As Biden tried valiantly to make a distinction between the so-called MAGA extremists (Make America Genocidal Again) and ordinary Republicans, one is reminded of the tension – the liberal guilt and acute awareness of caste privilege that runs through Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
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 interesting & diverse shows in London right now’: Jean Paul Gaultier: Fashion Freak Show – Roundhouse
The use of music and dance (all types) along with some interesting guests via video makes Jean-Paul Gaultier – Fashion Freak Show at the Roundhouse one of the most interesting and diverse shows in London right now. Even if you aren’t a fashionista JPG is such a fascinating man that you will enjoy learning about him and getting to see his work in person.
‘The chemistry between Condou & Roscoe is fantastic’: THE THRONE – Charing Cross Theatre
Acclaimed screenwriter John Goldsmith brings his first play The Throne to Charing Cross Theatre this summer. It is set in 2002, the year of the Golden Jubilee, and imagines an encounter between a Republican school teacher Derek (Charlie Condou) and Queen Elizabeth II (Mary Roscoe) when they get stuck in a toilet together.
‘A door slam may be decisive but it’s not final’: A DOLL’S HOUSE PART II – Donmar Warehouse
Does A Doll’s House really need an epilogue? On this evidence it’s a sound choice. The force and weight of Ibsen’s play came from the decision to abandon institutional forces – the husband, the baby, the estate; but in A Doll’s House Part II at the Donmar Warehouse Lucas Hnath, with sound reason and compassion, reminds us that human beings prop up society’s structures and they too have a voice and perspective worth hearing.
‘Fun without meaning, without agenda, without malice’: VIPER SQUAD – Colab Tavern
One thing that I have really, really missed over the last two years is just good plain fun. This is what Viper Squad has in spades.
‘The producers know what their audience want & give it to them’: DIRTY DANCING – West End
The iconic 1980s romance is re-worked for the stage in this straightforward but energetic production. Full confession: I grew up obsessed with Dirty Dancing, and I kind of still am.
‘A chance to get inside & interact with the Whoniverse’: DOCTOR WHO: Time Fracture – Unit Headquarters ★★★★
Designing an immersive experience for an audience as obsessive as Doctor Who fans would seem almost completely impossible.
‘It charmingly epitomises the Jazz Age’: GATSBY THE MUSICAL – Southwark Playhouse ★★★
F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was first published nearly 100 years ago yet it still continues to inspire modern adaptations and interpretations.
‘A refreshing & exhilarating companion piece to Jaws’: THE SHARK IS BROKEN – West End
Theatrical spinoffs from popular movies are usually ill-conceived and redundant; a double whammy from which you’re less likely to come back than Chrissie Watkins after a swim off the beaches of Amity Island.
‘It has enough of the film’s DNA to engender the good feeling of old’: BACK TO THE FUTURE – West End
I’m a huge fan of Back to the Future. I saw it for the first time in January 1986 and maybe a hundred times since.
‘A political fairy tale but one worth reading to your kids’: BEST OF ENEMIES – Young Vic Theatre
James Graham finds an analogue for today’s culture war in 1968 USA care of Gore Vidal and William F Buckley.
‘Bringing West End glitz & glamour to regional theatres’: CHICAGO – Touring
Theatre, still recovering from economic and talent loss, following Covid-19 is understandably taking a safe approach to productions.
‘An entertaining & engaging production’: RUMBLE! – Drayton Arms Theatre
Business and boxing collide in this revival of Yasir Senna’s play by Razor Sharp Productions. Alisha Harper-Gill is on the ropes, fighting for her career.
‘A worthwhile take on a much-loved classic’: ABIGAIL’S PARTY – Park Theatre
The first thing you’ll notice when you enter the auditorium is the incredible set design which brings you right into Beverley and Laurence Moss’s decadent lounge.
‘A fast-paced cross between an immersive show & an escape room’: THE DROP – Swamp Motel ★★★★★
You gather in an unassuming office reception to start – looking much like any of the thousands of office receptions in the surrounding part of the city.
‘Perfectly captures how easy it is to slip into war’: OLD BRIDGE – Bush Theatre
A young woman listens to pop music on headphones. The people around her can’t hear it. We, the audience, can – a bit. But it’s a solitary experience; unshared. Something universal is also isolating.
‘If you haven’t yet seen it, believe the hype’: SIX THE MUSICAL – West End
I like Six because it is short, the costumes look amazing, it focuses on female talent from the six leading queens to the backing band and it has a range of songs and talent rarely seen in many musicals.
‘Unrelenting epic-ness’: BAT OUT OF HELL – Touring
Fans will no doubt revel in recognition of their favourite songs during this rock opera based upon the epic power ballads of Meatloaf and Jim Steinman.
‘The denouement is among Agatha Christie’s finest’: WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION – County Hall
Lucy Bailey’s site-specific production of Agatha Christie’s courtroom drama has returned to London County Hall, after a lengthy, if unplanned adjournment, and remains one of the most effective theatrical settings in London.
‘This is a fun, almost frothy, show’: LUCK BE A LADY – Upstairs at the Gatehouse ★★★★
In this one-woman show, writer and performer Beth Burrows fascinates her audience even as she exposes some of the flaws of her famous male subjects: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.