Elms), looks more like they have created an outer London suburb in the centre of London. Bereft of shops, people and just another dark neighbourhood - not a place for living but just a place to park your money. All of this probably is beyond the limits of an 80-minute comedy drama. Watching the piece in the Arcola Theatre in Dalston, which has undergone significant urban renewal in the past 20 years with it’s own hip bars and restaurants, also seems unintentionally ironic.

However what lingers is the vivid depictions of a time and place. It feels like your own Saskia's journey with her. And regardless of its message about change, it's a hell of a time.

Directed by Wiebke Green, Union, as at the Arcola Theatre until 12 August.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Lidia Crisafulli

Breaking bread: Eating Myself @BrxHouseTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 02:30:00 +0000

Food as a starter for conversation, making a new family, and finding a place is at the heart of Eating Myself, Pepa Duarte’s story of exploring what it is to be a woman from Peru, living in London, living with unrealistic body images. It’s having a short run at the Brixton House as part of the Housemates season, where artists take over the house throughout July.

In this short piece, which has previously been online, Pepa explains how she cooks on a stovetop a Peruvian dish with beans and potatoes and a lot of added extras that, when growing up, she was never supposed to eat. It reminds her of her grandmother and brings her back to her roots. As the show progresses, the dish's aromas waft through the audience bringing to life the words in a sensory experience. And one that might make you a little hungry.

But it also is a story about diets and calorie counting. Pepa directly asks the audience if they think she is fat. It’s a direct question to the audience that sets the scene about body image. But she also uses her body to convey her battles with body image and her attempts at dieting, and the exhausting yet scientifically dubious process of calorie counting. She parades, hides under tables, and rolls on the floor in an endearing performance as she recounts her struggles and those of her relatives.

In addition to a stovetop, various other kitchen utensils and foods hang in the background as part of some surreal religious experience. Perhaps, in this case, they are.

And for those who found the aromas too irresistible throughout the show, you can take a bowl of the dish with them to the next show as well.

Written and performed by Pepa Duarte, Eating Myself is at Brixton House as part of the Housemates season only until 15 July.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Outrageous Sustenance: The Return of Benjamin Lay @Finborough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 13:07:00 +0000

The Finborough Theatre has its windows open to the world outside in The Return of Benjamin Lay. The evening sunlight fills the theatre space, and a giant tree outside the building gives you peace and tranquillity. It's as if you almost forget you are in a theatre just off the A3320 - a road known for pollution, noise and traffic congestion. Yet, recreating a Quaker meeting room for the piece also provokes the audience to reflect on how the life and times of a slavery abolitionist from the 1700s has something to say about our current times of modern slavery, prejudice and ignorance. It's currently having its world premiere at the Finborough Theatre.

Benjamin Lay was a revolutionary slavery abolitionist who lived in the 1700s. Having witnessed first-hand the atrocities of slavery in Barbados, he campaigned against it vigorously, including kidnapping a child of enslavers so they could see how it felt. For a man ahead of his time, the Quaker community disowned him. This monologue imagines him returning to a Quaker community, recounting his life and explaining his actions. But as he begs to re-enter the society that abandoned him, he realises that his quest is different and more radical. There's a moment when he recounts that his wife tells him his anger is good-hearted but not sustenance. It feels that the piece plays between the tension of outrage and idealism throughout the ages. And for anyone told down to dial down their enthusiasm (or outrage), here’s a piece to suggest perhaps you should be dialling it up.

The piece by Naomi Wallace and Marcus Rediker is a part history lesson and a call to action. In the title role, Mark Povinelli creates the time and place with an energetic and evocative recounting of his times and the various characters in his life. He bounds across the stage and engages with the audience. The audience participation isn't always successful and probably depends on the books they read. Thankfully I wasn't asked to confirm I was reading William Goldman's "The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway" as that would have killed the mood. However, it's a thrilling theatrical event in any case.

Directed by Ron Daniels, the Return of Benjamin Lay is at the Finborough Theatre until 8 July.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Robert Boulton

Travelin' Through: Broken Toys @CervantesTheatr

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 13:42:00 +0000

Things are a bit different at the Cervantes Theatre when you see Broken Toys. You enter through the upstairs dressing rooms and go down to the theatre. It is a circuitous route, much like the story of Marion. You end up in the same place but have taken a different journey. And like what the old prostitute said. It's not the work but the stairs. And there before you is the theatre, but not entirely as I recall it. It feels like an intimate cabaret venue with tables and a shiny stage.

