1<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216</id><updated>2026-08-29T12:36:27.482+01:00</updated><category term="theatre"/><category term="film"/><category term="review"/><category term="play"/><category term="art"/><category term="movie"/><category term="cinema"/><category term="musical"/><category term="comedy"/><category term="exhibition"/><category term="performance art"/><category term="music"/><category term="politics"/><category term="Gig"/><category term="documentary"/><category term="feminism"/><category term="king's head theatre"/><category 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1<category term="Mummy"/><category term="Muna Otaru"/><category term="Muppets Most Wanted"/><category term="Museum of Curiosity"/><category term="My Eyes Went Dark"/><category term="My Old Lady"/><category term="My World Has Exploded A Little Bit"/><category term="My son's husband"/><category term="Nadia Berry"/><category term="Nadya tolokonnikova"/><category term="Naked stand up"/><category term="Naomi Watts"/><category term="Natalie Martinez"/><category term="Natalie McCool"/><category term="Natalie Songer"/><category term="Natasha Hodgson"/><category term="Nathan Bellis"/><category term="Nathan Hughes"/><category term="Nathaniel Leigerwood"/><category term="Navigate2"/><category term="Nazis"/><category term="Ncuti Gatwa"/><category term="Nebraska"/><category term="Neck or Nothing"/><category term="Need for speed"/><category term="Neighbours"/><category term="Neil D'arcy Jones"/><category term="Neil Fraser"/><category term="Neil Gore"/><category term="Neil LaBute"/><category term="Neil Platt"/><category term="Neill Blomkamp"/><category term="Nell Phoenix"/><category term="Nelson Mandela"/><category term="Neo Motholam"/><category term="Nesba Crenshaw"/><category term="Nessa Matthews"/><category term="Nessah Muthy"/><category term="New Atlantis"/><category term="New Views"/><category term="Next Brave New World"/><category term="Niamh Cusack"/><category term="Niamh Wilson"/><category term="Nicholas Cage"/><category term="Nicholas McArthur"/><category term="Nicholas Tucci"/><category term="Nicholas Winding Refn"/><category term="Nick Blakeley"/><category term="Nick Myles"/><category term="Nick Nolte"/><category term="Nick T Frost"/><category term="Nick smith"/><category term="Nicki Minaj"/><category term="Nicola Ihnatowicz"/><category term="Nicole Vicius"/><category term="Nigel Harman"/><category term="Nightcrawler"/><category term="Nikolaj Coster-Waldau"/><category term="Nimrod Vardi"/><category term="Nina Bright"/><category term="Nina Hoss"/><category term="Nine Foot Nine"/><category term="No Good"/><category term="No Milk for the Foxes"/><category term="No One Lives"/><category term="Noah Baumbach"/><category term="Noam Chomsky"/><category term="Noel coward theatre"/><category term="Noetic Science"/><category term="Noonday Demons"/><category term="Now is Good"/><category term="Noëmi Lakmaier"/><category term="Nuala Calvi"/><category term="Nude"/><category term="Nymph()maniac"/><category term="Nymphomaniac"/><category term="OPIA Collective"/><category term="OYUNA"/><category term="Oberon White"/><category term="Oblivion"/><category term="Observer"/><category term="Oda Egjar Starheim"/><category term="Ode to Side"/><category term="Ofelia Rodriguez"/><category term="Ol Parker"/><category term="Old St Pancras Church"/><category term="Olga Kurylenko"/><category term="Oliver Hemborough"/><category term="Oliver Hume"/><category term="Oliver Jones"/><category term="Oliver allan"/><category term="Olivia Brady"/><category term="Olivia Colman"/><category term="Olivia Thirlby"/><category term="Olivia Thompson"/><category term="Olivia Williams"/><category term="Olivier Nakache"/><category term="Olympus Has Fallen"/><category term="Omar"/><category term="Omar Sy"/><category term="Omnibus Theatre"/><category term="Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored"/><category term="One For Ten"/><category term="One Hander"/><category term="One Million Tiny Plays About Britain"/><category term="One health one art"/><category term="Only God Forgives"/><category term="Only Lovers Left Alive"/><category term="Only forever"/><category term="Open Arts Cafe"/><category term="Open Doors"/><category term="Operaâr Ddraig"/><category term="Original death rabbit"/><category term="Orson Welles"/><category term="Orson's Shadow"/><category term="Oscar Grant III"/><category term="Oscar Pistorius"/><category term="Otelo"/><category term="Othello Syndrom"/><category term="Our black heart"/><category term="Out of Print"/><category term="Owen Jenkins"/><category term="Owen McCafferty"/><category term="Owen Wilson"/><category term="Oz"/><category term="Oz the Great and Powerful"/><category term="Pacific Rim"/><category term="Paddington"/><category term="Pain & Gain"/><category term="Palaces"/><category term="Palestine"/><category term="Pamina Brassey"/><category term="Paola Giannini"/><category term="Paper Creatures"/><category term="Paradise Love"/><category term="Parallel"/><category term="Paranormal Activity"/><category term="Paranormal Activity The Marked Ones"/><category term="Paris"/><category term="Park Theatre"/><category term="Parkland"/><category term="Part of the Picture"/><category term="Pat Dam Smyth"/><category term="Patricia Arquette"/><category term="Patrick Drury"/><category term="Patrick Walshe McBride"/><category term="Patrick Wilson"/><category term="Patti Smith"/><category term="Paul Andrew Williams"/><category term="Paul Cree"/><category term="Paul Feig"/><category term="Paul Keating"/><category term="Paul King"/><category term="Paul Mason"/><category term="Paul McCartney"/><category term="Paul Rudd"/><category term="Paul Trussell"/><category term="Paul W S Anderson"/><category term="Paul condon"/><category term="Pauline Collins"/><category term="Pebbles"/><category term="Pecho Mama"/><category 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Roche"/><category term="Reece Shearsmith"/>
1<category term="Reece Witherspoon"/><category term="Reese Hartwig"/><category term="Renaissance"/><category term="Reni"/><category term="Renoir"/><category term="Reprehensible Men Part II"/><category term="Rhyannon Styles"/><category term="Ricardo P Lloyd"/><category term="Rich Moore"/><category term="Richard Ashcroft"/><category term="Richard Cameron"/><category term="Richard Curtis"/><category term="Richard Dormer"/><category term="Richard Griffiths"/><category term="Richard Harding"/><category term="Richard Immergluck"/><category term="Richard Marsh"/><category term="Richard O'Brien"/><category term="Richard Wilson"/><category term="Ricky Gervais"/><category term="Riddick"/><category term="Ringo Starr"/><category term="Rio Cinema"/><category term="Rise of the Non-Conformists"/><category term="Rivers in the Sky"/><category term="Rob Brydon"/><category term="Rob Epstein"/><category term="Robbie Coltrane"/><category term="Robert Altman"/><category term="Robert DeLong"/><category term="Robert Molloy-Vaughan"/><category term="Robert Moloney"/><category term="Robert Patrick"/><category term="Robert Rodriguez"/><category term="Robert Zemeckis"/><category term="Roberto Landin Baamonde"/><category term="Roberts Gannaway"/><category term="Robin Ian HallSmith"/><category term="Robin Williams"/><category term="Robocop"/><category term="Robot"/><category term="Robot and Frank"/><category term="Robrecht Vanden Thoren"/><category term="Rocio Rodriguez-Inniss"/><category term="Rock Hudson"/><category term="Rodriguez"/><category term="Roger Michell"/><category term="Rolf de Heer"/><category term="Ron Howard"/><category term="Room"/><category term="Rory Keys"/><category term="Rosario Dawson"/><category term="Roseanne Franscona"/><category term="Rosemarie DeWitt"/><category term="Rosie Grundy-Orchison"/><category term="Ross Forder"/><category term="Rossini"/><category term="Rotterdam"/><category term="Roxana Lupu"/><category term="Roxanna Nic Liam. Eileen Walsh"/><category term="Roy's People"/><category term="Royal College of Art"/><category term="Royal Court Theatre"/><category term="Rubber Ring"/><category term="Ruben Fleischer"/><category term="Ruby Bentall"/><category term="Ruby Lawrence"/><category term="Ruddigore"/><category term="Run All Night"/><category term="Run City Run"/><category term="Rush"/><category term="Russell Barnett"/><category term="Russian Dolls"/><category term="Ruta Gedmintas"/><category term="Ruth Clarke-Irons"/><category term="Ruth MacKenzie"/><category term="Rwandan Genocide"/><category term="Ryan Price"/><category term="Ryan Sampson"/><category term="Ryuhei Kitamura"/><category term="S Craig Zahler"/><category term="SIRO- A"/><category term="SPZero76"/><category term="Sacha Baron Cohen"/><category term="Sacha Gervasi"/><category term="Sacro GRA"/><category term="Sadie Frost"/><category term="Safety Not Guaranteed"/><category term="Sally Oomme Clayton"/><category term="Salome"/><category term="Sam Neill"/><category term="Sam Raimi"/><category term="Samantha Fuchs"/><category term="Samsara"/><category term="Samson Hawkins"/><category term="Sandra Higgins Fine Art"/><category term="Sangue del mio Sangue"/><category term="Santi Ahumada"/><category term="Sara Alexander"/><category term="Sara Rankin"/><category term="Sarah Agha"/><category term="Sarah Bolger"/><category term="Sarah Ingram"/><category term="Sarah Madigan"/><category term="Sarah Rundle"/><category term="Sarah Silverman"/><category term="Saskia Solomons"/><category term="Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens"/><category term="Savoy Theatre"/><category term="Say When"/><category term="Sayaka Ichikawa"/><category term="Scenes from the End"/><category term="School of Design Work In Progress Show"/><category term="Scott Bakula"/><category term="Scott Grove"/><category term="Scott Walker"/><category term="Scottish drama training network"/><category term="Screens"/><category term="Screwed"/><category term="Sean Campion"/><category term="Sean Francis Burns"/><category term="Seance"/><category term="Searching for Sugar Man"/><category term="Season Butler"/><category term="Sebastian de Souza"/><category term="Seconds"/><category term="Secret Garden"/><category term="Secret Life of Walter Mitty"/><category term="Secret Service"/><category term="Secret Tea & Fantasy"/><category term="Secret Theatre Show"/><category term="Seduced and Abandoned"/><category term="See What I Wanna See"/><category term="Seeing-I"/><category term="Seize the Day"/><category term="Selena Gomez"/><category term="Selina Giles"/><category term="Selina O"/><category term="Selma"/><category term="Selma James"/><category term="Sense of an Ending"/><category term="Seong-hoon Kim"/><category term="Sergio Blanco"/><category term="Seven Psychopaths"/><category term="Sex Workers Opera"/><category term="Shadow Dancer"/><category term="Shakespeare in Love"/><category term="Shakespeare's Queens"/><category term="Shaolin"/><category term="Sharlit Deyzac"/><category term="Sharni Vinson"/><category term="Sharon Stone"/><category term="Shaun Woodward MP"/><category term="Shaun the Sheep"/><category term="Shawn Levy"/><category term="She Loves Me"/><category term="Sheep"/><category term="Shepard Fairey"/><category term="Shepherds Bush"/><category term="Sheridan Smith"/><category term="Shittiest of"/><category term="Shotgun Carousel"/><category term="Show Pieces"/><category term="Shrapnel Theatre"/><category term="Shyvonne Ahmmad"/><category term="Sian Harding"/><category term="Sid"/><category term="Sid Vicious"/><category term="Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui"/><category term="Sightseers"/><category term="Sikes and Nancy"/><category term="Silence of the Lambs"/><category term="Silk road"/><category term="Silver Linings Playbook"/><category term="Simon Baker"/><category term="Simon Jay"/><category term="Simon Lokodo"/><category term="Simon Rouse"/><category term="Sin City"/><category term="Siro A"/><category term="Siro-A"/><category term="Sissy Spacek"/><category term="Sleigh Bells"/><category term="Slow Club"/><category term="Snowflake"/><category term="Socrates"/><category term="Soho House"/><category term="Somalia"/><category term="Son of Man"/><category term="Song for Marion"/><category term="Sophie Guiver"/><category term="Sophie Hughes"/><category term="Sophie Nélisse"/><category term="Soulmate"/><category term="South America"/><category term="South Bank Centre"/><category term="Speaking in Tongues"/><category term="Spectre"/><category term="Spice Girls"/><category term="Spike Jonze"/><category term="Spike Lee"/><category term="Spitalfields"/><category term="Spontaneous Combustion"/><category term="Spring Breakers"/><category term="St Brides Church"/><category term="St Giles-in-the-Fields"/><category term="St Johns Church"/><category term="St Martins-in-the-Fields"/><category term="St Paul's Cathedral"/><category term="Star Food & Wine"/><category term="Star Trek"/><category term="Star Trek Into Darkness"/><category term="Stasi"/><category term="Stav Meishar"/><category term="Stef O'Driscoll"/><category term="Stephan Elliott"/><category term="Stephanie Fayerman"/><category term="Stephanie Magnin"/><category term="Stephen Clark"/><category term="Stephen Hawking"/><category term="Stephen Hyde"/><category term="Stephen Merchant"/><category term="Stephen Reynolds"/><category term="Stephen Unwin"/><category term="Stephen Walter"/><category term="Stevanie Matthews"/><category term="Steve Buscemi"/><category term="Steve Gooch"/><category term="Steve Oram"/><category term="Steven Berkoff"/><category term="Steven Soderbergh"/><category term="Stewart Clarke"/><category term="Still Alice"/><category term="Still the Enemy Within"/><category term="Stop the play"/><category term="Strand Station"/><category term="Strauss"/><category term="Stuck in Love"/><category term="Studio Ghibli"/><category term="Sue Breeze"/><category term="Sue Perkins"/><category term="Suede"/><category term="Sugar Girls"/><category term="Suicide girls"/><category term="SuicideGirls"/><category term="Suli Holum"/><category term="Summer Nights in Space"/><category term="Summer Showers"/><category term="Summerfolk"/><category term="Sunny Afternoon"/><category term="Sunshine Boys"/><category term="Supajam"/>
1<category term="Super Awesome World"/><category term="Super Furry Animals"/><category term="Superhuman"/><category term="Suraj Sharma"/><category term="Sutra"/><category term="Svante Paabo"/><category term="Swan Bake"/><category term="Swedenborg Hall"/><category term="Swedenborg Society"/><category term="Sweeney Todd"/><category term="Sweet Dreams"/><category term="Sweet Thing"/><category term="Swines"/><category term="Swing By Around 8"/><category term="Swoon"/><category term="Sylver Tongue"/><category term="Sylvester McCoy"/><category term="Syria"/><category term="Syro"/><category term="Szymon Brzóska"/><category term="T.S. Spivet"/><category term="TFFcon"/><category term="TFL"/><category term="TRIPPPLE NIPPPLES"/><category term="TUC"/><category term="Tabard Theatre"/><category term="Taken in Marriage"/><category term="Takeshi Kaneshiro"/><category term="Tal Jakubowiczova"/><category term="Talkaoke"/><category term="Tamar Saphra"/><category term="Tamia Kari"/><category term="Tate Modern"/><category term="Tate Taylor"/><category term="Tate and Lyle"/><category term="Tatiana Diavoletto"/><category term="Tatty Devine"/><category term="Tatyana and the Cable Man"/><category term="Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"/><category term="Telford Warehouse"/><category term="Tennessee Williams"/><category term="Teo Halm"/><category term="Terence Stamp"/><category term="Teresa Palmer"/><category term="Terrence Howard"/><category term="Terrence Rattigan"/><category term="Terri Hooley"/><category term="Terry Deary"/><category term="Terry Gilliam"/><category term="Terry O'Donovan"/><category term="Tessa Farmer"/><category term="Testament of Youth"/><category term="Tex Royale"/><category term="Teyonah Parris"/><category term="Thalissa Teixera"/><category term="The Beatles"/><category term="The Adventures of Prince Achmed"/><category term="The Amazing Spider-Man 2"/><category term="The Apple Tree"/><category term="The Armstrong Lie"/><category term="The Baron"/><category term="The Big Wedding"/><category term="The Blast"/><category term="The Book of Life"/><category term="The Boy Who Kicked Pigs"/><category term="The Breakfast Club"/><category term="The British Library"/><category term="The Call"/><category term="The Choir"/><category term="The Church of London"/><category term="The Claim"/><category term="The Crystal"/><category term="The Crystal egg"/><category term="The Dark Knight Rises"/><category term="The Dark Room"/><category term="The Diary of a Nobody"/><category term="The Diver"/><category term="The Dreamery"/><category term="The Drop"/><category term="The Drowned Man"/><category term="The Duke in Darkness"/><category term="The Episode"/><category term="The Face of an Angel"/><category term="The Fault in Our Stars"/><category term="The Fireman's Ball"/><category term="The Flannelettes"/><category term="The Force Awakens"/><category term="The Frozen Ground"/><category term="The Future Fire"/><category term="The Grandmaster"/><category term="The Guest"/><category term="The Half Moon Shania"/><category term="The Hangover Part III"/><category term="The Heat"/><category term="The Holy Mountain"/><category term="The Homosexuals"/><category term="The Hotel"/><category term="The Hunt"/><category term="The Hunters Grimm"/><category term="The Iceman"/><category term="The Imitation Game"/><category term="The Institute of Sexology"/><category term="The Internship"/><category term="The Island"/><category term="The Judge"/><category term="The Keeping Room"/><category term="The Kinks"/><category term="The Kite Runner"/><category term="The Knock Knock Club"/><category term="The Ladykillers"/><category term="The Lark"/><category term="The Last Days of Limehouse"/><category term="The Last Five Years"/><category term="The Last Stand"/><category term="The Legacy"/><category term="The Levelling"/><category term="The Litterati"/><category term="The Lizard Man"/><category term="The Look of Love"/><category term="The Loris"/><category term="The Machine"/><category term="The Madness of King Lear"/><category term="The Man Who Had all the Luck"/><category term="The Man in the Orange Jacket"/><category term="The Marriage of Kim K"/><category term="The Me Plays"/><category term="The Moth Diaries"/><category term="The Nature of Forgetting"/><category term="The Night is Another Country"/><category term="The Old Library"/><category term="The Paperboy"/><category term="The Pervert's Guide to Ideology"/><category term="The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town"/><category term="The Pheasantry"/><category term="The Purge Anarchy"/><category term="The Raid 2"/><category term="The Railway Man"/><category term="The Residents"/><category term="The Return of the Soldier"/><category term="The Revenger's Tragedy"/><category term="The Rocky Horror Picture Show"/><category term="The Rose Lipman Building"/><category term="The Rose Theatre"/><category term="The Ruby Darlings"/><category term="The Sessions"/><category term="The State vs John Hayes"/><category term="The Stone Roses"/><category term="The Theory of Everything"/><category term="The Theory of Relativity"/><category term="The Three Lions"/><category term="The Tribe"/><category term="The Undertones"/><category term="The Unmarried"/><category term="The Wasp"/><category term="The Way Way Back"/><category term="The White Feather"/><category term="The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom"/><category term="The Wilmington Arms"/>
1<category term="The Wind Rises"/><category term="The Winter Soldier"/><category term="The Wolf of Wall Street"/><category term="The Woman in Black"/><category term="The Woman in Black 2"/><category term="The Woman in the Moon"/><category term="The World's End"/><category term="The Zero Theorem"/><category term="The clockmaker's daughter"/><category term="The corpse of anna fritz"/><category term="The forbidden room"/><category term="The gunman"/><category term="The hateful eight"/><category term="The libertine has left the building"/><category term="The lobster"/><category term="The noises"/><category term="Theatre Royal Drury Lane"/><category term="Theatre Royal Haymarket"/><category term="Thebes Land"/><category term="Themba Mvula"/><category term="Then"/><category term="Theo Barklem-Biggs"/><category term="Theo-humanist"/><category term="Thick as Thieves"/><category term="Third World Bunfight"/><category term="Thirteen Cycles"/><category term="This Is Living"/><category term="This Is Not A Christmas Play"/><category term="This ain't california"/><category term="This is not Culturally Significant"/><category term="This is the End"/><category term="Thlides"/><category term="Thomas Campbell"/><category term="Thomas Coombes"/><category term="Thomas Hamilton"/><category term="Thomas Middleton"/><category term="Thomas Vinterberg"/><category term="Thoroughly Modern Mille"/><category term="Thriller live"/><category term="Through the Mill"/><category term="Thursday Till Sunday"/><category term="Tiff Wear"/><category term="Tim Cowbury"/><category term="Tim Crocker-Buque"/><category term="Tim Curry"/><category term="Tim Jeeves"/><category term="Tim Reid"/><category term="Tim Robbins"/><category term="Timothy Spall"/><category term="Timpson: the Musical"/><category term="Tina Fey"/><category term="Tinker Bell"/><category term="Tinker Bell and the Secret of her Wings"/><category term="To Drone In The Rain"/><category term="To the Light"/><category term="Todd Phillips"/><category term="Todd douglas Miller"/><category term="Tolkien"/><category term="Tom Audanaert"/><category term="Tom Binns"/><category term="Tom Bradby"/><category term="Tom Brennan"/><category term="Tom Courtenay"/><category term="Tom Foy"/><category term="Tom Harper"/><category term="Tom Hooper"/><category term="Tom Kelsey"/><category term="Tom Mannion"/><category term="Tom Olsen Lecture"/><category term="Tom Shadyac"/><category term="Tom Tykwer"/><category term="Tom Waits"/><category term="Tom geens"/><category term="Tommy Lee Jones"/><category term="Tonight with Donny Stixx"/><category term="Tony Benn"/><category term="Tony Blair"/><category term="Tony Leung"/><category term="Tony's Last Tape"/><category term="Topher Grace"/><category term="Tosin Omosebi"/><category term="Total Film"/><category term="Tower"/><category term="Toxic Avenger the Musical"/><category term="Trailer Park boys"/><category term="Trainspotting"/><category term="Trance"/><category term="Trap Street"/><category term="Trevor White"/><category term="Troxy"/><category term="Trumpageddon"/><category term="Truncated Nightmare Hour"/><category term="Tryst"/><category term="Tube"/><category term="Tumble Circus"/><category term="Tuppence Middleton"/><category term="Turf"/><category term="Twelfth Night"/><category term="Twenty Feet from Stardom"/><category term="Uganda"/><category term="Ulrich Seidl"/><category term="Umi Shakti"/><category term="Unattended"/><category term="Unburied"/><category term="Uncle Vanya"/><category term="Uncle Vanya in Languages"/><category term="Uncollective"/><category term="Unfaithful"/><category term="Unfriended"/><category term="Untouchable"/><category term="User Not Found"/><category term="VHS"/><category term="VR"/><category term="Valentina Ceschi"/><category term="Valhalla"/><category term="Vampire Hospital Waiting Room"/><category term="Vanessa Redgrave"/><category term="Vanities"/><category term="Vanity Fair"/><category term="Vault"/><category term="Vendetta"/><category term="Vera"/><category term="Vera Brittain"/><category term="Verdi"/><category term="Verena Stenke"/><category term="Vernon God Little"/><category term="Version 2.0"/><category term="Very Bad Day"/><category term="VestandPage"/><category term="Vi är bäst"/><category term="Viajeinmóvil"/><category term="Vicky Hawkins"/><category term="Victim"/><category term="Victor Sánchez Rodriguez"/><category term="Victoria Hope"/><category term="Victoria Park"/><category term="Victoria's Sponge"/><category term="Village Underground"/><category term="Vince Vaughn"/><category term="Vincent Cassel"/><category term="Viramundo"/><category term="Vithaya Pansringarm"/><category term="Viva Forever"/><category term="Vote for Me"/><category term="Vue Leicester Square"/>
1<category term="Vân-Ãnh Võ"/><category term="WE"/><category term="WETA"/><category term="WWII"/><category term="Wakey wakey"/><category term="Walking on Sunshine"/><category term="Wandsworth Arts Fringe"/><category term="Warburg Institute"/><category term="Warcraft"/><category term="Warm Bodies"/><category term="Warp Records"/><category term="Warren Brown"/><category term="We Are the Best"/><category term="We're the Millers"/><category term="Weald"/><category term="Weimar Republic"/><category term="Welcome to the Punch"/><category term="Welcome...?"/><category term="Wendy Glenn"/><category term="Wendy Kweh"/><category term="Werner Herzog"/><category term="West Germany"/><category term="West London Synagogue"/><category term="Wet Bread"/><category term="What Not Cabaret"/><category term="What We Did on Our Holiday"/><category term="What we do in the shadows"/><category term="When You Fall Down"/><category term="When contents become form"/><category term="When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun"/><category term="Whiplash"/><category term="Whiskey Tango Foxtrot"/><category term="Wicked"/><category term="Wilhelm Reich"/><category term="Will Francome"/><category term="Will Green"/><category term="Will Laurence"/><category term="Will Self"/><category term="William H Macy"/><category term="William Mackrell"/><category term="William Wolfe Hogan"/><category term="Willy Brandt"/><category term="Wingman"/><category term="Winona Ryder"/><category term="Winspear & William"/><category term="Wireless Festival"/><category term="Wizard of Oz"/><category term="Wolverine"/><category term="Woman Before A Glass"/><category term="Wong Kar Wai"/><category term="Woody Guthrie"/><category term="Woody Sez"/><category term="Woyzeck"/><category term="Wreck-It Ralph"/><category term="X-Men"/><category term="Xavier Giannoli"/><category term="Xavier Velastin"/><category term="Yamato"/><category term="Yanis Varoufakis"/><category term="Yann Demange"/><category term="Yann Leblan"/><category term="Yann Martel"/><category term="Yarico"/><category term="Yasemine Mirielle"/><category term="Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre"/><category term="Yellow Earth"/><category term="Yoko Ono"/><category term="Yolandi Visser"/><category term="You're Always With Me"/><category term="You're Next"/><category term="Your Sister's Sister"/><category term="Yuki Kobayashi"/><category term="Yusra Warsama"/><category term="Yve Blake"/><category term="ZSL"/><category term="Zac Efron"/><category term="Zach Braff"/><category term="Zachary Quinto"/><category term="Zal Batmanglij"/><category term="Zane Lowe"/><category term="Zangief"/><category term="Zari Lewis"/><category term="Zervas Pepper"/><category term="Ziyi Chang"/><category term="Zoe Ford"/><category term="Zoe L'Amore"/><category term="Zoe Rainey"/><category term="Zoe Roberts. theatre"/><category term="Zoe Saldana"/><category term="a bag of bees"/><category term="a cappella"/><category term="a late quartet"/><category term="a simple space"/><category 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term="aimie atkinson"/><category term="akiya henry"/><category term="al freeman jr"/><category term="alaistair maclennan"/><category term="alan mchale"/><category term="alan turing"/><category term="alan turkington"/><category term="alasdair craig"/><category term="alchemy"/><category term="alcoholism"/><category term="alda dizdari"/><category term="aldo ziranek"/><category term="alec guinness"/><category term="alex Parry"/><category term="alex gibney"/><category term="alex levene"/><category term="alex marlow"/><category term="alex southern"/><category term="alex spinney"/><category term="alex vincent"/><category term="alex walton"/><category term="alex wood"/><category term="alexa pollman"/><category term="alexander mcmorran"/><category term="alexander neal"/><category term="alexandra da silva"/><category term="alexandra james"/><category term="alexandrina hemsley"/><category term="ali pidsley"/><category term="alice brittain"/><category term="alice handoll"/><category term="alice 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1<category term="amelia vernede"/><category term="american sniper"/><category term="amy"/><category term="amy dunn"/><category term="amy fem"/><category term="amy gardyne"/><category term="amy poehler"/><category term="anabel kutay"/><category term="analgesics"/><category term="andi schmied"/><category term="andie worth"/><category term="andrei costin"/><category term="andrew corbet burcher"/><category term="andrew gallo"/><category term="andrew keates"/><category term="andro crespo"/><category term="andy day"/><category term="andy flett"/><category term="andy williams"/><category term="angela betzien"/><category term="angela clerkin"/><category term="angelina jolie"/><category term="angus frost"/><category term="animal rights"/><category term="anime"/><category term="anita-joy uwajeh"/><category term="anna jordan"/><category term="anna macka"/><category term="annabel smith"/><category term="annabelle rich"/><category term="annamaria pinka"/><category term="annasophia robb"/><category 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church"/><category term="blue elephant theatre"/><category term="bob Goody"/><category term="bobby cannavale"/><category term="bodybuilding"/><category term="bodypaint"/><category term="bollocks"/><category term="bonkers"/><category term="bonnie baddoo"/><category term="book"/><category term="booze"/><category term="boring."/><category term="born mad"/><category term="bowie"/><category term="box step productions"/><category term="boychoir"/><category term="brad pitt"/><category term="bradley crees"/><category term="bradley foster"/><category term="bravenewworlds"/><category term="brendan murphy"/><category term="brendan wyer"/><category term="brian fletcher"/><category term="brian james o'sullivan"/><category term="bridewell"/><category term="brie larson"/><category term="brighton Fringe"/><category term="british theatre academy"/><category term="british youth music theatre"/><category term="britpop"/><category term="broad vision"/><category term="brunel museum"/><category term="bruno dumont"/><category term="bruno ganz"/><category term="bruno loxton"/><category term="bruno wizard"/><category term="bryn higgins"/><category term="bryony davies"/><category term="buddug james jones"/><category term="building six"/><category term="building works"/><category term="bunker"/><category term="burn bright theatre"/><category term="burning coal"/><category term="cabaret. burlesque"/><category term="caitlin mcmillan"/><category term="cal macAninch"/><category term="caleb landry jones"/><category term="callie cooke"/><category term="callum cameron"/><category term="callum mcgowan"/><category term="callum turner"/><category term="calum f kerr"/><category term="camden"/><category term="camden image gallery"/><category term="canals"/><category term="candice palladino"/><category term="candice tripp"/><category term="candy ma"/><category term="cara chase"/>
