chelseajina

chelseajina

  • Joined: January 13, 2024
  • Articles: 79

REVIEW: Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England 

Reading Time: 2 minutesA little before kick-off at the Euros 2020 final between England and Italy, a young man stuck a flare up his butt. It sounds fake, like something out of a movie, but it genuinely did occur. This man went viral, was tracked down by the Sun, and stated that he regretted nothing. The man was a talked-about spectacle for a brief period, following which the world moved on to the next sensational news event. Alex Hill, however, took this event and ran with it. Thus, Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England was born. 

REVIEW: Is Dat U Yh?

Reading Time: 2 minutesTolu, Debz, Reena and Tia are the ‘Back of the Bus Queens.’ In this impressive piece, they take us on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, memorializing the experience of being a young black girl in South London in the 90s. This kaleidoscope of a play is full of song, dance, incredible athleticism, reminiscence, mind-blowing coordination, and overarchingly, astonishing performances. 

REVIEW: Freak Out!

Reading Time: 2 minutesPortsford is falling into the sea. This coastal town is literally crumbling – buildings will soon succumb to the ocean. Climate change for the residents of Portsford is not a theory, a lofty topic of debate, or a lingering fear for the future. Climate change is Portsford’s current reality. Soon, it might leave the town desolate. 

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. 

REVIEW: Sun Bear

Photo by Jacob Cox

Reading Time: 2 minutesWritten and performed by Sarah Richardson, Sun Bear is a one-woman show that subverts expectations from the very onset. Katy works in the office of an undisclosed company. What Katy does there or what the company is involved in is irrelevant. Katy is struggling with something. Initially, we do not know what. We know that she is angry. Angry at everyone around her. We know she is fighting something. We know she needs to remind herself to breathe, to blink, to swallow, repeatedly. We know that whatever it is she is struggling with, it has isolated her. She is brazenly alone – at work, at home, on stage. 

REVIEW: Life With Oscar

Reading Time: 2 minutesEntering Arcola Theatre’s downstairs studio, Nick Cohen greets us as we make our way to our seats. He is asks us what we are nominated for, what category our potential win might be in, commenting on how strong our fictional competition might be. This interaction catches some audience members off guard in a humorously awkward exchange and generally creates an amusing atmosphere to start the evening off with. Based on these interactions, it might be presumed that the play itself will be framed as a night at the Oscars. Once the show ‘officially’ begins, however, our position as Oscar nominees is never again referenced or clarified. It is the first of a few confusing aspirations that the show had to offer.