Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
News, Reviews and Features
These are all of our in-house news and features as well as syndicated article excerpts from our 45+ theatre bloggers. You can also access All Our Mates' Posts in comprehensive list form and view individual author pages.
‘Falling under its spell’: ISLANDER – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
Islander most certainly isn’t a rehearsal, it’s a perfectly finished piece, like a stone polished by the waves.
REVIEW ROUND-UP: The Man in the White Suit at Wyndham’s Theatre
Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews for Sean Foley’s adaptation of the film The Man In The White Suit starring Stephen Mangan and Kara Tointon.
FEATURED SHOW: Dig into these fantastic reviews for Ovalhouse’s We Dig
“Powerfully direct,” “incredibly moving” and “beautiful and important”. Check out what’s being said about the groundbreaking We Dig at Ovalhouse, then book for one of the final performances.
‘Ensemble acting of this quality is rare’: A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG – Trafalgar Studios ★★★★★
Don’t miss it A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. Makes you laugh, makes you think. Makes you realise Toby Stephens is one of our finest.
New post-show talk: Join Terri for the stage adaptation of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits
I’m delighted to return to the Cervantes Theatre, London’s home of Spanish and Latin American drama, for my last of three post-show Q&As in the 2019 season. After new original plays The Reality and The Eyes of the Night, I’m back for this much-anticipated page-to-stage adaptation of Isabel Allende’s breakthrough debut novel The House of the Spirits.
‘Needs to be seen by everyone’: MITES – Tristan Bates Theatre
The strength of Mites lies in the opening up of firm discussions regarding mental health which until, certainly of late, have tended to be constrained.
‘The cast of five excel themselves’: THE HOUSE OF YES – Hope Theatre ★★★★
Excellent direction combines with all design elements to create a truly atmospheric piece in The House Of Yes at the Hope Theatre, a bold choice of play that serves as a fitting end to Matthew Parker’s tenure.
‘Shocking, foul-mouthed, ferociously brutal & brilliantly played’: SING YER HEART OUT FOR THE LADS – Chichester ★★★★★
Roy Williams’ incendiary 2002 play, Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads, which attacks grass roots racism with all the finesse of a vintage Vinnie Jones tackle, is back and spewing vitriol in Chichester Festival Theatre’s pop-up space, The Spiegeltent.
WATCH: Actor Alex Walton tells us about Delivery, his character’s plight and harrowing research
‘How can I be a father, what with everything that’s happened?’ As Delivery comes to the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, leading man Alex Walton shares his thoughts on the play about a paratrooper preparing for parenthood. Watch what he has to say, then book your tickets.
‘It is genuinely terrifying’: GHOST STORIES – West End
Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories has been entertaining audiences since 2010 both on the stage and in a 2017 film adaptation and this revival at the Ambassadors Theatre is a welcome return.
NEWS: Largest-ever staging of 42nd Street hits 650 cinema screens from 10 Nov
More2Screen has announced the cinema release of the critically acclaimed West End revival of Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble’s 42nd Street, which will be screened in more than 550 cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 10 November 2019. This is the largest-ever staging of the Tony® Award-winning musical – pure musical magic on the big screen. Cinema tickets are on sale now.
FIRST LOOK: Can you dig it? There’s a hole lot going on in these production images from We Dig
They’re digging a hole for themselves… but in the most brilliant, theatrical way. Take a look at production images for Emma Frankland’s We Dig at Ovalhouse, then book your tickets!
‘Highly symbolic & moving piece of performance art’: WE DIG – Ovalhouse
We Dig is part of the Ovalhouse’s final season in the venue’s Oval based building before it is demolished and preparations are made to move to a new home in Brixton in the spring.
‘Funny, cheeky & performed beautifully’: GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES – Union Theatre ★★★★
This all-singing all-dancing extravaganza of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a true credit to the timeless classic. The story is fun, it’s funny, it’s cheeky and it’s performed beautifully.
Best of the Blogs: The Mates give their verdicts on Joe Egg, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Mites, Islander & more
Editor Lisa Martland picks out some of her Top Picks from the last week of theatre (to 13 October 2019), ranging from Aleks Sierz’s thoughts on the still very relevant A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg at the Trafalgar Studios to Libby Purves’ reaction to Mischief Theatre’s new offering Groan Ups.
‘Vulnerable & celebratory performance’: WE DIG – Ovalhouse
Seeing a group of trans and non-binary people claim space like this in We Dig at Ovalhouse and openly share and reflect on the lives of trans people past and present is beautiful and important.
‘Gets you thinking’: MITES – Tristan Bates Theatre ★★★★
Mites at the Tristan Bates Theatre is an extremely well acted, funny piece, that get’s you thinking. A must see.
‘Glenn Chandler is a master mason, expertly layering themes into story & character’: THE GOOD SCOUT – Above The Stag Theatre ★★★★
The Good Scout achieves the impossible – finding an original, untold story from World War Two. In the 1930s, boys from the Nazi Hitlerjugend visit British Rover Scouts for a cycling holiday as a cultural exchange.
‘Roars along’: GROAN UPS – West End
Groan Ups has hamster substitutions, unexpected subtler laughs and a moment of real pathos before it swizzles into something more poignant.