1<category term="carguil lloyd george webley"/><category term="carla chan ho-choi"/><category term="carla kingham"/><category term="carla valentine"/><category term="carlo lavagna"/><category term="carlos marques-marcet"/><category term="carmella brown"/><category term="carol"/><category term="carolina main"/><category term="caroline buckley"/><category term="caroline faber"/><category term="carrie cohen"/><category term="cars"/><category term="cartography"/><category term="cassie bradley"/><category term="cat gerrard"/><category term="catherine keener"/><category term="catherine lucie"/><category term="cathryn sherman"/><category term="catrin woodruff"/><category term="cedric klapisch"/><category term="celia delaney"/><category term="celia robertson"/><category term="cerebellu"/><category term="channing tatum"/><category term="charity"/><category term="charlaye blair"/><category term="charles aitken"/><category term="charles darwin"/><category term="charles furness"/><category 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term="cultural theory"/><category term="curious congress"/><category term="current affairs"/><category term="curtis brown"/><category term="cushion collective"/><category term="cut outs"/><category term="daisy brown"/><category term="daisy eris campbell"/><category term="daivd monteith"/><category term="dan frost"/><category term="dan gaisford"/><category term="dan gilroy"/><category term="dan horrigan"/><category term="dan lees"/><category term="dan maclane"/><category term="dan sareen"/><category term="dance of reality"/><category term="daniel akilimali"/><category term="daniel clarkson"/><category term="daniel collard"/><category term="daniel donskoy"/><category term="daniel dowling"/><category term="daniel finn"/><category term="daniel foxsmith"/><category term="daniel gentely"/><category term="daniel henney"/><category term="daniel portman"/><category term="daniella valz-gen"/><category term="danielle flett"/><category term="danielle pearson"/><category term="dannie 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1<category term="orlando james"/><category term="orwell"/><category term="osama bin laden"/><category term="ottilie mackintosh"/><category term="out of spite theatre"/><category term="outback"/><category term="outnumbered"/><category term="outsider art"/><category term="outstanding"/><category term="ovalspace"/><category term="over interpreting"/><category term="owain arthur"/><category term="p l travers"/><category term="paige bradley"/><category term="pain"/><category term="pain management"/><category term="paleo art"/><category term="panto"/><category term="paola domizio"/><category term="paradise trilogy"/><category term="parasites"/><category term="pat healy"/><category term="patricia rodriguez"/><category term="patrick marber"/><category term="patrick mchugh"/><category term="patrick stewart"/><category term="paul adeyefa"/><category term="paul bettany"/><category term="paul brendan"/><category term="paul clarkson"/><category term="paul freeman"/><category term="paul 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1<category term="secret cinema"/><category term="secret concert"/><category term="secrets"/><category term="seiriol davies"/><category term="selfridges"/><category term="selling out"/><category term="september 11th"/><category term="serafina cusack"/><category term="serena jennings"/><category term="serena manteghi"/><category term="set visit"/><category term="sex therapy"/><category term="sexism"/><category term="sexually threatening bad guys"/><category term="seyan sarvie"/><category term="shabba ranks"/><category term="shaggy"/><category term="shailene woodley"/><category term="shakespeare sessions"/><category term="shard"/><category term="shark night"/><category term="sharon maughan"/><category term="shauna riley"/><category term="sheila hancock"/><category term="shelley hennig"/><category term="sherlock Holmes"/><category term="shoreditch house"/><category term="show"/><category term="showtunes"/><category term="shri patel"/><category term="sian martin"/><category term="side show"/><category term="sidney charity"/><category term="sienna miller"/><category term="sigpix"/><category term="silly"/><category term="silva semerciyan"/><category term="silverley allen"/><category term="simon dutton"/><category term="simon every"/><category term="simon james collier"/><category term="simon kirk"/><category term="simon maeder"/><category term="simon paris"/><category term="simon stephens"/><category term="simon thorp"/><category term="singing"/><category term="sinâfin The Movie"/><category term="sion lloyd"/><category term="sisters"/><category term="sitron panapoulos"/><category term="sixties"/><category term="skateboarding"/><category term="skew wiff"/><category term="slasher"/><category term="sleepless theatre"/><category term="slightly taking the piss"/><category term="slow west"/><category term="so fucking loud"/><category term="sonic"/><category term="sonja zobel"/><category term="sophia pardon"/><category term="sophie ablett"/><category term="sophie spreadbury"/><category term="sophie ward"/><category term="sophocles"/><category term="sound of my voice"/><category term="sour bill"/><category term="spiegeltent"/><category term="spike mcclarrity"/><category term="spike milligan"/><category term="split britches"/><category term="split note theatre"/><category term="sport"/><category term="squarepusher"/><category term="srecko horvat"/><category term="sse arena"/><category term="st giles church"/><category term="st pancras hospital"/><category term="stadium"/><category term="stag's head"/><category term="stage theatre"/><category term="stan's cafe"/><category term="star wars: the last jedi"/><category term="starred up"/><category term="stars"/><category term="statistics"/><category term="steffi walker"/><category term="stella richt"/><category term="stephanie christian"/><category term="stephanie clift"/><category term="stephen chance"/>
1<category term="stephen frears"/><category term="stephen laughton"/><category term="stephen tompkinson"/><category term="stereotypical Guardian reader shit"/><category term="steve fitzgerald"/><category term="steve hansell"/><category term="steve hay"/><category term="steve mcqueen"/><category term="steven knight"/><category term="steven moffat"/><category term="still ill"/><category term="stop motion"/><category term="stratford circus arts centre"/><category term="stroke"/><category term="stuart fox"/><category term="stuart orme"/><category term="stuart ryan"/><category term="stuart saint"/><category term="stuart warwick"/><category term="stupid philosophy"/><category term="subterranean London"/><category term="sue maclaine"/><category term="sunny day"/><category term="superbolt"/><category term="surprisingly good"/><category term="surveillance"/><category term="survival"/><category term="susie calvert"/><category term="suzan sylvester"/><category term="suzanne marie"/><category 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term="the who"/><category term="the winter's tale"/><category term="the world famous bob"/><category term="theatre ad infinitum"/><category term="theatre royal stratford east"/><category term="theatrefullstop"/><category term="theo toksvig-stewart"/><category term="there there"/><category term="thom allen"/><category term="thomas babe"/><category term="thomas birch"/><category term="thomas bostock"/><category term="thomas galler"/><category term="thomas hewitt"/><category term="thomas witcomb"/><category term="three englishmen"/><category term="thusitha jayasundera"/><category term="tibet"/><category term="tiend"/><category term="tilly gaunt"/><category term="tim atkinson"/><category term="tim foley"/><category term="tim pigott-smith"/><category term="tim roth"/><category term="time Zone theatre"/><category term="timothy bentinck"/><category term="timothy harker"/><category term="tired feet"/><category term="titus andronicus"/><category term="tl wiswell"/><category term="toby marlow"/><category term="todd haynes"/><category term="tom Cox"/><category term="tom Jones"/><category term="tom Wisdom"/><category term="tom davey"/><category term="tom durant-pritchard"/><category term="tom glover"/><category term="tom jenkinson"/><category term="tom machell"/><category term="tom myles"/><category term="tom noonan"/><category term="tom o brien"/><category term="tom pike"/><category term="tom purbeck"/><category term="tom salinsky"/><category term="tom slatter"/><category term="tom vanson"/><category term="tom whalley"/><category term="tom wilkinson"/><category term="tomb raider"/><category term="tommy"/><category term="tonal inconsistency"/><category term="toni colette"/><category term="top secret comedy club"/><category term="tori allen-martin"/><category term="tori louis"/><category term="tosin cole"/><category term="traces"/><category term="tracey ann wood"/><category term="tracey pickup"/><category term="trade unionism"/><category term="trade unions"/><category term="trevor murphy"/><category term="trippy"/><category term="tristan beint"/><category term="tristan hyde"/><category term="troy richards"/><category term="tv"/><category term="two tongue theatre"/><category term="ty burrel"/><category term="tyrrell jones"/><category term="udo kier"/><category term="ugly collective"/><category term="ukip"/><category term="ukraine"/><category term="ultramarathon"/><category term="ultraviolence"/><category term="umbrelliam"/><category term="unexploded ordnance"/><category term="university of swansea"/><category term="university of westminster"/><category term="unkle"/><category term="upper addison gardens"/><category term="vaginas"/><category term="valentine hanson"/><category term="vampire"/><category term="vampires"/><category term="van morrison"/><category term="vanessa schofield"/><category term="vasilis karvounis"/><category term="vera chytilova"/><category term="verbatim theatre"/><category term="verity kirk"/><category term="verna vyas"/><category term="veronica roberts"/><category term="vicky ford"/><category term="victoria Abbott"/><category term="victoria blunt"/><category term="victorian"/><category term="victorians"/><category term="viggo mortenson"/><category term="vincent d'onofrio"/><category term="vincent piazzo"/><category term="vincent regan"/><category term="violence"/><category term="violent"/><category term="virtually opera"/><category term="vivaldi"/><category term="vivien leigh"/><category term="vyner street gallery"/><category term="wade mccollum"/><category term="walt disney"/><category term="wank"/><category term="wanking"/><category term="wanky wanky wanky woo"/><category term="war on terror"/><category term="waste of time"/><category term="wax"/><category term="wayne wilson"/><category term="we play project"/><category term="wei lun chang"/><category term="weird"/><category term="werner pawlok"/><category term="wet picnic"/><category term="what's new pussycat"/><category term="white Bear"/><category term="white space"/><category term="who's afraid of virginia woolf"/><category term="wild goose chase"/><category term="will austin"/><category term="will henry"/><category term="will peltz"/><category term="will rastall"/><category term="will smith"/><category term="will.i.am"/><category term="william burroughs"/><category term="william hoffman"/><category term="william mcgeogh"/><category term="william ross-fawcett"/><category term="windrush"/><category term="wink"/><category term="wired up"/><category term="witt n camp"/><category term="woo woo"/><category term="words words words"/><category term="worker's rights"/>
1<category term="workers cooperative"/><category term="workshy"/><category term="world music"/><category term="wreckage international"/><category term="wrestling"/><category term="writing too much about Batman"/><category term="xxx tour"/><category term="yinan song"/><category term="yorgos lanthimos"/><category term="young feminist whores"/><category term="youth"/><category term="zac gwirtzman"/><category term="zena edwards"/><category term="zoe grain"/><category term="zoe hough"/><category term="zoe lewis"/><category term="zoe swenson-graham"/><category term="zombie ants"/><category term="Ãystein Monsen"/><title type='text'>LONDON CITY NIGHTS</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default?start-index=26&max-results=25'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>1178</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-1175548214258956894</id><published>2026-08-29T10:34:49.793+01:00</published><updated>2026-08-29T12:36:27.482+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="british youth music theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="frankenstein"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="greenwich theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: Frankenstein at Greenwich Theatre, 28 August 2026</title><content type='html'><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxA86Z4s2H4HW_Ia2LJK5m9gYhmLy_CgNeQie9QwnITiUivwIFHA4B21Fj1nzjh2CUkMayYOXl9wR5WNF2BDg-I80ExUH-LKCUvRZxi91GGw9zMl6838-qwUoq7Rh1KPkSfrb1Gn4KvuA7mZGKmDASHvkYyVSeMHMHCcoNPnt3sEzMIPQey3VXFh59Rd1H/s1200/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(5).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxA86Z4s2H4HW_Ia2LJK5m9gYhmLy_CgNeQie9QwnITiUivwIFHA4B21Fj1nzjh2CUkMayYOXl9wR5WNF2BDg-I80ExUH-LKCUvRZxi91GGw9zMl6838-qwUoq7Rh1KPkSfrb1Gn4KvuA7mZGKmDASHvkYyVSeMHMHCcoNPnt3sEzMIPQey3VXFh59Rd1H/w640-h360/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Frankenstein&nbsp;</i>reviewed by <a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: 0.2s linear;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /></div></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="font-size: large;"><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">In Mary Shelley's novel, Victor Frankenstein is impressed by the sight of Greenwich as he sails up the Thames, noting that it's a place "which I had heard of even in my country". Well, now <b><i>Frankenstein </i></b>is in Greenwich and can enjoy it up close, courtesy of the British Youth Music Theatre's revival.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Jimmy Jewell and Nick Stimson's musical adaptation of the novel was originally performed 20 years ago, and has lain dormant ever since. Now, appropriately given the subject matter, it'
1s been dug up, dusted off, sewn back together and given a bolt of lightning to the heart courtesy of a committed and enthusiastic new generation of performers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This take on Shelley's story pares the story back to its skeleton, zipping through the entire novel in about an hour and a half. Victor Frankenstein's childhood&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">(with the production rapidly cycling through actors to show him aging)&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">is dealt with in the blink of an eye - the spooky boy with bags under his eyes and a fascination with biological intricacies becomes a spooky man with bags under his eyes and a fascination with biological intricacies. And is now the owner of a snazzy leather jacket.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The promo promised a show that "never slows to catch its breath". It's safe to say that was achieved: the show runs straight through with no interval, the stage hums with life in repeated crowd scenes, and the fat-free storytelling propels the show forward.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIV8RwWfvJeGxDvjkUXRpRfFhpNhUyVEDl5gaRga53Q6Zpc14lLapYNfHF0D6RKq3NPMr0f-Sz-1oVQtJ3U2n5Gze0gO_91ZzeREd2H16Gb4W4I02mMKuBNoiNHpXJWgj_eQfDJlXgiMP1hNNCxk8Gp3Rz0fxyTv3pZeTQ0rvDE5a6tFHJysDwwAWRN1t/s1200/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(12).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIV8RwWfvJeGxDvjkUXRpRfFhpNhUyVEDl5gaRga53Q6Zpc14lLapYNfHF0D6RKq3NPMr0f-Sz-1oVQtJ3U2n5Gze0gO_91ZzeREd2H16Gb4W4I02mMKuBNoiNHpXJWgj_eQfDJlXgiMP1hNNCxk8Gp3Rz0fxyTv3pZeTQ0rvDE5a6tFHJysDwwAWRN1t/w640-h360/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(12).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eleni Chivers</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eleni Chivers' lead role as the adult Victor Frankenstein anchors the whole thing, bringing a broadly Tim Burton-esque protagonist vibe to the character, like <a href="https://cdn.suwalls.com/wallpapers/cartoons/corpse-bride-5763-1920x1200.jpg" target="_blank">the&nbsp;<i>Corpse Bride</i>&nbsp;hero</a> yanked out of stop motion. There's a nice balance of determination and romanticism to this Victor, though balanced against a physical frailty shown by pale skin that hasn't seen the sun in weeks and eyes that scream insomnia.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chivers anchors the show and, while I'm not sure what their stage background is, their confidence and apparent experience visibly rub off on the rest of the cast.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs0TfHgUvHdStfWPIazn9b5qSBCh6GpISXzc-QalajteDEGYKf5tAdMopbvNz0x4cBttGB_VeHMuLhg2ETM9cZqcm7d6RDGlUqzLGGzFsLph-0q3KBxKN9wobvPjLrKaQfUQL4-zx3Ud45XtK79bjhEku1Ct4hrRL3sqNaMp26dZvGrKvuXTUcr6SEJDg/s1200/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(3).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs0TfHgUvHdStfWPIazn9b5qSBCh6GpISXzc-QalajteDEGYKf5tAdMopbvNz0x4cBttGB_VeHMuLhg2ETM9cZqcm7d6RDGlUqzLGGzFsLph-0q3KBxKN9wobvPjLrKaQfUQL4-zx3Ud45XtK79bjhEku1Ct4hrRL3sqNaMp26dZvGrKvuXTUcr6SEJDg/w640-h360/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freddie Summers</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Freddie Summers is an effective counterpart to Chivers as the Creature, delivering the combination of physical awkwardness and untapped power you want to see in this role. That's fortunate, because the make-up and costuming weren't nearly gruesome enough for my tastes. This character is made of chopped-up and sewn-together corpses! Give me something that'll turn my stomach and show me why people are repulsed and driven to violence by his presence!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">My only other real gripe is that throughout the show songs are sung by the entire cast in chorus. Unfortunately, everybody is just out of sync enough to render the lyrics inaudible. I get that nailing this is hard while also working through choreo - that&nbsp;<i>Matilda</i>&nbsp;manages it with a similarly young cast only makes me respect that show more.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I've also got to throw some praise towards director Dean Johnson for blocking this so well, not to mention throwing in a thematically resonant recreation of Michelangelo's <i>The Creation of Adam</i>&nbsp;from the Sistine Chapel, which gets neatly inverted in the show's final moments, together with the repeated symbolic use of fire to drive the whole "Modern Prometheus" thing home.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This is by no means a perfect show, but it's clearly been assembled with passion, commitment, and smart allocation of talent. Any flaws are more than capable of being ironed out, and I hope this production has a future beyond the Greenwich Theatre.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Frankenstein</i>&nbsp;is at the Greenwich Theatre until August 30. <a href="https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/frankenstein/">Tickets here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Photos by Charlie Flint.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/1175548214258956894/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2026/08/review-frankenstein-at-greenwich.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/1175548214258956894'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/1175548214258956894'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2026/08/review-frankenstein-at-greenwich.html' title='Review: Frankenstein at Greenwich Theatre, 28 August 2026'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
1<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxA86Z4s2H4HW_Ia2LJK5m9gYhmLy_CgNeQie9QwnITiUivwIFHA4B21Fj1nzjh2CUkMayYOXl9wR5WNF2BDg-I80ExUH-LKCUvRZxi91GGw9zMl6838-qwUoq7Rh1KPkSfrb1Gn4KvuA7mZGKmDASHvkYyVSeMHMHCcoNPnt3sEzMIPQey3VXFh59Rd1H/s72-w640-h360-c/BYMT%20-%20Frankenstein%20-%20Greenwich%20Theatre%20-%20Photography%20credit%20Charlie%20Flint%20%20(5).jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-4832277044624468671</id><published>2026-05-22T16:10:23.664+01:00</published><updated>2026-05-24T15:11:03.778+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="brighton Fringe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="charlotte chw"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="performance art"/><title type='text'>On Barren Hill (Work in Progress) by Charlotte CHW at the Old Net Loft, 21st May 2026</title><content type='html'><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirR9RgT2s5_Vamz9kfqS9sAbbRPVKjZgq2NW8KX-1YVET8nIqLo-ky83PhYwbS4_kTavPT1MvwBQXy2QxqfpRjEnwRzB-_U-8UiB71iEIEtzwvtD1Zja0KfToinoQigjfx706MbtOgMfv5QQb_r7pycJdNmzxTBReQH4DgtIPVf7aIcCOCvxW3MFHZ1Hsp/s1200/DSCF9352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirR9RgT2s5_Vamz9kfqS9sAbbRPVKjZgq2NW8KX-1YVET8nIqLo-ky83PhYwbS4_kTavPT1MvwBQXy2QxqfpRjEnwRzB-_U-8UiB71iEIEtzwvtD1Zja0KfToinoQigjfx706MbtOgMfv5QQb_r7pycJdNmzxTBReQH4DgtIPVf7aIcCOCvxW3MFHZ1Hsp/w640-h360/DSCF9352.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Werner Herzog </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL99NDUWJ0A" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">described the jungle</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> as "fornication and asphyxiation and choking and fighting for survival and growing and rotting away. Of course, there's a lot of misery. But it is the same misery that is all around us. The trees here are in misery, and the birds are in misery. I don't think they sing. They just screech in pain."</span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">They're words that always come to my mind whenever someone's getting all dewy-eyed over the majesty of nature. It's always tempting to wax poetic about the prettiness of a falling leaf or whatever, but at its base level, nature is a frantic scrabble of organisms trying to kill each other in the hope they're lucky enough to reproduce and toss a fresh generation into this hell.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But what's your part in this cycle if you can't have kids? Do you just lie down in the mud and let yourself rot away? This question is at the heart of Charlotte CHW's currently unfinished&nbsp;<i><b>On Barren Hill</b>, </i>which I very much enjoyed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The piece is about her own experiences with infertility and how that affects her "connection to the natural world". That's evident from the moment you step into the performance space, which has a pleasant organic aroma from the small piles of moss on the ground and gathered ferns. It's also obvious before a single word is uttered, courtesy of an eye-catching "living dress" featuring more moss, lichen, and wool, designed to appear as if it's naturally formed itself around the wearer.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fZt3PP9MdzEw4Cl_6UZ3bdxpnrr14lBsyPu3-J5yJWhdHuZZQjrgNf_NwrovvCi2MCEqKvTPKKBLy7NT4nTTxF8hFhbZnXXd0EHO3GDmm3VXamA2GI4_U5RVYTjNmPlLsvQkAqs
1xSJP3xRKnJGN2ccSvSwKU8z_P-EEOmcnkiVtEYBzYZGtrkQV198LJ/s1200/DSCF9378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fZt3PP9MdzEw4Cl_6UZ3bdxpnrr14lBsyPu3-J5yJWhdHuZZQjrgNf_NwrovvCi2MCEqKvTPKKBLy7NT4nTTxF8hFhbZnXXd0EHO3GDmm3VXamA2GI4_U5RVYTjNmPlLsvQkAqsxSJP3xRKnJGN2ccSvSwKU8z_P-EEOmcnkiVtEYBzYZGtrkQV198LJ/w640-h360/DSCF9378.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What follows is 90 minutes of poetry, dance, and singing - combined into a cohesive ritual. Leaving aside all the subjective analysis stuff for a moment, <i>On Barren Hill</i>&nbsp;is extremely entertaining throughout. Now, performance art doesn't need to be entertaining or even particularly enjoyable - but if you're doing a 90-minute show it really helps if it's both those things.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This is. Frankly, there's probably enough going on in&nbsp;<i>On Barren Hill</i>&nbsp;to fill two shows. I particularly enjoyed the operatic singing as it's a performance element you can't really muddle your way through and hope for the best. That these musical parts are so successful underlines the effort that's gone into making the show a reality. By the time it's over, this effort is extremely visible on the (understandably) perspiring Charlotte, who's clearly thrown everything and the kitchen sink into making this the best show it can be.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWizOUzvxFA4F4Md61yr9fIzHQjioWE9MLm635vSNNmI-rxKMp54nxNt4SkNtSGxmuH694dghaxckvlzwOGB5vXR_BL2Dvl0t-jZh3Mf8HytSyqU6b6dLEKUCW6aFthKAHm4-RGflCyXXK3G528zsofdn9Q-bwzGlotebToyKFW0ZqV5y0XrjHpMUg-3JW/s1200/DSCF9567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWizOUzvxFA4F4Md61yr9fIzHQjioWE9MLm635vSNNmI-rxKMp54nxNt4SkNtSGxmuH694dghaxckvlzwOGB5vXR_BL2Dvl0t-jZh3Mf8HytSyqU6b6dLEKUCW6aFthKAHm4-RGflCyXXK3G528zsofdn9Q-bwzGlotebToyKFW0ZqV5y0XrjHpMUg-3JW/w640-h360/DSCF9567.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My main takeaway from the show was a lingering and unresolved sense of injustice with the natural world. Everything in nature is swarming with reproductive life: from rock pools to forest floors to tree canopies to the inside of a cell. How can it possibly be fair that everything else in nature can be so obscenely and visibly reproducing itself, while some random quirk of biology shuts you out of the party?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Then you start to think of the unbroken chain of life connecting you to your parents, your grandparents, and so on, right back to some protozoic slime glued to the side of an ancient rock billions of years ago. All those millions of genetic links through time, and you left as the unfortunate full stop at the end of a very long run-on sentence.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There'
1s no real upside or silver lining to any of this stuff, you just have to play the hand you've been dealt and try to make some sense of it all. And this is <i>On Barren Hill</i>, which is sprawling, raw, and messy - but these are sprawling, raw, and messy things to try and figure out.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I loved this show in its unfinished form: the rougher edges made the message hit home harder. I'm also curious about where it goes from here!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>On Barren Hill (work in progress) is at the Old Net Loft as part of the Brighton Fringe on 23 May 2026. <a href="https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/on-barren-hill-work-in-progress/">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Photo Credit: Dexter Robinson</i></span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/4832277044624468671/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2026/05/on-barren-hill-work-in-progress-by.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/4832277044624468671'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/4832277044624468671'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2026/05/on-barren-hill-work-in-progress-by.html' title='On Barren Hill (Work in Progress) by Charlotte CHW at the Old Net Loft, 21st May 2026'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirR9RgT2s5_Vamz9kfqS9sAbbRPVKjZgq2NW8KX-1YVET8nIqLo-ky83PhYwbS4_kTavPT1MvwBQXy2QxqfpRjEnwRzB-_U-8UiB71iEIEtzwvtD1Zja0KfToinoQigjfx706MbtOgMfv5QQb_r7pycJdNmzxTBReQH4DgtIPVf7aIcCOCvxW3MFHZ1Hsp/s72-w640-h360-c/DSCF9352.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-2828232932063032236</id><published>2026-02-18T15:46:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2026-02-18T15:46:41.669+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Luxmuralis"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="St Martins-in-the-Fields"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Space by Luxmuralis' at St Martin-in-the-Fields, 17 February 2026</title><content type='html'><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1mIU503SfLhFCiL3tJhIjhb7TCimE5KLcyWYtQR9A64iOdpVsKEfYxk8wiY5t1h8HrPIrPYG952XXtpQ0zP2lymr60bRq-NAEaJwiOsCcAyA6t7R8j1BgHdEWdH4LuPio9xOZr0S0oTl7oMV7mPAblWS3fVoYjcpOB49qI5ZssT-CBk7pE-Z9DXu7l3V/s1200/Luxmuralis%20St%20Martin%20in%20the%20Fields%20London%20Son%20et%20Lumiere%20light%20and%20sound%20light%20show%20projection%20art%203smv%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1mIU503SfLhFCiL3tJhIjhb7TCimE5KLcyWYtQR9A64iOdpVsKEfYxk8wiY5t1h8HrPIrPYG952XXtpQ0zP2lymr60bRq-NAEaJwiOsCcAyA6t7R8j1BgHdEWdH4LuPio9xOZr0S0oTl7oMV7mPAblWS3fVoYjcpOB49qI5ZssT-CBk7pE-Z9DXu7l3V/w640-h360/Luxmuralis%20St%2
10Martin%20in%20the%20Fields%20London%20Son%20et%20Lumiere%20light%20and%20sound%20light%20show%20projection%20art%203smv%20.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Space by Luxmuralis&nbsp;</i>reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: 0.2s linear;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Central London's many churches are, quietly, one of the city's greatest features. In an urban landscape in which glass and steel skyscrapers sprout and wither in the blink of an eye, their permanence connects us to generations of Londoners who came before us.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Wander inside any random London church, and you'll find a peaceful history lesson, the walls studded with the names of long-forgotten dignitaries and each with some unique historical nugget on or in it, be it <a href="https://ahbtt.org.uk/" target="_blank">a surviving Anglo-Saxon arch</a>, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Magnus_the_Martyr" target="_blank">detailed model of Old London Bridge</a>, or (my fave) a <a href="https://ahbtt.org.uk/" target="_blank">stretch of genuine Roman pavement in a crypt</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There's only one problem. Come Sunday, nobody's in the pews. So, if these churches are no longer for worshipping God, what are they for? Well, <i>something</i>&nbsp;has to be worshipped, and&nbsp;<b><a href="https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on/space-by-luxmuralis/" target="_blank">Space by Luxmuralis</a> </b>decides humanity's ingenuity and intelligence fit the bill.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cIM6RlJxhsA" width="320" youtube-src-id="cIM6RlJxhsA"></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This is a light and sound show that takes place on, under, and inside St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square - a building I've strolled past countless times but never been into. It's an old, old building that's been a site of worship for centuries. I mean, when was the last time this part of London was a field?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Anyhow, Luxmuralis bill themselves as one of the world's "leading exponents of fine art, light and sound installations", promising "immersive fine art experiences which combine the qualities of light and sound through contemporary media".</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Space </i>proves to be a fairly loosely defined meditation on humanity's exploration of the stars, taking us through the Apollo landings and into a psychedelic show projected over&nbsp;the altar.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Judging by last night, anyone attending should prepare themselves for quite a bit of queuing to get in. The organisers are clearly fully aware of that, as much of the show is a stealthy way to keep visitors engaged as they're slowly funneled towards the interior of the church itself for the main event.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Once sat in a pew, it's worth the wait. There's clear inspiration from <i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i>&nbsp;here, from a score that feels like it's taking cues from</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">&nbsp;Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz over majestic space footage. This eventually progresses into what feels like a modernized take on the "Star Gate" sequence at the film's end, with the church transformed into a swirling kaleidoscope of colours as we're rushed through a wormhole.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiayXyD_4wyYj4HMxf17IjJowHuu58_vAX9TZzaSNsrJmVlStMdGbDx5n5VsFCxnK1IWY1UtKTsz_xqJQbrTVKZXMavuEzlCQSClll5Xbpj3jpkyzDweIB6e8BK0rqDuso8YQjmNR-Rb-38Nv3qQCX707tdLGoeWPBhWzZeipacE0U7VMVdQJWRWeHjNo/s2000/Luxmuralis%20St%2