And there we are introduced to Marion. Marion grew up in a small town during the Franco regime. A place where looking a bit different could make you the subject of gossip and a threat to your life. And despite being assigned male at birth and the attempts of family and father figures, she was an outsider in her town.

And so Marion sets off on a journey to the city. And in the shadows, she finds a place to hide. But with guidance from drag performer Dorian Delacroix begins to find her voice. Her journey ultimately takes her back to where she came from.

It's a simple story boosted by engaging performances and a sense of time and place. Hayley Rose gives a nuanced performance as the unsure Marion, who is learning to become herself. So much that you feel like you are with her on this personal journey. As drag performer Dorin, Guy Woolf lights up the stage, especially when performing two cabaret songs in the piece. Miles Molan plays various supporting characters in Marion's life, including her love interests.

Small steps become significant, profound movements. And there's a reminder that politicians are eroding trans rights, such as those who espouse white Christian nationalism—a unique blend of racism, conspiracy, paranoia, wedge issues and a fascination with Russia. While most of it is in the United States, there are the usual suspects and backers worldwide. A handy reminder that people are working hard to take away the rights and freedoms of others.

Directed by Raymi Ortuste Quiroga, written by Carolina Román and translated by L. Finch, Broken Toys is at the Cervantes Theatre during Pride Month until 1 July.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Elena Molina Martínez

Death becomes her: A Brief List Of Everyone Who Died @finborough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sat, 27 May 2023 13:43:00 +0000

For a natural process, death is not a topic that comes up naturally for people. We ask how people are doing but expect the response to be “I’m great”, not “I’m not dead yet”. And so for the main character in A Brief List of Everyone Who Died, Graciela has a death issue. Starting with when she was five and found out only after the matter that her parents had her beloved dog euthanised. So Graciela decides that nobody she loves will die from then on. And so this piece becomes a fruitless attempt at how she spends her life trying to avoid death while it is all around her. It’s currently having its world premiere at the Finborough Theatre.

As the play title suggests, it is a brief list of life moments where death and life intervene for the main character, from the passing of relatives, cancer, suicides, accidents and the loss of parents. Playwright Jacob Marx Rice plots the critical moments of the lives of these characters through their passing or the passing of those around them. However, it’s done with touches of humour and tenderness. Over 90 minutes, the fragments come together as a thoughtful, if at times, emotional journey.

The cast is particularly engaging as they move between playing family members, lovers and other characters in the life of Graciela. Vivia Font, as Graciela, is lively and engaging as she captures the different life stages of our main character. Siphiwo Mahlentle stands out as two characters - first, her lost best friend, and later her wise adopted son.

Exploring the inevitable stage of life may not be for everyone’s taste. There was even an audience member letting out a death-rattling scene which I initially mistook for being part of the show since members of the cast sit in the audience. However, it is a reflective and thoughtful exploration of life and death. Although it might even be a tad optimistic about the longevity of the characters given current life expectancy rates.

A Brief List of Everyone Who Died is directed by Alex Howarth at the Finborough Theatre until 10 June. Check the website for post show discussions on 3 and 8 June as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Philm

Big Business: How to succeed in business without really trying @swkplay

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 21 May 2023 07:01:00 +0000

This revival of the Frank Loesser musical is as much about climbing the corporate ladder as it is about giving a fresh take on the absurdity of the office and gender roles. However, there's also a firm appreciation that this is a musical comedy. And with an energetic cast with an impeccable sense of comic timing, it's a hilarious and thought-provoking evening. It's currently playing at the Southwark Playhouse.

The show comes from a parody of a self-help business book. The premise is that a lowly window washer becomes board chairman in a few weeks and gets the girl. Along the way, there are stupid bosses, sexist colleagues and nepotism.

Only this time, J Pierpoint Finch is played by Gabrielle Friedman. Depending on your perspective, Finch is either the hero or the antihero of the piece, stopping at nothing in their ambition to reach the top. Here Finch is more sympathetic as the underappreciated service worker getting a lucky break and a chance to climb the corporate ladder. You can't help but root for Friedman's Finch as they plot, scheme and steal the ideas of the others to reach the top. Opposite Friedman is trans actor Allie Daniel as the secretary Rosemary who has been on a fruitless search to find an executive to marry so she can move to the suburbs of New York with all the other lonely homemakers.

