Written, rehearsed and filmed in lockdown, Marcia Kelson’s Devil’s Food Cake sensitively shines a light on the impact of an eating disorder on one ordinary family.
‘Powerful, personal & poignant’: TALKING GODS – Arrows & Traps (Online review)
You wait all year for an Arrows & Traps production… and then five come along at once. Unable to return to the stage just yet, Arrows have instead taken to the screen – and given the often cinematic style of writer and director Ross McGregor’s work, it should come as no particular surprise that the transition works pretty seamlessly.
‘A witty, fast-paced musical adventure’: THE LEGEND OF MOBY DICK WHITTINGTON – Sleeping Trees (Online review)
The Sleeping Trees’ The Legend of Moby Dick Whittington is a witty, fast-paced musical adventure that’s full of surprises and will have audiences of all ages joining in from (and possibly on, behind or under) their sofas.
‘Entertaining & polished fictional thriller’: WHAT A CARVE UP! (Online review)
Tamara Harvey’s digital production of What a Carve Up! skilfully builds the suspense, while also systematically taking apart those in power who enjoy all the benefits of their position, while allowing the rest of us to take the hit.
‘The show charts the experience of migration through six phases’: WAITING FOR THE SHIP TO SAIL – Chickenshed Theatre (Online review)
Waiting For The Ship To Sail is a worthwhile reminder that while our minds and our media may currently be focused on one crisis, that doesn’t mean other, equally urgent, issues have gone away.
‘Compelling, provocative drama’: STICKS & STONES – Tristan Bates Theatre
Written by Dameon Garnett in response to the ongoing debate around free speech, Sticks and Stones is a fascinating two-hander that explores how we talk about issues of race, class and privilege in 2020 Britain.
‘Intense & thoughtful’: MEAT – Theatre 503
Meat is an intense and thoughtful play, which doesn’t spoon feed answers to its audience but instead poses a set of questions and leaves us to process them in our own way and within the frame of our own experiences.
‘Powerful & thought-provoking piece of writing’: NETFLIX & CHILL – Drayton Arms Theatre
It’s great to see how Netflix and Chill has grown and the important message that now comes through loud and clear about male mental health and the responsibility we all have to encourage frank and open conversation.
Best of the Blogs: Death of England, Endgame, Chaplin, The Jury & The Gift
In our continuing series, editor Lisa Martland picks out some of her Top Picks from the last week of theatre (to 9 February 2020), including Ian Foster seeing Rafe Spall give a career-defining performance in the National Theatre’s production of Death of England.
‘Fascinating, entertaining & surprisingly poignant’: CHAPLIN: BIRTH OF A TRAMP – Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
If you’ve ever wondered how this particular legend was born, the play Chaplin: Birth of a Tramp offers a fascinating, entertaining and surprisingly poignant way to find out.
‘Potential to spark lively debate’: FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT – Bridewell Theatre
As the Brexit debate continues to rage on, Harry Darell’s timely new play For The Sake of Argument considers the ways in which language can be used for both better and worse,
‘Asks some refreshing questions’: TWELFTH NIGHT – Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
As a slightly weary Twelfth Night veteran, personally I enjoyed this more sombre adaptation of the play, which remains accessible to newcomers while offering a fresh perspective to those who’ve seen it before.
‘Polished & precise production’: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST – Tower Theatre
Pan Productions’ unique and memorable adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic The Importance of Being Earnest is the company’s first production in English, its cast being made up entirely of immigrants whose first languages include French, Turkish and Greek.
‘Guaranteed to warm your heart’: SNOW WHITE – Chickenshed Theatre
As always, Chickenshed’s Christmas show Snow White is a festive treat that’s guaranteed to warm your heart and send you home feeling a little bit better about the world. Who can say no to that?
‘Delivers in style’: WHITE CHRISTMAS – West End
Before long the stage is overflowing with so much joy, romance and goodwill to all that ultimately, much like the snow song, this White Christmas proves impossible to resist.
‘Powerfully written & performed’: POISONED POLLUTED – Old Red Lion Theatre
Kathryn O’Reilly’s second play Poisoned Polluted focuses on the fragmenting relationship between two women – in this case, sisters.
‘Intriguing & full of surprises’: GASLIGHT – Playground Theatre
While this reimagining of Gaslight doesn’t necessarily deliver on all its promises, the production does successfully highlight the continuing relevance of both the story and its core issue.
‘Horror movie aspect threatens to dominant’: FAST – Park Theatre
Based on a true story, Kate Barton’s play Fast invites its audience into the disturbing world of “Dr” Linda Hazzard (Caroline Lawrie), whose controversial fasting diet method claimed the lives of multiple patients in the early 20th century.
‘Clever & intriguing premise’: THE OPEN – The Space
As with any dystopian drama, the central idea of Florence Bell’s The Open – the GBGC itself – sounds far-fetched, but the foundations on which it’s built aren’t all that implausible.
‘Feels like we’re discovering it for the first time’: THE STRANGE CASE OF JEKYLL & HYDE – Brockley Jack Studio Theatre & Touring
Arrows & Traps’ The Strange Case Of Jekyll & Hyde is one for a new generation: an endlessly thought-provoking, unsettling, enthralling production that’s not to be missed.