10Martin%20in%20the%20Fields%20London%20Son%20et%20Lumiere%20light%20and%20sound%20light%20show%20projection%20art%2018smv%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiayXyD_4wyYj4HMxf17IjJowHuu58_vAX9TZzaSNsrJmVlStMdGbDx5n5VsFCxnK1IWY1UtKTsz_xqJQbrTVKZXMavuEzlCQSClll5Xbpj3jpkyzDweIB6e8BK0rqDuso8YQjmNR-Rb-38Nv3qQCX707tdLGoeWPBhWzZeipacE0U7VMVdQJWRWeHjNo/w640-h426/Luxmuralis%20St%20Martin%20in%20the%20Fields%20London%20Son%20et%20Lumiere%20light%20and%20sound%20light%20show%20projection%20art%2018smv%20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, so sitting in a beautiful historic building watching pretty colors fly about and listening to nice music was fundamentally a good time. Is it immersive? Nah, not really. But what does that word even mean these days?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Space</i> is abstract stuff that focuses on vibes, so don't go into this expecting to come out actually knowing anything new about space travel. In fact, the children I saw who'd been brought along by their well-meaning parents got a bit bored after ten minutes of classical music and swirling lights.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Archaeologists think&nbsp;St Martin-in-the-Fields was built on the site of what was once a pagan temple, which became a Roman burial ground, then a Christian church by the 11th century. Events like this underline that Christianity may also soon have to relinquish this space, just as the pagans, Anglo-Saxons, and Romans did before them.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But hey, if we're worshipping science now, this architecture absolutely provides the appropriate level of awe for man's achievements.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Space by Luxmuralis is at St Martin-in-the-Fields until 21 February.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on/space-by-luxmuralis/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></p><br /></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/2828232932063032236/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2026/02/review-space-by-luxmuralis-at-st-martin.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2828232932063032236'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2828232932063032236'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2026/02/review-space-by-luxmuralis-at-st-martin.html' title='Review: 'Space by Luxmuralis' at St Martin-in-the-Fields, 17 February 2026'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
1<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1mIU503SfLhFCiL3tJhIjhb7TCimE5KLcyWYtQR9A64iOdpVsKEfYxk8wiY5t1h8HrPIrPYG952XXtpQ0zP2lymr60bRq-NAEaJwiOsCcAyA6t7R8j1BgHdEWdH4LuPio9xOZr0S0oTl7oMV7mPAblWS3fVoYjcpOB49qI5ZssT-CBk7pE-Z9DXu7l3V/s72-w640-h360-c/Luxmuralis%20St%20Martin%20in%20the%20Fields%20London%20Son%20et%20Lumiere%20light%20and%20sound%20light%20show%20projection%20art%203smv%20.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-2094933861522319638</id><published>2022-07-15T16:40:00.002+01:00</published><updated>2022-07-15T16:40:59.672+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Aso Sherabayani"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="blue elephant theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Joseph Samimi"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="majid mehdizadeh"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="mamet leigh"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Give Me the Sun' at the Blue Elephant Theatre, 14th July 2022</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCGaH8PsPT1t2A_FIhrfimPFwZ9vwRwHg7hXIpP24JzZQ634-HsVWwGhY5IuF9_CvtMqvsC5JirIjqZPle-QTM0pKNL0uESCaNBbtzZoPE1mZfCaGWpocqc6XAJbrJQvQVbUge8qrANiwWYTuuppUloqPLpSwyKlvK8i8HHd4YkMyBUDRyKWUDcZoqA/s1916/uWwAymik.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="1916" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCGaH8PsPT1t2A_FIhrfimPFwZ9vwRwHg7hXIpP24JzZQ634-HsVWwGhY5IuF9_CvtMqvsC5JirIjqZPle-QTM0pKNL0uESCaNBbtzZoPE1mZfCaGWpocqc6XAJbrJQvQVbUge8qrANiwWYTuuppUloqPLpSwyKlvK8i8HHd4YkMyBUDRyKWUDcZoqA/w640-h366/uWwAymik.jpeg" width="640" /></a></strong></strong></div><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Give Me the Sun&nbsp;</i>reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Opening a play titled&nbsp;<i style="font-weight: bold;">Give Me the Sun </i>this week is like putting something out called 'Cough in My Face' at the height of COVID. It'
1s not a great time to be sat inside a theatre, though this intriguing hour-long two-hander from Mamet Leigh and director Majid Mehdizadeh is worth a little sweat.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">With a government struggling to enact an inhumane policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda and a media united in stoking public hatred for anyone with an accent who dares set foot on these shores, a story in which a second-generation immigrant yearns for a land they can only imagine comes at an opportune time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the rush to depict immigrants as parasites living on the taxpayer's dime, it seems to be forgotten that most would almost certainly rather not completely uproot their lives and undertake a potentially fatal journey across the world to a country ruled by politicians competing&nbsp;to say the most monstrous things they can get away with. But if it's short-term pain versus long-term safety then I can understand rolling the dice.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Give Me the Sun</i>&nbsp;offers a perspective on this I hadn't seen before. Baba (Aso Sherabayani) emigrated to the U.K. from Egypt fifteen years ago and has tried to become as English as possible. He no longer speaks Arabic, is divorced from Egyptian culture, and - as the programme explains - "has decorated their council flat with a classic English interior".</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Baba is doing his best for his son Bashir (Joseph Samimi), who arrived in England with him and only has hazy memories of Egypt. Now 18, he yearns to reconnect with his roots, presses his reluctant father for details of their life in Egypt, is upset that there's a language barrier between him and his extended family, and wishes he could return to a fondly imagined homeland where he might fit in.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As the show repeats a couple of times, Bashir feels like "dirt in water" between the earth and sky, neither English nor Egyptian.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOZm2_d0J7fVe-ZEgjvcsa87kE3v8Z79NKcmdaSzoyX2VQMXSCXmNxh9Omr9TYFdb8-T_SYNwEP15-Y0n6whtQxMHQUt9sY-qAeMyKxueTENTGVkQNNWl28kuYd6uLrdZkuONKMuN4Oke3DZJrjT5UuAxL4myqePW-2GbuR0mo4U3TWg_5u5c8rcDcw/s1772/rqA59cpo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1772" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOZm2_d0J7fVe-ZEgjvcsa87kE3v8Z79NKcmdaSzoyX2VQMXSCXmNxh9Omr9TYFdb8-T_SYNwEP15-Y0n6whtQxMHQUt9sY-qAeMyKxueTENTGVkQNNWl28kuYd6uLrdZkuONKMuN4Oke3DZJrjT5UuAxL4myqePW-2GbuR0mo4U3TWg_5u5c8rcDcw/w640-h428/rqA59cpo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The impasse between a father who's sacrificed so much to give his son freedom vs a son who can't ever appreciate that gift makes for juicy drama. Every decision made by the pair stems is right, but their differing perspectives mean they can't ever truly empathise with each anothers' lives.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It's a point of view I haven't seen elsewhere, fuelled by emotions I've never had to experience. It's a reminder that simply being comfortable in a cultural/national identity is an invisible privilege, one that some of the most victimised people in this country don't have.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But&nbsp;<i>Give Me the Sun </i>isn't just a thought experiment, it's also a decent piece of drama. Early on there's a technical fly in the ointment as the ventilation system making the first five minutes inaudible, but a few minutes in a member of staff mercifully switched it off and we could hear what's going on.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Both Samimi and&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sherabayani have a casual familiarity with one another that makes their father/son relationship believable, which in turn cranks up the volume on the tense moments. An hour-long play isn't a lot of time to flesh out two characters, but each of them brings characterisation beyond what's already in the text.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My only real criticism is that the medical subplot comes across as a little extraneous. I don't really want to get into spoiler territory, but the characters indicating a pill bottle on the coffee table is like Chekhov making sure you absolutely notice that there's a loaded gun sat on the mantlepiece. Much of this play's power is that this is an average night in a regular house with normal people, so barreling into life and death territory feels unnecessary.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But these are quibbles. <i>Give Me the Sun</i>&nbsp;isn't some self-consciously worthy play about an 'important issue', it's a character piece that satisfyingly intersects with political and social issues. And that's very much my jam</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Give Me the Sun </i>is at the Blue Elephant Theatre until 16 July 2022. <a href="http://www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/2094933861522319638/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2022/07/review-give-me-su
1n-at-blue-elephant.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2094933861522319638'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2094933861522319638'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2022/07/review-give-me-sun-at-blue-elephant.html' title='Review: 'Give Me the Sun' at the Blue Elephant Theatre, 14th July 2022'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCGaH8PsPT1t2A_FIhrfimPFwZ9vwRwHg7hXIpP24JzZQ634-HsVWwGhY5IuF9_CvtMqvsC5JirIjqZPle-QTM0pKNL0uESCaNBbtzZoPE1mZfCaGWpocqc6XAJbrJQvQVbUge8qrANiwWYTuuppUloqPLpSwyKlvK8i8HHd4YkMyBUDRyKWUDcZoqA/s72-w640-h366-c/uWwAymik.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-8330062976781531918</id><published>2022-07-07T13:42:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2022-07-07T13:42:33.369+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="jack cooper"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="riverside studios"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="stuart warwick"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Moral Panic' at Riverside Studios, 6 May 2022</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhq0sS8YZWP-k81wHAs19BDMOgyj3vP204MSm2TKmB0cAqGNFvtmzQwVtm1ejQ7FJ26nvOPmR7SS0v1JB_ByMqH2XGJ_RSe8cKrMuPny8YiP_kTcfjoHLRKzXPTEtBbylKcoH3UvuVw7SQdE2ivHZKInzHTcrBb_gTWYiF-AJ_hBik8br3C-duHfvWg/s1280/7f3262317d6daeb9a69fb229a96d3847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1280" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhq0sS8YZWP-k81wHAs19BDMOgyj3vP204MSm2TKmB0cAqGNFvtmzQwVtm1ejQ7FJ26nvOPmR7SS0v1JB_ByMqH2XGJ_RSe8cKrMuPny8YiP_kTcfjoHLRKzXPTEtBbylKcoH3UvuVw7SQdE2ivHZKInzHTcrBb_gTWYiF-AJ_hBik8br3C-duHfvWg/w640-h366/7f3262317d6daeb9a69fb229a96d3847.jpg" width="640" /></a></strong></div><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It's adorable looking back at the 1980s "video nasties". The idea that something like Sam Raimi's <i>The Evil Dead</i>&nbsp;was ever a danger to anyone is absurd. Even so, 1980s tabloids breathlessly assured the public that exposure to Bruce Campbell and a couple of buckets of fake blood w
1ould cause irrevocable harm to the nation's morality.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Writer/director Stuart Warwick's <b><i>Moral Panic</i></b>&nbsp;takes us inside the&nbsp;British Board of Film Censors on the cusp of its mid-80s transformation into the more cuddly-sounding&nbsp;British Board of Film Classification.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Our viewpoint is Jack Cooper's Charles Hawthorne, a model of prissy paternalism whose god-given mission as protecting the weak-minded public from blood, boobs, and blasphemy. And as for why they're susceptible while he isn't? Well, he's blessed with a public school education. He knows better.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">From minute one&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">we know</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">&nbsp;Hawthorne is heading for a fall. Notions of "obscenity"&nbsp; weakened throughout the 1980s, with the BBFC slowly relaxing their standards in the face of more liberally-minded areligious audiences who didn't want their horror flicks slashed to ribbons.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Our future is personified by a young new censor Veronica Nardelli, whose permissive nature towards censorship runs counter to everything Hawthorne holds dear. But when it suddenly seems she might leapfrog over him into a promotion he covets something must be done...</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1r_TRQLJglP4IMdnUoOy4Urk_tGPCUSRhiTMR5eT1XudFkGB1FXr15HAaFDQtGc8t6vK9BSeopV5olHB-_ZZia44KFO9i0VRe18FGYUHHDXWpXimN_jKzonCIWRhafStB-eFpElZ_NCi8fBk4uX8Da2Es8eyfUwlvPdaUR8E_u3lfe95Eew-cNIu7qA/s2048/image-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1r_TRQLJglP4IMdnUoOy4Urk_tGPCUSRhiTMR5eT1XudFkGB1FXr15HAaFDQtGc8t6vK9BSeopV5olHB-_ZZia44KFO9i0VRe18FGYUHHDXWpXimN_jKzonCIWRhafStB-eFpElZ_NCi8fBk4uX8Da2Es8eyfUwlvPdaUR8E_u3lfe95Eew-cNIu7qA/w640-h426/image-4.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Cooper as Charles Hawthorne</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I won't go further into what actually happens as there are twists in the tale that shouldn't be spoiled, but this hour-long single-hander wraps up with a decently dark punchline that leaves us on a high note.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The most obviously praiseworthy element is Cooper's performance, which is underlined by a fastidiously groomed moustache making him look more like hes from the 1940s than the 1980s. Hawthorne is all tightly coiled pride and nervy energy, obsessed with maintaining cold emotional detachment despite his true thoughts written all over his face.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He's also great when briefly playing other characters as and when they're needed in scenes. By necessity the other characters are broad caricatures, though there's an argument that we're seeing them through his character's unpleasant mental filter.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But though I enjoyed <i>Moral Panic</i>&nbsp;I found myself wishing it'd connected the dots between now and then. The ebb and flow of permissiveness versus censoriousness over the decades is very politically relevant - with the BBC posting articles <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-60556060" target="_blank">wondering whether Mary Whitehouse "was ahead of her time"</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Moral Panic </i>skirts the edge of this conversation but ultimately shies away from it, making a beeline towards allegory rather than revealing its political hand. For example, I'd be interested to know whether the playwright considered Charles an evolutionary precursor to "cancel culture" or if he'd trace a line from his unearned chauvinist confidence to modern right-wing commentators.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And also - and this is simply speaking as a horror fan - in a play about dark doings that references the gooiest of splatter mov
1ies I'd have liked to have seen a bit of the red stuff on stage. But hey, maybe that bloodlust is proof that video nasties really did warp our minds?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Moral Panic runs until 10 July at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. <a href="https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/moral-panic-30740/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/8330062976781531918/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2022/07/review-moral-panic-at-riverside-studios.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/8330062976781531918'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/8330062976781531918'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2022/07/review-moral-panic-at-riverside-studios.html' title='Review: 'Moral Panic' at Riverside Studios, 6 May 2022'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhq0sS8YZWP-k81wHAs19BDMOgyj3vP204MSm2TKmB0cAqGNFvtmzQwVtm1ejQ7FJ26nvOPmR7SS0v1JB_ByMqH2XGJ_RSe8cKrMuPny8YiP_kTcfjoHLRKzXPTEtBbylKcoH3UvuVw7SQdE2ivHZKInzHTcrBb_gTWYiF-AJ_hBik8br3C-duHfvWg/s72-w640-h366-c/7f3262317d6daeb9a69fb229a96d3847.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-5675293538775459697</id><published>2021-11-19T16:02:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2021-11-19T16:02:20.969+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gabrielle macpherson"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="the rosemary branch"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: Outside at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, 18 November 2021</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWbshRLmvoMNefVO8la-3k4YCQytPZSka_jUbiEAzSiD-HzeSlck6wpdd0v2TjcUHVWyREKVvFP8gwR2Yf61mNOLZKayKBDPnfGO0J-GDdCRQOyvVhxR0T4f285BReYCuT7Rlt_XhV-Eg/s699/Outside-Publicity_Standard+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="699" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWbshRLmvoMNefVO8la-3k4YCQytPZSka_jUbiEAzSiD-HzeSlck6wpdd0v2TjcUHVWyREKVvFP8gwR2Yf61mNOLZKayKBDPnfGO0J-GDdCRQOyvVhxR0T4f285BReYCuT7Rlt_XhV-Eg/w640-h348/Outside-Publicity_Standard+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></strong></strong><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Outside&nbsp;</i>reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Broken people and bad times are my kinda theatre, and in <i><b>Outside </b></i>writer/director/actor Gabrielle MacPherson serves up a positively bulging smorgasbord of misery, violence, revenge and despair. I donât know why Iâm so attracted to stories like these, but give me something gloomy anyway over some saccharine musical.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">We spend an hour in the company of Willa, a young woman apparently sorting through the detritus of her parentsâ lives. Sheâs surrounded by cardboard boxes stuffed with documents: love letters sent by her philandering father, business receipts from her mum and, something deep inside, a document that could save her life.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As youâd expect from a play advertised with the main characterâs face spattered with blood, Willaâs story isnât all sunshine and roses. The monologue slowly gives us pieces that make up the sad jigsaw of her life: physical and mental abuse, visits from social workers, moving towns to avoid too much attention, and any thoughts of liberation squashed by being told whatâs out there is worse.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It all adds up to a jagged character who tumbles between various emotions, as if sheâs never learned the right social cues on how to behave. The piece is full of dark little vignettes, the creepiest of which comes when she adopts a kitten. The âspiky little thingâ becomes sick and Willa casually dumps its unconscious body in the bin, so as to hide the fact she had a kitten. Her treatment of it is a subconscious echo of what we gather has been done to her and it sent shivers up my spine.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6q5dqAFlKAJpN3-MjypZAYjX2_ztZC2I02Wk-UXbw5B5a67chPKGADya1W2F2XltcW7jnYJZLgVib8l2nuFrEUqtrjLOtj1lVU3EASXhuWqHzLTvJgsEE8hiRJjc4MhTHc_ArIcUfnyg/s2048/GabrielleMacPherson-Willa.-Credit-Robert-Thompson.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6q5dqAFlKAJpN3-MjypZAYjX2_ztZC2I02Wk-UXbw5B5a67chPKGADya1W2F2XltcW7jnYJZLgVib8l2nuFrEUqtrjLOtj1lVU3EASXhuWqHzLTvJgsEE8hiRJjc4MhTHc_ArIcUfnyg/w640-h426/GabrielleMacPherson-Willa.-Credit-Robert-Thompson.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The reality of what's happening now is a mystery for most of the play (or it was to me at least), but if youâve seen stories like this before you donât have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what's bubbling just under the surface.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">MacPhersonâs writing puts an admirable amount of trust in the audience, giving us a trail of breadcrumbs to follow through the story and having confidence that weâre able to assemble into a coherent whole. This kind of thing is harder than
1it looks, so itâs a testament to her skill that it all feels so natural.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Itâs also performed beautifully and proved my maxim that the only place to sit in fringe theatre is in the front row. That gives you the chance to interact with the performer - and MacPherson frequently made eye contact with me, helping both raise the tension and drag me into her world.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I gather that <i>Outside</i> had its first performances during lockdown over live-stream. While those reviews seem to be positive the show reminded me of the importance of being present during a performance. In person thereâs no getting distracted by playing with your phone, no connection issues or audience glitches, and comfort from your familiar surroundings.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But <i><b>Outside </b></i>really benefits from being seen in person, as being locked in with Willa was quite a ride.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Outside is at the Rosemary Branch until 20 November. <a href="https://www.rosemarybranchtheatre.co.uk/show/outside-2" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/5675293538775459697/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/11/review-outside-at-rosemary-branch.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/5675293538775459697'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/5675293538775459697'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/11/review-outside-at-rosemary-branch.html' title='Review: Outside at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, 18 November 2021'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWbshRLmvoMNefVO8la-3k4YCQytPZSka_jUbiEAzSiD-HzeSlck6wpdd0v2TjcUHVWyREKVvFP8gwR2Yf61mNOLZKayKBDPnfGO0J-GDdCRQOyvVhxR0T4f285BReYCuT7Rlt_XhV-Eg/s72-w640-h348-c/Outside-Publicity_Standard+%25281%2529.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-3808868357502033902</id><published>2021-11-02T13:47:00.006+00:00</published><updated>2021-11-02T13:52:46.881+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="greenwich theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="happy idiot"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: Not Lady Chatterley's Lover at the Greenwich Theatre, 1st November 2021</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong></strong></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDswwi37fd0bCannJLLv3zbO9YBI3wz5LvjjJtVEWC_0WHn53roxCWPknRC6Do_cxUdzHt1h5mipZoG-lkeP8Z-aXvBKLwZWO3nRJ2LT2rfD2ZsXZcTr7l1AF2R-lbJH_hRPVvFfCd0kc/s2048/Y9eok08A.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDswwi37fd0bCannJLLv3zbO9YBI3wz5LvjjJtVEWC_0WHn53roxCWPknRC6Do_cxUdzHt1h5mipZoG-lkeP8Z-aXvBKLwZWO3nRJ2LT2rfD2ZsXZcTr7l1AF2R-lbJH_hRPVvFfCd0kc/w640-h427/Y9eok08A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Not Lady Chatterley's Lover&nbsp;</i>reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="1 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/one-star.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">There's a brand of bourgeois British comedy that I find as fun as having needles jammed under my f
1ingernails. Think Radio 4 on a Sunday afternoon, a 7pm ITV sitcom, or <i>Carry On. </i>Happy Idiot<i>'s&nbsp;</i><b style="font-style: italic;">Not Lady Chatterley's Lover </b>lands squarely in this territory and about five minutes in I realized with a doom-like curl of dread the nightmare I'd signed up for.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The show parodies D.H. Lawrence's 1928 novel&nbsp;<i>Lady Chatterley's Lover</i>, more famous for the 1960 obscenity trial than its merits as a piece of literature. Lawrence's book skewers British class, centering on the intense sexual relationship between Lady Chatterley and her gamekeeper Mellors.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">All that comes alongside a then-progressive view of sexuality, frank descriptions of sex acts, and a gradual dismantling of the idea that fucking is something to ashamed of.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Not Lady Chatterley's Lover</i>&nbsp;clearly disagrees, sticking to the British default of being incapable of talking with sex without resorting to tired innuendo and double entendres. It's 2021 for god's sake, we should be able to talk about sex without stammering out vaguely transphobic jokes about men in fishnet stockings. The inability to deal with this is eventually proven when they quote Lawrence directly, then smirk and toss the book off stage, dismissing the explicit dialogue as "weird".&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1ShI-JNX98ohp2fvu6jrtfDP2l0SzTbzxJeCf02kmjy-LC7p7Srt_Gi8w7eWShXIUMopOplUhHnGnXaXdt3VX8JXu_kCb2tfb53WGIy9mVH0QMRTxG1IEvunWOrKV8R3MiZkenidyqUn/s2048/wmz-fnNA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1ShI-JNX98ohp2fvu6jrtfDP2l0SzTbzxJeCf02kmjy-LC7p7Srt_Gi8w7eWShXIUMopOplUhHnGnXaXdt3VX8JXu_kCb2tfb53WGIy9mVH0QMRTxG1IEvunWOrKV8R3MiZkenidyqUn/w640-h426/wmz-fnNA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Perhaps I'm taking a goofy comedy too seriously, but it's not like we're inundated with stage adaptations of&nbsp;</span><i>Lady Chatterley's Lover&nbsp;</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">and - despite being smothered by inane gags - the skeleton of Lawrence's story is still compelling. But that factor results in constant friction between the source material and the comedy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Most obvious are the continual gags about people with disabilities. The inciting incident for the book Lord Chatterley has been injured in World War I and is now paralysed from the waist down. This is naturally a source of continual gags at the expense of people in wheelchairs, with particular hilarity drawn from the fact that he's now also impotent.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">To be fair, this did lead to the single funniest aspect of the evening: that there was a guy from the Royal Legion selling poppies in the theatre lobby. I wonder what he'd have made of the well-to-do Greenwich crowd chortling away at the antics of the traumatised veteran and his ruined marriage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">I don't really have much more to say because the experience just made me kinda sad about what can pass for c
1omedy. For the sake of honesty I should say that most of the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, so this crap obviously appeals to someone.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The most positive thing about the night was reaching the interval and discovering - to my intense relief - that my girlfriend hated it just as much as I did. Having a press ticket means I'm dutybound to stick around until the final curtain, but she got to duck out and go home early.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still, if nothing else this was a great sense of humour litmus test: if she'd been guffawing alongside the hogs in that theatre it'd have been time to reconsider the relationship.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">So yeah, total shite. Avoid.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><b>Not Lady Chatterley's Lover</b> is now on tour. <a href="https://happyidiot.co.uk/tours/" target="_blank">Tickets here etc etc</a>.</i></span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/3808868357502033902/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/11/review-not-lady-chatterleys-lover-at.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3808868357502033902'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3808868357502033902'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/11/review-not-lady-chatterleys-lover-at.html' title='Review: Not Lady Chatterley's Lover at the Greenwich Theatre, 1st November 2021'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDswwi37fd0bCannJLLv3zbO9YBI3wz5LvjjJtVEWC_0WHn53roxCWPknRC6Do_cxUdzHt1h5mipZoG-lkeP8Z-aXvBKLwZWO3nRJ2LT2rfD2ZsXZcTr7l1AF2R-lbJH_hRPVvFfCd0kc/s72-w640-h427-c/Y9eok08A.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-319553406224165110</id><published>2021-10-14T16:23:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2021-10-14T16:23:22.007+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Paula Varjack"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: iMelania, 13th October 2021</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGmFK4gFzfpHVDdSVhw8yd9Xti9H9Q0awb0ffZIz0LWjRMxPdP9EXvsA2ru3fvDQhbXxp2wLwLzKYkuzIc276L7SGuAvig9kLbkPdqATomVCGNiI7mH34iq6afaJAmSl8alEDVcGlvTkv/s2175/iMelania-c-VarjackLowry_2-scaled.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="2175" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGmFK4gFzfpHVDdSVhw8yd9Xti9H9Q0awb0ffZIz0LWjRMxPdP9EXvsA2ru3fvDQhbXxp2wLwLzKYkuzIc276L7SGuAvig9kLbkPdqATomVCGNiI7mH34iq6afaJAmSl8alEDVcGlvTkv/w640-h309/iMelania-c-VarjackLowry_2-scaled.jpeg" width="640" /></a></strong></div><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>iMelania </i>reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">First thoughts were that a play about Melania Trump might have missed the bus. After all, with Joe Biden in the White House and a whole new set of problems tearing the world apart, who has the time for a former First Lady who was often invisible even when her husband was the leader of the free world?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">But <i style="font-weight: bold;">iMelania </i>acknowledges and incorporates its subject's absence to make a smart and concise statement on identity. At the core is the paradox of Melania Trump: an immigrant married to a man defined by his anti-immigration policies.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The show nails why she's intriguing and frustrating, with her actual pronouncements and interviews so anodyne you can't help but try and figure out what she's *really* thinking. What does the smiling vanishing from her face the nanosecond her husband turns away mean? Is she really rolling her eyes as he speaks? Why in god's holy name did she wear a coat with "I really don't care, do u" on it during a trip intended to show the opposite?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Varjack-Lowry dig through these mixed messages in a smartly produced online show that takes place over two screens. This isn't complicated: the performance consists of two streaming videos played in sync that simulate WhatsApp conversations and a laptop desktop. It's technologically straightforward but neatly simulates the way most of us consume current affairs.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The early segments recapping Melania's greatest hits are entertaining enough, especially in how they highlight the way the Trump presidency is rapidly curdling into nostalgia, but the show properly comes to life when it gets personal.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The focus on nationality and identity is refracted through Brexit, with both Varjack and Lowry ruminating on how their legal nationalities map onto their personal identities. There's a cruel precision to some of this: with the most moving part the keenly felt injustice of missing out on an Italian passport because you were born two months after the 1992