Other twists in the casting include Tracie Bennett as the overbearing boss J.B. Biggley who is hilarious as the alpha-male boss with a penchant for knitting. She swaggers about the stage talking nonsense that's both striking in its accuracy and parody of the alpha-male office boss (of both yesteryear and today). Other cast members such as Verity Power as Rosemary's friend Smitty, Elliot Gooch as the boss's nephew and Annie Aitken as the under-qualified secretary and J.B.'s mistress give this show its biggest laughs.

It's a challenging musical, not just because of its take on sexual politics. On one level, it feels like a series of comic sketches set to music. This is particularly apparent in the first act, which runs for almost an hour and a half. But this production doesn't let any chance to milk the comic potential of each scene pass by. From the characters' inflexions to an inventive use of kazoos that are part of the score (they are made to look like the characters playing them are on a cigarette break). And when the cast came together for the big finale number, the audience cheered in response to the energy and musicality on stage.

The staging is minimalistic, which also becomes a joke in the show. But in case you were wondering what the show is about, a large illuminated ladder dominates the piece. Windows washers, climbing the corporate ladder, or bridging from the not-so-distant past to the present culture wars. Whatever it is intended to mean, the show is also determined to ensure you have a great time.

Directed by Georgie Rankcom, with music direction by Natalie Pound, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is at the Southwark Playhouse until 17 June.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Pamela Raith

Office romance: Venus and Adonis @RiversideLondon

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 14 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

As you enter the Riverside Studios, where Christopher Hunter is performing Shakespeare's epic poem, Venus and Adonis, Hunter is already there—sitting on a bench with his attaché case, wearing a suit and writing furiously. There are papers crumpled and tossed about. It's as if he is writing the piece from a 1990s office. All that's missing is the scream of the office fax (we heard phones ringing even though that wasn't part of the performance).

Written by Shakespeare during the outbreak of the plague in 1592, it's considered to be Shakespeare's first work. It's an evocative piece about the Goddess of love and her attempts to attract the handsome and probably fit Adonis, who would prefer to go hunting.

As performed by Hunter, the age-old tale of unrequited love takes surprising twists and turns in this epic poem. Starting as the piece's writer, he becomes the characters and immerses himself in the words. Consonants fly out at you, and the suffering, the spite, and the energy hit you. Even if you struggle to find meaning in old English, this piece leaves you without a doubt about the feelings conveyed. Blood, sweat, strength and tears serve as props to heighten the tension.

First performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, this adaptation of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis, directed by David Salter, is at the Riverside Studios until 21 May.

Hopefully, this won't be the last time, and given the audience reaction, complete with standing ovations and rapturous applause, it would be a pity to miss it. A perfect piece to take a date you're ambivalent about.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Grass Is Always Greener: Next Door's Baby @TheatreAtTabard

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 07 May 2023 07:59:00 +0000

Keeping up appearances is what, at first, it seems at the heart of the story of Next Door's Baby. There's a less-than-friendly rivalry between the comfortably living Hennessys and the struggling O'Briens. But as this self-described musical play unfolds, a story about two women struggling to break free from the oppressive life of 1950s Dublin emerges. The drama is sometimes more interesting than the music, but some evocative characterisations and an enthusiastic cast make this piece work. First presented at the Orange Tree Theatre some years ago, it's currently having a revival at the Theatre At the Tabard.

The two women at the centre of the story are neighbours. Their mothers, however, are at each other's throats. Mrs O'Brien is a widow struggling to make ends meet, serving only porridge. While Mrs Hennessy lives a life of comfort, wearing her best fur coat even to mail a letter. And while the time and place put more value on keeping up appearances, just beneath the surface of both families are secrets they are desperate to conceal at any cost.

Bernie Gaughan's book neatly charts the priorities and changes inspired by her family experiences. And for a small-scale production such as this, the enthusiastic performances fill in the gaps and bring these characters to life.

Amber Deasy as the overlooked Orla O'Brien and Shaylyn Gibson as Miriam Hennessy are engaging as the daughters caught up in the pressure to keep up appearances. Although their predicaments are not quite the same and in this production, you are left wondering the fate of one of them. There's also a strong performance by Ben Hannigan as the downtrodden Dickie who has to make important decisions about his own life.

And at the story's centre, there is a Bonny Baby competition, and the neighbours battle out who will be the winner. But in this production, none of that seems to matter. And there's a rousing finale that's also a tribute to Kilburn to distract us. The grass may not be greener on any side of the fence, but it's hard to care when there's Irish dancing to send you home.

