If we think we suffer from a paranoid cancel-culture, we should note this reminder of mid-1950s America – notably Hollywood – in the McCarthyite witch-hunt against suspected communists. Retrograde at the Kiln Theatre is a three-hander by Ryan Calais Cameron (who gave us For Black Boys…). It lays out in 90 minutes real time – though sometimes too slowly – a meeting in a movie office.
’One of the most daring things I’ve ever seen on stage’: JELLYFISH – Bush Theatre
Almost impossibly tender and true, Ben Weatherill’s Jellyfish is a minor-key masterpiece at the Bush Theatre.
‘Deeply touched’: BE PREPARED – Vault Festival #Vault2018
Ian Bonar’s consummate skill as a performer in Be Prepared at The Vaults means you’re deeply touched but the overall impact proves a little relentless, even if this is the intention.
‘Sensitive storytelling’: BE PREPARED – Vault Festival #Vault2018
Writer/performer Ian Bonar enters with a portable keyboard/organ. This immediately makes me think of James Rowland’s 100 Different Words For Love, which was performed at The Vaults last year. However, unlike Rowland’s calm, onstage persona, Bonar’s ‘Tom’ is visibly flustered.
‘Incredibly compelling’: BE PREPARED – Vault Festival #Vault2018 ★★★★
Be Prepared at the VAULT Festival is a truly compelling one-man play, showing the individual nature of grief – a very clever production.
#Vault2018: Going underground with top tips for @VAULTFestival – launching today…
On the one hand, that the VAULT Festival has expanded to over 300 shows running over eight weeks is fantastic news for the emerging theatremakers that it supports.