1cut-off date.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2H5mpz1go8FH3q4dwFJslY0YO_RmhghLVyDFMeplKPM6XU29pu0ngkIkxnsb0gwgo0oqO5AMjBSn49YYVfw7b9sloJm4puEDpFLJjRBfmPj71Ch2wdSrUPD7lUFMo6Kvwd9XmHJZSz3R/s1625/452e057a-268b-403f-b0ea-9b4028b7ea44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1625" data-original-width="921" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2H5mpz1go8FH3q4dwFJslY0YO_RmhghLVyDFMeplKPM6XU29pu0ngkIkxnsb0gwgo0oqO5AMjBSn49YYVfw7b9sloJm4puEDpFLJjRBfmPj71Ch2wdSrUPD7lUFMo6Kvwd9XmHJZSz3R/w362-h640/452e057a-268b-403f-b0ea-9b4028b7ea44.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The longer the show goes on the more Melania looks like a perversely good mirror for the immigrant experience, particularly the way she juggles contradictory identities. For instance, when Varjack and Lowry discuss the struggle of being legally considered something you're not it's easy to map that onto footage of Melania being praised by right-wing media as the epitome of the All-American woman.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">The show ends on an anticlimax, though that's not Varjack-Lowry's fault. <i>iMelania</i>&nbsp;was supposed to have been staged in summer 2020 when it seemed all too plausible that its subject would have stayed in the limelight for another four years. But COVID got in the way, though in a strange way it's appropriate that Melania has apparently vanished off the face of the Earth since being booted out of the White House.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Trying to nail her down is like trying to grasp onto a fistful of sand. There's no personality except for a vague cattiness and no politics except a very muted echo of her husband's fury. By the time the virtual curtain dropped I'd started to see her as a human Rorschach test, an outline to be coloured in as you see fit. Hell, maybe there never really was a Melania Trump and we all collectively imagined her into existence.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">With COVID now (hopefully) receding into the distance and theatres re-opening these innovative online performances may start to vanish. But it'd be a shame if they disappeared completely as <i style="font-weight: bold;">iMelania </i>proves how powerful digital theater can be.</span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/319553406224165110/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/10/review-imelania-13th-october-2021.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/319553406224165110'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/319553406224165110'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/10/review-imelania-13th-october-2021.html' title='Review: iMelania, 13th October 2021'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
1<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGmFK4gFzfpHVDdSVhw8yd9Xti9H9Q0awb0ffZIz0LWjRMxPdP9EXvsA2ru3fvDQhbXxp2wLwLzKYkuzIc276L7SGuAvig9kLbkPdqATomVCGNiI7mH34iq6afaJAmSl8alEDVcGlvTkv/s72-w640-h309-c/iMelania-c-VarjackLowry_2-scaled.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-8087804994722560500</id><published>2021-07-02T12:21:00.004+01:00</published><updated>2021-07-02T12:21:36.544+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="anabel kutay"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="andrew corbet burcher"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gabriel vick"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="henry collie"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="melanie la barrie"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sion lloyd"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Union Theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Going Ape' at the Union Theatre, 29 June 2021</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoodsgVumYXsRH9KKxxPLrmbTH0wSxO6P9dFb-IAHs0wRbEwAkJ9BqV1vALUtjJH7TF_TWs2W7X6UudbNJcQtTz0GXeTcdYb3En8aoKQDRJpq0zkmd3QuduEBX0dw5qTFRENGogMfcMo3o/s1000/FIhTrZYQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="1000" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoodsgVumYXsRH9KKxxPLrmbTH0wSxO6P9dFb-IAHs0wRbEwAkJ9BqV1vALUtjJH7TF_TWs2W7X6UudbNJcQtTz0GXeTcdYb3En8aoKQDRJpq0zkmd3QuduEBX0dw5qTFRENGogMfcMo3o/w640-h288/FIhTrZYQ.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Bad Nights and Odd Days reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As the lockdowns lift and theatres open their creaking doors, dust down their stages, and warm up the lights, it's forgivable that there's a hell of a lot of plays on the way about COVID. After all, Britain'
1s playwrights and actors have been deprived of an audience for far too long and their job is to process the last 18 months through drama.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But in the midst of all that soul-searching and societal psychoanalysis, there's got to be room for shows that just want to have some goofy fun. Enter Andrew Corbet Burcher's&nbsp;<b><i>Going Ape.</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Set a few hundred years after Adam and Eve (Siôn Lloyd and Melanie La Barrie) were booted out of the Garden of Eden, we find them as a bickering married couple awaiting a visit from Cain (Gabriel Vick). He arrives with his new girlfriend Lucy (Laura Tyrer) in tow, an Australopithecus with plans for personal evolution. They're soon joined by new brother Seth (Henry Collie), a budding musician canoodling with his girlfriend Genevieve (Anabel Kutay).</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FfJC9wXPQKHH4TOtsyqm7k0HqIqrM0VN7OOYrUFNtcUFZ8uHRr6RTks7ZNeLhLKGhlTCz4amPNZAxEKvrbJPbLbI8HeLj36dr1Q5yun6CRZGea-IgZIrHBnG2iTlbtLrCxXJG3ZgspxQ/s1000/DcikG1YA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1000" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FfJC9wXPQKHH4TOtsyqm7k0HqIqrM0VN7OOYrUFNtcUFZ8uHRr6RTks7ZNeLhLKGhlTCz4amPNZAxEKvrbJPbLbI8HeLj36dr1Q5yun6CRZGea-IgZIrHBnG2iTlbtLrCxXJG3ZgspxQ/w640-h440/DcikG1YA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siôn Lloyd and Melanie La Barrie as Adam and Eve</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At times <i>Going Ape</i>&nbsp;feels like a sitcom pilot, each character is broadly drawn and nothing is taken seriously. Lloyd channels Fred Flintstone via Jim Royle for his Adam, behaving as the classic put-upon patriarch around which the drama is built, with each subsequent character slotting into extremely familiar archetypes. I also particularly enjoyed Vick's "gap yah" trust fund dope Cain and the way Tyrer pulled a reverse <i>Flowers for Algernon</i>&nbsp;as she got smarter (and bossier).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It's also very loosely plotted, with the first half of the show a series of character introductions and the second showing them putting on "the first show" to retell Genesis. But narrative isn't necessarily important for a comedy as long as it delivers jokes, and <i>Going Ape </i>successfully cleared my "make me actually laugh three times" bar for a successful comedy.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But though it caused ripples of giggles, I realised that comedies face an uphill battle while social distancing is on. Smaller audiences mean fewer laughs no matter how funny you are and this lessened feedback must affect the performances. Even so, I chuckled a whole bunch throughout: enjoying Adam taking his job of naming the animals seriously - especially when getting snooty about Lucy naming herself '</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Australopithecus' ("what kind of name is that?!"), everyone's shared joy over discovering bananas, and the interactions with God towards the end of the play.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo83kVT1AyYjKzgUzSwsCv7cOVEn1FdlQpdxvAONK4KH_9rW-JNEmh1YxvNv7HmzeSKTj-xQk55mK3LqWJ8oTNsSrN_TRACIbqw8YdVjTS_c3P4uW153lhozPMW9OYq-SjifciS1VuTH4F/s1000/peUNf1xw.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1000" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo83kVT1AyYjKzgUzSwsCv7cOVEn1FdlQpdxvAONK4KH_9rW-JNEmh1YxvNv7HmzeSKTj-xQk55mK3LqWJ8oTNsSrN_TRACIbqw8YdVjTS_c3P4uW153lhozPMW9OYq-SjifciS1VuTH4F/w640-h342/peUNf1xw.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
1Gabriel Vick and Henry Collie as Cain and Seth</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are a couple of clangers. I wasn't a huge fan of Collie's obliviously dim Seth, who was too broad even for this material - and I don't understand why he was dressed as a beatnik. Perhaps this was simply to facilitate the worst moment in the show in which they make a reference to <i>The Fast Show</i>, a gag that</span><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;feels like its fallen out of a time warp from 25 years ago and should be jettisoned immediately.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I don't want to bag on <i>Going Ape </i>too hard. It might not be the tightest, side-splitting, or most narratively propulsive show around, but I can't deny I had a good time. Smiling and laughing as part of an audie
1nce still feels alien (and likely will for a while yet) and honestly, it's nice to watch something that's pure silly escapism that has zero relevance to the nightmare world beyond the theatre door.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Going Ape is at the Union Theatre until 10 July 2021. <a href="https://uniontheatre.savoysystems.co.uk/UnionTheatre.dll/TSelectItems.waSelectItemsPrompt.TcsWebMenuItem_836.TcsWebTab_837.TcsProgramme_396283" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/8087804994722560500/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/07/review-going-ape-at-union-theatre-29.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/8087804994722560500'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/8087804994722560500'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/07/review-going-ape-at-union-theatre-29.html' title='Review: 'Going Ape' at the Union Theatre, 29 June 2021'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoodsgVumYXsRH9KKxxPLrmbTH0wSxO6P9dFb-IAHs0wRbEwAkJ9BqV1vALUtjJH7TF_TWs2W7X6UudbNJcQtTz0GXeTcdYb3En8aoKQDRJpq0zkmd3QuduEBX0dw5qTFRENGogMfcMo3o/s72-w640-h288-c/FIhTrZYQ.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-7730556887297672279</id><published>2021-06-26T14:30:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2021-06-26T14:32:23.614+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bonnie baddoo"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dan gaisford"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gracy goldman"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="greenwich theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="kerrie taylor"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="paul mcgann"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="verna vyas"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Bad Nights And Odd Days' at the Greenwich Theatre, 25 June 2021</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hXYVzlvSyYOrBToubWpBCXuZ5QWVUSoBI6VHDt35CbbJm3T_9gvUlBWwDG99AsfdvBqWsz1RqfgqGH1ObEcUn5A-37Ulv9vE5Qcxbh3gEsTFWTd-tPMomiUeLiGp-sLVdN3FI-BCULwj/s2588/yJWz1HQA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="2588" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hXYVzlvSyYOrBToubWpBCXuZ5QWVUSoBI6VHDt35CbbJm3T_9gvUlBWwDG99AsfdvBqWsz1RqfgqGH1ObEcUn5A-37Ulv9vE5Qcxbh3gEsTFWTd-tPMomiUeLiGp-sLVdN3FI-BCULwj/w640-h300/yJWz1HQA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></strong></div><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Bad Nights and Odd Days reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As the dreary lockdown months stretched on I struggled with the itch that only theatre can scratch: breathing the same air and occupying the same space as fictional characters, traveling to watch a story play out without distractions, the communal thrill of experiencing emotions as an audie
1nce.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But beyond all that is the simple fact that theatre gets a lot more intense than most other media. Enter the Greenwich Theatre's Caryl Churchill quadruple bill, <b style="font-style: italic;">Bad Nights and Odd Days. </b>This brings together four short plays dealing with (among other things) rape, abortion, suicide, and environmental apocalypse.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the nightmare year we've had you might shy from the idea of spending two hours shut in a room with series of traumatised and isolated people, but Churchill's writing seamlessly pirouettes through sincerity and farce. One second you're shivering at the raw dialogue of a couple struggling to cope with sexual trauma, the next you're giggling at their bourgeois pretensions.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJ1YvBteB6m53dn_T3pXrXTXRMI_D-4uHgBO41vWiC2bV1S4f-BNYCLhafKczS0fjAoi3GhAdx3QbdEuuZeQrVkiUSz9xjWiPDPPlNnmKaOg1n1rBVfq1hDUjqUmu0FgVsnnDUyneEoNP/s2048/3WS59auQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJ1YvBteB6m53dn_T3pXrXTXRMI_D-4uHgBO41vWiC2bV1S4f-BNYCLhafKczS0fjAoi3GhAdx3QbdEuuZeQrVkiUSz9xjWiPDPPlNnmKaOg1n1rBVfq1hDUjqUmu0FgVsnnDUyneEoNP/w640-h428/3WS59auQ.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Gaisford as Mick</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You can't slide a Rizla between Churchill's changes in tone, which are common to all four plays but best displayed in&nbsp;<i>Three More Sleepless Nights</i>. This does exactly what it says on the tin: a nocturnal daisy chain of bad relationships featuring characters played by Paul McGann, Verna Vyas, Dan Gaisford, and Gracy Goldman.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In one of the 'nights', a woman has a creepy disassociative episode. It plays out like dream logic: she speaks in confusing fragments, eventually clutching a carving knife and talking about suicide. It's unnerving, tense, and eerily realistic. All that's offset by her partner who is amusingly oblivious, recounting the plot of Ridley Scott's <i>Alien</i>&nbsp;just to have something to say.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Laughing while also being freaked out is my kinda vibe and Churchill's plays feel as if they're getting away with stuff they shouldn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Also impressive is that despite all four being written in the 1970s they feel alarmingly contemporary. That's on fine display in the dystopian <i>Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen</i>, which takes us to a smogged out future London where the air is poisonous, the economy has collapsed, and the human race faces extinction. It's a timely apocalypse, particularly as its theoretical future maps well onto our microplasticky, nitrogen dioxide-saturated present.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pAChQqrrrRtP8h-3CbCfjrayCwCoBCvHAxjPXoQ6khPc8DqKc4XYzn6l2uTZP33bGwQJ41GiPenUtgSZTur28rOpIqFLA1VbF6WGkBIMmQ-5lmKIe01uLsKgVbwGkznQKI
1IEBJru8PZB/s2048/NCXU7UIA.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pAChQqrrrRtP8h-3CbCfjrayCwCoBCvHAxjPXoQ6khPc8DqKc4XYzn6l2uTZP33bGwQJ41GiPenUtgSZTur28rOpIqFLA1VbF6WGkBIMmQ-5lmKIe01uLsKgVbwGkznQKIIEBJru8PZB/w640-h428/NCXU7UIA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kerrie Taylor as Roz</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It means we end on an appropriately ominous note, as hope strolls offstage and leaves the characters locked down in a tiny apartment facing an ambiguous future. Oh well, the theatres are back open, so even if we'll soon be coughing up fistfuls of pulped lung from a new variant at least there'll be somewhere to go in the evening.</span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">COVID is responsible for my only real criticism: social distancing rules mean the audience has to be spread out over a large theatre, which is at odds with the intimacy of the drama. Way back in Row L I was myself wishing I was sat down in the front row so I could watch every subtle bit of body language and facial tic from this great cast.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also spent quite a lot of the show looking at the large piece of scenery in the background. It was interesting enough - variously resembling a rollercoaster track, piece of industrial machinery, or dinosaur skeleton - but I couldn't for the life of me work out what relevance it had to the plays. Maybe it's just there for aesthetic reasons to spice up the stage?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whatever the case, theatre is back, baby. Kudos to the Greenwich Theatre for choosing this misanthropic show as their big debut: it'd have been easy to come back with crowd-pleasing escapism, but there's something palpably 'now' about Churchill's plays post-pandemic.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Bad Days and Odd Nights </i>is at the Greenwich Theatre until 10 July. <a href="https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/bad-nights-and-odd-days/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/7730556887297672279/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/06/review-bad-nights-and-odd-days-at.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/7730556887297672279'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/7730556887297672279'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/06/review-bad-nights-and-odd-days-at.html' title='Review: 'Bad Nights And Odd Days' at the Greenwich Theatre, 25 June 2021'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
1<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hXYVzlvSyYOrBToubWpBCXuZ5QWVUSoBI6VHDt35CbbJm3T_9gvUlBWwDG99AsfdvBqWsz1RqfgqGH1ObEcUn5A-37Ulv9vE5Qcxbh3gEsTFWTd-tPMomiUeLiGp-sLVdN3FI-BCULwj/s72-w640-h300-c/yJWz1HQA.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-2931537184713571443</id><published>2021-06-23T12:07:00.005+01:00</published><updated>2021-06-23T12:09:42.501+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Covent Garden"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="danielle pearson"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="erica flint"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="flux festival"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="jo patmore"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Queen Mab' at Iris Theatreâs Summer Festival, 22nd June 2021</title><content type='html'><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADNB9LRKwRSFikdIiAiBqx8zkNV4fPvLl2ZzFzYEs9VUY5oo9omNfLLVnfbr5H4UqzJEc4Vf5rX9FfHU2p6Zv1hid8cT1PAzpO9z1ap7X8rjz-gcJvpvVPFhE-MQlTtZp-qjiUOxzQs9v/s1500/Copy+of+Press+1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1500" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADNB9LRKwRSFikdIiAiBqx8zkNV4fPvLl2ZzFzYEs9VUY5oo9omNfLLVnfbr5H4UqzJEc4Vf5rX9FfHU2p6Zv1hid8cT1PAzpO9z1ap7X8rjz-gcJvpvVPFhE-MQlTtZp-qjiUOxzQs9v/w640-h350/Copy+of+Press+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></strong></div><p></p><p><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Queen Mab reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We're not out of the woods with COVID but at least we seem to be on the right path. The pandemic has been the biggest global event since World War II and we'll be feeling its consequences for years to come. And, as playwrights emerge from lockdown isolation, it's inevitable that many of them will try to process what's happened on stage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Danielle Pearson's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Queen Mab</i>&nbsp;is a noble attempt, throwing together 15-year-old British teenager Freya (Jo Patmore) and 500-year-old extradimensional fairy immortal Queen Mab (Erica Flint).&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We begin just as lockdown starts: Freya is figuring out what to study for her A-levels, bristling against her family, and pining over her classmate Ollie. Enter Mab, who has a brief and flighty conversation with Freya, with the fairy surprised when she remembers their encounter the next day. The two form an unlikely friendship, though Mab warns that things don't end well when immortals get entangled in the human world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What follows is a gentle and emotional drama about life under lockdown, complete with fantastical story elements that suggest Pearson has read her fair share of Neil Gaiman.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1500" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1C_YmOgx-aOH_N54OPNkyW79Qfhem3h76m0Cvarb2e9n0gTaOjzYJ8NRFct9qyWX2upEhEBcQ2
1cPHPP6xTvecyJ0zVL39kM6cJOJsR-tZatho58EN6NYRN5vgLUBt7FPOz_BKlybev0/w640-h386/Copy+of+Press+4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erica Flint as Mab</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnB1C_YmOgx-aOH_N54OPNkyW79Qfhem3h76m0Cvarb2e9n0gTaOjzYJ8NRFct9qyWX2upEhEBcQ2cPHPP6xTvecyJ0zVL39kM6cJOJsR-tZatho58EN6NYRN5vgLUBt7FPOz_BKlybev0/s1500/Copy+of+Press+4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One thing that struck me during the pandemic and that this show underlines is the tragedy of time slowly trickling away. We will never get those dreary lockdown months back and if that lost time makes a thirtysomething theatre critic melancholy it must be excruciating for teenagers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You can only ever be young once and people like Freya can rightly grieve for those delayed first kisses, the wild parties that didn't happen, and the thousands of missed opportunities to figure out who the hell you even are.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Pearson offsets the breakneck speed of adolescence against Mab's immortality. For her this is simply another plague humanity must endure. But even though she floats above physical concerns, she senses how humanity's fears, ambitions, and outlook have been warped by the gravitational pull of COVID. Relationships have disintegrated under the pressure, finances have collapsed, and uh, there's all those corpses who'd otherwise be alive and well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is condensed into Freya's household, depicted as a microcosm of the British COVID experience. Watching it in a play gives us the opportunity to observe it externally and nudges us towards a Mab's eye view of the situation. This is&nbsp; underlined by Georgie Staight's solid direction - particularly having Mab move through the audience and occasionally silently watch Freya just outside the rope marking out the performance space.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRUl_rzVlVoKlb498QyQS3-l7-OhVndSKCNFxu2ymYImlRexAId4fvMTHAM1sxYSq3JdLyEF0wqm8NSv7zP3lDSZ5ZHhhQXQBTnFS9knVLhZWDz0E8qoHzPFGhjzMfdh3JkkDS92RMJq1/w640-h426/Copy+of+Press+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jo Patmore as Freya</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRUl_rzVlVoKlb498QyQS3-l7-OhVndSKCNFxu2ymYImlRexAId4fvMTHAM1sxYSq3JdLyEF0wqm8NSv7zP3lDSZ5ZHhhQXQBTnFS9knVLhZWDz0E8qoHzPFGhjzMfdh3JkkDS92RMJq1/s1500/Copy+of+Press+2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Both actors nail this and are obviously relishing being in front of an audie
1nce. Best of all, their friendship feels realistic: clearing the performance hurdle of why Mab would be interested in Freya in the first place.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Flint nicely combines Mab's haughtiness with vulnerability, resulting in a character that feels otherworldly but that's still relatable. She also nails the lyrical dialogue, which echoes Shakespeare without descending into pastiche.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Patmore also impresses, especially in a serenade that's a reminder of the beauty of live music. Her Freya is sincere, incisive, and resists authority - Patmore makes it easy to see why Mab keeps coming back. Perhaps the best example is that at the end of this quick n' breezy 70-minute play I was genuinely touched by the reveal of her self-portrait.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Queen Mab</i>&nbsp;isn't close to making definitive pronouncements on the pandemic, but as a snapshot of a mood it's bang on. I'd worried that we'd get a deluge of plays about the pandemic as theatres (am craving escapism right now) but if they're as good as this bring it on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Queen Mab&nbsp;</i></b><i>runs at Iris Theatre Summer Festival from 21 to 26 June 2021. <a href="https://iristheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/873617535" target="_blank">Tickets here.</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Photos by Flux Theatre.</i></span></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/2931537184713571443/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/06/review-queen-mab-at-iris-theatres.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2931537184713571443'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2931537184713571443'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2021/06/review-queen-mab-at-iris-theatres.html' title='Review: 'Queen Mab' at Iris Theatreâs Summer Festival, 22nd June 2021'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADNB9LRKwRSFikdIiAiBqx8zkNV4fPvLl2ZzFzYEs9VUY5oo9omNfLLVnfbr5H4UqzJEc4Vf5rX9FfHU2p6Zv1hid8cT1PAzpO9z1ap7X8rjz-gcJvpvVPFhE-MQlTtZp-qjiUOxzQs9v/s72-w640-h350-c/Copy+of+Press+1.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-3665012185146312514</id><published>2020-11-30T15:23:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2020-11-30T15:23:20.102+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="greenwich theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="homelessness"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="mental health"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Nell Hardy"/><title type='text'>Review: 'NoMad' at the Greenwich Theatre, 27th November 2020</title><content type='html'><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo90iJM5cBj0uvUCbZZcqa8giBxKBlFSqpA5rPVFxhMXiZyW2FsG3dcUZbSWJeKy9hdw3V7QQ8LJj5KvJqlGFqa5WRcNkmSrnLs2cHaGxhyphenhyphenWttT2VRAZ2_q5MbS2wSv54_hXk31rAlhYEL/s1015/Nell-Hardy-TRAMSHED-Alessandra-Davison-69-1024x683.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="1015" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo90iJM5cBj0uvUCbZZcqa8giBxKBlFSqpA5rPVFxhMXiZyW2FsG3dcUZbSWJeKy9hdw3V7QQ8LJj5KvJqlGFqa5WRcNkmSrnLs2cHaGxhyphenhyphenWttT2VRAZ2_q5MbS2wSv54_hXk31rAlhYEL/w640-h294/Nell-Hardy-TRAMSHED-Alessandra-Davison-69-1024x683.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong itemprop="itemreviewed" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">NoMad reviewed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;">David James</a></strong></strong><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Rating:</strong><span face="&quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I've been a fan of Nell Hardy for some time. Way back in 2016 I saw her in the title role of Pandemonium Performance's promenade production of <i><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/2016/07/alice-in-wonderland-at-abney-park.html" target="_blank">Alice in Wonderland</a> </i>in Abney Park Cemetary. She blew my socks off and since then I've tried to see her in as much as possible, as whatever 'it' is, she's got it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">So when I was invited to a stream of her one-woman monologue,&nbsp;<b><i>NoMad</i>&nbsp;</b>there was no way I was passing it up. I'm not sure what I was expecting from Hardy, but a blistering and brutally honest monologue about her own experiences with homelessness, institutionalisation and mental health wasn't it.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span>Over the course of an hour and a bit, Hardy guides us through the nightmare of processed through a juddering and underfunded social care system intentionally designed to grind those caught in it to dust. <i>NoMad</i> focuses on mental health treatment, making it sound like a sadistic game of snakes and ladders, albeit one with loaded dice, too many snakes and maybe one creaky ladder.&nbsp;</span><span>But hey, at least being an inpatient means you get food, heat and a bed...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">The most vivid and well-realised moments come when Hardy is explaining the physical effects of homelessness. There's the misery of getting rained on: cold and wet clothes freezing you down to the bone and no prospect of getting properly dry anytime soon;
1 the crinkle of an unwashed, overworn sock inside a shoe that hasn't been taken off in days and a vivid recounting of how it feels to have to piss and shit outdoors.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">It's in that last one that Hardy achieves something of the sublime. Much of <i>NoMad</i>&nbsp;is about a sustained assault on her sense of self and the destruction of her ego. Here, in what passes for one of the more light-hearted sequences of the show, she compares herself to a dog - both of them having a piss out in the open. It feels entirely apt, a nice summation of how homelessness erodes away human specialness as divine creatures and reduces you to a deterministic biological machine.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbaeVdW5xZNMih0xobym4kKe2fEJDgBEtrq1PohCcsYtJ9rtdVGU6puW2TrdWsKsPPVl3lsV82UxR9nTkcWQeZBk3UQ9FhvYh8jnGGbLaCJljCExqtYjNu7PEJp2beBOPUN6X3Oj9IkvE/s2048/EnazrKbXIAAskKV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="2048" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbaeVdW5xZNMih0xobym4kKe2fEJDgBEtrq1PohCcsYtJ9rtdVGU6puW2TrdWsKsPPVl3lsV82UxR9nTkcWQeZBk3UQ9FhvYh8jnGGbLaCJljCExqtYjNu7PEJp2beBOPUN6X3Oj9IkvE/w640-h472/EnazrKbXIAAskKV.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I went into&nbsp;<i>NoMad&nbsp;</i>with respect for Hardy as an actor - and left with a mild sense of awe her writing skills. Prior to this, I'd assumed she was just 'yer typical talented drama school graduate making her way through London fringe theatre scene - but there's admirable sense of purpose and precision in this writing that you simply don't encounter that often.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Plus, while the text is light on explicitly referencing politics, it's difficult to read it as anything other than a condemnation of austerity. Though it might not be mentioned by name, the degradation of care systems, the suffering baked into benefits applications and the ease with which it's possible to fall through the cracks into homelessness are all symptoms of the economic snake oil that's killed hundreds of thousands and inflicted unnecessary pain on millions more.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm not saying loading every Conservative politician into some kind of gigantic rocket and firing it into the heart of the sun would have actually solved any of Hardy's problems, but it certainly couldn't hurt to try.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The only flaws of note here are technical. With COVID having effectively shut down fringe theatre I've resisted reviewing plays that have been streamed online. One of the reasons I enjoy theatre so much is the visceral sense of occupying the same space as the performer, which vanishes when you're experiencing a show on video.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">NoMad</i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">'s minimalist staging and soundscape probably work quite well when you're physically present in the audience, it doesn'
