REVIEW: Playing Latinx
Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you’re down to go to an at times funny, regularly awkward yet surprisingly deep course on the subject, you should stop by the Soho Theatre to see Playing Latinx.
Month April 2024
REVIEW: Manon Lescaut
Reading Time: 2 minutesI think I can comfortably assume that the English Touring Opera’s production of Manson Lescaut at the Oxford Playhouse is vastly different from its first performances in Turin, 1893. Director and librettist Jude Christian’s fascinating biography of recent work had me on tenterhooks for the main event, and her revival of this Puccini classic did not fail to excite the senses and turn the classical world on its head.
REVIEW: Deaf as a Post
Reading Time: 2 minutes“Deaf as a Post”, premiering at the Barons Court Theatre, takes you into a near-future dystopia plagued by many of the problems we experience today, where zombie-like “Loopers” spread a manic panic through infectious clickbait ear-worms.
REVIEW: Your Lie In April – The Musical
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe recent Death Note concert left manga fans hoping for a repeat of its success with this version of “one of the most popular romantic stories and greatest tearjerkers in manga history”–the tale of Kōsei Arima, a young piano prodigy, and his inability to play following his mother’s death. Unfortunately, the show falls flat
REVIEW: The Mousetrap
Reading Time: 2 minutesCelebrating its remarkable 70-year legacy, The Mousetrap stands as the world's longest-running play, having captivated audiences with its timeless blend of classic comedy and suspense.
REVIEW: Paddington in Concert
Reading Time: 2 minutesPaddington in Concert, presented by STUDIOCANAL and Raymond Gubbay Limited, is an enchanting experience that beautifully encapsulates the timeless charm of this beloved tale. As someone who has surprisingly not been enchanted by Paddington's adventures since childhood (as this was my first viewing of the tale), I found this concert to be a delightful celebration of everything that makes the story so enduringly special – even for a 26 years old child!
REVIEW: This Is Memorial Device
Reading Time: 3 minutesAdapted and directed by Graham Eatough from David Keenan's cult novel, This is Memorial Device is a one-man show that ingeniously incorporates four additional cast members through on-screen performances projected upstage. The protagonist Ross Raymond, portrayed by Paul Higgins, energetically and vividly investigates the fictional history of the 1980s post-punk scene in Airdrie. He is aided digitally by characters Andrea Anderson, Miriam McCluskie, David Kilpatrick, and Monica Lawson, whose lives were profoundly affected by the punk rock band 'Memorial Device'. Also, Martin Quinn, as the band's lead guitarist, Big Patty, makes his flamboyant presence felt through a cassette tape interview conducted by Ross Raymond.
REVIEW: Gunter
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe creative team of Dirty Hare, comprised of Lydia Higman, Julia Grogan, and Rachel Lemon, masterfully presents their capability of crafting a non-fictional theatre about historical archives. By mixing up the historian (Lydia Higman) acting as the narrator and a cast of three (Julia Grogan, Hannah Jarrett-Scott, and Norah Lopez Holden) performing around twenty characters including neighbours and juries, this production offers a plethora of delightful surprises to the audiences that I almost feel spoiled.
In Conversation with: Nkenna Akunna
Reading Time: 2 minutestiata fahodzi, the UK’s leading British African heritage contemporary touring theatre company, presents the London Premiere of cheeky little brown by Papatango Prize-winning playwright Nkenna Akunna - coming to Theatre Royal Stratford East, Tuesday 16 - Saturday 20 April 2024.
REVIEW: Cassie and the Lights
Reading Time: 2 minutesCassie and The Lights is performed as a play created by the piece’s young subjects: Tin, Kit, and Cassie. The siblings directly address the audience, give verbal context to the scenes, openly coordinate the technical elements, and craft pieces of set as they go along. The stage design has the hallmarks of childhood – objects are attributed multiple functions; suitcases are bedazzled with lights and puppets to change time or place. The language is perfectly childlike, and painfully so as these children openly battle incredibly difficult and outright ‘adult’ problems. The piece flows as a perfectly chaotic child’s handywork.