Directed by Keith Strachan with musical direction by Beth Jerem, Next Door's Baby is at the Theatre At The Tabard until 27 May.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Charles Flint

Wannabes in the woods: The Retreat @Finborough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 07:19:00 +0000

The Retreat takes us back to the Canada of the mid-nineteen nineties—the clothes, the politics, both geopolitical and sexual. But even though it's long before the #metoo era, it has plenty to say about power, business and the lure of showbiz. Jason Sherman's funny script and engaging performances make this piece too good to miss. It's currently having its European premiere at the Finborough Theatre.

The play opens with Rachel (Jill Winternitz) not apologising to her boss for equating Jewish settlers on the West Bank as terrorists. As a teacher at a Hebrew school whose pupils have relatives living in the West Bank, this wouldn't go down well. But Rachel has other things on her mind. She has written a screenplay and been invited to what she thinks is a prestigious retreat for aspiring screenwriters. And her father, who fought for Israel, is dying in a hospice. The apology can wait. Perhaps forever.

Meanwhile, David (Max Rinehart) and Jeff (Michael Feldsher), two film producers, are arguing over their next film project. David is after something more artistic for their next project, while Jeff is keen to keep the business going. David thinks he may have a future project with Rachel's heavy-handed script about a false messiah. And so he will work with her to refine it at the "retreat" he is hosting in the woods outside of Toronto.

While it comes as no surprise that David and Rachel will have more than just a week away in the woods working on a heavy-handed script. The story unfolds in several surprising ways while capturing life in Canada, Jewishness, sex, art and how to scare away elk at night. There is a reference early in the piece that there are three types of stories: faith, love, and redemption. Somehow they are woven into the story of the four characters, giving us insight into who they are and what motivates them.

It's probably part of the inspired casting that makes it easy to forgive the characters you see on stage. The intimate space of the Finborough brings the action up close to you and makes the more intimate scenes of the piece seem more intense that you're holding your breath, wondering what will happen next. The chemistry between Rinehart and Winternitz as they flirt and fight also makes for an entertaining and remarkable battle.

Usually, Finborough plays are often ninety minutes straight through, but this piece at almost double that length seems to fly by. Alys Whitehead's simple yet evocative set and Ben Jacobs's lighting capture the mood and place well. Projections by Cheng Keng underscore the frustration of Rachel as a struggling wannabe writer. A memorable production on many levels. Definitely not to miss.

Directed by Emma Jude Harris, The Retreat is playing at the Finborough Theatre until 13 May.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Ali Wright

Scientific pursuits: Family Tree @BrxHouseTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 06:43:00 +0000

Family Tree, by Mojisola Adebayo, uses the power of words to weave a story about race, inequality, health and the state of the world from the perspective of black women. It’s provocative, disturbing and methodical in depicting inequality throughout time. But it’s also a celebration of life and thriving in the face of relentless adversity. It’s currently playing at Brixton House.

The guide to the story is Henrietta Lacks. Lacks was a black woman who died from cervical cancer in 1951. The hospital that treated her was the only hospital that would accept black patients in the area; it took a biopsy and collected her cells without her knowledge or consent. Scientists found that hers could be kept alive, unlike other cells that only survived for a few days. Today her cells are the oldest and most commonly used human cell line used to test the first polio vaccine, cancer treatments and covid-19 vaccines.

The guide, Lacks (Aminita Francis), introduces us to a world where segregation and inequality meant that the only hospital available to her would harvest her cells without her knowledge and keep the discoveries from her family for many years. The piece weaves tale after tale of black women erased from history. Henrietta Lacks, enslaved women in the 19th century forced to undergo cruel experiments or black NHS workers required to work without the necessary PPE during the pandemic. The times may have changed, and history may not repeat itself, but the inhumanity still rhymes in many uncomfortable ways.

Part poetry and part dialogue between the performers, the piece is at its strongest, conveying the story of injustice and inequality. It can be hard to follow as it moves between the poetry and dialogue, but the argument remains the same.

The cast conveys the necessary anger and humanity of the piece with focused performances as they play a variety of characters. And the staging with simple circles could be the Garden of Eden or a Petri dish to underscore the themes.

The piece won the 2021 Alfred Fagon Award, the leading Black British Playwriting prize for the best new play. It is a marvel for its clarity and incisiveness in telling the story of Henrietta Lacks against the backdrop of institutionalised racism.

