Posts

Showing posts from June, 2015

Featured Post

Take me to the world: Hide and Seek @parktheatre

Image
In a small town where everyone knows everyone, if you don't like it, you might feel that the only logical thing to do is to disappear. Especially if you think it will help your social media rankings. The loneliness and isolation of youth meet influencers in the wild in Tobia Rossi's Hide and Seek. And while events take a darker turn, the humour and the intimacy make this piece about youth on the edge (of trending) fascinating and enjoyable. It's currently playing at Park Theatre .  Mirko (Nico Cetrulo) is exploring a cave with his camera when he stumbles on Gio (Louis Scarpa). Gio has been missing for a while, and the town has been looking for him. But Gio is more interested in how much he is trending on TikTok. He also had a crush on Mirko. Soon, they establish a friendship and a bond. In the cave, they explore feelings they would not dare share outside. However, things turn darker when Gio is confident enough to leave the cave, while Mirko doesn't want his double life

Party time: I Went To A Fabulous Party @kingsheadthtr @fabpartyplay

Image
I Went to a Fabulous Party by debut writer And Davies is currently showing at the Kings Head Theatre. Its a play that leaves nothing much to the imagination.  Under the guise of a party at a successfully married couple's place, a range of gay stereotypes is summoned to liven things up. There is the gym bunny, the nerd, the bear, the jock and the chicken.  Anyway, after a few throwaway lines about it being too darn hot or wanting to show something for the cammers, suddenly half the cast are naked. 

Chop it up: Chef @Sohotheatre

Image
One woman’s descent from a haute-cuisine head-chef to convicted inmate provides for some mouth watering entertainment in Sabrina Mahfouz’s Chef at the Soho Theatre . While it is not necessarily an unexpected journey, it provides enough interest for its short duration to make you wish you were not watching it on an empty stomach. It all starts with a peach. With the simplest of ingredients,   Jade Anouka takes us through a range of courses that track her culinary career and the events that lead to her ending up in jail. Food as her passion comes out more strongly in this piece than the stories of her troubled teenage years, domestic life and the need to keep things level while behind bars. The dialogue is so evocative of food, its preparation and presentation that it is bound to make you hungry.

Those underground Italian girls: L’Italiana In Algeri @popupoperauk

Image
Popup Opera’s second summer show is full of energy, enthusiasm and some fine singing… Even if it is a rather silly show, it is great to see a piece that has not been performed in London for a while in such an unusual space. This minimalist opera group has pared back Rossini’s work and taken away all that business of harems and bad Turks. Instead it moves the story to a modern day den on iniquity - Las Vegas - and the Algiers Hotel. Popup Opera’s unusual choice of venues and performing lesser known works (with a modern twist) is a great introduction to opera.  Silly plotted operas work well with this format and so moving the piece to Vegas gives the tale of gambling, infidelity and cheap thrills a new dimension. Although perhaps a few cuts in the second half to bring things to a quicker conclusion might help.

Monkey business and other catastrophes: The Dead Monkey @ParkTheatre @Mongrelthumb

Image
The sphincter of modern life as viewed from a grimy, and gritty (well they live by the beach so sand in the house must be hell) American marriage is both absurd and fascinating in Mongrel Thumb’s production of The Dead Monkey . From the minute you enter the smaller space of the Park Theatre it is as if you are transported to California where the sun, sand and surf are so enticing that people just drop out of life. Sure you may be living in poverty but what a lifestyle with linoleum floors, distressed furniture, an endless supply of oranges. But it is all incredibly evocative and alluring. 

Ginger and oiled: The Clockmakers Daughter @LandorTheatre

Image
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is an exciting new piece of musical theatre, full of promise and some terrific music. It has landed at the Landor Theatre  and with its charm, strong performances and production values, it will no doubt keep enthralling audiences. What is most intriguing is how this original work by Michael Webborn and Daniel Finn , appears so fully formed and seemingly ready to move on to bigger or better things after the London fringe.

Straight up circus and jazz: Scotch and Soda @LdnWonderground

Image
Spade guitars, feats with champagne bottles you didn’t think were possible, dancing budgies and amazing acrobats. It’s all part of the mix with the latest offering from Company2 , Scotch and Soda, now playing at the London Wonderground on the SouthBank. The show is a mix of circus and jazz provided by The Crusty Suitcase Band , led by by Ben Walsh, who keeps things moving with an impressive collection of percussion devices instruments.