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No country for old women: Old Ladies - at Finborough Theatre

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The day after seeing The Old Ladies at the Finborough Theatre , I was describing the play to someone in great detail: about three old ladies who lived in a rickety house in southern England in 1935. Based on Hugh Walpole’s novel and adapted by Rodney Ackland, it is the sort of story with enough believability, humour and mild thriller to stick in your mind. Perhaps it is the lure of this dark, forboding tale of a life without money, to be alone and to be old, that makes you feel attracted to this poverty porn. But then again, given the state of the world, the cost of living, an ageing population, or just the fact that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, it might as well be an every little old lady-for-herself, too. It’s a well-acted and staged piece that moves at a brisk pace, so there isn’t much time to think about it too much. And in the intimate (or should that be claustrophobic?) space of the Finborough, there’s nowhere to avert your eyes. Even if you wanted to.  The scene is a grim Cathe...

It's a wonderful life: The Me Plays @ORLTheatre

Growing up in Wembley seems like fun in Andrew Maddock's The Me Plays, currently showing at The Old Red Lion Theatre. 

Two forty-five minute monologues delivered by Maddock present a semi-autobiographical look at his life growing up there.

Male body image, internet pornography, Catholic schools, surgical procedures are all covered in this brutally honest account. The cleverness in the work is its frankness and his matter of fact delivery, which makes for a fascinating evening that will linger with you after leaving the show.

The first piece, Junkie, looks at how the internet and the bombardment with constant information and potential suitors has transformed the dating game. It helps if you are familiar with the mobile application Tinder (nowadays dates are not arranged on a computer that would be so old fashioned) and how connections are based on mutual likes. But the piece shows how fleeting and superficial the modern dating world can be, the efforts taken to hook up that can be abandoned on a whim. 

His second and darker piece, Hi Life, I Win, sees Maddock waiting on the results of biopsy and looking back on his teenage years, and how events can change your life. It is a unique perspective on universal themes of loneliness, isolation and fears in a smart looking production that deserves to be seen.

Maddock’s training and previous work has been with the Playing Up programme - which gives young people who are not in education, employment or training a chance to take part in the National Youth Theatre. The entire run of performances will also offer £6 tickets to selected groups in the Brent and Islington area working with young people who are not in education, work or training.

It runs through until September 20.

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