1t on video. And, putting my technical hat on for a moment, especially not on incredibly low bit-rate video that constantly stutters, judders and freezes, and where the sound breaks mid-way through (thank God for automated YouTube subtitling).</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But it's a testament to the quality of the show that it hits as hard as it does even with one hand tied behind its back. Watching </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">NoMad</i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">&nbsp;made me positively itch to get back into a theatre - here's hoping 2021 sees this get a proper run as it deserves as much attention as it can get.</span></span></p><p></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/3665012185146312514/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/11/review-nomad-at-greenwich-theatre-27th.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3665012185146312514'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3665012185146312514'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/11/review-nomad-at-greenwich-theatre-27th.html' title='Review: 'NoMad' at the Greenwich Theatre, 27th November 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo90iJM5cBj0uvUCbZZcqa8giBxKBlFSqpA5rPVFxhMXiZyW2FsG3dcUZbSWJeKy9hdw3V7QQ8LJj5KvJqlGFqa5WRcNkmSrnLs2cHaGxhyphenhyphenWttT2VRAZ2_q5MbS2wSv54_hXk31rAlhYEL/s72-w640-h294-c/Nell-Hardy-TRAMSHED-Alessandra-Davison-69-1024x683.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-2982816099380952091</id><published>2020-09-16T11:55:00.006+01:00</published><updated>2020-09-16T17:51:19.287+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="CN Lester"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Hannah Gardiner"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Leo Doulton"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="the cockpit theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="virtually opera"/><title type='text'>Review: 'We Sing/I Sang' at the Cockpit Theatre, 15th September 2020</title><content type='html'><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uBP2zVzY40I90XhFeXikOTl4hVpyIOZMrZkVW2IkuyJ00_enq6vRDPnoJwa3UkreHwR-sAPS5SU9SBjDhEHv62DbqxNdwOIgcStLLAc5nRT_Oqv2_pf7VDilSI5QtFa8WemJzpNA5OPe/s870/We+Sing_I+Sang+Banner_0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="870" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uBP2zVzY40I90XhFeXikOTl4hVpyIOZMrZkVW2IkuyJ00_enq6vRDPnoJwa3UkreHwR-sAPS5SU9SBjDhEHv62DbqxNdwOIgcStLLAc5nRT_Oqv2_pf7VDilSI5QtFa8WemJzpNA5OPe/w640-h346/We+Sing_I+Sang+Banner_0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span face="&quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span face="&quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Virtually Opera's <i style="font-weight: bold;">We Sing/I Sang</i>&nbsp;bills itself as "an improvised sci-fi ritual opera". A hazily defined 'Crisis' has hit the humanity and the old world has been erased. From the ashes a new collective consciousness - Mind - has formed. Now Mind is leaving this ruined planet behind and making tracks for the stars. The lessons, thoughts and memories we take to the new reality are up to us.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Part of the Cockpit Theatre's&nbsp;Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival, <i>We Sing/I Sang's </i>Crisis is clearly heavily informed by COVID-19. I suspect this topic is going to be the case for a lot of fringe art for a while yet. The country'
1s playwrights and performers have been deprived of an audience for far too long and are no doubt bristling to translate their experiences into plays, poems and songs.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>We Sing/I Sang</i>&nbsp;is an austere experience, which I guess is as much a socially distanced necessity as an artistic choice. On a largely empty stage, CN Lester improvises an opera from our prompts accompanied by a viola soundtrack from Hannah Gardiner. They stand at the rear of the stage, with the performance space occupied by&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Leo Doulton's&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">masked androgynous dancer.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A lot of artists are clearly blue-balled (and blue-ovaried) after spending so long being unable to express themselves live and Virtually Opera recognise that the audience will feel that way too. As such, our thoughts shape the show as we answer questions on our phones that are projected above the performers.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We're asked "What group of people tried to take advantage of the Crisis?", "You have a memory that brought you solace during the Crisis. Who was in it?" or&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">"What unusual ability did some people develop during the Crisis?"</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our responses (and some general plot direction from 'adjudicators') shape the plot.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I replied "Conversation with bees" to the last question and watched as Lester worked their way through a verse about how, in the wake of the apocalypse, they realised that they could comprehend the faint buzzing all around them. I'm always impressed by quick-thinking improvisational skills and there's a smattering of resonant lyrical moments throughout the show.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Anyone improvising free-form opera has the benefit of being able to vamp for a few bars while they think of what they're going to sing next, but it's still fun to watch. Plus I figure that Lester (or someone backstage) is choosing what suggestions to base the show around so as not to break the atmosphere.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe_vTb5hvAxkvbhX5UdaoURs3_anr0r4_ZbzTIUqt0eTITvCYZxihevcyRu773bw7tTEHr7s-kA9BPnvoKliy5LYqVn6p2yd4HQGsAg94F2szqW8zfGjrH-uIevJ54SG73bXMPKVf0yt5/s845/dbc14dcd-224e-49e5-afe1-aef88021399f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="704" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe_vTb5hvAxkvbhX5UdaoURs3_anr0r4_ZbzTIUqt0eTITvCYZxihevcyRu773bw7tTEHr7s-kA9BPnvoKliy5LYqVn6p2yd4HQGsAg94F2szqW8zfGjrH-uIevJ54SG73bXMPKVf0yt5/w536-h640/dbc14dcd-224e-49e5-afe1-aef88021399f.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By and large, this succeeds in what it sets out to do and was a meditative reentry to performance after a long hiatus. The simplicity and straightforwardness of the show make it something that theoretically could be staged once society has actually collapsed. I mean, humanity would have to be completely on the ro
1pes before we couldn't cobble together a singer, a single instrument and a dancer.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Being encouraged to be introspective about our own experiences during lockdown was also surprisingly touching. We're often casually asked how we are, but it just wouldn't be British to respond in any way other than "...fine". Getting quizzed on specific questions on your mood, memories and thoughts felt pleasantly therapeutic. And after months of staring at the walls of my cramped house I'll take whatever emotional probing is on offer.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have a couple of criticisms. The show's IT set-up isn't great, consisting of switching between a webpage and a Google Spreadsheet. You have a limited time to enter your answers and I had to close my browser down in order to make new links appear. It just about works, though I can see less tech-savvy audience members getting frustrated as there's not much guidance in how to interact with the show once it's begun.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, Leo Doulton's dancing fills space but doesn't add anything interesting to the performance. He's something to look at during the singing rather than an integral part of the show and I couldn't connect his costume and choreography with Lester's singing and Gardiner's music. That's not to say I wish he wasn't there, just that all three performers should interact a bit more.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Quibbles aside,&nbsp;<i>We Sing/I Sang </i>is a great show for our mid-apocalyptic times. I'm a sucker for interactive elements in theatre and weaving them into opera kept me engaged throughout the show's concise 35-40 minute runtime.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It sounds like damning with faint praise that I was simply happy to be somewhere else at night other than my sofa, but this was great food to break a long theatrical fast with.</span></p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">'We Sing/I Sang' is being broadcast online as part of t</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">he Cockpit Theatre's&nbsp;Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival on 17 September. <a href="https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/we_singi_sang_interactive_broadcast" target="_blank">Information here.</a></span></span></i></p></content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/2982816099380952091/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/09/review-we-singi-sang-at-cockpit-theatre.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2982816099380952091'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2982816099380952091'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/09/review-we-singi-sang-at-cockpit-theatre.html' title='Review: 'We Sing/I Sang' at the Cockpit Theatre, 15th September 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
1<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uBP2zVzY40I90XhFeXikOTl4hVpyIOZMrZkVW2IkuyJ00_enq6vRDPnoJwa3UkreHwR-sAPS5SU9SBjDhEHv62DbqxNdwOIgcStLLAc5nRT_Oqv2_pf7VDilSI5QtFa8WemJzpNA5OPe/s72-w640-h346-c/We+Sing_I+Sang+Banner_0.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-521683483539360858</id><published>2020-03-08T19:29:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2020-03-08T19:29:44.910+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="anthony cozens"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="david spencer"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="freya sharp"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="james demaine"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="max saunders-singer"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="old red lion theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="simon stephens"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="zoe grain"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Nuclear War / Buried / Graceland' at the Old Red Lion, 5th March 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuF4zJUJhHPyVc5Ss33QYVva7Fyh8BDFaoTQbEH4Td1BFgRXsaCsMG-cniK6M6Q2SmwtBdmTE17VD-u5ZA1RqaVtZEzXZqQo5z_yjwPQzmgtTMk8hjFMMIAFRJTfgHaDRlUxyPicRCvo1/s1600/Z%25C3%25B6e+Grain+and+Freya+Sharp%252C+Nuclear+War+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1600" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuF4zJUJhHPyVc5Ss33QYVva7Fyh8BDFaoTQbEH4Td1BFgRXsaCsMG-cniK6M6Q2SmwtBdmTE17VD-u5ZA1RqaVtZEzXZqQo5z_yjwPQzmgtTMk8hjFMMIAFRJTfgHaDRlUxyPicRCvo1/s640/Z%25C3%25B6e+Grain+and+Freya+Sharp%252C+Nuclear+War+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25285%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> 3<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 4<br /></div> 5<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 6<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 7<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 8<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 9<div style="text-align: justify;"> 10<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 11<div style="text-align: justify;"> 12<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I'm not a huge fan double or triple bills of short plays. It'
12s not that it's necessarily a bad format, but it's very tricky to write about while doing justice to each individual play. That remains the case, but I walked out of The Old Red Lion's latest triple bill (described, somewhat pretentiously, as a 'triptych') in a great mood. The two-hour show consists of David Spencer's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Buried</i>, Max Saunders-Singer's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Graceland</i>&nbsp;and Simon Stephens' <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nuclear War.</i></span></div> 13<div style="text-align: justify;"> 14<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 15<div style="text-align: justify;"> 16<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">First, a quick overview of this theatrical three-course dinner.&nbsp;</span></div> 17<div style="text-align: justify;"> 18<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div> 19<div style="text-align: justify;"> 20<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Buried </i>is a 50-minute long piece about the experiences of the playwright's grandfather during World War II. Played by James Demaine, the story is told from the perspective of a soldier who's been buried alive. What follows is a chronologically tangled and poetic demonstration of the psychological impacts of war.</span></div> 21<div style="text-align: justify;"> 22<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 23<div style="text-align: justify;"> 24<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Graceland</i>&nbsp;is a dark comedy in which Anthony Cozen's teacher settles in to teach his Form 9 class, as represented by the audience. He's obviously stressed and is behaving increasingly strangely. All too soon we discover why today is the worst day of his life.</span></div> 25<div style="text-align: justify;"> 26<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 27<div style="text-align: justify;"> 28<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Finally, we get <i>Nuclear War</i>, which is a fusion of choreography and abstract verse about the end of the world, a personal view of death, the dissolution of the self and the inevitable forces of entropy that will emotionally, physically and scientifically tear us apart. This is performed by Zoe Grain and Freya Sharp.</span></div> 29<div style="text-align: justify;"> 30<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 31<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> 32<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-IHci4Fuz5YlMO-6Py6gvFc7wEAJVol4jJdAf3UJLBmRFJtiJjN1yPJkRWzXkd78xdkEQgeuwVaXTs6MehzZpmEq-qyP86mh-91hV_-B8-LQMkfPIKargaM0c4mYw1Xi4jYsjNxHy_Gi
32/s1600/James+Demaine%252C+Buried+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-IHci4Fuz5YlMO-6Py6gvFc7wEAJVol4jJdAf3UJLBmRFJtiJjN1yPJkRWzXkd78xdkEQgeuwVaXTs6MehzZpmEq-qyP86mh-91hV_-B8-LQMkfPIKargaM0c4mYw1Xi4jYsjNxHy_Gi/s640/James+Demaine%252C+Buried+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr> 33<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buried</td></tr> 34</tbody></table> 35<div style="text-align: justify;"> 36<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The three plays don't share much in common other than a somewhat nihilistic perspective on life. There's a content warning on the way up to the theatre explaining that these plays contain "trauma, PTSD, scenes of a distressing nature, suicide, grief, sexual content &amp; strong language". While I don't want to spoil too many of the twists and turns, the promise of this sign is fulfilled a couple of times over.</span></span></div> 37<div style="text-align: justify;"> 38<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 39<div style="text-align: justify;"> 40<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">There's a lot to like in each of these plays, but while <i>Buried </i>boasts a committed performance from Demaine, and some sparkling writing (especially in the gruesome scenes based around corpse disposal), it eventually feels a little repetitive. The jumbled chronology meant I was concentrating on piecing the story together rather than appreciating the emotions.&nbsp;</span></div> 41<div style="text-align: justify;"> 42<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 43<div style="text-align: justify;"> 44<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">On a more practical note, there are moments where Demaine stands directly in front of the audience and delivers a shouty speech under a spotlight, which allows you to see him inadvertently coating the front row with a fine layer of saliva, to the audience's obvious discomfort. Ordinarily, this would be par for the course in a small theatre, but these are, oh let's say, hygiene-focused times...</span></div> 45<div style="text-align: justify;"> 46<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 47<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> 48<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge7MiaV0gXWxQXg8AabdDOwWIOAeF6ZbT3lp2-m6AM7xbHOUI9bkLWV39Hw7LfuqbidHBUJrVSpZHOB1IvIiPzhmij6Vz6fewTs_Djnd9OQndojrEiW8ufhKOHyOf8MtUMq7jCilpcu7m/s1600/Anthony+Cozens%252C+Graceland+%2528credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge7MiaV0gXWxQXg8AabdDOwWIOAeF6ZbT3lp2-m6AM7xbHOUI9bkLWV39Hw7LfuqbidHBUJrVSpZHOB1IvIiPzhmij6Vz6fewTs_Djnd9OQndojrEiW8ufhKOHyOf8MtUMq7jCilpcu7m/s640/Anthony+Cozens%252C+Graceland+%2528credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25284%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr> 49<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graceland</td></tr> 50</tbody></table> 51<div style="text-align: justify;"> 52<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">For me, the highlights came with </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Graceland </i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">and </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Nuclear War</i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">. Anthony Cozens does a neat job semi-improvising his way through </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Graceland</i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">, knowing precisely when to slacken and tighten the reins on the audience. I really loved the slowly shifting tone and the way the pieces oscillate between comedy and tragedy, sometimes within the space of a few seconds. Plus, it's nice to get some genuine belly-laughs sandwiched in between the other plays.&nbsp;</span></span></div> 53<div style="text-align: justify;"> 54<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 55<div style="text-align: justify;"> 56<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">But the best of the three is undoubtedly <i>Nuclear War. </i>This has the honour of being one of the few plays I've ever wanted to watch again immediately after it finished just so I could pick up on more of the nuance. Ditching irrelevancies like characters and narrative, <i>Nuclear War </i>is a weirdly musical piece that doesn't actually contain any music. But it's a confrontational, clearly personal bit of writing that speaks to something absolutely vital about being human... but pinning down exactly <i>what</i>&nbsp;that is maddeningly difficult.</span></div> 57<div style="text-align: justify;"> 58<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 59<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> 60<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACnM5HP2CbJSV_9BmAUTTF1StKN_s06DK2YSz7Ok-CWSt2oNjaH1MofHRCtH22kwUf79UjaoACXMODyEourAaRABQEYNfoSbgvoj2Zvk8dbWuyLk2a3ppWDZAeOjuJ49YnO9D14qWkdia/s1600/Z%25C3%25B6e+Grain+and+Freya+Sharp%252C+Nuclear+War+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACnM5HP2CbJSV_9BmAUTTF1StKN_s06DK2YSz7Ok-CWSt2oNjaH1MofHRCtH22kwUf79UjaoACXMODyEourAaRABQEYNfoSbgvoj2Zvk8dbWuyLk2a3ppWDZAeOjuJ49YnO9D14qWkdia/s640/Z%25C3%25B6e+Grain+and+Freya+Sharp%252C+Nuclear+War+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr> 61<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuclear War</td></tr> 62</tbody></table> 63<div style="text-align: justify;"> 64<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm doing a terrible job at describing this, but just trust me that it's ace. Zoe Grain and Freya Sharp are also jaw-droppingly well-rehearsed. The play relies on near-perfect timing and choreography, with no room for error or stumbles. The spell it weaves is so enticing that you almost develop anxiety that one of them will forget their lines and this precious thing will shatter like a snowflake hitting the ground.</span></span></div> 65<div style="text-align: justify;"> 66<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 67<div style="text-align: justify;"> 68<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I remain on the fence about these triple bill nights. However, shorter plays like these absolutely deserve an audie
68nce. Both <i>Graceland </i>and <i>Nuclear War </i>come in at under 30 mins and neither would benefit from being any longer. Where else can you perform these to a paying audience if not during a triple bill? So, while it might be trickier to write about three plays than one, I'll keep coming if the Old Red Lion keeps putting on stuff of this quality.</span></div> 69<div style="text-align: justify;"> 70<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 71<div style="text-align: justify;"> 72<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Nuclear War, Graceland </i>and <i>Buried</i>&nbsp;are at the Old Red Lion until 21 March. <a href="https://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/nuclear-war-buried-graceland.html" target="_blank">Tickets here.</a></span></div> 73</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/521683483539360858/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/03/review-nuclear-war-buried-graceland-at.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/521683483539360858'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/521683483539360858'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/03/review-nuclear-war-buried-graceland-at.html' title='Review: 'Nuclear War / Buried / Graceland' at the Old Red Lion, 5th March 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuF4zJUJhHPyVc5Ss33QYVva7Fyh8BDFaoTQbEH4Td1BFgRXsaCsMG-cniK6M6Q2SmwtBdmTE17VD-u5ZA1RqaVtZEzXZqQo5z_yjwPQzmgtTMk8hjFMMIAFRJTfgHaDRlUxyPicRCvo1/s72-c/Z%25C3%25B6e+Grain+and+Freya+Sharp%252C+Nuclear+War+%2528Credit+Charles+Flint+Photography%2529+%25285%2529.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-7109431025230464682</id><published>2020-03-04T14:17:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2020-03-04T14:17:11.263+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Becka McFadden"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Catharina Conte"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Daiva Dominyka"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lara Parmiani"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="legal aliens"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Luiana Bonfim"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Vault"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Closed Lands' at Vault Festival, 3rd March 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 74<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrigZwE6Mdqg3fQQFwFm2CnJd9uBkEUqwph6LBi1nxwKfP9GM2VkGeCfB7fpzfdy4ArQjj2Sd1R8MbydovlmdOcr6v939ItnfR6wBGt1jCuF6RKaGBkR772RIHAm5QVL4UyHkyay289ME/s1600/CLOSEDLANDS9+%2528c%2529+Becka+McFadden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1600" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrigZwE6Mdqg3fQQFwFm2CnJd9uBkEUqwph6LBi1nxwKfP9GM2VkGeCfB7fpzfdy4ArQjj2Sd1R8MbydovlmdOcr6v939ItnfR6wBGt1jCuF6RKaGBkR772RIHAm5QVL4UyHkyay289ME/s640/CLOSEDLANDS9+%2528c%2529+Becka+McFadden.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> 75<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 76<span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></b></span></div> 77<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 78<span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></b></span></div> 79<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 80<span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 81<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 82<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 83<div style="text-align: justify;"> 84<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 85<div style="text-align: justify;"> 86<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You don't have to be a geopolitical expert to see that the next decade is going to bring some drastic and depressing changes to the way
86we live. Global warming will inevitably result in mass migration from the global south. Arable land in equatorial countries is becoming desert, water sources are drying up, and with a lack of basic resources come the classic four horsemen: war, famine, pestilence and death.</span></div> 87<div style="text-align: justify;"> 88<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 89<div style="text-align: justify;"> 90<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Faced with that, it's hardly surprising that the number of people fleeing their homeland for the economic and political security of stable northern countries is increasing dramatically. Hell, if I were Eritrean, Guatemalan or Sudanese I'd get the hell out of there as soon as feasibly possible. If you want a vision of the future, imagine a massive increase in boats across the Mediterranean as people flee for their lives. Then imagine how European democracies will react to that...</span></div> 91<div style="text-align: justify;"> 92<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 93<div style="text-align: justify;"> 94<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Basically, it's going to be a nightmare for everyone except wealthy right-wing demagogues, who will be happier than a pig in shit. Xenophobia, racism and nationalism will all rise dramatically. There is nothing that any of us can realistically do to stop any of this happening and we're already well into the first act.</span></div> 95<div style="text-align: justify;"> 96<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 97<div style="text-align: justify;"> 98<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">All this is the meat of <i style="font-weight: bold;">Closed Lands</i>, by Legal Aliens, a company comprised of Luiana Bonfim, Daiva Dominyka, Catharina Conte, Becka McFadden and Lara Parmiani, who are all migrants to the UK. The show is an artistic exploration of the inhumane systems that our countries have established to wriggle through the thin gap between what's legal and what's ethical.</span></div> 99<div style="text-align: justify;"> 100<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 101<div style="text-align: justify;"> 102<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And so, after showing us the celebrations of the Berlin Wall being torn down, we begin picking our way through the modern barriers. Trump's southern border wall is the obvious example, the show combining video footage of the test walls, explanations of the paramilitary 'minutemen' who take the law into their own hands to protect the USA and the misery of attempting to cross the desert over and over.</span></div> 103<div style="text-align: justify;"> 104<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 105<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 106<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvFuNERtqdt4JkLoMIL2r9oDzEuKFQj9PphePaRVzCMk8jKH7uxHaPsw-b1Qvz0iyIOfLFsM87G7gEQpKrAHoTV-QTt3ozu-MKNvq235hPd-Y7QQQfiRzwyERYnKVgUhivmfDPRku7foN/s1600/CLOSEDLANDS1+%2528c%2529+Becka+McFadden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvFuNERtqdt4JkLoMIL2r9oDzEu
106KFQj9PphePaRVzCMk8jKH7uxHaPsw-b1Qvz0iyIOfLFsM87G7gEQpKrAHoTV-QTt3ozu-MKNvq235hPd-Y7QQQfiRzwyERYnKVgUhivmfDPRku7foN/s640/CLOSEDLANDS1+%2528c%2529+Becka+McFadden.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> 107<div style="text-align: justify;"> 108<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 109<div style="text-align: justify;"> 110<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">But Europeans shouldn't feel too smug. Most people haven't even heard of the Ceuta border fence, but the show goes into it in detail. This is the EU's equivalent of Trump's border wall, a fortified barrier in Morocco designed to stop migrants making their way to Spain. While it may not be known to many Europeans, the migrants sure are aware of it - as recently as August 2019 there was a pitched battle where people attempted to storm the wall and cut their skin to ribbons on the razor wire.</span></div> 111<div style="text-align: justify;"> 112<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 113<div style="text-align: justify;"> 114<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We also, of course, touch upon the drowned people in the Mediterranean, through a quick bit of drama in which one of the cast plays a trafficker, who says something along the lines of "sure, it's risky, but how much do you want this?" It should be always remembered that the corpses who end up beached in picturesque Mediterranean resorts were aware of the risks. They judged that the very real danger to their life was worth the chance of escaping to Europe, so throw that back into the face of anyone who describes their choice to leave as the cold and calculated sounding 'economic migration'.</span></div> 115<div style="text-align: justify;"> 116<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 117<div style="text-align: justify;"> 118<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You're probably gathering by now that <i>Closed Lands </i>isn't a particularly uplifting hour of theatre. It isn't, and the more you know about the systems the play is talking about the more depressing it is.&nbsp;</span></div> 119<div style="text-align: justify;"> 120<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 121<div style="text-align: justify;"> 122<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One element I'm assuming is intentionally absent is the refusal to focus on individual stories. The aim here seems to be to present the facts in an engaging, theatrical and journalistic way rather than try to tweak the heartstrings. I'm on the fence about whether this works or not, as the show sometimes feels like a series of loosely connected sketches about various aspects of the immigration crisis.</span></div> 123<div style="text-align: justify;"> 124<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 125<div style="text-align: justify;"> 126<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For example, for all its bombast and energy, the show ends on a confusing metaphor about vegetables. I get why the symbol was chosen, but it's a pretty opaque way to end a show that feels designed to educate rather than entertain.&nbsp;</span></div> 127<div style="text-align: justify;"> 128<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 129<div style="text-align: justify;"> 130<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Then again, I have seen a number of shows on the same topic like <i><a href="http://www.londoncitynights.com/2016/07/cargo-at-arcola-theatre-8th-july-2016.html" target="_blank">Cargo</a>, <a href="
