Month March 2024

REVIEW: Assembly Hall

Reading Time: 2 minutesCrystal Pite endeavours to ponder upon this query together with her dancing ensemble Kidd Pivot, coming back to UK with her latest Assembly Hall, a story she co-creates with Kidd Pivot's resident playwright Jonathon Young. It elaborates a group of medieval re-enactors who come for their annual meeting in their local community hall, a set ingeniously designed by Jay Gower Taylor, where a shabby basketball racket stands high and lonely, a nostalgic reminder of the old days when people spend plenty of time in communal spaces and being with others. The group faces a pivotal decision: to dissolve or not, decided by their vote.  As the narrative unfolds, the awakening of a knight from the past blurs the lines between the real and the medieval re-enactment, rolling the story into turmoil, chaos, and the knight's eventual demise — foreshadowed in the beginning. 

REVIEW: Come Together: The Lennon and McCartney Songbook

Andrew AB Photography

Reading Time: 2 minutesAs soon as the curtain rose, we were put at ease and I felt immediately confident I was going to enjoy myself. The show was of course mainly music, but it followed the story of Lennon and McCartney as they wrote songs together and their styles developed. Tom Connor and Mark Newham were the perfect Paul and John. Tom particularly looked strikingly like Paul McCartney, but their voices were both very accurate to the iconic sounds. Their acting, singing and playing of multiple instruments was incredible and they were magnetic to watch. They were accompanied by four other musicians who also played with energy and charisma. It was so interesting and very cleverly written, intertwining the stories with the songs and using the set and backing screen to set the scene. 

REVIEW: Maybe Dick

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhile not nailing every step of the way,  John Hewer definitely gives it a hell of a try in this comedic reiteration called “Maybe Dick”, performed at the White Bear Pub Theatre. The writer and star of the show takes us on a one-man voyage to do his version of Moby Dick, originally conceived by author Herman Melville, where multiple puns, mannerisms and body movements consume the evening.

REVIEW: Indigo Giant

Reading Time: 2 minutesSoho Poly's reemergence into the professional performance scene after the '90s is marked by a poignant and evocative production, ‘Indigo Giant’. Written by Ben Musgrave and directed by Gavin Joseph, this play transcends mere storytelling to become a visceral experience that leaves audiences emotionally stirred.