Category ★★★★½

REVIEW: Pigeons in Transit

Reading Time: 3 minutesWriter and performer Hannah Fredsgaard-Jones’ one woman show demonstrates just this, depicting the universal struggle between denial, fear and hope through ingenious use of storytelling and creativity. Dressed in bubblegum blue doc martens and a bright orange gilet- she is a picture of the modern woman. Her apartment is furnished with a large, hot pink inflatable plastic sofa, and a coffee table displaying an aspirational selection of books- ‘How To Fail’; ‘Mending Life’ and ‘How To Read A Tree’ to name a few. However, as she paces around her flat in an agitated manner before using the book stack as a stand for her iphone, it seems the curiosity these titles suggest has been abandoned in the face of despair. 

REVIEW: London City Ballet: Resurgence

Reading Time: 3 minutesLondon City Ballet, former resident company of Sadler’s Wells theatre, makes a triumphant return to their home venue after almost thirty years off the stage. The programme is preceded with a dive into the company’s history, press clippings charting its founding in 1978 by Director Harold King up until its closure in 1996. The introductory reel highlights London City Ballet’s successes and legacies, behind-the-scenes footage of early rehearsals, and the patronage of Princess Diana, a great admirer of dance. While surly pictures of the people’s princess slouched against a ballet bar make for entertaining viewing, the projected montage style does feel somewhat dated. A history in the programme would have sufficed; the dancing that follows is good enough to speak for itself.

REVIEW: Deluge

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat’s left when someone leaves? This was the overarching question in Andrea Maciel and Gabriela Flarys’ production Deluge, an experimental piece of multimedia theatre examining the universally confusing experience of loss. Opening with a curdling scream and Flarys dressed in red-stained garms, it was evident that this show would combine alarm and humour in equal measure. 

REVIEW: Rachel Parris: Poise

Reading Time: 2 minutesI didn’t know what to expect from Rachel Parris; I looked her up before the show and, embarrassingly, the only thing I recognised was her husband, the guy from ‘Sorry I’ve Got No Head’. So when Parris asked us, five minutes into the show, who had heard of ‘The Mash Report’, I was almost alone in my feeble ‘whoop’ from the third row. I would say the audience was almost exclusively in the 40-65 age range, and decidedly liberal. Due to my own ignorance to Parris’ impressive back catalogue of political comedy, it took a few minutes for me to gauge the tone of the show. Parris, however, gauged us immediately; an Oxford graduate herself, she knew how to work the room, and how to subtly humble it. Safe to say, I was quickly charmed.