130http://www.londoncitynights.com/2019/05/review-dont-look-away-at-pleasance-8th.html" target="_blank">Don't Look Away</a></i>&nbsp;and <i><a href="http://www.londoncitynights.com/2018/01/review-claim-at-shoreditch-town-hall.html" target="_blank">The Claim</a>, </i>which all tell stories of specific migrants, so perhaps Legal Aliens are simply want to stake out their own territory on the subject.</span></div> 131<div style="text-align: justify;"> 132<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 133<div style="text-align: justify;"> 134<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Whatever the reasoning, <i>Closed Lands</i>&nbsp;is at minimum engaging, though more you think about it what it's showing you, the more sad the world feels. But ultimately (and this is not a criticism of the show), a theatrical production aimed at well-off theatre-going Londoners is probably less effective in actually changing things than pissing into a hurricane.&nbsp;</span></div> 135<div style="text-align: justify;"> 136<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 137<div style="text-align: justify;"> 138<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But hey, what else is there to do?</span></div> 139<div style="text-align: justify;"> 140<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 141<div style="text-align: justify;"> 142<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Closed Lands is at the Vault Festival until 8th March. <a href="https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/closed-lands/?from=stagedoor" target="_blank">Tickets here.</a></i></span></div> 143<div style="text-align: justify;"> 144<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div> 145</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/7109431025230464682/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/03/review-closed-lands-at-vault-festival.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/7109431025230464682'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/7109431025230464682'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/03/review-closed-lands-at-vault-festival.html' title='Review: 'Closed Lands' at Vault Festival, 3rd March 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrigZwE6Mdqg3fQQFwFm2CnJd9uBkEUqwph6LBi1nxwKfP9GM2VkGeCfB7fpzfdy4ArQjj2Sd1R8MbydovlmdOcr6v939ItnfR6wBGt1jCuF6RKaGBkR772RIHAm5QVL4UyHkyay289ME/s72-c/CLOSEDLANDS9+%2528c%2529+Becka+McFadden.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-7917323027932839286</id><published>2020-02-26T15:13:00.000+00:00</published><updated>
1452020-02-26T15:29:27.472+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fire Hazard"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Vault Festival"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Jekyll / Hyde' at the Vault Festival, 25th February 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 146<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDhGjDyubydlCu8gCIb8eSrjsH5UV4AOasap7O6ZeNHLp-2Ig2NSCH494HqEi3cnqRfCDyluqhfyv_nw8z-SaELTqIJQrLkC3Bz8ypy4zbrqw0XT8759gO72NPCNxlOSMxIlURByuz2Ay/s1600/dSkobuZQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1600" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDhGjDyubydlCu8gCIb8eSrjsH5UV4AOasap7O6ZeNHLp-2Ig2NSCH494HqEi3cnqRfCDyluqhfyv_nw8z-SaELTqIJQrLkC3Bz8ypy4zbrqw0XT8759gO72NPCNxlOSMxIlURByuz2Ay/s640/dSkobuZQ.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 147<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 148<br /></div> 149<div style="text-align: justify;"> 150<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 151<div style="text-align: justify;"> 152<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 153<div style="text-align: justify;"> 154<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div> 155<div style="text-align: justify;"> 156<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Last summer I spent a seriously enjoyable ninety minutes running around Covent Garden during </span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/2019/07/review-80-days-real-world-adventure-at.html" style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">Fire Hazard Games' </a><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/2019/07/review-80-days-real-world-adventure-at.html" target="_blank">80 Days - A Real World Adventure</a>. </i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The show combines technology, puzzle-solving and orienteering, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a story that plays out on the streets of London. Now they're back with </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Jekyll / Hyde</i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">, so how has their "high energy street game" style been refined over the last six months?</span></div> 157<div style="text-align: justify;"> 158<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 159<div style="text-align: justify;"> 160<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The skeleton of the project remains the same. You register a team before the event, then access a personalised web page on your phone on the night. This, in combination with a paper map, funnels you around a neighbourhood as you solve riddles using the powers of observation. For example, you could head to a location and be asked
160something like "<i>I have a crown, a sceptre and what else?</i>". You would find an object nearby that fits the bill, examine it and input the answer.</span></div> 161<div style="text-align: justify;"> 162<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 163<div style="text-align: justify;"> 164<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">In <i>80 Days</i>&nbsp;you were competing against other teams to purchase equipment for your trip, with your choices contributing to the eventual success of your journey. In <i>Jekyll / Hyde</i>&nbsp;you're trying to figure out what happened to you last night after you consumed a mysterious serum, following a trail of destruction around the city. So, basically a Victorian gothic take on <i>The Hangover.</i></span></div> 165<div style="text-align: justify;"> 166<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div> 167<div style="text-align: justify;"> 168<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Fire Hazard has hit upon a winning formula with the format. I love the way their games encourage you to pay attention to the urban environment, guide you to unfamiliar places and make you see things in a new light. Their attention to detail is astonishing, the quality of the writing is top-notch and they have near-perfectly nailed combining narrative and puzzle-solving.</span></div> 169<div style="text-align: justify;"> 170<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 171<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 172<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1DSeVfo0-zsOcxjhp-ZF8p1McuzXXCAG4edEXVB98PcX1RsTqELBE3ZYcryB_-CAKfc99Jx4qf0H17f_W9Mm4ThWLWof3k3Qt6FRxFc9BgdfXshuMmyFGciqJAiZnXO4yZLr7Nt6U9XO/s1600/6k9YgIow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1DSeVfo0-zsOcxjhp-ZF8p1McuzXXCAG4edEXVB98PcX1RsTqELBE3ZYcryB_-CAKfc99Jx4qf0H17f_W9Mm4ThWLWof3k3Qt6FRxFc9BgdfXshuMmyFGciqJAiZnXO4yZLr7Nt6U9XO/s640/6k9YgIow.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 173<div style="text-align: justify;"> 174<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 175<div style="text-align: justify;"> 176<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">However, I can only compare this to </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">80 Days</i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">, and it feels like there's been a conscious effort to simplify things. For one, the system of collecting money in order to buy items has been completely ditched. In </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">Jekyll / Hyde </i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">you simply answer riddles and then pick a multiple choice answer that c
176ontributes to a very simple psychological profile.&nbsp;</span></div> 177<div style="text-align: justify;"> 178<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 179<div style="text-align: justify;"> 180<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Similarly, you no longer get a summary of how your decisions affected the story. As the show finished I was anticipating an <i>80 Days</i>&nbsp;style&nbsp;run-down of what happened to me based on what I'd chosen to remember. Instead, you get</span><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">&nbsp;a collection of newspaper headlines that felt pretty generic.</span></span></div> 181<div style="text-align: justify;"> 182<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div> 183<div style="text-align: justify;"> 184<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, the teams are no longer in competition with one another. This isn't clear from the start, but there are no rewards for the team who completes the most riddles and covers the most ground. I'm naturally competitive and knowing that I'm facing off against other people gives me the impetus to solve things as quickly as possible. Realising that I'd been wasting my time dashing everywhere in an effort to maximise my points and beat the clock was disappointing.</span></span></div> 185<div style="text-align: justify;"> 186<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div> 187<div style="text-align: justify;"> 188<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Finally (and this is a little more nitpicky), beginning the show in the Leake Street tunnels makes for a bad first impression. For one there's so much visual overload from the graffiti that it makes the opening 'tutorial' riddles much harder to solve than anything that follows. For another, being in a subterranean tunnel meant the phone signal needed to play the game kept dropping out.</span></div> 189<div style="text-align: justify;"> 190<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 191<div style="text-align: justify;"> 192<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It feels like <i>Jekyll / Hyde</i>&nbsp;was put together in response to criticisms that <i>80 Days</i>&nbsp;was too complicated. But, for me at least, it feels like the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.</span></div> 193<div style="text-align: justify;"> 194<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 195<div style="text-align: justify;"> 196<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Don't get me wrong, I (and my plus one) had a great time traipsing around Waterloo solving riddles, but surely there's a satisfying middle ground between the complexity and competition of <i>80 Days</i>&nbsp;and this?</span></div> 197<div style="text-align: justify;"> 198<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 199<div style="text-align: justify;"> 200<i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jekyll / Hyde is at Vault Festival until 22nd March. <a href="https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/jekyll-and-hyde/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</span></i></div> 201<div style="text-align: justify;"> 202<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div> 203</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/7917323027932839286/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-jekyll-hyde-at-vault-festival.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/7917323027932839286'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/7917323027932839286'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-jekyll-hyde-at-vault-festival.html' title='Review: 'Jekyll / Hyde' at the Vault Festival, 25th February 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
203<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDhGjDyubydlCu8gCIb8eSrjsH5UV4AOasap7O6ZeNHLp-2Ig2NSCH494HqEi3cnqRfCDyluqhfyv_nw8z-SaELTqIJQrLkC3Bz8ypy4zbrqw0XT8759gO72NPCNxlOSMxIlURByuz2Ay/s72-c/dSkobuZQ.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-102489899703738580</id><published>2020-02-22T09:03:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2020-02-22T09:03:48.045+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="luke culloty"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="nomi bailey"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sarah collins walters"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="White Bear Theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'House of Commons' at the White Bear Theatre, 21st February 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 204<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iyjosQSzcMAhtGq9EPorkhzOEyionYOOpnOh6GrfbnSo7RSzLk4tf8pp0NWaUPNcZ3CnA7NjTjXdt6bRwIPXbEQgEUHmxkN2sLFVwTceJ5Z5lthPiay0zBOfebkGo5odVdRJDPNtGZr-/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iyjosQSzcMAhtGq9EPorkhzOEyionYOOpnOh6GrfbnSo7RSzLk4tf8pp0NWaUPNcZ3CnA7NjTjXdt6bRwIPXbEQgEUHmxkN2sLFVwTceJ5Z5lthPiay0zBOfebkGo5odVdRJDPNtGZr-/s640/IMG_0012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> 205<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 206<br /></div> 207<div style="text-align: justify;"> 208<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a><br /> 209<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 210<div style="text-align: justify;"> 211<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div> 212<div style="text-align: justify;"> 213<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Titling a play&nbsp;</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">House of Commons</i><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;gives the audience a pretty hard nudge into reading it as a political allegory. So, with Boris Johnson set to be Prime Minister for a large chunk of the next decade and all the fun of Brexit to look forward to, what's the play about?</span></div> 214<div style="text-align: justify;"> 215<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div> 216<div style="text-align: justify;"> 217<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Set in a high-security psychiatric treatment facility, we follow a series of deeply damaged individuals who have been convicted of heinous crimes. Over the course of the play the spend a lot of time yelling at one another, detailing the horrors they're accused of and miserably laying out their lot in life. At times the only thing stopping their interactions from spilling over into gruesome violence are the electrodes implanted in their necks, which shock them if they get too far out of line.</span></div> 218<div style="text-align: justify;"> 219<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 220<div style="text-align: justify;"> 221<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">So yeah, <i>House of Commons</i>&nbsp;it is.</span></div> 222<div style="text-align: justify;"> 223<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 224<div style="text-align: justify;"> 225<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">This gang of patients has spent so much time together that familiarity has curdled into contempt, with everyone able to push each other's buttons whenever they please. But tonight there's something new to focus on. Lana (Sarah Collins Walters) is a new inmate, assigned to the facility for one night as she awaits the verdict of her trial. The inmates circle her like vultures, wondering whether she'll get away or become a permanent addition to their lives.</span></div> 226<div style="text-align: justify;"> 227<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 228<div style="text-align: justify;"> 229<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It's a decent set-up and the inquisitorial style works well in giving each character a moment in the spotlight. Throughout the play, most of the characters reveal the traumatic experiences that placed them here, which usually reveal them to be as much victim as perpetrator. Thing is, it's the ones we don't learn much about that prove to be the most intriguing.</span></div> 230<div style="text-align: justify;"> 231<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 232<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 233<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvntHWcNE7JBYCt1PY1ikZDIKVPrf6uNzfSKZtKQfBfEP78qH922gkpyiZ7QmuixUo2Ve-I5KwmoHr
233CqvknV1Bml4BhlQaCS10iOi5D7vnYGGQVBg618wfDvfeUecPeNy617MRZMEj4rQ/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1041" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzvntHWcNE7JBYCt1PY1ikZDIKVPrf6uNzfSKZtKQfBfEP78qH922gkpyiZ7QmuixUo2Ve-I5KwmoHrCqvknV1Bml4BhlQaCS10iOi5D7vnYGGQVBg618wfDvfeUecPeNy617MRZMEj4rQ/s640/IMG_0024.JPG" width="416" /></a></div> 234<div style="text-align: justify;"> 235<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 236<div style="text-align: justify;"> 237<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Nomi Bailey's Peta is particularly sphinx-like. Despite not saying much she dominates the room from her wheelchair, regarding the others with predatory gazes from her glittering yet cold blue eyes. Then there's Luke Culloty's Andre, who is blind (wearing just creepy looking white contact lens), and just sits at the rear of the stage regarding the action.</span></div> 238<div style="text-align: justify;"> 239<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 240<div style="text-align: justify;"> 241<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">But the enigmatic characters being the most interesting perhaps speaks to the play's occasionally frustrating narrative elements. These are characters who spend a lot of time talking over each other, heading down conversational cul-de-sacs and turning on emotional dimes. Consequentially, it's often tricky to figure out what's actually going on.</span></div> 242<div style="text-align: justify;"> 243<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 244<div style="text-align: justify;"> 245<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">That feeds into an overall lack of narrative thrust. The tension in the show feels like it should be Lana's fear over her verdict and facing up to a potential future in this facility. This feels like it falls by the wayside early on in favour of exploring the other characters.&nbsp;</span></div> 246<div style="text-align: justify;"> 247<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 248<div style="text-align: justify;"> 249<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It leaves the play feeling more like a series of loosely connected sketches than a sustained narrative, which slowly drains away your engagement. In a similar vein, while I could mentally wrestle it into a basic political allegory, the show itself doesn't seem to have any interest in exploring why it's called <i>House of Commons.</i></span></div> 250<div style="text-align: justify;"> 251<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 252<div style="text-align: justify;"> 253<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It's probably telling that I brought someone along to the play who doesn't often visit the theatre. Their reaction was "Well, it was interesting, but I couldn't work out what the story was."&nbsp;</span></div> 254<div style="text-align: justify;"> 255<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 256<div style="text-align: justify;"> 257<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>House of Commons is at the White Bear Theatre until 22nd February 2020. <a href="https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/House-of-Commons" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></div> 258</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/102489899703738580/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-house-of-commons-at-white-bear.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/102489899703738580'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/102489899703738580'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-house-of-commons-at-white-bear.html' title='Review: 'House of Commons' at the White Bear Theatre, 21st February 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
258<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iyjosQSzcMAhtGq9EPorkhzOEyionYOOpnOh6GrfbnSo7RSzLk4tf8pp0NWaUPNcZ3CnA7NjTjXdt6bRwIPXbEQgEUHmxkN2sLFVwTceJ5Z5lthPiay0zBOfebkGo5odVdRJDPNtGZr-/s72-c/IMG_0012.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-5542706819541833858</id><published>2020-02-21T14:51:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2020-02-21T14:51:55.253+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="comedy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="emilia stawicki"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="poplar union"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Thank You and Goodnight' at the Popular Union, 20th February 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 259<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SKg_Tzf0DBrQTT1OYWx3PcYphNfEa8T9ezl_7G-29iuRSb7B9nV95wu1D8ChWnIZaJNf4BvfMrG-3AN3bF0dlh6tYEXa9y19NwhzsueNgjqjyNc5AW0EseKIx0N8iOVLgHw9ezaTp9w3/s1600/Thankyouandgoodnight-c-Box-Theatre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SKg_Tzf0DBrQTT1OYWx3PcYphNfEa8T9ezl_7G-29iuRSb7B9nV95wu1D8ChWnIZaJNf4BvfMrG-3AN3bF0dlh6tYEXa9y19NwhzsueNgjqjyNc5AW0EseKIx0N8iOVLgHw9ezaTp9w3/s640/Thankyouandgoodnight-c-Box-Theatre.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> 260<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 261<br /></div> 262<div style="text-align: justify;"> 263<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 264<div style="text-align: justify;"> 265<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div> 266<div style="text-align: justify;"> 267<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Shows where a performer bemoans their crappy love life and dating experiences are a dime a dozen. Honestly, there are some nights out at the theatre where I wish the maxim 'write what you know' had never been invented. However, if the London fringe theatre scene is a soup of overly intimate confessionals, Emilia Stawicki's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Thank You and Goodnight</i>&nbsp;floats to the top like a particularly crunchy crouton.&nbsp;</span></div> 268<div style="text-align: justify;"> 269<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 270<div style="text-align: justify;"> 271<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">
271This one-woman show traces Stawicki's love life back to her school days: mapping out the Catholic guilt that stunted her sexual development, the series of disappointing men who flitted through her life and her own feelings of inadequacy.</span></div> 272<div style="text-align: justify;"> 273<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 274<div style="text-align: justify;"> 275<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ordinarily, I feel a bit short-changed when a performer hits upon the novel idea of charging people to attend their group therapy session, but Stawicki is more than entertaining enough to make it work. I probably don't need to go into too much more detail than pointing out that she's very funny and charismatic.</span></div> 276<div style="text-align: justify;"> 277<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 278<div style="text-align: justify;"> 279<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Those are two qualities that are rarer than you'd imagine in comedy and theatre, but every inch of her performance feels calculated to draw laughs. It's the way she manages to lock eyes with everyone in the audience during the show and the conspiratorial way she draws us into her mindset. My usual barometer for this kind of thing working is whether the show can actually draw a couple of laughs from me. Well, mission: accomplished. In spades.</span></div> 280<div style="text-align: justify;"> 281<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 282<div style="text-align: justify;"> 283<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In addition, though this is a small, low-budget, hand-made sort of affair, it feels very professional. There's a lot of quick music cues and lighting changes throughout the show, and reliably hitting all them gives the show a confidence and slickness that goes a long way. So credit to whoever's on tech, as it's nice to see a small-scale show that's clearly been well-drilled.</span></div> 284<div style="text-align: justify;"> 285<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 286<div style="text-align: justify;"> 287<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In addition, Stawicki is such a pleasant person to spend an hour with that the interactive portions of the show aren't remotely intimidating. There are often moments where she interacts with us - and I was probably asking for it when I chose to sit in the front row centre in the seat with a banana taped to the bottom.</span></div> 288<div style="text-align: justify;"> 289<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 290<div style="text-align: justify;"> 291<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No matter what, you'll find something to identify with in&nbsp;</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Thank You and Goodnight. </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">It is neither groundbreaking nor particularly ambitious, but it's funny, warm-hearted, well-performed and concise. I can think of many worse ways to spend an hour.</span></span></div> 292<div style="text-align: justify;"> 293<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div> 294<div style="text-align: justify;"> 295<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Thank You and Goodnight</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"> is next on at the Camden People's Theatre, March 8th. <a href="https://www.cptheatre.co.uk/production/thank-you-and-goodnight/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</span></span></div> 296</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/5542706819541833858/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-thank-you-and-goodnight-at.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/5542706819541833858'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/5542706819541833858'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-thank-you-and-goodnight-at.html' title='Review: 'Thank You and Goodnight' at the Popular Union, 20th February 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
296<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SKg_Tzf0DBrQTT1OYWx3PcYphNfEa8T9ezl_7G-29iuRSb7B9nV95wu1D8ChWnIZaJNf4BvfMrG-3AN3bF0dlh6tYEXa9y19NwhzsueNgjqjyNc5AW0EseKIx0N8iOVLgHw9ezaTp9w3/s72-c/Thankyouandgoodnight-c-Box-Theatre.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-6468194623816053389</id><published>2020-02-14T15:40:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2020-02-14T15:40:36.964+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="colab"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="immersive"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="king william iv"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tom Black"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Crooks 1926' at the King William IV, 13th February 2020</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: justify;"> 297<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 298<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfsSog4lhNzb_F6jBwgVAerOZai-VJ6I6nDAF6PEWOWiA7o-H582kxib7jxQrE7E7ziI3xkYjuUBLWbniLyxCKPfUJjAoLIW6_9ZNQIWSgkc7IjfgnVkuuGMpS_oCNWyW22LR-grBxxnU/s1600/c5EI2RGg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1600" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfsSog4lhNzb_F6jBwgVAerOZai-VJ6I6nDAF6PEWOWiA7o-H582kxib7jxQrE7E7ziI3xkYjuUBLWbniLyxCKPfUJjAoLIW6_9ZNQIWSgkc7IjfgnVkuuGMpS_oCNWyW22LR-grBxxnU/s640/c5EI2RGg.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 299<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 300<br /></div> 301<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a><br style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></span><br /> 302<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></span> 303<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I'd love to be a fly on the wall when COLAB Theatre is planning out a new production. An astonishing amount of work must go into this: writing a central plot, writing secondary plots that a fraction of the audience will see, producing reams of written material to use in the show and mapping out how to best exploit the space. And then there's the wild card: us.</span></div> 304<div style="text-align: justify;"> 305<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 306<div style="text-align: justify;"> 307<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The audience is an element of chaos in a carefully calibrated system, the actors figuring out on the fly how to keep us entertained, provide us with goals, maintain the fiction and contain any troublemakers. I've adored the last two COLAB show I've seen, <i><a href="http://www.londoncitynights.com/2018/04/review-for-king-and-country-at-colab.html" target="_blank">For King and Country </a></i>and its sequel <i><a href="http://www.londoncitynights.com/2019/03/review-for-king-and-country-1944-at.html" target="_blank">For King and Country: 1944</a>.</i>&nbsp;
307These two shows tasked audiences with battling the Nazis in an alternative history scenario. Last night I saw their latest,&nbsp;<i>Crooks 1926.</i></span></div> 308<div style="text-align: justify;"> 309<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div> 310<div style="text-align: justify;"> 311<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I was a little nervous about this as this show is clearly heavily inspired by the TV show <i>Peaky Blinders</i>. I've never watched a single episode and have only the vaguest idea what it's about. Fortunately, I very quickly realised that though this might be designed to attract fans of the show, it isn't actually set within its world (at least, as far as I could tell).</span><br /> 312<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 313<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 314<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7b62Tzi4zA0-3Nao16ENtKgT2DBmpbgGgzlMWeHFMignl4Mjw9V4bI8BovA257ACN_6eCH4jNjPkWWnAhwnyjgGgdS-quUl01vUyz3SwpA3qkbuSyo3Bm_mmweXb0FOrWaPHssnQxeoZ/s1600/MV_zGVPw.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7b62Tzi4zA0-3Nao16ENtKgT2DBmpbgGgzlMWeHFMignl4Mjw9V4bI8BovA257ACN_6eCH4jNjPkWWnAhwnyjgGgdS-quUl01vUyz3SwpA3qkbuSyo3Bm_mmweXb0FOrWaPHssnQxeoZ/s640/MV_zGVPw.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 315<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 316<div style="text-align: justify;"> 317<span style="font-family: georgia, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">Soon after entering the audience quickly becomes part of an up and coming London street gang. Its patriarch is dead and his sons have taken over and have ambitions for expansion. But there are rivals who would rather strangle this in the crib: with villainous boss Sabini arriving and demanding £10,000 by the end of the day. It's our job to con, steal, cheat and blackmail our way to victory, all the while fending off the old bob and solving various mysteries.</span></div> 318<div style="text-align: justify;"> 319<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 320<div style="text-align: justify;"> 321<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">As was the case with the previous productions I've seen, the audience is managed by splitting them off into different teams and then further subdividing those into two or three-person tasks. One smart thing that I appreciate is that the show caters for both introverts and extroverts by providing tasks that appeal to both. So those less willing to interact with the cast can pore over documents and strategise and those who want to show off a bit can improvise scenes with the cast.&nbsp;</span></div> 322<div style="text-align: justify;"> 323<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 324<div style="text-align: justify;"> 325<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The cast warns the audience not to spoil too many details so I'll stop there, but COLAB more than achieves their goal of immersing the audience in this knockabout world. The final moments of the play are absolutely gripping, with the room so tense you could hear a pin drop.</span><br /> 326<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 327<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 328<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFJYCA0Cmm9nmLX66uISO_MfBxYqLBsFHHoYvlbTUXiLkYPsV1ekUC26CPqciGND9uKl1Ep7Yt8dA5f2DRBNXfxa1qduEdQ-VAGGL8F8BZN0XdRv-jCr94RUpD1gabMkuYKeajKHLCrEN/s1600/aibvNnAw.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFJYCA0Cmm9nmLX66uISO_MfBxYqLBsFHHoYvlbTUXiLkYPsV1ekUC26CPqciGND9uKl1Ep7Yt8dA5f2DRBNXfxa1qduEdQ-VAGGL8F8BZN0XdRv-jCr94RUpD1gabMkuYKeajKHLCrEN/s640/aibvNnAw.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 329<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 330<div style="text-align: justify;"> 331<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">And yet, compared to the taut and focused <i>For King and Country</i>&nbsp;shows, there were several very unfocused moments. I should preface any criticism by saying that every who attends will have a different experience and maybe I just had bad luck. But throughout the night I kept running into narrative loose ends. Packages I was supposed to collect never arrived, I was given the wrong clues when I asked for c
