Based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood and adapted by Simon Reade, A Single Man follows a day in the life of George (Theo Fraser Steele), a middle-aged British professor living in Los Angeles, as he wakes, goes to work, visits a friend, has dinner with another, encounters one of his students in a bar, and finally falls into bed back at home.
‘Both sensitive & brutal in its exploration of a difficult topic’: APPLES IN WINTER – Playground Theatre
All I can really say about Apples in Winter at the Playground Theatre is that it’s really, really good, with an immensely powerful one-woman performance from Edie Campbell that will leave you feeling shaken and devastated and furious. An absolute must-see.
‘Has the makings of a very important piece of theatre’: GUINEA PIGS – The Space
There’s a lot to appreciate in Guinea Pigs at The Space. The central inspiration is a topic that’s been deliberately covered up and will therefore be news to many audience members, and Elin Doyle’s script both asks challenging questions about the rights and wrongs of nuclear armament, and draws neat parallels between the UK’s political situation in the 1980s and in 2022 (in summary, not much has changed).
‘True crime done right’: THE QUALITY OF MERCY – Courtyard Theatre
Theatre doesn’t get much more personal than this. The Quality of Mercy is the story of serial killer Harold Shipman, written and performed by Edwin Flay – a patient of Shipman’s as a child, and the grandson of Renee Lacey, who died at the Hyde GP’s hands when she was just 63 years old. Set in his cell on the night Shipman will take his own life, the play sees him recording a final tape, looking back on his life and crimes, and attempting to justify his motivation for ending so many innocent lives.
‘Quite haunting’: LANDSCAPE WITH WEAPON – Cockpit Theatre
Landscape with Weapon asks some interesting and uncomfortable questions, and ultimately proves that when it comes to morality, right and wrong are not always as clear-cut as we might like them to be.
Why should you see dark comedy Blue at the White Bear Theatre? Read on…
You’ll like Blue at the White Bear Theatre if… The play is a dark comedy. You will laugh. You will think about the ‘human condition’. You will find some of it absurd because life is a little weird and sometimes the more we think the more confusing and complicated life becomes.
’Heartbreaking story told beautifully’: MOMENT OF GRACE – Hope Theatre
Inspired by the moment in April 1987 when the princess opened Britain’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital and challenged public perceptions of the disease by shaking hands with patients, Moment of Grace at the Hope Theatre draws on a number of voices to paint a powerful picture of that day and its far-reaching impact.
‘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.
‘A story about regular people finding their way in life’: ANOTHER AMERICA – Park Theatre
Bill Rosenfield’s Another America is not quite what I expected – which, it turns out, is the whole point. Inspired by the 1999 documentary film True Fans by Dan Austin, it’s not explicitly billed as a political play.
At Brockley Jack, Arrows & Traps ‘bring to the stage not one but two inspiring real-life stories’
Returning to live performance for the first time in two years, Arrows & Traps prove they’ve lost none of their ambition as they bring to the stage not one but two inspiring real-life stories.
‘Gently makes us aware of our own ignorance’: THE 4th COUNTRY – Park Theatre
Female-led theatre company Plain Heroines “make funny plays about difficult subjects”. That’s an apt description of Kate Reid’s The 4th Country.
‘Expect very bad language, naughty jokes & drunken celebration’: A PISSEDMAS CAROL – Leicester Square Theatre
What if you fancy a festive show but you’re not in the mood for Dickensian drama? Shitfaced Showtime is the answer.
BOOK REVIEW: My Name Is Not Wigs! by Angela Cobbin
How many of us theatre lovers, hand on heart, could name the wig designer working on our favourite productions?
‘A great night out thanks to two strong performances’: LOVE DANCE – Chiswick Playhouse
Rose is a career woman who wants a baby but not a relationship. Adam’s a deadbeat musician who had a bad childhood and has zero interest in procreating.
‘Tackles dark subjects with a deft comedic touch’: HEATHERS THE MUSICAL – Touring
Like the 1989 movie on which it’s based, Heathers the Musical has gained an enthusiastic cult following since the UK production first opened at The Other Palace in 2018.
‘A clever & joyously silly celebration’: DOING SHAKESPEARE – Bridewell Theatre
Northern Comedy Theatre return to the stage with Doing Shakespeare, a clever and joyously silly play celebrating Shakespeare in all his occasionally incomprehensible glory.
‘This is a tale of extraordinary injustice’: TOKYO ROSE – Southwark Playhouse & touring
Based on a true story, new musical Tokyo Rose follows the life of Iva Toguri, an American woman who was wrongly convicted of treason in 1949.
INTERVIEW: Matthew Seager talks about the new filmed version of his 2017 play In Other Words
In Other Words was inspired by writer and performer Matthew Seager’s experiences volunteering in a care home before the pandemic. First performed in 2017 (when Theatre Things reviewed it during its run at The Hope Theatre), the critically acclaimed two-hander now returns in a new filmed version which is available to watch online from today.
‘Relevant and hard-hitting’: PENETRATION — Cockpit Theatre
As a piece of theatre, Carolyn Lloyd-Davies’ consent drama Penetration left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied – but hear me out, because that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
‘Beautifully written & emotionally devastating’: Anything Is Possible If You Think About It Hard Enough – Southwark Playhouse
Beautifully written and emotionally devastating, Cordelia O’Neill’s two-hander Anything Is Possible If You Think About It Hard Enough sensitively explores the impact of losing a child to stillbirth for a young couple.