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Grief and fluff: Tiger @OmnibusTheatre

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Death is something we all will face. After all, nobody gets out of here alive. But how do you get past it when grief is all you can feel? And this is the premise of Tiger, currently playing at Omnibus Theatre . It's a fascinating exploration of the stages of grief. And with a terrific cast to take you on this journey, it's an endearing and sweet story that has you engaged from the start, wondering what will happen next.  We are introduced to Alice (Poppy Allen-Quarmby) as she gives a stand-up routine. It's not particularly funny and starts to veer into the topic of dying. Something isn't right. She used to be good at this but can't move forward. Soon, she is back in her London apartment with her partner Oli (Luke Nunn), discussing that they need to get a lodger to make ends meet.  Oli is a doctor working night shifts at the local NHS hospital. Alice is not ready to face a return to stand up or anything. So when the first potential lodger arrives (Meg Lewis), looking

Lost at sea: Lately @proforcatheatre


What happens when two childhood sweethearts escape from each other's orbit? Well, no prizes for guessing it doesn't end well, but James Lewis's Lately tries to piece together the fragments of two young lives from the roads taken and not taken. But it may not be everyone's cup of tea, and the theatre offers up resources for those troubled by how it ends. Still, it's a delicate exploration of conflicting stories, priorities and young people navigating a confusing and messy world. 

Callum and Alison seemed like they would be together forever. They had a lot in common. Most of it was crap. They both have a crap family life and live in a crap part of England. The only things that aren't crap are the endless waves from the nearby sea, the occasional trip to the fairgrounds. And a few fireworks that go off when it's Alison's birthday. It's a monotonous and grim life. But while Alison wanted to escape, Callum remained firmly planted where he was. 

When Alison gets the chance to go to Thailand the two go separate ways. But freedom from home and from their demons proves to be illusory. And tragic for one of them.

It's a short piece lasting only an hour. Fragments of the story emerge to create a picture of loss and alienation. The performances by Matt Wake and Lauren Ferdinand highlight the isolation and loneliness in a crazy world. 

Directed by David Brady, Lately returns to the Lion and Unicorn Theatre until 9 October after making its debut there in September. There is an additional performance at the Albany Theatre (with an alternate cast) on 29 October. The piece contains strong language, themes about crap towns, suicide, the pandemic and an oblique reference to North Korean rockets and Donald Trump.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

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