Between Ben Yeoh and David Finnegan, there’s an impressive array of interests, knowledge and skills. Theatre, economics and climate change are among them.
‘Who knew one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies could be funny?’: OTHELLO – Shakespeare’s Globe
Who knew one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies could be funny? Director and composer Claire van Kampen has tapped into a rare rhythm that sees Iago as a weaselly, clownish man lacking power and finesse, yet still manages to twist Othello into knots
On Broadway: What did an American theatrical anglophile make of Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children?
American dramaphiles tend to view Britain as a hotbed of hyper-verbal and hyper-intellectual plays, especially in comparison to our home-bred musicals that often lack the same resonant depth.
‘Sombre & provocative’: FCUK’D – Bunker Theatre
A young man waits impatiently for his little brother Matty to finish school. Alone on a football pitch amongst piles of dead leaves, he frets over his alcoholic mum, the state of their home and the letter from social services informing them that Matty will be taken away. He considers his options in a rhythmic, […]
‘Sombre & provocative’: FCUK’D – Bunker Theatre
A young man waits impatiently for his little brother Matty to finish school. Alone on a football pitch amongst piles of dead leaves, he frets over his alcoholic mum, the state of their home and the letter from social services informing them that Matty will be taken away. He considers his options in a rhythmic, […]
‘You have goat to be kidding me’: GOATS – Royal Court Theatre
You have goat to be kidding me: the Royal Court’s latest experiment is a tonally-confused take on the Syrian conflict, fake news, and livestock management.
THIS BEAUTIFUL FUTURE – Yard Theatre
France 1944. A young French girl Elodike runs to meet her lover, a German soldier Otto. Their love is innocent and pure, the exact opposite of the world around them.
INSIGNIFICANCE – Arcola Theatre
As we enter the Arcola main stage, we are presented with a hotel room in midtown Manhattan circa 1954. Albert Einstein sits on the bed going over some notes on his legal pad.
BEOWULF – Unicorn Theatre
Two walls of Marshall amps sit either side of gleaming trusses. A DJ booth manned by a black-clad figure sports a banner for a place called Heorot. Smoke seeps through vents in the floor and a woman in goth metal dress prowls the stage.
ALL THE LITTLE LIGHTS – Arcola Theatre
Hilarious and heart-breaking in equal measure, Jane Upton’s work is a darkly realistic shock to the system.
HEISENBERG: The Uncertainty Principle – West End
German physicist Werner Heisenberg talks of pairs and duality. The one thing against the other. The one in terms of the other. Directed by Marianne Elliott and written by Simon Stephens, this is an evening of girl meet boy, of random encounters, and the unpredictability of (human) nature.
HANSEL & GRETEL – Museum of Childhood
In the expansive hall and gift shop of the V&A’s Museum of Childhood, one corner has been set up as a playing space for Popup Opera’s Hansel & Gretel. Director James Hurley doesn’t focus on the darker elements of this fairytale, though. Using surtitles as a vehicle for humour and contemporary references, Popup Opera succeeds at making Englebert Humperdinck’s full-scale opera fun and accessible.
LAIKA – Unicorn Theatre
Sami and his mum are preparing for her to go to Mars for years and years and years. Both obsessed with space, Sami’s proud of her but worried that he might never see her again.
B – Royal Court Theatre
Chile has suffered regular bombings since 2005. Unlike the current spate of terrorism the UK is experiencing, more than 80 disparate, domestic anarchist groups have claimed responsibility for these actions.
DEADCLUB™ – The Place
Co-directors Frauke Requardt and David Rosenberg have created a piece of theatre which might be the closest I have ever felt to being in a dream whilst awake and not under the influence of psychoactive drugs.
THE NIGHT PIRATES – Rose Kingston
You’re fast asleep in your bed, in a small English town. Then some mysterious noises outside wake you, and on looking out your window you discover a gang of pirates is trying to steal your family home.
Text of the Day: Against
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
SECRET LIFE OF HUMANS – #EdFringe
Ava is fascinated by human beings. Not just generally, but in the academic, evolutionary sense. She’s also going through a tough time and needs a break, so she’s on the pull.
BOX CLEVER – #EdFringe
Marnie’s a 22-year-old single mum from Bermondsey and every day is a fight at the moment.
CHANGELING – #EdFringe
Mowgli, a ferocious boy-child raised by wolves in the jungle, has been kicked out of the pack. He’s trying to figure out what to do next when he meets a mysterious creature from another world – or rather, another story.