Hot on the heels of my post-show Q&A for Doctor Faustus, I’m pleased to announce I’ll return to Southwark Playhouse in January to continue my long-time association with Lazarus Theatre Company, discussing their brand-new production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
‘Funny, disturbing & uncomfortable’: RUCKUS – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★★
Jenna Fincken’s unsettling and unforgettable play about coercive control chronicles a relationship from meeting to the first act of violence. Funny, disturbing and uncomfortable – Louise asks us “Did you see?” – Ruckus at Southwark Playhouse is a brilliant production.
‘A spooktacular treat’: THE CANTERVILLE GHOST – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★★
Fear and laughter often go hand-in-hand (you only have to look at work from the likes of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith to see that), so Tall Stories’ approach to the Oscar Wilde novella The Canterville Ghost is not as bizarre as it may first seem. Their vaudeville stage adaptation is currently playing at Southwark Playhouse, before heading to Bristol and Newcastle.
‘Funny & deeply original’: THE PRINCE – Southwark Playhouse
Abigail Thorn’s new play The Prince takes inspiration from Shakespeare and time travel to deliver a funny and deeply original take on gender norms and expectations.
VIDEO & PHOTOS: A devilish Q&A with the company of Lazarus Theatre’s Doctor Faustus
What might entice you to sell your soul to the devil? Fame? Riches? Immortality? World peace? A rent-free London flat? Four pints of Guinness? At my post-show Q&A for a production of Doctor Faustus, that was an irresistible question to pose to the company. But before that, we covered much else to do concerning adaptation and the creative process, with a lot of fun and laughter.
New post-show Q&A: Make a deal to join Terri Paddock for Lazarus Theatre’s reinvention of Doctor Faustus at Southwark Playhouse
Following the 8pm performance of Doctor Faustus at Southwark Playhouse on Wednesday 14 September 2022, My Theatre Mates co-founder Terri Paddock will talk to director Ricky Dukes, leading man Jamie O’Neill, and other Lazarus cast and creatives. Any questions? Join us!
‘Gripping & insightful piece of theatre’: EVELYN – Southwark Playhouse
Tom Ratcliffe’s compelling play Evelyn at Southwark Playhouse challenges our thoughts and opinions to great effect, while also offering a raw emotional experience.
’It’s the first-rate performances that really bring this show to life’: LIFT – Southwark Playhouse ★★★
Overall, Lift is a well-paced show which lacks real depth and cohesion but is carried exceptionally well by the eight person cast. As a cult favourite, it’s worth catching just for the powerhouse voices and strong visuals.
‘The storytelling is undeniably compelling’: Five Characters In Search Of A Good Night’s Sleep – Southwark Playhouse ★★★
Five Characters In Search Of A Good Night’s Sleep tells you pretty much what you’re going to get as a quintet of older people mull over their lives while courting elusive sleep in a series of monologues ranging from the mundane to the deeply moving.
‘Everything is heightened’: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
Even a minor Sondheim has something to recommend it, and ticking this one off leaves just two of his shows left for me to see live.
My knowledge of Anyone Can Whistle was confined to the three numbers included in the Side by Side revue, so clearly …
‘Sondheim’s songs are the saving grace of this rather purposeless musical’: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE – Southwark Playhouse
One of Sondheim’s earliest works Anyone Can Whistle has just opened at Southwark Playhouse. Notoriously a flop back in 1964, many have tried but few have succeeded in reviving its fortunes.
‘One of the strangest & least performed musicals in the Sondheim canon’: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE – Southwark Playhouse
This wacky tale of faked miracles, town economics, mental health and social segregation is a puzzling one, combining some really great Stephen Sondheim songs and some strong female characters with a cartoonish plot.
‘A reminder of how essential it is to see diverse & authentic stories told on stage’: MOHAND & PETER – Southwark Playhouse
Mohand and Peter are good friends with a lot in common. For one thing, they’re both actors pursuing their profession far from home.
‘Stylised dialogue, questionable gender politics & a too literal setting’: THE WOODS -Southwark Playhouse
The Woods feels decidedly old-fashioned in style and structure, using its characters as ciphers for David Mamet’s abstract conclusions about relationships between men and women.
‘An absolute must-see for anyone over the age of 13’: INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★★
Can you imagine how difficult it must be for parents to lose a daughter at the age of 17? It must be absolutely heartbreaking. But what about her little sister?
‘A powerful reminder about how important it is to feel seen & heard’: INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON – Southwark Playhouse
The teenage years are the hardest to navigate. Everything’s changing. You don’t know what you’re doing and everyone around you is a walking cocktail of hormones.
VIDEO: Remember how hard it was being 13? Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon post-show Q&A
Rosie Day’s wonderful rollercoaster ride of a debut play Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, which she also performs, ends with the by-then 16-year-old protagonist writing a letter of advice to her younger self (and younger stepsister).
‘Incredibly engaging throughout’: INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
At 75 minutes long, it’s quite impressive how much Rosie Day is able to fit into this painful coming-of-age story – it really is an intense rollercoaster.
‘Rosie Day is a compelling storyteller & narrator’: INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
Rosie Day’s play highlights not only the confusion and pain of growing up but also the struggle of dealing with grief as a young person in a tight and engaging way.
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri Paddock for Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon
As part of her resumed post-show talk series, Mates founder Terri Paddock will chair a discussion at Instruction for a Teenage Armageddon at London’s Southwark Playhouse on Tuesday 15 February 2022. Time to get booking!