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Prayers and thoughts: The Inseparables @Finboroughtheatre

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The Inseparables brings Simone de Beauvoir’s posthumously published novel to life. It traces a lifelong friendship between Sylve and Andrée, two unconventional girls who grew up in a stifling world where being a woman meant getting married or entering a convent. With a quick pace and engaging performances from the two leads, it is a journey back into the 20th century that captures two unconventional women trapped in a conventional world that will have you reflecting on how much or little things have moved on in the last century. It’s currently playing at the Finborough Theatre .  We’re introduced to Sylve praying for her country, France, to be saved from the war and indoctrinated into the world of faith and obedience. But too smart for all that, her life was full of detached guilt and boredom. But when she meets Andrée, a new arrival at her school, she is struck by how different she is from everyone else. She was burned in a fire and had a passion for life that nobody else she knew...

The Time Warp, muscle and fishnets: Rocky Horror Show 40th anniversary tour

Richmond Theatre never looked so different (or young) on Thursday evening as a packed audience -  many dressed as transsexuals or something in between - filled the theatre for the tour of the Rocky Horror Show, which is in town until the weekend. When you arrive at the theatre don't be surprised so see men in fishnets and cheap wigs and ladies looking like goths. This is a show where at least half of the audience will dress for the occasion. Or at least dress to look like their favourite character from the show. The other half of the audience that didn't make an effort (myself included) felt a little under dressed...

The Rocky Horror Show is celebrating forty years since it was first produced and is still as fun as ever. But now the years of audience participation (which goes from the sublime to the obscure) has given the show a feel of an adults only panto. The audience shouts out dirty, naughty or just plain bizarre things throughout the show which gives an element of expect the unexpected. Philip Franks as the narrator has the somewhat difficult task of responding to the various interjections while telling the story, which he manages with hilarious results.
Oliver Thornton as Frank N Furter bears an uncanny resemblance to Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl. But once you get past this coincidence he is a very pretty and muscular Frank And if you want to see his ass hanging out of a pair of fishnets, this is the show that will do it...


All told it was an energetic and enthusiastic return to the time warp. Perhaps the musical arrangements don't showcase the great rock and roll soundtrack at their best, but most people were having too much of a good time to notice that anyway.

One from the vault... And Richmond Station after the show looked a bit different too as people headed back to London...

The late night double feature boo with @Johnnyfoxlondon follows... The Rocky Horror Show is at Richmond this week before continuing its national tour... Check the website for dates...

listen to ‘Late night douboo feature: Rocky Horror Show’ on Audioboo


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