331odenames at the bar (very confusing), a locked room puzzle included multiple versions of the same key and, worst of all, there were frequent moments where I had nothing at all&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">to do</span><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;and just kinda milled around.</span></div> 332<div style="text-align: justify;"> 333<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 334<div style="text-align: justify;"> 335<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Maybe this was just a rough night, but I asked the cast members for a couple of pointers and they said they'd get back to me with something to do. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. It's a looseness I hadn't experienced at a COLAB show before - maybe it's a function of the show taking place over multiple rooms of a building rather than one large room?</span></div> 336<div style="text-align: justify;"> 337<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 338<div style="text-align: justify;"> 339<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I know that putting together a show like this is an insanely complex process, and I know the generally the more an audie
339nce member puts into immersive theatre the more they get out of it, but things felt a little more rough and chaotic than usual here.&nbsp;</span></div> 340<div style="text-align: justify;"> 341<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 342<div style="text-align: justify;"> 343<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Still, COLAB remains a cut above pretty much every theatre company working in London today. I'm going to chalk this up as just an unfortunate evening rather than any serious problems with the show. Still, as I left I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.</span></div> 344<div style="text-align: justify;"> 345<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 346<div style="text-align: justify;"> 347<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Crooks 1926 is booking until March 29th. <a href="https://www.colabtheatre.co.uk/crooks-2" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></div> 348</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/6468194623816053389/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-crooks-1926-at-king-william-iv.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/6468194623816053389'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/6468194623816053389'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-crooks-1926-at-king-william-iv.html' title='Review: 'Crooks 1926' at the King William IV, 13th February 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfsSog4lhNzb_F6jBwgVAerOZai-VJ6I6nDAF6PEWOWiA7o-H582kxib7jxQrE7E7ziI3xkYjuUBLWbniLyxCKPfUJjAoLIW6_9ZNQIWSgkc7IjfgnVkuuGMpS_oCNWyW22LR-grBxxnU/s72-c/c5EI2RGg.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-5483353179941543559</id><published>2020-02-11T13:37:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2020-02-11T13:37:45.279+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="chiswick playhouse"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="fred perry"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="karoline leach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="play"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="scarlett brookes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Tryst"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Tryst' at the Chiswick Playhouse, 10th February 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 349<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYy0I5F9tdz0AAHEXWrQRWZ0-9kO7C4pwKEdcO6t8Q1XGzCcy32a1tMiRgktLpcOaIlTQlEVO2EFSbhK-Qpb11ZK2V5QGa3UVTqWXRaxVYBx3kwLpbsbLggslQNAFtivak6Smiv4F65NB/s1600/dN21dvEw.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYy0I5F9tdz0AAHEXWrQRWZ0-9kO7C4pwKEdcO6t8Q1XGzCcy32a1tMiRgktLpcOaIlTQlEVO2EFSbhK-Qpb11ZK2V5QGa3UVTqWXRaxVYBx3kwLpbsbLggslQNAFtivak6Smiv4F65NB/s640/dN21dvEw.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 350<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 351<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></b></span></div> 352<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 353<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></b></span></div> 354<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 355<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 356<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 357<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 358<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 359<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div> 360<div style="text-align: justify;"> 361<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Maybe I'm just getting cynical, but the standard of fringe theatre feels like it's pretty damn low at the moment. There's a couple of gems out there, but it seems like every time I open my inbox I'm faced with a deluge of invitations to autobiographical productions about playwrights' personal struggle against various types of adversity. And if they're not that, they're some self-consciously random bullshit about unicorns or some other twee bullshit.</span></div> 362<div style="text-align: justify;"> 363<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 364<div style="text-align: justify;"> 365<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">So thank god for Karoline Leach's&nbsp;<i style="font-weight: bold;">Tryst</i><i>,&nbsp;</i>a narratively straightforward two-hander that takes place in two relatively normal locations. The play was first staged in 1997 under the title <i>The Mysterious Mr Love</i>, and now it's the final show in the Chiswick Playhouse's inaugural season.</span></div> 366<div style="text-align: justify;"> 367<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 368<div style="text-align: justify;"> 369<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Set in 1910, we follow conman George Love (Fred Perry) and milliner Adelaide Pinchin (Scarlett Brookes). Love'
369s modus operandi is to seduce rich, desperate and unmarried women and then abscond with their money at the earliest opportunity. He introduces himself to us as a predator, dehumanising his targets by describing them as "it" and claiming that the one night of good sex he'll provide will more than help them through the misery of being conned.</span></div> 370<div style="text-align: justify;"> 371<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 372<div style="text-align: justify;"> 373<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Adelaide Pinchin appears to be his ideal victim. She's a depressed, dowdy woman approaching middle-age eking out a miserable existence behind the scenes of a hat shop. She also has a diamond brooch, a pearl hairpin and a large inheritance that she doesn't know what to do with. After a chance encounter, Love sniffs this out almost immediately, and the stage is set for the big con.</span></div> 374<div style="text-align: justify;"> 375<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 376<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 377<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVqU5Mw0M8quFkEyaZU2C1ZTEyzQk3IeJduZgN973ecuG1pSwMgWBcCpA7k32YzadOaD_hajr2o4WtQR36FAeBbm4cwQ44VZYs4XWvYzk1PVCGiMBzVURvjfmcOJkS1hMBGLVCabzdens/s1600/VwEPwMKA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVqU5Mw0M8quFkEyaZU2C1ZTEyzQk3IeJduZgN973ecuG1pSwMgWBcCpA7k32YzadOaD_hajr2o4WtQR36FAeBbm4cwQ44VZYs4XWvYzk1PVCGiMBzVURvjfmcOJkS1hMBGLVCabzdens/s640/VwEPwMKA.jpeg" width="428" /></a></div> 378<div style="text-align: justify;"> 379<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 380<div style="text-align: justify;"> 381<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Though based on an easily searchable true story, I would recommend you save your internet search until after you've seen the play. Leach provides a purposeful yet winding narrative in which your assumptions about who these people are are repeatedly challenged. Though one is predator and the other prey, they are both products of the same system and ultimately cannot help but empathise with one another.</span></div> 382<div style="text-align: justify;"> 383<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 384<div style="text-align: justify;"> 385<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Without going into too much spoilerrific detail, the true monster of the piece proves to be the patriarchal society that underpins the era. Love has moulded himself into what he perceives as the ideal man: stylish, charming and devoid of any real emotion. But what's left of the real person under all this, and where is he ultimately going?&nbsp;</span></div> 386<div style="text-align: justify;"> 387<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 388<div style="text-align: justify;"> 389<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">He doesn't realise any of this, so it's a surprise when Adelaide opens up about her home life and he begins to feel increasingly powerful twinges of empathy. And, as every good con man knows, once you start down that road the jig is up.</span></div> 390<div style="text-align: justify;"> 391<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 392<div style="text-align: justify;"> 393<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">We cannot help but analyse the characters' predicaments through a contemporary lens. In fact, though the play was first performed in '97, contemporary audiences are probably likely to get more out of the psychology of Adelaide than the original audiences would have.</span></div> 394<div style="text-align: justify;"> 395<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 396<div style="text-align: justify;"> 397<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">And man, it's a hell of a story, underpinned by two fantastic performances. Both communicate volumes through their body language alone. Brookes does a great job of draining Adelaide of confidence and then building her back up. She's clearly a beautiful woman in real life, but as Adelaide her drawn features and strained expressions belie decades of being ground under someone else's thumb.&nbsp;</span></div> 398<div style="text-align: justify;"> 399<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 400<div style="text-align: justify;"> 401<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Meanwhile, Perry manages an onion-like performance in which his character pretends to be someone who is pretending to be someone. That he can do that while clearly delineating each layer is an impressive feat.</span></div> 402<div style="text-align: justify;"> 403<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 404<div style="text-align: justify;"> 405<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">On top of all that the attention to period detail in dialogue and set design is basically perfect. Everything from brewing a cup of tea, to running a bath, to outside toilets, to the jobs of ancillary characters have clearly been carefully researched. You know you're in good hands when the characters can casually reference <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Girl" target="_blank">Gibson Girls</a>.</span></div> 406<div style="text-align: justify;"> 407<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 408<div style="text-align: justify;"> 409<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I had a great time, and I honestly wish there were more plays staged like this. <i>Tryst </i>doesn't deal in writing tricks, complex feats of staging or didactic messaging - it's just a straightforward story of two characters in opposition to one another. Those 90 minutes positively flew by for me and judging b
409y the audiences' reaction, they will for you too.</span></div> 410</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/5483353179941543559/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-tryst-at-chiswick-playhosue-10th.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/5483353179941543559'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/5483353179941543559'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/02/review-tryst-at-chiswick-playhosue-10th.html' title='Review: 'Tryst' at the Chiswick Playhouse, 10th February 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYy0I5F9tdz0AAHEXWrQRWZ0-9kO7C4pwKEdcO6t8Q1XGzCcy32a1tMiRgktLpcOaIlTQlEVO2EFSbhK-Qpb11ZK2V5QGa3UVTqWXRaxVYBx3kwLpbsbLggslQNAFtivak6Smiv4F65NB/s72-c/dN21dvEw.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-4700027687485326756</id><published>2020-01-31T14:16:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2020-01-31T14:25:21.893+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="ashleigh cole"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Bridewell theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Henry Darell"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'For The Sake Of Argument' at the Bridewell Theatre, 30th January 2020</title><content type='html'><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 411<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 412<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAg0tdYyRdwWxelg62aYM7GTuoc3E2iw970gDDOV7cNw9DIaap6T798UfmtNFSUgEolf_zfURE5coBrP_2_us7gpVaLaSIIE2MF5HNzzsjfBYtliLKljzRq1hEFgHYcaVGiFK3KSiPswN/s1600/2ClO-Big.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1600" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAg0tdYyRdwWxelg62aYM7GTuoc3E2iw970gDDOV7cNw9DIaap6T798UfmtNFSUgEolf_zfURE5coBrP_2_us7gpVaLaSIIE2MF5HNzzsjfBYtliLKljzRq1hEFgHYcaVGiFK3KSiPswN/s640/2ClO-Big.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 413<br /> 414<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 415<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 416<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span><br /> 417<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div> 418<div style="text-align: justify;"> 419<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">When my revolution begins I will order that opinion columnists be first up against the wall. Don't get me wrong, there's a couple of good eggs. But the vast majority are preening, thin-skinned poshos who got their jobs through nepotism and can be relied on to be dead wrong about almost everything. I'm thinking your Polly Toynbees, your Suzanne Moores, your Matthew D'Anconas and your John Rentouls.</span></div> 420<div style="text-align: justify;"> 421<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 422<div style="text-align: justify;"> 423<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">These are the kinds of people who have no useful function in society: PPE grads deemed too incompetent for actual power and whose role is to condescend to their readers, strictly enforce the status quo and pine for the 'sensible' centrism that will allow them to continue their ridiculous cossetted existences in fancy London mansions</span></div> 424<div style="text-align: justify;"> 425<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 426<div style="text-align: justify;"> 427<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">... and... breathe...&nbsp;</span></div> 428<div style="text-align: justify;"> 429<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 430<div style="text-align: justify;"> 431<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Harry Darell's <b style="font-style: italic;">For The Sake of Argument </b>invites us to spend an evening with these people. His show serves up a ghoulish gallery of privileged tossers and then slowly dismantles the emotional, intellectual and geographic barriers erected that prevent them from being exposed to the consequences of their words.</span></div> 432<div style="text-align: justify;"> 433<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 434<div style="text-align: justify;"> 435<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The play centres on author and columnist Eleanor Hickock (Ashleigh Cole), who I read as essentially a gender-swapped Christopher Hitchens. Like Hitchens, she's extremely erudite, atheistic and began life on the left only to find herself sympathising with US neocons. The play is set in 2009, during Gordon Brown's Prime Ministership, and we find her still vociferously defending Blair and Bush's disastrous invasion of Iraq.</span><br /> 436<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 437<br /> 438<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 439<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxFCRnQtu6GZxGJtuhH7ymH3u6Hnc6DhRzlKDoKG123f0VhrJjStfOdYH65ursp6CeZfolv1PKNBXA74g-87zgTDt0kKrv4k308qzULypLbvAm1x3OTo7R0NrgKGNB1ytzXeqnH2OOCYn/s1600/ASKyHymg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxFCRnQtu6GZxGJtuhH7ymH3u6Hnc6DhRzlKDoKG123f0VhrJjStfOdYH65ursp6CeZfolv1PKNBXA74g-87zgTDt0kKrv4k308qzULypLbvAm1x3OTo7R0NrgKGNB1ytzXeqnH2OOCYn/s640/ASKyHymg.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 440<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 441<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Listening to the arguments about this gave me mild yet distressing flashbacks to 2003, where all manner of armchair generals opined that invading Iraq was the only sensible thing to do. Most of the war's biggest cheerleaders have since quietly plastered over those years, but Hickock (to the vocal annoyance of her friends) is still desperate to prove she was actually right all along about Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction and the need to invade Iraq.</span></div> 442<div style="text-align: justify;"> 443<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 444<div style="text-align: justify;"> 445<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Unfortunately for Eleanor, her smug little shell is about to get cracked wide upon. The mother of a child who was radicalised by Eleanor's writings arrives at her debate circle and invites her to dinner. Having travelled to Chippenham, Eleanor is presented with letters from the man she encouraged to go off to war and the misery of the family he left behind. How long c
445an dispassionate, logical and robotic regurgitation of facts hold up against an infinite pit of sorrow?</span><br /> 446<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 447<br /></div> 448</div> 449<div style="text-align: justify;"> 450<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>For the Sake of Argument</i>&nbsp;succeeds in its goal of showing what it takes to get someone to understand their impact on society. Throughout the play, Eleanor and her friends' debates are exposed as intellectual masturbation: a mutual preening session to boost their grotesquely over-inflated egos. They are sophists and have wallowed in irony so long they're saturated in it. As you watch, it's difficult not to think that nothing of value would be lost if they just quietly and unobtrusively winked out of existence.</span></div> 451<div style="text-align: justify;"> 452<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 453<div style="text-align: justify;"> 454<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Eleanor in particular is one of the vilest characters I've seen in a play in quite some time. Cole does a fantastic job with the part: capturing that way people like Eleanor radiate a false intellectual superiority. As is revealed at some length, she sees herself as above the hoi polloi, looking down on those who form opinions without full command of the facts (that her 'facts' are essentially US government propaganda seems to escape her). I wished the very worst for her - and it's deeply satisfying to eventually watch her squirm and mewl on the hook.</span><br /> 455<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 456<br /> 457<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 458<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvz3RXYZFz8o6gHweLbSVi8MAIWf6kyDs6pUyy6CjjWOYnf3dPlz5pXOwEY5N42S7_jPuXKie6_POk-LSgRM5Gvx_VTl5JhU89fzrNTyZqxrf350VZ9uoYi4T3gryNL0-ajVW7pYuN2c3/s1600/FxPKtPCQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvz3RXYZFz8o6gHweLbSVi8MAIWf6kyDs6pUyy6CjjWOYnf3dPlz5pXOwEY5N42S7_jPuXKie6_POk-LSgRM5Gvx_VTl5JhU89fzrNTyZqxrf350VZ9uoYi4T3gryNL0-ajVW7pYuN2c3/s640/FxPKtPCQ.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 459<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 460<div style="text-align: justify;"> 461<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Darell&nbsp;hits the nail on the head when it comes to deconstructing Eleanor. Unfortunately, the play as a whole is kinda flabby. We open with a lengthy examination of an alcoholic bartender that never goes anywhere, there are unnecessary interludes by the dead soldier (and I gotta say they're not particularly well-acted) and the first act goes on way too long.&nbsp;</span></div> 462<div style="text-align: justify;"> 463<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 464<div style="text-align: justify;"> 465<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">If the purpose of the 'debate scenes' is to establish the shallowness of Eleanor and her social circle, then that's done in about 10 minutes. Instead, we have to listen to them witter on about Ken Livingstone and Winston Churchill. There's a fine line between exposing us unpleasant people and annoying the audience with unpleasant characters, and <i>For the Sake of Argument</i>&nbsp;often crosses it.&nbsp;</span></div> 466<div style="text-align: justify;"> 467<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 468<div style="text-align: justify;"> 469<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Still, the plot sets its sights on some very worthy targets and by the end, you're left in no doubt that these characters and their ilk are completely full of shit. That the real-life counterparts of Eleanor Hickock get to swan off into the horizon on a sea of canapes and complimentary Malbec leaving a pile of corpses in their wake is disgusting.</span></div> 470<div style="text-align: justify;"> 471<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 472<div style="text-align: justify;"> 473<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It almost makes me wish there was an afterlife so these pricks could suffer the punishment they so richly deserve. But, in the absence of hell, I'll just have to continue trolling them through shell accounts on Twitter.&nbsp;</span></div> 474<div style="text-align: justify;"> 475<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 476<div style="text-align: justify;"> 477<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>For the Sake of Argument is at the Bridewell Theatre until 8th February 2020. <a href="
477https://www.sbf.org.uk/whats-on/view/for-the-sake-of-argument/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></div> 478</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/4700027687485326756/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-for-sake-of-argument-at.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/4700027687485326756'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/4700027687485326756'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-for-sake-of-argument-at.html' title='Review: 'For The Sake Of Argument' at the Bridewell Theatre, 30th January 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAg0tdYyRdwWxelg62aYM7GTuoc3E2iw970gDDOV7cNw9DIaap6T798UfmtNFSUgEolf_zfURE5coBrP_2_us7gpVaLaSIIE2MF5HNzzsjfBYtliLKljzRq1hEFgHYcaVGiFK3KSiPswN/s72-c/2ClO-Big.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-2589316683574787525</id><published>2020-01-30T13:50:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2020-01-30T13:50:28.415+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="melissa parker"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monica anne"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="natalya martin"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="tatty hennessey"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="The Vault Festival"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Something Awful' at Vault Festival, 29th January 2020</title><content type='html'><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 479<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 480<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2nZ6A9F4-ANIWzqKG1IrXaQ0I-tSDMzftsE6k3OL4ZpkNn0Z0Kb25x7go4gLSLZKMJ0FYvNgiWEuatZT8eT77TdqhOKH35tjOGfDIio_ZY-FWkggZoX2ZOYiVgzhY_Z42jTaEqzwLO5b/s1600/SomethingAwful-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1600" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2nZ6A9F4-ANIWzqKG1IrXaQ0I-tSDMzftsE6k3OL4ZpkNn0Z0Kb25x7go4gLSLZKMJ0FYvNgiWEuatZT8eT77TdqhOKH35tjOGfDIio_ZY-FWkggZoX2ZOYiVgzhY_Z42jTaEqzwLO5b/s640/SomethingAwful-39.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> 481<br /> 482<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 483<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 484<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="2 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/two-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 485<div style="text-align: justify;"> 486<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 487<div style="text-align: justify;"> 488<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">There is no way I was going to pass up seeing a show called <i style="font-weight: bold;">Something Awful. </i>The title of the play is derived from a dinosauric comedy website and internet forum. Once upon a time the site was on the cutting edge of online comedy. Now it's slowly dying, having transitioned into a safe space for depressed middle-aged men to swap Simpsons memes, pose as Third World Maoists and hold purposefully contrary views on <i>Star Wars.&nbsp;</i></span></div> 489<div style="text-align: justify;"> 490<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 491<div style="text-align: justify;"> 492<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Though the site has bubbled away at the obscure corners of popular culture for two decades, its biggest contribution to date (aside from maybe dril) is Slender Man. Created as part of a contest to create paranormal images, the spooky character transcended the site and went viral, spawning movies and games.</span></div> 493<div style="text-align: justify;"> 494<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 495<div style="text-align: justify;"> 496<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It was all fun and games until two twelve-year-old Wisconsin schoolgirls took Slender Man a touch too seriously and attempted to stab their friend to death with a kitchen knife. Now Tatty Hennessy has taken that story, transplanted it to the UK and given it a psychosexual spin.</span></div> 497<div style="text-align: justify;"> 498<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 499<div style="text-align: justify;"> 500<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Here our characters are&nbsp;Jel (Monica Anne), Soph (Natalya Martin) and Ellie (Melissa Parker). They're into spooky stories online, finding themselves attracted to a creepypasta thread on Something Awful. The site is described as one of the most vicious places online, where the comments are impossibly cruel and the posters depraved gore-hungry lunatics.</span><br /> 501<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 502<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 503<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0hCFFY0fW17cSb8kPGjSkz3n5fWCrOaM4tOXlFJl5MithCc_VtwGiJEirZMM9n_ZiRcSYgLicyDU4JLkTVHHUKEdKleIpst2NyTfwpnus9_zqetbz4sWhp1iAMeJhjw1xqCBa_V5gEkI/s1600/jWzTbmX.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1217" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0hCFFY0fW17cSb8kPGjSkz3n5fWCrOaM4tOXlFJl5MithCc_VtwGiJEirZMM9n_ZiRcSYgLicyDU4JLkTVHHUKEdKleIpst2NyTfwpnus9_zqetbz4sWhp1iAMeJhjw1xqCBa_V5gEkI/s640/jWzTbmX.png" width="640" /></a></div> 504<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 505<div style="text-align: justify;"> 506<span style="font-family: georgia, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">At first, the girls won't even register to post, fearful of the reactions their contributions might receive. But slowly they get drawn in, with a mysterious tale of a supernatural homicidal woodsman striking very close to home. They're lost in the story, and their only way out... is murder!</span></div> 507<div style="text-align: justify;"> 508<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 509<div style="text-align: justify;"> 510<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">Thing is, much of <i>Something Awful </i>isn't really about the supernatural at all. Instead, it seems to be a coming-of-age story in which young girls explore their sexuality and self-image. The non-horror scenes that get to grips with this are the best things in the play, with the highlight a sleepover where one girl has her first period and the others attempt to assist her in
