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The moron premium live: The last days of Liz Truss @WhiteBearTheatr

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Watching a play about Liz Truss, Britain's shortest-serving Prime Minister, might seem as appealing as dental surgery. After all, you may be dealing with the repercussions of her fifty-day leadership, such as higher mortgage rates. You might also be familiar with the term "moron risk premium," coined by an economist to describe the impact of having Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in charge. Consequently, revisiting this time in 2022 may not seem like an enticing subject for a theatrical production. However, writer Greg Wilkinson’s unique portrayal of select aspects of Truss’s life, alongside a standout performance by Emma Wilkinson Wright, makes this a compelling work. While Wright doesn’t physically resemble Truss, she delivers a performance that captures her mannerisms, awkwardness, and platitudes. The play is currently at the White Bear Theatre . Presented as a monologue, Wright performs at a desk, on it, or even in a chair while singing karaoke—one of Truss's ...

For the birds: Of No Particular Order @theatre503

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Joel Tan's play, Of No Particular Order , currently playing at Theatre 503, is an unusual piece of theatre. For 90 minutes and a series of scenes over 300 years, it attempts to piece together the order (or disorder) of an unmentioned society. Individual scenes do not add too much. But together, they explore the many facets of what losing freedom, or not having it in the first place, means for everyday people.  It isn't good news for the people. Pointless orders from stupid leaders showing power have deadly consequences.  Tan's approach may not be for all tastes. The audience must do the work to put it together and make sense of it. However, it is a rewarding effort to make sense of what can sometimes seem like a series of random events and interactions.  A cast of four - Daniel York Loh, Pandora Colin, Jules Chan and Pía Laborde-Noguez - resourcefully play the various characters that exist over the 300-year timeframe. Characters come together either to help or to screw ea...

Those were the days: Plastic @ORLTheatre

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Even if the subject matter and setting is a bit grim, there’s a lot to like about Plastic. Kenneth Emson’s gritty and evocative play about growing up in Essex. School can be the best of times and the worst of times. And here is a tale about school life that defines and haunts two characters in the years to come. It’s currently playing at the Old Red Lion Theatre . Coming of age can come quickly. Girlfriends, peer pressure, schoolyard beatings. And football of course. The piece mixes drama and performance poetry to tell the story of young people forced to grow up.  There’s Lisa (Madison Clare - making her professional debut) with her blazer and bold personality. Kev (Mark Weinman) the former captain of the football team who scored the winning goal in the final, but who can’t seem to make much of a living now. Ben (Thomas Coombes) who always got beaten up and now’s an accountant. And his loyal mate Jack (Louise Greatorex) who will stick up for him no matter what. The cast work well t...