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A Man For All Seasons: Seagull True Story - Marylebone Theatre

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It's not often that you see a play that tells you not so much a story but gives you a sense of how it feels to be in a situation, how it feels to be silenced, how it feels to be marginalised, how the dead hand of consensus stifles your creativity. However, in Seagull True Story, created and directed by Alexander Molochnikov and based on his own experiences fleeing Russia and trying to establish himself in New York, we have a chance to look beyond the headlines and understand how the war in Ukraine impacted a a group of ordinary creatives in Russia. And how the gradual smothering of freedom and freedom of expression becomes impossible to resist, except for the brave or the suicidal. Against the backdrop of Chekhov's The Seagull, which explores love and other forms of disappointment, it presents a gripping and enthralling depiction of freedom of expression in the face of adversity. After playing earlier this year in New York, it plays a limited run at the Marylebone Theatre . Fro...

Waiting for Sandy: Milked @WhiteBearTheatre

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Two lads looking for meaning and lots of time on their hands are at the heart of Milked. Simon Longman's play first premiered in 2013. While it may not capture the latest malaises and anxieties affecting post-pandemic youth, it has enough of a familiar ring to it for anyone who has eavesdropped on the thoughts and musings of young people when out and about. And with some lively performances by the two young men, you feel drawn into their bizarre little world as the conversation runs from the routine to the ridiculous. It's currently having a short run at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington. 

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The premise is that Paul (Iwan Bond) is searching for a job that becomes increasingly desperate. He wants to find a job in media (whatever that is) but has neither the skills nor the experience to do it. And being based in Herefordshire rather than London makes it a stretch to be considered for anything. His mate, Snowy (Evan L. Barker), seems to be on a journey of self-discovery. His father has a sheep farm but doesn't seem bothered by doing much. Amidst all this idleness and fruitless job searching, Snowy stumbles upon a distressed cow trapped in a local field and enlists Paul's help to lend a hand. At first, to improve things for the cow, but then find the most implausible ways to end the cow's suffering. 

From suffocating the cow in a large plastic bag to chopping down a tree to crush it, it's probably a good idea that there is no real cow featured here. We are left to our imagination about the animal's state. It's like Waiting for Godot if Godot was bloating. But between all the ideas of knocking off Sandy (as they refer to her), a compelling story emerges about why these young men are lost and adrift. The two leads' performances make you feel sympathetic to their cause, even if it doesn't seem plausible (or humane) not to call for help. 

There is also something nice about a production that manages to throw everything on stage - clover, chopped trees, a mountain of job applications and a sofa that looks like the production team might have found on a street nearby. 

Directed by David Bond, Milked is at the White Bear Theatre until 25 January. It's billed as a play with a big cow, two guys and some music. If you ask me, it seems like a good way to start the year. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Photos by Craig Sugden


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