In Alyssa: Memoirs of a Queen, primped, preened and double vaxxed, Alyssa not so much dominates the stage as blows it up entirely.
Mates blogger: Shanine Salmon
Shanine Salmon is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Shanine's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Shanine Salmon was a latecomer to theatre after being seduced by the National Theatre's £5 entry pass tickets and a slight obsession with Alex Jennings. She is sadly no longer eligible for 16-25 theatre tickets but she continues to abuse under 30 offers. There was a market for bringing awareness that London theatre was affordable in an era of £100+ West End tickets – Shanine’s blog, View from the Cheap Seat, launched in April 2016, focuses on productions and theatres that have tickets available for £20 and under. She is also quite opinionated and has views on diversity, pricing, theatre seats and nudity on stage. Her interests include Rocky Horror, gaming, theatre (of course) and she also has her own Etsy shop. Shanine tweets at @Braintree_.
The latest from Shanine on MyTheatreMates
‘One of the most stunning performances I have seen onstage’: CRUISE – Duchess Theatre
Jack Holden’s Cruise is a timely look at LGBT history, for fans of Russell T Davies’ It’s a Sin it touches on similar themes of 80s London in the shadow of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is a celebration of the culture, the music, the sex and people who were loved and lost.
‘When the tricks start they are top quality’: THE SECRET CONNECTION (Online review)
With no audience to see for themselves, how do you believe in the magic? I was intrigued then to find out more about The Secret Connection who recently started doing online magic shows.
‘Its message could not be more needed’: TESTAMENT – Via Brooklyn (Online review) ★★★★★
Testament places some of the Bible’s most interesting bit part players in a modern setting and gives them centre stage.
‘Elevated from merely funny to something more profound’: NEXT THING YOU KNOW – Garden Theatre
It’s fitting that Next Thing You Know revolves around four young people searching for moments that are rare and precious in a life that is achingly normal.
‘Offers an uplifting night out in a new setting’: PIPPIN – Garden Theatre ★★★★
The big question is whether the big sound of Pippin translates to an outdoor space on the edge of the Vauxhall one way system. The answer is a resounding yes.
‘The young cast is packed with talent’: SQUAD GOALS – Dagenham & Redbridge FC ★★★★
It is in the second half of Squad Goals where the play comes to life and comes into its own. The football tournament is depicted through two long, dance sequences that burst with a ferocious, kinetic energy that absolutely fills the stadium.
’An emotional ride to say the least’: MOMENT OF GRACE – Backstory Ensemble – The Actors Centre (Online review)
One amazing thing that has come out of Covid-19 theatre is more filmed theatre. My latest theatre experience from the comfort of my own couch was Moment of Grace by Bren Gosling, presented by Backstory Ensemble.
‘Poignant, hilarious, smart & wishful’: THE HOUSE THAT SLIPPED – Teatro Vivo (Online review)
Now if you think that The House That Slipped is simply a well-meaning, worthy play, you would be wrong. The script, direction and the way Zoom is an essential part of the story, make it witty and intelligent.
‘Hearing others cheering, clapping & laughing transports you into a new realm’: TWELFTH NIGHT – The Maltings Theatre (Online review)
Shakespeare. Theatre. Press Nights. These are all concepts we are familiar with, but in this unprecedented time of COVID-19 lockdown, for a moment we were unsure how theatre would survive.
‘This was the best time I’ve had on a Zoom call’: JURY DUTY – Exit Productions ★★★★ (Online review)
In this world turned upside down, emergency legislation has been rushed through to do away with barristers. Now the accused in court have only you.
For many cash-strapped theatres, Covid has just accelerated things to come
We need to use this time wisely. As audience members, what do we want to see; as creatives, what can be made. If the expectations don’t match, then audiences won’t be back.
‘Technology can bring us together but also tear us apart’: THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE – A Zoom play (Online review)
This play, written especially for Zoom by John Knowles, looks at a group of people trying to make a seance work when they can’t hold hands.
‘Guaranteed to occupy your thoughts long after the stage lights dim’: PEACE IN OUR TIME – Union Theatre
A fascinating historical curio, Sasha Regan’s production Peace In Our Time is also a fine piece of speculative drama, imbued with Coward’s gift for eloquence and waspishness.
‘The cast is really very good at being really rather bad’: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING… EARNEST? – Omnibus Theatre ★★★★
In a world where – if the virus won’t kill us, Donald Trump will – we really, really need good, well delivered, confident silliness and The Importance of Being Earnest delivers.
‘A snapshot of a past that recently bled into the present’: NOT QUITE JERUSALEM – Finborough Theatre
What makes Not Quite Jerusalem such a vivid and enjoyable play, is the nuanced and recognisable characters – backed here by exemplary performances from a talented cast.
’Interesting triptych of plays’: Nuclear War / Buried / Graceland – Old Red Lion Theatre
The Old Red Lion’s put together an interesting triptych of plays that, if you’re short for time, allow you to experience the gamut of human experience.
‘A slick ensemble fizz & pop into different people’: THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP – Soho Theatre
Verbatim plays can often feel static with a view of just letting the words do the work, but the words really lift off the page in The Special Relationship.
‘I definitely learned much while enjoying myself hugely’: JEKYLL & HYDE – Vault Festival ★★★★
The atmosphere created by the superb cast in Jekyll & Hyde as well as the challenge of the game is enormous fun and the time flew by.
‘Weirdly retro’: BE MORE CHILL – The Other Palace
Clearly something in Be More Chill has touched a chord with today’s youth, but catchy songs written by committee to hit the teen feelz doesn’t make up for a weak book and problematic politics.