REVIEW: A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM (Southwark Playhouse)
Entering the Southwark Playhouse, I felt more as though I was about to be given a presentation regarding the church roof than enjoying a Shakespeare play. A profile seating formation with a small table in the centre surrounded by a troupe of actors. No set, no lights and no fuss and yet, this is possibly […]
REVIEW: THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE (Union Theatre)
Jim Cartwright’s 1992 play Little Voice is famously known for the 1998 film adaption starring Jane Horrocks, Ewan McGregor and Michael Caine. It tells the story of the mouthy northerner, Mari Hoff, who lives in a derelict home and survives off of a diet of alcohol and sex. Her daughter LV (Little Voice) is a […]
REVIEW: OFF THE KINGS ROAD (Jermyn Street Theatre)
In Neil Koenigsberg’s bittersweet comedy drama, Michael Brandon stars as Matt, an American who is in London for some private time and as part of the process of coming to terms with the recent death of his wife. But checking into a small hotel where he hopes to be as anonymous as possible, while also […]
REVIEW: TWIST OF LEMMON (St James Studio)
What is it like to be Jack Lemmon’s son? Chris Lemmon first wrote a response to this question in his memoir A Twist of Lemmon in 2006, before he had the idea to develop a one-man show based on his book as a tribute to his late father. First shown in the U.S., […]
REVIEW: KISSING FROGS (Landor Theatre)
Jessica Ramsbottom is thirty, child- and husbandless and stuck in a retail shop without career prospects. When she is not out speed dating or meeting people off dating websites, she spends her time on her big red sofa with a glass of wine. Sophie Osborne, who also wrote the piece, is the sole performer, besides […]
REVIEW: ODD SHAPED BALLS (Old Red Lion Theatre)
Richard D. Sheridan’s new one-man play tackles homophobia in rugby head-on, from the stuffiness of a testosterone-filled changing room to the bright lights of the pitch. Odd Shaped Balls tells the story of James Hall’s rise in professional rugby and his struggle to work out his sexuality which is thrust ruthlessly into the media spotlight. […]
REVIEW: NORMA JEANE: THE MUSICAL (LOST Theatre)
While we are all waiting for the Marilyn Monroe musical “Bombshell” to hit Broadway, we have “Norma Jeane: The Musical” to tide us over. Eighteen months before her death and just after her split from Arthur Miller, Norma Jeane is admitted to a mental clinic. She suffers from voices in her head, bordering on schizophrenia. […]
REVIEW: THE SPOILS (Trafalgar Studios)
The Spoils, a new play written by The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg, has just transferred from Broadway to London’s Trafalgar Studios for the Summer season. The story is centred around flat mates Ben and Kalyan, who have become best friends over the years. Ben is a rich-kid from New York whose daddy bought him […]
REVIEW: CHRISTIE IN LOVE (King’s Head Theatre)
This early play by Howard Brenton was originally commissioned by Portable Theatre in 1969, a small company run by David Hare and Tony Bicat. It was meant to be part of a series of short plays about the hidden evil in modern British society, but Christie In Love was the only one that was ever […]
REVIEW: THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES (Proud Cabaret Camden)
It’s been twenty years since The Vagina Monologues was first written and performed, and what’s changed? This landmark play has influenced feminist discourse across the world and it’s as relevant today as ever. This incarnation from Real Arts uses the original monologues performed by eleven different women. Against the sumptuous backdrop of Proud Cabaret in […]