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Showing posts from September, 2015

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Take me to the world: Hide and Seek @parktheatre

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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

The family way: The Etienne Sisters @stratfordeast

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A reunion with an estranged half-sister at their mother's funeral provides the backdrop for an unlikely musical subject in the Etienne Sisters at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. The sisters accompanied by jazz pianist Nikki Yeoh perform admirably in this sophisticated and slick show even if the music doesn't feel like a perfect match to its subject matter.

Live couples therapy: Tonight I’m Gonna Be The New Me @sohotheatre

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Tonight I’m Gonna Be The New Me , currently playing at the Soho Theatre is a theatrical endurance piece, both for the performers and the audience as it attempts to describe a relationship, or a relationship re imagined. It should be part of Soho Theatre’s programme of weird shit to see in the West End. It’s alienating, amusing and infuriating. So depending on your frame of mind you’re going to love it or think you are trapped. I suspect the intention is to feel both. Thankfully it only lasts a little over an hour.

Larking about: And Then Come The Nightjars @Theatre503

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  And Then Come the Nightjars , currently playing at Theatre 503 , is a funny and at times touching two-hander that charts the period of the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 and its aftermath from the perspective a a farmer in South Devon and his friend and local vet. It is astonishing to watch such a finely drawn characterisations  and a beautiful looking production in the intimate space of Theatre 503.

Holographs of my mind: Dusty @dusty_show

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Dusty Springfield is back from the dead in Dusty , a multimedia musical which has her spinning around and singing in 3D holographic spectacular. As for the show, despite other opinions , I liked it for the music. It is a wonderful homage to her, even if the technology gets in the way of the performances and the story.

Silly things to preview impudently: Emma in the square...

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To celebrate the bi-­centenary of its publication, the Friends of Brunswick Square present Emma200 . Not to be confused for what is written on those tart cards you will also find in phone boxes nearby, it is a weekend festival of talks, performances, exhibitions in the leafy surroundings of Brunswick Square.

The prince of tides: The Man Who Had All The Luck @KingsHeadThtr

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As we approach the centenary of his birth, Arthur Miller’s first produced play gets a classy revival with a terrific cast at the Kings Head Theatre . The premise of the work is that David, a mid western automobile mechanic has the Midas touch. Everything he touches turns to gold. He gets the girl he wants (against her father’s wishes), he runs a successful automobile mechanic business (after a chance encounter with another mechanic). He even opens a gas station which just by luck then has a freeway run past it. But as his family and friends struggle with their lives despite their hard work and perseverance, David struggles to enjoy his success. And as he waits for his luck to turn he slowly descends into madness.

The lights are on: hamlet is dead. no gravity. @arcolatheatre

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The old keep living and the young are dying. It is all a bit random and unpredictable with these birthdays, deaths and marriages in hamlet is dead. no gravity. It is one of four pieces playing as part of the Volta International Festival at the Arcola Theatre . The work by German writer Ewald Palmetshofer is both fascinating, challenging and amusing. The work deals with the premise about how people tend to tense up in uncomfortable situations, be it the mother who longs for her mother to be dead, a marriage of convenience, an unexplained death or a brother and sister who seem awfully close. Things gradually build to an unexpected climax.

Fringe youth: Thoroughly Modern Millie @LandorTheatre

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There is so much energy in this production of Thoroughly Modern Millie that even if a projector malfunctioned and a spot light crashed, nothing dims the performances of this young, good looking cast. This is a song and dance show. And on more than one occasion did this small and resourceful cast wow with high kicks and perfect pitch in the intimate space of the Landor theatre . Sam Spencer’s fabulous choreography makes this show a thrill to watch. Sitting up close to the performers as they sing and dance their hearts out gives the show an added level of excitement and gives a new perspective to the piece.