Directed by Matthew Xia, Family Tree is at Brixton House until 23 April. It then moves to tour through to 17 June. Check the Actors Touring Company website for details.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Helen Murray

Pig In A Poke: Betty Blue Eyes @TheUnionTheatre

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 10:55:00 +0000

Twelve years after its West End premiere, Betty Blue Eyes seems topical. Back then, the parallels were only about a Royal Wedding, with William and Kate's marriage filling the headlines. Now a musical about conniving members of the establishment, illegal meat trades and shortages of decent food could be set in the present day. Even the Horse meat scandal would follow a few years after its closure. Now in a smaller-scale version at the Union Theatre, it's still funny and silly. And the illegal pigsty is right up close and under your nose in the smaller space of the Union Theatre.

Based on the Alan Bennet movie A Private Function, the story is set just after the Second World War when rationing and shortages meant times were tough. Gilbert and Joyce Chilvers (Sam Kipling and Amelia Atherton) move to a small Yorkshire Town and struggle to make ends meet and gain acceptance. Gilbert has to make do as a chiropodist making house calls to lonely housewives (in 1947, they were all women). Joyce supplements their income with piano lessons for the town's spoiled children. The chance to get an invitation to a private function to celebrate the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip seems like their chance of acceptance. The only problem is that the centrepiece of the private function will be an unlicensed roast pig. And a meat inspector is going about the town checking on all the butchers. And one of the conspirators has taken a shine to the pig.

It's the first big production staged by The Union Theatre since the Pandemic, and the cast put a lot of energy and effort into the show. The smaller stage gives a chance to appreciate the words and music more than on the West End, and there are some fine performances, including by Kipling and Atherton in the leads. The small orchestra under the music direction of Aaron Clingham sounds rich and balances a big sound with the unamplified voices of the cast.

It's a silly farce, heightened further by the over-the-top music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. There are endless jokes about feet and pigs, so many that you can miss them from laughing. Adapted by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman (who would be known for their television producing such as Queer As Folk and Sisters), it's an unusual musical comedy that feels British yet is also landing sly and clever digs at all things British. Perhaps it was ahead of its time with its deft criticism of the British class system, rules and rulebreakers. There's even a song about making Britain great again. The digs land well this time around.

And then there's the pig. A well-loved puppetry concoction with blue eyes that farts a lot. Who could resist that? Directed by Sasha Regan, Betty Blue Eyes is at the Union Theatre until 22 April.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Michaela Walshe

Unfinished business: Pussycat in Memory of Darkness @finborough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul In London) — Sun, 02 Apr 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Shedding light on the origins of the conflict in Ukraine is what you find in Pussycat in Memory of Darkness. It returns to the Finborough Theatre after its original acclaimed run last summer. History can be tricky to grasp in the age of disinformation and flawed democracies. But here, the past and the future that awaits are woven together.

As one woman's account about losing everything, we're introduced to the Donbas circa 2014 with a woman in dark glasses trying to sell a few kittens. Homeless and disoriented, the prospective buyer of kittens remains off stage, asking questions about papers, documents and why she is wearing those dark glasses. And this sets in train the story of a woman in the Donbas. She fought for freedom and saw the collapse of the Soviet Union in the nineties. But now finds herself ostracised and caught up in false narratives and alternative facts.

Written by Nelda Nezhdana and translated by John Farndon, It's harrowing and emotional. But also thought-provoking about what is a country or a nation and how we got ourselves where we are. Behind the chants of freedom, and sovereign countries, there is a messy unsolved grasp for power and territory over the lands that make up present-day Ukraine.

The play focuses on the events of 2014. But The occupation of the Donbas region, the seizing of Crimea and the downing of a Malaysian Airlines jet become the start of a new dark chapter. And the darkness is an opaque power that will send large swathes of people back into a new feudal order run by overlords who prefer international luxury brands.

As a storyteller and woman at the centre of the drama, Kristin Milward is riveting as she recounts her early days fighting the communists for freedom to losing everything when the Russian-backed militia arrives at her home. Optimism gives way to darkness as rumours, fear, and past wrongs become new false narratives. Millard shape shifts around the characters in her life. This includes her neighbour, who betrays her to the militia and finds her son is maimed by militia-placed land mines. But that's the trouble with these totalitarian regimes. You never know where you stand.

Pussycat in Memory of Darkness is directed by Polly Creed and is at the Finborough Theatre until 28 April. Reduced price tickets available in early April. There are no performances between 13-16 April when the play transfers to Hessisches Staatstheater, Wiesbaden, Germany.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Charles Flint