REVIEW: FLIT (The Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts) ★★★
FLIT is a show that aimed to be more than just a gig at which stories are told between songs, so it incorporated stop-motion animation as an integral part of the music and storytelling. By Martin Green, FLIT explores the theme of migration amongst humans and other animals; with a strong focus on birds because […]
REVIEW: AMADEUS (National Theatre) ★★★★
Before the curtain rose for Michael Longhurst’s main stage debut at the National Theatre, Rufus Norris and Nicholas Hytner paid tribute to the late Howard Davies, one of the great theatre directors of his generation, who will be sorely missed. Davies’ long association with the National Theatre spanned 28 years and 36 productions, beginning with […]
REVIEW: SIDE SHOW (Southwark Playhouse) ★★★★
SIDE SHOW is the true story of Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins from the early 1900’s who’s mother sold them to a woman who took them on a traveling freak show around the world, exploiting them for money. When Vaudeville producers saw the duo singing, they helped them fight the courts to free themselves […]
REVIEW: THE HOTEL CERISE (Theatre Royal Stratford East) ★
Bonnie Greer’s new piece inspired by Chekhov’s ‘The Cherry Orchard’ attempts to present a glimpse at the broken cogs of America in the here and now. In the trudging plod to the ever closer Trump/Hilary election, and the first black president preparing to leave the white house, we see an African American family saying goodbye […]
REVIEW: THE HOUSE OF USHER (Hope Theatre) ★★★
An adaptation of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ by Edgar Allan Poe opens the Hope Theatre’s gothic season, the brainchild of writers Luke Anderson and Dan Bottomley. Poe’s original tale still stands as one of the founding inspirations for gothic literature as we know it today, displaying his classic heavily descriptive prose and […]
REVIEW: ENEKO (One Aldwych)
In the heart of London’s West End, surrounded by theatres is One Aldwych, a luxury boutique hotel. However, what is perhaps lesser known is that they do afternoon tea and – more importantly – a pre- and post-theatre menu at Eneko. Inspired by the Basque region of Spain, chef Eneko Atxa’s menu takes the flavours […]
REVIEW: THE WEDDING SINGER (The Edward Alleyn Theatre) ★★★★
THE WEDDING SINGER, the beloved 80s classic, hit the stage this past week in a run from Phoenix Players Amateur Dramatics Society. It’s 1985 and wedding singer Robbie Hart makes a living from serenading happy couples on the best day of their lives, that is until he’s jilted at the altar of his own wedding, […]
REVIEW: AIRSWIMMING (The Vaults) ★★★★
Two women alone. Trapped. Powerless to escape their surroundings, forced to trust in one another and helpless to comprehend why they are there. The Vaults’ latest production AIRSWIMMING explores the effects of incarceration and the dark, sadistic side of the early twentieth century in Britain. Charlotte Jones’s powerful writing follows the wasted lives of ‘Dora’/‘Dorph’ […]
REVIEW: HAMLET (The Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts) ★★★
‘To be or not to be’ – possibly the most famous lines ever written for the stage. This particular production of HAMLET performed at the Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts was directed by Jeffery Kissoon for Black Theatre Live. For those of you who do not know or perhaps have forgotten, Hamlet is the Shakespearian […]
REVIEW: DRACULA (Sutton House, Homerton) ★★★
Tucked away in the corner of Homerton High Street, Sutton House stands silent and solemn. As we approach the building, the sun flings its final farewell over the horizon and the shadows in the house’s hallways loom and lengthen. Just in time for Halloween, Tea Break Theatre’s DRACULA roosts like a brooding winged creature in […]