“Complicated, isn’t it?” says one of the characters early on in James Woolf’s The Play With Speeches – and they’re not wrong. As writer Anthony (Matthew Parker) sits down with director Penny (Katherine Reilly) to audition actors for his new play, they discover to their surprise that someone’s been selling tickets, and now they have an audience (us).
‘Intimate, funny & inventive’: A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Jack Studio Theatre
This is far from the only option for anyone wanting to see A Christmas Carol in London this year – but if you’re looking for a performance that’s intimate, funny, inventive and a little bit different, this year’s festive offering from the Jack surely has to be a tough one to beat.
‘An innovative & effective piece of theatre’: TEN DAYS IN A MADHOUSE – Jack Studio Theatre
Going in, it’s hard to know if the technical aspects of Douglas Baker’s production of Ten Days In A Madhouse at Jack Studio Theatre will feel gimmicky, but it quickly becomes evident that there’s no such danger; every part of the play has obviously been well thought through and when put together it all works extremely well.
NEWS: Theatres Trust supports 40 more UK theatres in final round of reopening fund grants
The Theatres Trust has awarded a further £155,265 of grants to help theatres with costs of Covid-secure reopening, including changes to the building to reduce congestion, improvements to ventilation systems and simple measures like installing hand sanitisers and screens.
‘Heartbreaking, joyous & painfully honest’: E-BABY – Jack Studio Theatre ★★★★
Jane Cafarella’s award-winning play e-baby deals with the harsh realities of surrogacy with wit, warmth and compassion.
‘A dynamite piece of theatre’: SWEET LIKE CHOCOLATE BOY – Touring
Sweet Like Chocolate Boy is a majestic cultural odyssey that melds genres, storytelling techniques and timelines into a high octane, often incredibly moving, very funny and sharply observed 120 minutes of theatre
‘Does a spectacular job of bringing this musical to the stage’: QUEEN OF THE MIST – Brockley Jack Studio Theatre ★★★★
Pint of Wine Theatre Company has done a spectacular job of bringing the compelling chamber musical Queen of the Mist to the stage.
NEWS: Off West End announces 89 finalists for 2019 Offies awards
Off West End, the agency supporting the work of independent, alternative and fringe theatres in London, has now announced the 89 finalists for 28 of its Offies awards categories. In 2018, Offies assessors were invited to 400 shows across 80 venues across London, resulting in 430 nominations across 28 Offies categories. The Offies panel of assessors and critics have now …
‘Hugely ambitious & wildly engaging’: DRACULA – Brockley Jack Theatre ★★★★
Arrows and Traps Theatre Company has followed up last year’s autumnal treat of Frankenstein with a new adaptation of Dracula.
‘Has the potential to say a lot about the human capacity for survival’: LIFEBOAT – Brockley Jack Theatre ★★★
Lifeboat is a play that has the potential to say a lot about the human capacity for survival in life or death situations, and the extremes we can endure when faced with losing the ones we love.
‘The atmosphere sizzles with electricity’: THE NIGHT ALIVE – Brockley Jack Theatre
First Knight Theatre’s production of Conor McPherson’s The Night Alive captures the loneliness and vulnerability of Dublin’s singletons, with Eoin Lynch and Howie Ripley giving memorable performances.
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES – Jack Studio Theatre
Performed by three actors who enthusiastically embrace physical comedy and metatheatre, this surprisingly faithful adaptation is spunky and fun with a few scares, but the performance quality occasionally fluctuates.
THE BEGGAR’S OPERA – Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
London in 1728 was a dark and dangerous place. Highwaymen, hangmen and harlots roamed the streets and life was hard. John Gay’s satirical musical The Beggar’s Opera steps away from the traditional romanticised stories of heroes and villains, unrequited love, choosing instead to tell a tale of rogues and murderers. And a little bit of love, for good measure.
NEWS: Lazarus turns to musicals with Beggar’s Opera revival, Q&A on 15 Nov
Lazarus Theatre will make its musical theatre debut in November with an all-new production of John Gay’s bawdy and raucous 1728 musical comedy The Beggar’s Opera. The production, directed and adapted by Lazarus artistic director Ricky Dukes, will feature a new, original score by Chris Drohan. It runs at London’s Jack Studio Theatre from 8 November to 3 December 2016, with a press night on 10 November, and a post-show Q&A hosted by My Theatre Mates co-founder Terri Paddock on Tuesday 15 November.
THE AWAKENING – Jack Studio Theatre
Johannes, a young man with pronounced learning difficulties, is in solitary confinement for raping and murdering a young girl. The prison captain Agnes, seeing goodness in the boy, introduces him to Christianity and gains permission for him to live and work on a remote island farm. Sadly, her good intentions don’t come to fruition in […]
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Jack Studio Theatre
Shakespeare often seems to come in cycles, with several productions of the same play on at once in different venues. At the moment, it’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream though it’s a common summer favourite anyway. With so much competition, individual productions need to distinguish themselves from the rest as well as have a distinctive concept, even if that concept is to stick to tradition.