On 11 September 2021, it will mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. To commemorate the anniversary, Apple TV+ has filmed a performance of the Broadway production of Come From Away, released to subscribers on 10 September.
‘Literal shivers down the spine’: FALLING IN LOVE WITH MR DELLAMORT (Online review)
Any new musical must bring cause for celebration, and so I approached this one with some interest. First planned as a stage production and billed as “the world’s first theremin musical”, Falling in Love With Mr Dellamort has now resurfaced as a three episode podcast directed by Ella Jane New, and with orchestrations by Lena Gabrielle.
‘A completely successful piece of digital theatre’: WALDEN – Cinemas Nationwide (Online review)
Twin sisterhood, space, and the uncertain near future are at play in Amy Berryman’s debut play, Walden, which recently enjoyed a run on stage as part of the Re:Emerge season at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Now, it resurfaces in a filmed version to be released in cinemas on Wednesday.
‘Stylish, visceral & very contemporary’: SALOMÉ – Southwark Playhouse (Online review)
Currently running in stage in the Little at Southwark Playhouse, Lazarus Theatre’s version of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé proves to be a daring, electric, and exhausting feat of theatre.
‘Unapologetically both theatrical drama & a tense piece of work adapted for the screen’: THE SYSTEM (Online review)
Paul is dead, killed at his own party. Everyone is a suspect, and most of them had a motive. Written and performed by Emily Head, directed by Guy Unsworth, The System is filmed live in one take. We meet each suspect to see how they react under interrogation, and see if the mystery can be solved.
‘Definitely picks up the spirit of the era’: WARHOL: BULLET KARMA – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review)
Garry Roost’s play Warhol: Bullet Karma focuses on the events around his shooting by Valerie Solanas (this ground was covered from a more feminist perspective in Femme Fatale).
‘Takes care to balance the comical & tragical with flair’: LOST IN LOVE – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review)
Lost in Love is a new play presented by Flow Stage Productions. A brash and funny lady, Emily (Rachel Pryde) has something to tell about her life and the men in it.
‘A strong performance in a play which will entertain film buffs’: Bette Davis Ain’t For Sissies – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review)
Bette Davis Ain’t For Sissies (the title refers to a Davis quote of some years later about old age) references the women’s lot in the Golden Age of Hollywood – exploitative auditions, unequal pay (a topic still current in movies in the 21st century), a string of love affairs, the expectation to look ‘just so’.
‘A good balance of humour & compassion’: TILL LOVE DO US PART – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★
Till Love Do Us Part isn’t one of the flashiest productions on the digital fringe in terms of its technical style, but the writing carries it through.
‘Inventive & funny’: PLANET OF THE GRAPES – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review)
Over on the ZOOTV platform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, you’ll find Planet of the Grapes, a delicious livestream performed live in New York City. I’m told that on Sunday the city was being battered by a hurricane, but it didn’t seem to cast a shadow on the show.
‘Beautifully written show’: MARIE LLOYD STOLE MY LIFE – Camden Fringe ★★★★★
Marie Lloyd Stole My Life is a beautifully written show, full of pathos and conjuring up the mores and expectations of the time – notably, both Power and Lloyd died prematurely, which highlights the hard life of those on the boards.
‘Accomplished & memorable’: Suffragettes – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★★
Nuworks Theatre, from Australia, bring their lively and passionate musical (written, directed and designed by David Dunn, with choreography by Meg Dunn) about the fight for women’s suffrage to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Suffragettes is an impressive addition to the work around this topic (see also, Sylvia, a musical WIP which ran at the Old Vic a few years ago).
‘Intrigues from the first frame’: EAST BELFAST BOY – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★
East Belfast Boy intrigues from the first frame, and lends itself perfectly to the new format, redefining the boundaries between disparate art forms.
‘Shrewd, sensitive & sad’: CALL ME ELIZABETH – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★
In Call Me Elizabeth Kayla Boye takes on the difficult task of writing about, and portraying the icon which was Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011). Just like Marilyn Monroe, you feel you already know everything about her; the marriages, the child star turned child woman in the Hollywood machine, her constant health battles, the diamonds, her activism.
‘It’s all sharp, funny & on point’: DEAD RINGERS – London Wonderground
Celebrating 21 years as a hit radio show, the Dead Ringers team – in this case, Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey – have taken up a late August residency in the Big Top venue at London Wonderground.
‘So many moments which are brilliantly put together’: THE ENTERTAINMENT – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★
Originally planned to be performed live at Summerhall, Katie Bonna’s audio play, The Entertainment, is “about what we carry around inside us”.
‘Emotional & fearless’: THE TARANTULA – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★
Written and performed by Patricia Légaré Eddisford, The Tarantula is just under an hour of monologue, a story that transcends its one-room location.
‘Rarely falters’: MEET CUTE – Camden Fringe ★★★★
Quackpot Productions has brought fresh and quirky show Meet Cute to the Camden Fringe, in which Tim and Gill’s budding romance goes anything but smoothly.
‘A real highlight of the digital fringe’: FOW – Edinburgh Fringe (Online review) ★★★★
Streaming now on the Summerhall Online platform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fow is a very clever and engaging love story from a deaf-led perspective.
‘Captures the people perfectly’: BIG BIG SKY – Hampstead Theatre
Not a lot happens, yet everything happens, as Big Big Sky’s premise is about ordinary people living ordinary lives. Under Tessa Walker’s direction – she has collaborated with Wells before – the drama is handled with dignity, clarity, and charm.