Between Ben Yeoh and David Finnegan, there’s an impressive array of interests, knowledge and skills. Theatre, economics and climate change are among them.
LAIKA – Unicorn Theatre
Sami and his mum are preparing for her to go to Mars for years and years and years. Both obsessed with space, Sami’s proud of her but worried that he might never see her again.
THE NASSIM PLAYS – Bush Theatre
Inspired by the humour and spontaneity that comes from cold reading, Nassim Soleimanpour has developed what has become his trademark style of reflective, personal writing performed by an actor who knows nothing of the play.
LISTS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD – #EdFringe
Things that are good about Lists for the End of the World
1. It’s funny, sad and moving all at once
2. Though the concept is simple, it’s structurally dynamic
KLANGHAUS: 800 BREATHS – Southbank Centre
A dozen or so of us were led to the roof of the Royal Festival Hall where we were told to expect: ‘A multi-sensory encounter of shifting sound, colour and light, which reinvents the gig-going experience as a site-responsive close-up standing performance.’ Whatever that is.
HAMLET – West End
This Hamlet, freshly transferred to the West End from the Almeida, is a slick, beast of a production surpassing three hours. Undeniably contemporary, it does its best to smash the restrictions of the proscenium arch with a celebrity cast and achingly cool, Scandi/corporate design.
THE MISANTHROPE – Drayton Arms
Exchange Theatre sets The Misanthrope in a contemporary newsroom full of gossip, affairs, backstabbing and cocaine-fueled all-nighters. Alceste loathes the way his colleagues behave, but fancies the flirtatious Celimene in spite of his prejudices.
DISCONNECT – Ugly Duck
Imagine a production of Waiting for Godot with more characters, set in space, where the audience chooses the outcome of the story. What you are picturing is probably gloriously weird and kitschy.
THE PULVERISED – Arcola Theatre
Does anyone really win under capitalism? Alexandra Badea’s The Pulverised doesn’t think so. Even though those near the top of the pyramid living jetsetting lifestyles and rolling in cash might live comfortable lives, they are still left feeling broken and hollow.
Buzzcut Festival: Day Two highlights include Free Lunch & Stuntman
Part of the reason I wanted to come to Buzzcut is that I find it hard to write about live art. I don’t dislike it, far from it – I have a broad but uninformed appreciation of it. But my theatrical home is built from Shakespeare, text-based narratives and the great American playwrights.
Buzzcut Festival: Day One highlights include ApocoLIPS & Close Shave
The DIY/anarchist vibe is strong – a hand painted banner stretches across the front of the building and the ornate hall used as a the cafe/bar/community hub/place for announcements is similar – but it doesn’t look sloppy. There is care and thought in every corner, from the crèche to the info desk.
THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE – Royal Court Theatre
The American dream is a tantalising thing. Even the grubbiest kid from New York, the son of a nobody dentist, can become a film star and producer. This is Robert Evans’ story, the man responsible for pictures like ‘The Godfather’.
THE MUTANT MAN – Space Arts Centre
Contemporary pop culture is awash with true crime stories: NPR’s Serial, HBO’s The Jinx and Netflix’s Making of a Murder are just a few titles that have recently gripped public imagination. It is therefore not surprising that two plays about the life of Harry Crawford, born Eugenia Falleni in 1875, have been dramatised in the last few years.
BIG GUNS – Yard Theatre
Do social media and violence against women go hand in hand? Are we all rendered voyeurs or exhibitionists by the internet? Is the web the downfall of society?
MADE IN INDIA – Soho Theatre
The all-female play looks at the complex and controversial landscape of commercial surrogacy in India through the microcosmic relationship between three parties – the surrogate, the doctor and the mother.
SPILLIKIN – Touring
You could easily classify this production as “the one with the robot” but there is more to Spillikin, currently on tour throughout the UK. Despite the high level of artificial intelligence on show, this is a human story depicting the world of a woman going through Alzheimer’s.
CELEBRATION, FLORIDA – Touring
Shows incorporating technology have become more and more common recently. This experimental show, Celebration, Florida, features two unrehearsed performers wearing headphones.
THOUGHT TO FLESH – Vaults
It’s evident that there are great intentions and thorough research behind the piece. It’s also clear that the creators have much skill and experience in making theatre.
HOTEL EUROPE – The Green Rooms
As populism rises and fascists are tightening national borders with physical walls and stricter immigration regulations, the revolution is gaining speed. Theatre isn’t standing by, either.
SPACE PLAY – Vault Festival
In recent years, tales of space travel have been making more of an appearance in theatre. Space Play looks at the aftermath of orbital collision with space debris, inspired by the events of the film Gravity.
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