Anything which makes me think about these plays in a new way is a bonus. I also want actors – irrespective of their sex – to have maximum opportunities.
THE LOST BOY PETER PAN – Pleasance Theatre
The Tradition versus Progress conflict sits along side the moral question of whether or not we should be perpetuating these attitudes in young children – who don’t know enough to see these problems – by continuing to tell these stories.
POISON – Orange Tree Theatre
Continental drama, in this era of Brexit negotiations, seems to be rarer and rarer on British stages. But, luckily, there are some venues which buck this parochial trend.
Text of the Day: Witness for the Prosecution
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk..
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS – Underbelly Southbank
Theatre can plumb the depths of despair. It can elevate human glory and achievement. It can stir the heart and still the soul. Or it can throw a fabulous party on a rocket ship full of bearded drag queens in sequinned thongs.
Text of the Day: Hir
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
HIR – Bush Theatre
Issac is returning home after a three-year stint as a US marine where his job was to pick up body parts after front line attacks. He longs for the peace and quiet of his nuclear family and the familiarity of middle America so he can make peace with the demons of war.
HIR – Bush Theatre
Hir is set in a settlement somewhere in California’s Central Valley, where plywood houses have been built on landfill sites, and dozens lie empty, abandoned during an economic downturn. All is not well in the Connors’ cheap abode: fiftysomething Arnold is a plumber who lost his job to a Chinese-American.
COMMON – National Theatre
History is a tricky harlot. She is bought and sold, fought for and thrown over, seduced and betrayed — and always at the mercy of the winners. In a general election week, it is hard to deny that still now we are the progeny of the possessive individualism of previous centuries.
MANWATCHING – Royal Court
An anonymous woman frankly monologues about taboo sexual fantasies, abortion, orgasms and what turns her on. It’s honest, personal and as a fellow woman, easy to relate to. But rather than a woman performing the text, Funmbi Omotayo is given the script onstage having never read it before.
ROMEO AND JULIET – Touring
A self-described modern rep company, Merely Theatre is addressing Shakespeare’s gender problem with 50/50 casting. Five male/female pairs each learn a set of characters in two plays, then on the night it’s decided who will perform.
BUNNY – White Bear Theatre
Katie is a fairly average eighteen-year-old living a life busy with A-levels, uni applications and her older boyfriend, Abe. She’s not sure what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but she’s enjoying the here and now of Luton in the springtime.
Response to Daily Telegraph critic Dominic Cavendish: You are the thought police
Dominic Cavendish can rest assured: he will not lose the opportunity to see his favourite (white) male actors in leading Shakespearean roles.
THE WILD PARTY – The Other Palace
This revival of Michael John LaChiusa’s musical The Wild Party unfortunately lives up to its original reception. Dripping with sex, booze and jazz, there are some great tunes but little substance.
HOW TO DATE A FEMINIST – Arcola Theatre
Satirical rom-com show turns gender stereotypes upside down in a fresh and funny evening.
Text of the Day: Skin a Cat
Random and topical thoughts and quotes gathered by My Theatre Mates contributor Aleks Sierz, first published on www.sierz.co.uk.
Owning our pronouns: He, she, they, it, I and we
Last term I sat in a rehearsal room led by one student as they began a “meet and greet”. A circle of chairs with a group of individuals who were gathered to get to know each other and then work on a play.
Edinburgh Fringe: Be Prepared, JOAN
This year, four companies are receiving support from Underbelly to produce and market their latest work. Two of those are Milk Presents and Corner Shop Events, both offering solo performances but radically different in content and style.
ROTTERDAM – Trafalgar Studios
New drama about a transgender lesbian is not only hugely enjoyable, but also thought-provoking.
INTERVIEW: Director Chris Hislop on Howard Barker’s Gertrude
Both – my favourite thing about this play is how it was written to empower an underwritten female character, and yet does such a piss-poor job of doing so. Or maybe it doesn’t – maybe Barker’s aggressive sexualising of Gertrude and blatant female nudity throughout is his attempt at female empowerment. Either way, he’s not a misogynist. Barker’s obsession with women has translated into some wonderful parts in his shows, and he’s always trying to write pieces that celebrate and empower them, just through a rather perverse lens. I don’t want to circumnavigate that entirely, just sand down some of the sharper corners.
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