News: Dogs on the tube

Sniffer dogs are being deployed on the tube network to detect bombs. They will add a much welcome cute furry presence...

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Bare emotions: Gods and Monsters @swkplay

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Gods and Monsters , now playing at the Southwark Playhouse is a showcase of incredible performances from its terrific cast and an engaging story. Oh and there is a bit of full frontal nudity too. Based on the novel Father of Frankenstein (which was also the source material for the film of the same name ), the story is a blend of fact and fiction. Age, memory, fame, youth and loss collide in the story of the last few months in the life of English director James Whale. Whale director and creator of the first two Frankenstein films, had a moderately successful career in Hollywood which enabled him to live comfortably in Los Angeles. He was also openly gay. But following a series of strokes in his sixties, he lost his ability to prevent painful memories from his past flooding back. And without giving too much away, his most successful creation, the monster in Frankenstein, seems to become something far more personal.
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For the fans: An Evening Without Kate Bush at Underbelly Boulevard

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I’m not a fan of Kate Bush. But as Sarah-Louise Young in her show An Evening Without Kate Bush says, that’s ok. She appears, initially illuminated only by a red lamp, dressed in black, and moving across the stage in the style of Kate Bush. Or given that I’m not a fan or that familiar with her works, what I would assume Kate Bush might do if she had full run of the Underbelly Boulevard theatre. It’s evocative and a little bit funny. But soon it becomes clear that this is a show for the fans of anything out there. Be they Kate Bush fish (what the fans call themselves), friends of fish or foes. Ultimately, it’s a show about how music is often the soundtrack to our lives, capturing the spirit of being a performer, a fan and being alive. It’s currently playing at the Underbelly Boulevard .  This wasn’t my first evening without Kate Bush. A little over four years ago, I saw Ms Young writhe about the stage, gaze at the audience, and drag the odd audience member on stage as she recounted h...
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The Green, Green Grass: Green, Wild Elderflower at Riverside Studios

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In the search for dreams and a better life, the grass (or maybe the elderflower, which is popular in Polish cuisine) may look greener on the other side. But the lure and the pull of home, be they tomato soup (a staple comfort food in Poland) or Polish dumplings (known as pierogi), remain. These are the themes in this funny and charming chamber musical, Green, Wild Elderflower (Szalony, Zielony Bez). Using the songs and stories of legendary Polish songwriter Agnieszka Osiecka, it tells a story of migration and disillusionment. And as a citizen of the world (or at least three countries), it’s a tale that will feel familiar even if you aren’t familiar with Polish (or their pierogi). It’s currently having a short run at Riverside Studios .  Three performers, Mateusz Mirek, Elwira Rejnowicz, and Michał Nowak, share the role of a restless woman from Warsaw in search of freedom, dreaming of being anywhere but in Warsaw. But through trial, tribulation and lots of sexual escapades, it doesn...
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