Philip Ridley’s The Poltergeist is an irresistibly restless creation which emulates the troublesome violent spirit conjured up by the title. The firework cracking solo piece has had a checkered history. It was first produced at Southwark Playhouse where its run was stymied by Covid lockdown but played out in a deserted auditorium to broadcasting cameras for a criminally brief three performances; it blew away the competition to scoop the Off West End OnComm award for a live streamed piece. It then became an on demand video which has haunted the recesses of the internet ever since and been spoken of with increasing admiration for those of us who saw its glorious beginnings.
New post-show Q&A: Philip Ridley’s The Poltergeist goes from online to the Arcola Theatre & Terri Paddock is on hand to find out more
After post-show Q&As for Tonight with Donnie Darko, Vincent River, Angry and Tender Napalm, I’m delighted to be invited to chair another discussion with Philip Ridley, one of the UK’s greatest and most innovative living playwrights. This time for the live stage premiere of his online lockdown hit The Poltergeist.
‘A mind-expanding experience’: TENDER NAPALM – King’s Head Theatre
I had a mind-expanding experience this week. And, listen, there’s still a chance for you to have one too.
FEATURED SHOW: Lidless Theatre’s ★★★★★ revival of Tender Napalm is ‘an absolute must-see’. Reviews are in!
Philip Ridley himself recommended that Lidless Theatre mount the tenth-anniversary revival of his instant classic Tender Napalm. The result, according to the critics, is “first-rate” and “an absolute must-see”. Check out our round-up of review highlights. Time to get booking!
PHOTOS & VIDEO: In the rehearsal room with Philip Ridley’s Tender Napalm
Performances begin this week for Lidless Theatre’s revival of Philip Ridley’s “jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, expectation-topping” play Tender Napalm. We caught up with the company in rehearsals.
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri Paddock for Philip Ridley’s Tender Napalm
As part of her resumed post-show talk series, Mates founder Terri Paddock will chair a discussion following the performance of Lidless Theatre’s tenth-anniversary revival of Philip Ridley’s provocative Tender Napalm, at London’s King’s Head Theatre on Tuesday 7 November 2021. Time to get booking!
NEWS: Lidless Theatre mount 10th-anniversary revival of Philip Ridley’s Tender Napalm
After their 2018 production of Philip Ridley’s Moonfleece, Lidless Theatre present the tenth-anniversary revival of Ridley’s seminal play Tender Napalm.
‘Ridley excels at these forensic character studies’: TARANTULA – Southwark Playhouse (Online review)
Tarantula isn’t perfect and is certainly too long but Ridley’s latest twin works have been ideally suited to the nature of hybrid theatre, utilising the intimate and seemingly one-to-one focus that only a camera can create while building on the energy and vibrancy of live performance.
The long aftermath of trauma is the subject of Philip Ridley’s latest monologue for Southwark Playhouse building on the writer’s established relationship with the venue and the sensational The Poltergeist which premiered last November to an online …
‘Ridley plays with our expectations’: TARANTULA – Southwark Playhouse (Online review)
Philip Ridley’s Tarantula is another stunning showcase for a young actor who commands the stage and leaves the viewer exhausted – in a good way.
Rev Stan’s Lockdown London walks lead to the Old Red Lion Theatre
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.
20 of the things that inspired, moved, amused & delighted John Chapman in 2020
I’ve selected 20 of the things that inspired, moved, amused and delighted, which have pushed the boundaries of what it possible and continued to fly the flag for theatre in the UK.
‘Transporting us by engaging the heart, mind & soul’: How theatre-makers adapted in 2020
Here are Shane Morgan’s picks of how 2020 in theatre has continued to do what it does best: transporting us by engaging the heart, mind and soul.
‘Joseph Potter is more than a match for this quick-fire writing’: THE POLTERGEIST – Southwark Playhouse (Online review)
Philip Ridley’s play The Poltergeist made an intimate transition to the screen and will be unmissable as soon as live performances can be scheduled.
‘A tour de force performance in a brilliant monologue’: THE POLTERGEIST – Southwark Playhouse (Online review)
A tour de force performance (mark Joseph Potter as one to watch) in a brilliant monologue on an empty stage, you will not want to miss Philip Ridley’s The Poltergeist.
‘Sparklingly dark world’: THE BEAST WILL RISE 6-10 (Online review)
What really strikes home in The Beast Will Rise series is the sheer range of scenarios which Philip Ridley conjures, all – in one way or another – providing responses to the pandemic, lockdown, survival and mental health.
‘A real gem’: Philip Ridley’s online series The Beast Will Rise is ‘sublime storytelling’
The problem with creating theatre in an era of lockdown is that the constraints of working online tend towards a uniformity of creativity
‘Philip Ridley’s masterly monologue explores the anxieties of our current culture of fear’: GATORS (Online review)
Gloriously surreal monologue about everyday anxieties in extraordinary circumstances: welcome back the glittering dark!
NEWS: The Beast Of Blue Yonder cast premiere Philip Ridley monologues online
While The Beast of Blue Yonder, Philip Ridley’s new play which was due to premiere this week at Southwark Playhouse, will not be going ahead during the coronavirus crisis, audiences will have a chance to see new work by Ridley in a collection of monologues, written in response to the current pandemic and performed by the cast.
‘What a joy to be in the same room as Philip Ridley’: Rachel Bright on starring in The Beast of Blue Yonder’s premiere
Rachel Bright, best known as her role as Poppy Meadow in TV’s EastEnders, returns to the stage as part of the stellar ensemble cast for next month’s world premiere of The Beast of Blue Yonder, Philip Ridley’s new time-hopping black comedy.
NEWS: Jade Ewan, Mirren Mack, Rachel Bright & Unique Spencer announced for cast of The Beast of Blue Yonder
Stellar ensemble casting has been announced for Philip Ridley’s new time-hopping black comedy The Beast of Blue Yonder, which receives its world premiere at London’s Southwark Playhouse next month. Time to get booking!