London has an abundance of pub theatres, and the Old Red Lion in Islington is one of my favourites. The space is tiny with pew-like seating on two sides of the tea-tray sized stage.
‘What happens when the camera stops rolling & there is no self-editing?’: ALL BY MYSELF – Part of the Main Theatre Company (Online review)
All By Myself is a production by Part of the Main theatre company for Applecart Arts and it explores identity during the Covid crisis when your only connection to the outside world is via the internet.
10 plays that, in hindsight, feel strangely appropriate for lockdown during a pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has thrown a whole new light on certain plays, the ones about isolation, loneliness and surreal landscapes.
The best play I’ve seen for each of the past 10 years (aka the agony-to-choose list)
Not to let a decade of theatre bloggery go by without marking the occasion, to kick things off, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite play for each year I’ve been blogging. It has been fun revisiting my best-of lists but absolute agony narrowing each list down to just one.
‘Proper stagecraft can be achieved even within the confines of a small screen’: Interview with Creation Theatre’s Lucy Askew
Creation Theatre this month invited audiences to watch an interactive, virtual version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest – from the safety of their sofa.
‘Funny, haunting, moving & strangely uplifting’: YOU STUPID DARKNESS! – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
Given everything that is going on in the world politically and environmentally You Stupid Darkness! feels like it has captured the mood, the battle to stay cheerful and hopeful when everything feels like it is falling apart.
Andrew Finnigan, Lydia Larson, Andy Rush and Jenni Maitland in You Stupid Darkne…
‘Emotionally vivid’: Lullabies for the Lost – Old Red Lion Theatre
Lullabies For the Lost is one of two plays by Rosalind Blessed about mental health that are being performed in rep at the Old Red Lion.
‘I loved the cheekiness of its approach’: LAND WITHOUT DREAMS – Gate Theatre ★★★
Land Without Dreams at the Gate Theatre is a surreal, existential meta ‘drama’ created by Danish company Fix & Foxy.
‘It is theatre that sends a powerful message’: QUEENS OF SHEBA – Touring ★★★★★
Queens of Sheba is a play of contrasts it is angry and joyous, fun and sad, quietly contemplative and in your face loud.
‘Cruttenden’s performance is one of subtle conflict’: BLACK CHIFFON – Park Theatre ★★★★
Black Chiffon is an interesting play, slowly building enough psychological intrigue and drama to keep you hooked.
‘A lesson in embracing the simple pleasures’: THE COLOURS – Soho Theatre ★★★★
Harriet Madeley’s The Colours is a verbatim play based on interviews with people with life-limiting illnesses and those working in palliative care.
‘More satire, please’: THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE – Park Theatre
The Actor’s Nightmare is six short plays, linked by themes of acting, theatre and performance and brought together for the first time at the Park Theatre.
‘Fiercely intelligent & keenly observed’: Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner – Royal Court Theatre ★★★★★
London’s theatre scene is awash with productions which offer a ‘fresh’ take on classics but Jasmine Lee-Jones’ play Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner demonstrates exactly what really ‘fresh’ theatre is – and should be.
‘Gets off to a punchy start’: DARK SUBLIME – Trafalgar Studios ★★★
Dark Sublime is a long play and while it contains some really good material it would benefit from being trimmed back to make it slicker and more focused.
‘Touching moments & humour too’: SUMMER ROLLS – Park Theatre
Actress and writer Tuyen Do’s first full length play Summer Rolls brings a story about a British Vietnamese family to a UK stage for the first time.
‘Epic battle of gods anchored in contemporary culture’: THE HALF GOD OF RAINFALL – Kiln Theatre ★★★★
In the same way that the Marvel Universe mixes superpowers with mortal flaws, the scope of The Half God of Rainfall stretches to another galaxy but all the time remains profoundly human.
‘Vibrant, clever & amusing’: WOW EVERYTHING IS AMAZING – Touring ★★★★
In Wow Everything is Amazing, Sounds Like Chaos imagines the digital world 50 years in the future, presenting the vision as a pseudo-church service where citizens worship at the altar of the internet.
‘Challenging the arrogance & entitlement of Western cultures’: CRY HAVOC – Park Theatre ★★★
Tom Coash’s play is inspired by his time living in Egypt and learning of how a gay man had been arrested and tortured by police.
‘It is funny & sad & angry’: Writer Kieran Hurley on bringing Fringe hit Mouthpiece to London
Following a five-star run at the Traverse Theatre, Fringe First winner Kieran Hurley brings Mouthpiece to Soho Theatre next month. Here he talks about the play, the point of theatre and making it more inclusive.
‘Interesting snapshot of an often overlooked period of social history’: THE ORCHESTRA – Omnibus Theatre
Jean Anouilh’s The Orchestra is an interesting snapshot of a period of social history that is often overlooked.
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