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Showing posts with the label one man shows

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A little less conversation: After Sex @Arcolatheatre

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According to research, millennials in rich countries are having sex less these days. But they were prepared to talk more about it. So, it is no surprise to see a story about what happens when a series of no-strings-attached encounters start to become attachments. And the conversations arising from it. Such is the premise of After Sex, Siofra Dromgoole’s two-hander of the conversations afterwards. It’s not particularly sexy or erotic, and the snappy pacing and short scenes sometimes make you wish they stayed longer to finish the conversation. Nevertheless, it is still a funny and, at times, bittersweet picture of single lives in the big city. It’s currently playing at the Arcola Theatre .  He is bi and works for her in an office job. She is neither ready for a commitment nor to let the office know what’s happening. He isn’t prepared to tell his mum there’s someone special in his life. He doesn’t speak to his dad, so his mum is his world. It’s a perfect relationship/arrangement. Or so it
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Odd Shaped Balls Preview @ORLTheatre

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Now playing at the Old Red Lion theatre is Odd Shaped Balls. It's a play about an outed Rugby Player James and the fallout created from it. Odd Shaped Balls is a one man show that tackles the issue of homosexuality in sport and probes into why it's such a big deal in the first place. And ultimately, isn't it more important how you play the game and work as a team? Matthew Marrs plays James Hall. He has the world at his feet as a professional rugby player but after people find out his sexuality, he finds his life changing dramatically. James has to decide whether he has the courage to not only be true to himself, but act as a role model for others.
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A glass half full: A Twist of Lemmon @St_JamesTheatre

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Every son probably has imitated their father at some point (either intentionally or not). But when your dad is actor Jack Lemmon, you know this is going to be a fascinating night out. Based on his memoir of the same name, A Twist of Lemmon at the St James Theatre studio is Chris Lemmon’s way of giving us a little bit of insight into what it was like growing up as the son of a big Hollywood star. With some simple projections and footage from his career, Chris’s one man show brings to life his father. His mannerisms, his movies, and most of all, his relationship with his son. It is an evening of gentle storytelling, but clever in how it describes not just the life and times of his father, but their at times complex and difficult relationship.
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Strange animals: Banksy: The Room in the Elephant @arcolatheatre

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In 2011, while Banksy was in California he decided to write on a derelict white water tank "this looks a bit like an elephant". Suddenly a piece of junk in Los Angeles becomes the latest sought after piece of art, cranes arrive and it is carted off to a secret location and offered for sale. But the work of art had also been a home a man had been living in for the past seven years. He finds the furnishing it with things he found discarded, finds himself homeless. This is the is the story that makes up Banksy: The Room in the Elephant playing at the Arcola Theatre . Tachowa Covington, the man who lived in the elephant recounts his experiences in LA, living amongst the rich and famous and meeting Banksy. The inspiration for the work came from a story Did Banksy's latest work bring misery to a homeless man?  Presented as a one man show and also as a commentary both on the art world and the theatre world (since both are making something out of someone else's story
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Last chance (for now): The Mystery of Charles Dickens

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The Mystery of Charles Dickens is finishing its run at the Playhouse on 10 November and worth a look if you don't mind watching Simon Callow on stage for a couple of hours. He is great to watch as he has such a marvellous speaking voice. It isn't so much a mystery but a good story telling that takes place as he runs through some rather dramatic points in Dickens's life, interwoven with recreations his readings of his stories, which you learn were quite a sensation. This show was first staged in 2000, but has come back for another revival timed to commemorate the 200th anniversary year of Dickens's birth. It is a simple concept with Callow on stage as part teacher, instructor and performer. Written by Peter Ackroyd , who knows a thing or two about London (and Charles Dickens), he manages to distil the interesting aspects of his life and this production keeps things moving at such a brisk pace you can be forgiven for forgetting how many years, books and wives have pass
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