Tag Archives: London

Writer/Director: Susie McKenna Reviewer: Richard Maguire There ain’t nothing like a dame, and, frankly, there’s one no quite like Clive Rowe, who lights up Christmas once again, this time as Widow Twanky. Under the direction of Susie McKenna the Hackney Empire pantomime is now in its 20thyear and is as much of a feature as Christmas as mince pies and ...

Writer: Ellie Kendrick Director: Helen Goalen/ Abbi Greenland Reviewer: Grace Patrick In the hollowed out, cavernous Jerwood Upstairs, which is currently flecked with paint and (hopefully intentionally) a little unfinished looking, Ellie Kendrick’s Holes is a fiery, explosive take on the theme of female rage. Expectations inevitably run high at theatres like the Royal Court, but as the piece grew it ...

Writer: Anthony Neilson Director: Alex Sutton Reviewer: Stephen Bates When we see a children’s show that is totally unsuitable for children, somehow we know that it must be Christmas. December 2018 at Southwark Playhouse is ushered in with Anthony Neilson’s 65-minute one-act play, a mix of ingredients that include a Santa’s elf, kids’ toys and glitter along with prostitution, hard ...

Writer: Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper Composer: Jon Bradfield Director:  Andrew Beckett Reviewer:  Richard Maguire Despite the fun and jokes, pantomime is a serious business now. With so many pantos at this time of year, the market is competitive, and so to be successful the production must stand out from the others. This year’s offering from the Above the Stag ...

Creators: Nitin Sawhney, Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang  Reviewer:  Richard Maguire The adjective dystopian conjures up ruin and decay, barren landscapes housing only the occasional relic of happier times when perfection seemed possible. However, the dystopia created by musician Nitin Sawhney, and the dance company Wang Ramirez looks and sounds beautiful, but despite the multi-media content, their dystopia is also ...

Writer: Buddy Thomas Director: Robert McWhir Reviewer: Stephen Bates There is little Christmas cheer for the five characters in Buddy Thomas’s 2001 one-act play The Crumple Zone. Set in the Staten Island apartment shared by three youngish actors, the comic melodrama centres on crumpled love lives that lead to anguish at a time when the surrounding city celebrates the festive ...

Writer: Michael McManus Director:  Jolley Gosnold Reviewer:  Richard Maguire The world of politics is not often sexy enough for the stage, although James Graham’s This House was a recent exception. Full of intrigue, This House looked back to the Labour Government of the 1970s, but hearteningly An Honourable Man, opening at the White Bear Theatre, speaks directly to the politics of today. ...

Created by: Simon Katan and Luke Fraser Reviewer: Karl O'Doherty There’s no future in the performing arts if practitioners rely on familiar and well-trodden tactics and techniques to gain audience attention. We moved on from basic sparklers as “lightning” to full-blown pyrotechnic capabilities, for example. So it’s super to see theatre makers experiment with technology to tell a story or ...