510inserting a tampon.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;">I don't know what the hell teenage girls actually speak about these days, but the dialogue rings true and all three actors are very believable as 13-year olds.</span></span></div> 511<div style="text-align: justify;"> 512<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 513<div style="text-align: justify;"> 514<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">But squeezing all this into an hour means that what should be the core story of the girls developing a deadly obsession with spooky stories online gets squeezed into the margins. What I'd think would be the meat of the play - the bit where two of the girls decide that the third must be sacrificed - is quickly skimmed over.&nbsp;</span></div> 515<div style="text-align: justify;"> 516<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 517<div style="text-align: justify;"> 518<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">And so we're funnelled into a murder scene where the killers' motivations haven't been established. The final bloody moments should be an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. Here they're just a confusing ellipsis.</span></div> 519<div style="text-align: justify;"> 520<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 521<div style="text-align: justify;"> 522<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I'm usually all about brevity in theatre. Most stories can be told in an hour and its a rare play that wouldn't benefit from a bit of editing. But <i>Something Awful </i>gets very cramped trying to squeeze everything into an hour. It'd benefit from a lot more room to breathe.</span><br /> 523<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 524<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Something Awful </i>is at the Vault Festival until 2nd Feb. <a href="https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/something-awful/" target="_blank">Tickets here.</a></span></div> 525<div style="text-align: justify;"> 526<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 527<div style="text-align: justify;"> 528<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 529</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/2589316683574787525/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-something-awful-at-vault.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2589316683574787525'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/2589316683574787525'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-something-awful-at-vault.html' title='Review: 'Something Awful' at Vault Festival, 29th January 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
529<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2nZ6A9F4-ANIWzqKG1IrXaQ0I-tSDMzftsE6k3OL4ZpkNn0Z0Kb25x7go4gLSLZKMJ0FYvNgiWEuatZT8eT77TdqhOKH35tjOGfDIio_ZY-FWkggZoX2ZOYiVgzhY_Z42jTaEqzwLO5b/s72-c/SomethingAwful-39.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-3697400035880572579</id><published>2020-01-24T14:15:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2020-01-24T14:15:27.815+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="billy postlethwaite"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="emma mcdonald"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Shakespeare"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="the watermill ensemble"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="WIlton's Music Hall"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Macbeth' at Wilton's Music Hall, 23rd January 2020</title><content type='html'><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 530<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 531<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRWo5q7OGTUzFbZDSfki0xwlQ4M1ctcdyuUDwW7z65qFQZ77uDoTTEuaj6fWnRtsjh3js26oT8n9BKLWrjj5AA_xzpGEdfHVEirk_77xtjeL08zUC1Kau-wjGY_IBZs8MJIfvl8ooYqvK/s1600/qNi_EFnA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1600" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRWo5q7OGTUzFbZDSfki0xwlQ4M1ctcdyuUDwW7z65qFQZ77uDoTTEuaj6fWnRtsjh3js26oT8n9BKLWrjj5AA_xzpGEdfHVEirk_77xtjeL08zUC1Kau-wjGY_IBZs8MJIfvl8ooYqvK/s640/qNi_EFnA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 532<br /> 533<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 534<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 535<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="3 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/three-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span><br /> 536<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div> 537<div style="text-align: justify;"> 538<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Ten minutes into The Watermill Ensemble's&nbsp;<i style="font-weight: bold;">Macbeth</i>&nbsp;a member of the cast dislocated both knees and the play was stopped. I don't believe in curses, but... I mean, pretty spooky right?</span></div> 539<div style="text-align: justify;"> 540<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 541<div style="text-align: justify;"> 542<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Director Paul Hart appeared on stage to explain that ordinarily they'd have cancelled tonight's show. However, it just so happened that a former cast member, Emma Barclay, was in the audience. She stepped in at a moment'
542s notice to play Lady MacDuff and though we were warned that tonight's show might be a bit rough around the edges, everything went off smoothly. So well done to her.</span></div> 543<div style="text-align: justify;"> 544<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 545<div style="text-align: justify;"> 546<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">After a restart and a delay of about an hour, we get our teeth into the company's unique take on Macbeth. Though the plot sticks closely to the book, the setting is an urban contemporary warzone. The backdrop is a crumbling hotel, the characters dress in combat gear and have vicious knife fights. There are frequent live musical interstitials within scenes, with characters singing songs by The Rolling Stones, The XX and the Nine Inch Nails.</span><br /> 547<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 548<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 549<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9gqgtiEs8ggd_BlJsTbwLKI7rqPYmTNeOBKhaFzuw24gi3oIASdqqfZiXg69y6rPuiriMCdZyY4pTKv4PB8nULGagFQrC8QcH4GMrIBut0e-HyiBOQJmQJA586nwQHDFVvGEV0HSozSn/s1600/tZRoteDg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1111" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9gqgtiEs8ggd_BlJsTbwLKI7rqPYmTNeOBKhaFzuw24gi3oIASdqqfZiXg69y6rPuiriMCdZyY4pTKv4PB8nULGagFQrC8QcH4GMrIBut0e-HyiBOQJmQJA586nwQHDFVvGEV0HSozSn/s640/tZRoteDg.jpeg" width="442" /></a></div> 550<br /></div> 551<div style="text-align: justify;"> 552<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">As is usual with these sorts of Shakespearian adaptations, the medieval language of Thanes, Kings and castles don't perfectly tesselate with the setting. However, it's easy on the eye, the costumes make the cast look cool and there's a sexy revolutionary chic to the whole thing. As usual, it's best to just go with it.</span></div> 553<div style="text-align: justify;"> 554<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 555<div style="text-align: justify;"> 556<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Billy Postlethwaite's Macbeth is easily the show's most striking feature, whose beard, straggly hair and beret give him a Che Guevara vibe. Postlethwaite is a hell of an actor, looming over the other cast members and with a combat veteran's build. His Macbeth is both regal and deadly: a man for whom you can believe murder is a viable way to solve a problem.</span></div> 557<div style="text-align: justify;"> 558<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 559<div style="text-align: justify;"> 560<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">But a good Macbeth is nothing without his Lady Macbeth, and Emma Mcdonald is more than a match for her co-star. Dressed in form-fitting outfits, she slinks around the stage like a big cat pacing its cage in the zoo. The love and lust between the couple is palpable. They sinuously wrap themselves around one another, their intertwining limbs showing off their physical intimacy.</span></div> 561<div style="text-align: justify;"> 562<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 563<div style="text-align: justify;"> 564<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">They're a great double-act and whenever they're on stage the show fizzes. And when they're not?</span><br /> 565<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 566<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 567<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEq23T5YOaw6IzfBlLAeJtsJIvwBdtjZK0DtxXADGSwH2mmx70AFnuicBapJh7Qj8oAJofVu_UZTG9FScj3wPMC2jvf4jI417ENQw4W1Prd6e7oDKc81xQzpwMN-d-cXQM51H_99T6IRF/s1600/ZRhpepPw.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="1600" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEq23T5YOaw6IzfBlLAeJtsJIvwBdtjZK0DtxXADGSwH2mmx70AFnuicBapJh7Qj8oAJofVu_UZTG9FScj3wPMC2jvf4jI417ENQw4W1Prd6e7oDKc81xQzpwMN-d-cXQM51H_99T6IRF/s640/ZRhpepPw.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 568<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 569<div style="text-align: justify;"> 570<span style="font-family: georgia, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">Well, there's a notable dull patch in the second half of the show when we head away from Cawdor and get into the murder of the Macduff family and the raising of an army against Macbeth. It'
570s not that the performances are lacking, more this action pales into comparison with the psychosexual guilt of the Macbeths. Plus, while I'm familiar with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's dialogue, I don't know this part of the play so well, and the acoustics in the room aren't great for clarity.</span></div> 571<div style="text-align: justify;"> 572<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 573<div style="text-align: justify;"> 574<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I also don't the musical interludes add a great deal to the play. Pausing the narrative to sing a couple of bars of a rock or pop song feels like they don't have confidence in the play to sustain the audience's attention. On top of that, it's a stretch to figure out what relevance the songs' lyrics have to the show.&nbsp;</span></div> 575<div style="text-align: justify;"> 576<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 577<div style="text-align: justify;"> 578<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">As an aside, this take on&nbsp;<i>Macbeth</i>&nbsp;doesn't even properly feature the Three Witches, one of my favourite bits of the play. Here they're played by the ensemble as more of a force of nature, but having this many characters inhabit them dilutes their power.</span></div> 579<div style="text-align: justify;"> 580<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 581<div style="text-align: justify;"> 582<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">It leaves an uneven show that pulls in a couple of different directions at once. Billy Postlethwaite and Emma Mcdonald are worth the price of admission alone, but I wish the rest of it was a bit more focused.</span></div> 583<div style="text-align: justify;"> 584<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 585<div style="text-align: justify;"> 586<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Macbeth is at Wilton's Music Hall in a double bill with A Midsummer Night's Dream until 15th February. <a href="https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/609-macbeth" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></div> 587<div style="text-align: justify;"> 588<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 589</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/3697400035880572579/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-macbeth-at-wiltons-music-hall.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3697400035880572579'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3697400035880572579'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-macbeth-at-wiltons-music-hall.html' title='Review: 'Macbeth' at Wilton's Music Hall, 23rd January 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
589<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRWo5q7OGTUzFbZDSfki0xwlQ4M1ctcdyuUDwW7z65qFQZ77uDoTTEuaj6fWnRtsjh3js26oT8n9BKLWrjj5AA_xzpGEdfHVEirk_77xtjeL08zUC1Kau-wjGY_IBZs8MJIfvl8ooYqvK/s72-c/qNi_EFnA.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-531307831131341483</id><published>2020-01-18T11:44:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2020-01-18T11:44:26.717+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="david threlfal"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="james hayes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jermyn Street Theatre"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lisa dwan"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="niall buggy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="samuel beckett"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Trevor Nunn"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Beckett Triple Bill' at the Jermyn Street Theatre, 17th January 2020</title><content type='html'><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 590<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw7dMDpwlCOXqHywpL7sShz6_90mukHnvc_U87259sRDEesWAjehSYiygKp5_fjFd8-qeiRsnwZKjmdlTmXj25_Ex3xiZxgQ-syvllW6Jl6D1wBxCsnyVknmuphQGWmKFGaxPvtdF87yu/s1600/XnELjb08.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1586" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw7dMDpwlCOXqHywpL7sShz6_90mukHnvc_U87259sRDEesWAjehSYiygKp5_fjFd8-qeiRsnwZKjmdlTmXj25_Ex3xiZxgQ-syvllW6Jl6D1wBxCsnyVknmuphQGWmKFGaxPvtdF87yu/s640/XnELjb08.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> 591<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 592<span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></b></span></div> 593<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> 594<span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 595<div style="text-align: justify;"> 596<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span></div> 597<div style="text-align: justify;"> 598<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div> 599<div style="text-align: justify;"> 600<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Joan Rivers once said "There is nothing funny about ageing. It is rotten and depressing. Anyone who tells you otherwise just hasn't been paying attention." After seeing director Trevor Nunn's Samuel Beckett triple bill at the Jermyn Street Theatre I'm inclined to agree.</span></div> 601<div style="text-align: justify;"> 602<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 603<div style="text-align: justify;"> 604<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The trio of plays consists of <i>Krapp's Last Tape, Eh Joe</i>&nbsp;and <i>The Old Tune</i>, which add up to just over two hours. The three plays all see elderly men reflecting on their past, each of them haunted by memories that slip through their fingers like sand through an hourglass. Common to all are frequent haunted expressions, as if the characters are coming to a sudden crushing realisation that they've reached a dead end.</span></div> 605<div style="text-align: justify;"> 606<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 607<div style="text-align: justify;"> 608<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you're not familiar with Beckett, the show throws you in at the deep end with <i>Krapp's Last Tape. </i>The majority of the first 15 minutes consist of the elderly Krapp wandering aimlessly around the stage, groaning at the aches of his body and eating a couple of bananas. Propulsive drama this ain't, but it serves a function. You have to become accustomed to Beckett's rhythms and, most importantly, pay close attention to the performer.</span></div> 609<div style="text-align: justify;"> 610<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 611<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> 612<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_iqvHBDwBS70adqfqv6EA6ZQWN77f3j0MkGKSjRPTRR-50IWGiT0AWDnp2jl9g0dcWhsimCam56dMidUTynl010BZu9ru0ql7zBlzqz0j4oqpr6vh1LhdUAyMtrxFmJ98PTR4PQuEtdp/s1600/zATAxa64.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_iqvHBDwBS70adqfqv6EA6ZQWN77f3j0MkGKSjRPTRR-50IWGiT0AWDnp2jl9g0dcWhsimCam56dMidUTynl010BZu9ru0ql7zBlzqz0j4oqpr6vh1LhdUAyMtrxFmJ98PTR4PQuEtdp/s640/zATAxa64.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> 613<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Hayes in <i>Krapp's Last Tape</i></td></tr> 614</tbody></table> 615<div style="text-align: justify;"> 616<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">The emotional core of these plays doesn't lie in grandiose gestures or angry exclamations, but in the flicker of an eyebrow or the quiver of a lip. These are fiercely buttoned-up characters, each of them having constructed a fortress around their feelings as they've gotten older.</span></div> 617<div style="text-align: justify;"> 618<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 619<div style="text-align: justify;"> 620<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Niall Buggy in<i> Eh Joe </i>demonstrates this most clearly. Originally written for television, this short play shows the titular Joe sitting on his bed as a sinister voiceover (Lisa Dwan) torments him with memories. Joe neither says nor does anything, simply sits on the bed and reacts to the internal monologue - the action takes place on Buggy's face. Nunn amplifies this in a pretty straightforward way - projecting a live feed of his face onto the wall behind them that gradually zooms in closer and closer. It's a simple, elegant and goddamn effective technique and as the voiceover grows ever more sinister it sent chills up my spine.</span></div> 621<div style="text-align: justify;"> 622<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 623<div style="text-align: justify;"> 624<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Both <i>Krapp's Last Tape</i>&nbsp;and <i>Eh Joe</i>&nbsp;are pretty grim, so ending with <i>The Old Tune</i>&nbsp;is a smart move. This is built around the simple joke of two old men (Niall Buggy and David Threlfall) reminiscing about a golden past that neither can clearly recall. As they pick through their swiss cheese memories cars rumble past - they have been left behind by a society that has no place for old men. In fact, given that the pede
624strians they ask for a light ignore them, perhaps they're already dead and just haven't realised yet.</span></div> 625<div style="text-align: justify;"> 626<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 627<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> 628<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-CbTg9AmGTi5iEZ2lv_X_fTGfnIQd3eMoxxUqgSQ3bHJNCsgSbG6S7-mg3M9yqLG-gWm8gkWSszaXQW3nmWEBDn2ZnYk0Ay_Zv1FdKp2OfCzcR9SbSbB-XQ6wjFgtGsDSN24ctAzNyO2/s1600/-u1Ec1zs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-CbTg9AmGTi5iEZ2lv_X_fTGfnIQd3eMoxxUqgSQ3bHJNCsgSbG6S7-mg3M9yqLG-gWm8gkWSszaXQW3nmWEBDn2ZnYk0Ay_Zv1FdKp2OfCzcR9SbSbB-XQ6wjFgtGsDSN24ctAzNyO2/s640/-u1Ec1zs.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> 629<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niall Buggy &amp; David Threlfall in <i>The Old Tune</i></td></tr> 630</tbody></table> 631<div style="text-align: justify;"> 632<span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">Whatever the case, this triple bill feels like a warts n' all appraisal of getting old. All three actors on stage are eligible for free bus passes and Trevor Nunn is now 80. This direction and these performances make the show's repeated reflections on distant youth, physical vigour and all those regrets and embarrassments that much more tangible.</span></div> 633<div style="text-align: justify;"> 634<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 635<div style="text-align: justify;"> 636<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The sentimental image of getting old is a Werther's Originals ad: a sun-dappled time of relaxation as you reap the benefits of your legacy. The reality is the slow chipping away of your body and mind as you look in on a world that's moved on without you. It's depressing, the chuckles are rough, but at least it's honest.</span></div> 637<div style="text-align: justify;"> 638<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 639<div style="text-align: justify;"> 640<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Samuel Beckett Triple Bill is at the Jermyn Street Theatre until 8 February. <a href="https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/beckett-triple-bill/" target="_blank">Tickets here.</a></i></span></div> 641<div style="text-align: justify;"> 642<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div> 643</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/531307831131341483/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-beckett-triple-bill-at-jermyn.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/531307831131341483'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/531307831131341483'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-beckett-triple-bill-at-jermyn.html' title='Review: 'Beckett Triple Bill' at the Jermyn Street Theatre, 17th January 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
643<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw7dMDpwlCOXqHywpL7sShz6_90mukHnvc_U87259sRDEesWAjehSYiygKp5_fjFd8-qeiRsnwZKjmdlTmXj25_Ex3xiZxgQ-syvllW6Jl6D1wBxCsnyVknmuphQGWmKFGaxPvtdF87yu/s72-c/XnELjb08.jpeg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538517798140197216.post-3795717560611537464</id><published>2020-01-17T12:03:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2020-01-17T12:03:06.440+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="alexandrina hemsley"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dance"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="jamila johnson-small"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lilan baylis studio"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="project o"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="theatre"/><title type='text'>Review: 'Project O - Voodoo' at the Lilian Baylis Studio, 16th January 2020</title><content type='html'><div style="text-align: justify;"> 644<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;Droid Sans&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> 645<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 646<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYK6u757r9-FK6eOvEvSIzRyyJM5qJCZGnJcCE20wef0eQmfmukyosYOfQJkfzTkLoRsDfeuZb8vs6xU9tl0DpWOS2SxPmn_a7WqMKAooUJTladJx13iWaK0IF4Kk0vuUBKY8B-gUq4dU/s1600/4153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYK6u757r9-FK6eOvEvSIzRyyJM5qJCZGnJcCE20wef0eQmfmukyosYOfQJkfzTkLoRsDfeuZb8vs6xU9tl0DpWOS2SxPmn_a7WqMKAooUJTladJx13iWaK0IF4Kk0vuUBKY8B-gUq4dU/s640/4153.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> 647<br /> 648<span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reviewed by&nbsp;</b></span><a href="https://www.londoncitynights.com/about-author.html/" style="border: 0px; color: #5f1919; font-family: georgia; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s linear 0s;"><b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">David James</span></b></a></div> 649<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot;, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rating:</span></strong><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;</span><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="4 Stars" class="stars" src="https://www.nosegraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/four-stars.png" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></span><br /> 650<span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: &quot;droid sans&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span> 651 652<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">I thought I'd made a big mistake coming to see Project O's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Voodoo</i>. It had been a long day at work and I'd cleared my mind with a long run in the evening. So by 9pm at the Lilian Baylis Studio in Sadler's Wells I was pretty snoozy. Worse, I was told by the staff there that I couldn't even take a cup of tea into the show to help keep my eyes open.</span></div> 653<div style="text-align: justify;"> 654<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 655<div style="text-align: justify;"> 656<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Smash cut to 90 minutes later. I'm pepped up and full of beans, dancing my ass off in a hazy, dark and moodily lit room to a banging electro number. My route here involved smashing stuff up with a hammer, watching people writhe like maggots, a 1980s power ballad with balloon-based percussion and raising a shot glass to nothing in particular.</span></div> 657<div style="text-align: justify;"> 658<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 659<div style="text-align: justify;"> 660<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Project O are Alexandrina Hemsley and Jamila Johnson-Small, with <i>Voodoo</i>&nbsp;billing itself as "a science fiction addressing the desire, confusion and responsibility of being a single subject who is also a symbol of many long-persecuted people". Generally, descriptions like that don't bode well, but <i>Voodoo</i>&nbsp;is actually pretty straightforward about what it's doing.</span></div> 661<div style="text-align: justify;"> 662<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 663<div style="text-align: justify;"> 664<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The show begins with a lengthy introduction as the audience are seated in groups of five, watching a slowly scrolling list of events projected onto a wall. These
664cover historical events like suffragette Emily Davison walking in front of the King's horse in the 1913 Derby, pop culture moments like the 1997 release of <i>Men in Black</i>, odd snippets of history like the 1998 Japanese release of the Sega Mega Drive, and deeply personal moments for the performers, like being informed their father has died or meeting their future husband.</span></div> 665<div style="text-align: justify;"> 666<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 667<div style="text-align: justify;"> 668<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The list encourages you to find links between the events, teasing various arcs of political and social evolution over mankind's history. Here the medical positions of Ancient Greek doctors sit side by side with the release of <i>Spiceworld</i>&nbsp;in 1997. But the chronology is cut off mid-stream when Hemsley and Johnson-Small emerge with hammers and smash it up.</span><br /> 669<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> 670<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> 671<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPtF0YRwrpK6ljCVfvMtShVb326fsS02zDmrSNP8d7V9V3d4wBuoDkQIMtzUam2JKnOLwUSWa8tH1VLPv_U81j4QoJMKWGJA17FpY0J3y9WIQLpu6JEvYG2h6634MMO4Px0GEUI4es0zj/s1600/2-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPtF0YRwrpK6ljCVfvMtShVb326fsS02zDmrSNP8d7V9V3d4wBuoDkQIMtzUam2JKnOLwUSWa8tH1VLPv_U81j4QoJMKWGJA17FpY0J3y9WIQLpu6JEvYG2h6634MMO4Px0GEUI4es0zj/s640/2-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> 672<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 673<div style="text-align: justify;"> 674<span style="font-family: georgia, &quot;times new roman&quot;, serif; font-size: large;">I am not hard to please when it comes to entertainment, but even I was surprised how much I enjoyed the simple cathartic act of watching someone smash up a wall with a hammer. As they do this the air gradually fills with dust and small wooden shards litter the floor. The smashing of all this information indicates a clearing of the decks for the new - so it's appropriate that soon after both performers undergo a caterpillar-like transformation via white fabric chrysalises.</span></div> 675<div style="text-align: justify;"> 676<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 677<div style="text-align: justify;"> 678<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">Soon after the performance space itself transforms, with the audience being asked to remove their shoes and stash their coats. It is at this point that I regret wearing clearly mismatched socks, having figured after my run that I'd only be wearing them for a few hours. Oh well.</span></div> 679<div style="text-align: justify;"> 680<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 681<div style="text-align: justify;"> 682<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">This eventually leads into the audience lying on the floor, the performers solemnly telling us to listen to our heartbeats. As we do we're gently encouraged to feel its rhythm and the gently pulsing soundtrack. Gradually we move to our feet as the music picks up, and everyone begins dancing like they're a few shots in.</span></div> 683<div style="text-align: justify;"> 684<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 685<div style="text-align: justify;"> 686<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">At this point, I'd usually toss in a warning for introverted audience members that you're fully expected to participate in the show - but if you turn up to an "immersive dance performance" you probably know what you're getting into. Me? I loved it. As I danced I felt myself shaking out the stress and fatigue of the day, enjoying getting into the rhythm.</span></div> 687<div style="text-align: justify;"> 688<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 689<div style="text-align: justify;"> 690<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">The point of all this seems to be the creation of a new identity that understands the past but isn't defined by it. It often feels as if performers of colour - especially black performers - are encouraged to channel a mindboggling long and cruel history of racial atrocities into their work. It's an unfair burden and&nbsp;<i>Voodoo</i>&nbsp;attempts to chip some of that accreted shit away and rediscover yourself through physical motion and connection with your body's mechanics.</span></div> 691<div style="text-align: justify;"> 692<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 693<div style="text-align: justify;"> 694<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;">That it can be that <i>and</i>&nbsp;a damn good time is impressive stuff. I was enjoying myself so much that one of the assistants had to come and tell me to stop dancing as the performance was over. Jokes on her, I was dancing all the way home.</span></div> 695<div style="text-align: justify;"> 696<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> 697<div style="text-align: justify;"> 698<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Project O - Voodoo is at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells until Saturday 18th January. <a href="https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2020/project-o-voodoo/" target="_blank">Tickets here</a>.</i></span></div> 699<div style="text-align: justify;"> 700<span style="font-family: &quot;georgia&quot; , &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><br /></span></div> 701</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/feeds/3795717560611537464/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-project-o-voodoo-at-lilian.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3795717560611537464'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4538517798140197216/posts/default/3795717560611537464'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.londoncitynights.com/2020/01/review-project-o-voodoo-at-lilian.html' title='Review: 'Project O - Voodoo' at the Lilian Baylis Studio, 16th January 2020'/><author><name>londoncitynights</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05709416402447278223</uri><email>[email protected]</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G3D8ycXiPVCieB6EotOSeneowH4S3laIf8zmInaYpFcRv6qG03PNpo1lZBpTvFSp9qNbeu61lmQAErMAAIaFxBZS5gjYocEBviEcCtsMOYrzciH31PwLhYs8pW2dg/s220/lcn+twitter+avpsd.jpg'/></author>
701<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYK6u757r9-FK6eOvEvSIzRyyJM5qJCZGnJcCE20wef0eQmfmukyosYOfQJkfzTkLoRsDfeuZb8vs6xU9tl0DpWOS2SxPmn_a7WqMKAooUJTladJx13iWaK0IF4Kk0vuUBKY8B-gUq4dU/s72-c/4153.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
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