The trafficking of human beings – 7,000 identified in the UK in 2018 – is a disgusting blight on our country. The fledgling playwright Eugene O’Hare is among many earnest contemporary writers (working in theatre, film and stage) seeking to shine a light on the problem.
‘Twisting, thought-provoking play’: THE WEREWOLF OF WASHINGTON HEIGHTS – Cockpit Theatre
The Werewolf of Washington Heights is a play by Christie Perfetti Williams that was first staged in the US in 2017.
‘Genre-defining’: ELECTROLYTE – Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★
Electrolyte is a special piece of theatre that fuses spoken word with all the key components of a gig – a great way to keep the mental health conversation going.
‘You feel you have seen an epic’: 8 HOTELS – Chichester ★★★★
Nicholas Wright’s sharp play imagines the US touring production of the first black Othello and its aftermath in the uneasy years of the McCarthyite search for Communist sympathisers.
‘Will be long remembered’: LES MISERABLES – THE STAGED CONCERT – West End
Like its predecessors, 2019’s Les Misérables: The Staged Concert will be long remembered as another notable event in the musical’s performance history, heralding the return of Michael Ball to a show he helped to establish, but this time in the role of Javert.
‘Proves that classic mysteries never go out of fashion’: THE LADY VANISHES – Touring
Relatively obscure British crime writer Ethel Lina White’s greatest legacy is her 1936 novel, The Wheel Spins – two years after publication, Alfred Hitchcock directed the film The Lady Vanishes, widely regarded as one of British cinema’s greatest works, based on her book.
‘He’s funniest on the fly’: TOM LENK IS TRASH – Edinburgh Fringe
Tom Lenk is Trash is trash. That’s not even a cruel review, it’s literally what he told me to say. And after seeing the show, I am not going to be so stupid as to say anything he doesn’t want me to.
‘Probably the best climax to any show seen this year’: FISHBOWL – Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★★
A sold-out Pleasance Grand suggests that Fishbowl may be one of the hits of the summer.
‘An updating perfect for our times’: THE DOCTOR – Almeida Theatre ★★★★
Arthur Schnitzler was, like Chekhov, a doctor; he was an Austrian Jew at a time when mistrust was rising. The Doctor belongs passionately to that time: but director Robert Icke’s very free adaptation belongs – urgently and exhilaratingly – to our own.
’A sincere & strong account of trauma’: WARHEADS – Park Theatre
Warheads, a new play about PTSD, features its co-author on stage in a powerful production which is basically a medical case study.
Text of the Day: Go Bang Your Tambourine
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
‘Could be a relevant & illuminating discussion’: CONSPIRACY – Edinburgh Fringe
Three conspiracy theorists have gathered to unpick discrepancies and inconsistencies in the 1932 photograph ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ in Conspiracy.
‘Non-stop laughs, rude & explicit jokes’: JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA – Manchester ★★★★
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Jerry Springer the Opera. It was non-stop laughs, rude and explicit jokes, and I was impressed with all performers. I would definitely go to see this show again and recommend it to friends to go see for themselves.
BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET AUTUMN SEASON
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s autumn season features a fitting balance of classical and contemporary ballet including Giselle and a Mixed Bill including the World Premiere of the latest Ballet Now comm…
Actually post-show Q&A: Grappling with the grey areas around truth & consent
Can we ever really know what happened between two people behind closed doors? That’s the question at the heart of Anna Zeigler’s provocative new two-hander Actually, and one the company, audience and I grappled with after last week’s performance at Trafalgar Studios.
‘Impressive melodies delivered with impeccable brio’: LIMBO: CITY OF DREAMS – Edinburgh Fringe
You can’t accuse upcoming composer Finn Anderson of resting on his laurels. His fingerprints are all over this year’s Fringe, from the buzz-worthy Islanders over at Summerhall, to this, Limbo: City Of Dreams.
‘Enthralling & authentic to watch’: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
The British Theatre Academy’s production of the Caribbean-inspired Little Mermaid adaptation, Once On This Island is an enchanting show with dynamic, heart-wrenching performances, energy in spades and a glorious uptempo score.
’Provocative & thought-provoking’: ACTUALLY – West End ★★★★
Anna Ziegler’s Actually is a journey into sexual consent, following a drunken hook up of two college students, and the different perspectives on their encounter.
‘A brilliant concept’: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL GIRLS – Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★
What on earth can be the connection between ‘Brown Sugar’ by the Rolling Stones, ‘Lola’ by The Kinks, ‘Eleanor Rigby’ by The Beatles, ‘Roxanne’ by The Police and… Monica? The five characters in Rock ‘n’ Roll Girls explain all.
‘Truly magical’: THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES – Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★★
In a world full of fear and worry, we all need a reminder that there’s still hope. Luckily, in The Man Who Planted Trees at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, two storytellers and their puppets are here to give us just that.
‘Not afraid to be immersed in the material’: RIVER IN THE SKY – Hope Theatre ★★★★
River in the Sky shows that even for those dealing with the ramifications of fertility issues, speaking frankly and directly is seldom on the cards.