The next in the Science Museum’s foray into theatre, X&Y‘s mathematical post-dramatic ramblings is a profound mis-step, rehashing some of the most trite of theatrical experiments to create a wholly forgettable and dull hour of lecture theatre. The principle of educational theatre is a strong one — what better way to engage with a student than … Continue reading
Brad Birch’s star may be on the rise, but this lukewarm production of one of his subtler plays leaves much to be desired: prescriptive direction and design and staid acting combine to create a rather dull story of the trials and tribulations of parenting. At the White Bear Theatre Club. With plays at the Royal … Continue reading
Surreal comedy a la Mighty Boosh and Dr Brown is Le Flop’s forte, and this expressive and strange clown show is certainly hilarious – in places. It’s all a bit too abstract and oddball for me, and could do with something – ANYTHING – to make it all hang together. At Mimetic 2013. I’ve been reliably informed … Continue reading
Mimetic’s mix of cabaret and theatre also features a number of old fashioned variety performances, and the Royal National Theatre of Fools certainly has some idea of what they’re doing, but this is a bit too old-school to be credible in this day and age. At Mimetic 2013. I have always found variety acts a … Continue reading
Mimetic’s mantra of supporting the stranger side of performance is given a test in The Mostly Everything People’s mixed bill Onwards, Upwards and Sideways. A couple of pieces impress, but this may just have meandered too far into the strange. At Mimetic 2013. I like to think of myself as a relatively open-minded reviewer – … Continue reading
It’s certainly novel for Southwark Playhouse to open their new space in Borough/Elephant and Castle with Claire Luckham’s Trafford Tanzi, which features live wresting, but the resulting show is all flash and no substance, with a number of weak elements not quite making up for the excitement generated by setting a musical/play in a luchador ring. It’s strange … Continue reading
I missed the critically derided, yet much loved musical version of the iconic Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore supernatural romance Ghost when it was on the West End, but luckily the flocking audiences have convinced the producers that a tour is in order – currently at the New Wimbledon Theatre, but probably shortly at a Theatre Royal near you. … Continue reading
Somerset Maugham’s The Breadwinner couldn’t be a more fitting play for today, with a stockbroker’s decision to leave his old life behind in the 1930s an interesting counterpoint to today’s feelings around brokers. Sadly, stagecraft is what lets this interesting script down, with a rather lacklustre production that needed to make stronger decisions at the Orange Tree. … Continue reading
The Little Angel FIRSTS Festival finishes with Strange Arrangements’ Drifters this year, which showcases a number of inventive techniques and beautiful images. Unfortunately, with no clear plot to connect them, the show couldn’t be more aptly titled – I found my interest drifting. At the Little Angel Theatre. Australian company Strange Arrangements’ first UK production is the … Continue reading
Anders Lustgarten’s latest veers more on the side of polemic than theatre, featuring a host of characters whose purpose seems to be little more than mouthpieces for this anti-captalist rant, but occasionally his wicked wit and theatrical sensibilities lead to something more. Occasionally. At the Royal Court Theatre. I suppose it was inevitable that Anders … Continue reading
With audition musical A Chorus Line hitting the West End, James Johnson’s more tortured study of the theatre audition gets revived at Baron’s Court Theatre – but this psychological horror story is about as far removed from musical frippery as you can get. The theatrical audition is notoriously harrowing: an exercise in instant judgement, an actor does … Continue reading
London International Mime Festival is a place for less traditional fare, and a play performed entirely by robots was too delectable a treat to pass up. Unfortunately, technical mishaps and rather poor animatronics meant this interesting idea ended up being rather dull. At the Barbican Centre. The principle behind Savanna, A Possible Landscape is simple: … Continue reading
Stiles and Drewe’s cute musical version of the Ugly Duckling, Honk!, gets a revival at the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick for Christmas. It’s all very sweet and endearing, but the slightly lacklustre production really hurts the magic. Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy-tale The Ugly Duckling survives the transition to stage musical with a large amount of … Continue reading
In a representative world populated by Fleischer-esque caricatures, God is replaced with Phil, but when he gives his creations what they want, they find themselves totally unfulfilled – much like the audience. This absurd play-with-songs fails to make any original point and suffers from being underperformed and overwritten. Some good performances and design, but all … Continue reading
Almost Random’s short play evening, three pieces jointly presented under the title Heir of the Dog, is a very pleasantly organised night, but the quality of the work on display leaves much to be desired. At the Dogstar, Brixton. Short play evenings have long been a mainstay of London theatre, with a host of companies booking a … Continue reading
Classic sci-fi story Solaris gets a staged overhaul in Dimitry Devdariani’s adaptation, but this isn’t an easy transition – the haunting, dreamlike quality of Lem’s book (and the classic Tarkovsky film) are reduced to a lot of very worried faces and ridiculous effects. This is a bold and ambitious project, but a very flawed one nonetheless at … Continue reading
Nelson Rodrigues may be Brazil’s most famous playwright, but there’s a relative paucity of performances of his work on UK stages. StoneCrabs Theatre Company have successfully produced his work before, but this tale of tabloid spin and homophobia stumbles in a number of areas. The greater fault, however, lies with Rodrigues’ dated script. At the … Continue reading
Gunpowder Theatre’s production of Ana-Maria Bamberger’s Belvedere showcases a script that really has nothing to say – which makes you wonder why it was put on. The design is really rather excellent, and the piece mildly amusing, but there’s no meat to this piece. At the White Bear Theatre Club. Belvedere is about Anton, who checked himself … Continue reading
Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms makes for uncomfortable watching – in many ways, this is as he intended, as we watch the tragedy unfold. But it’s also a bit of a mess, and the main thing that’s lost is the tension – design and direction have conspired to suck the passion out of this piece, and … Continue reading
Dan Davies’ radio play adapts poorly to the stage, with lacklustre direction and performances, although the writing betrays the spark of a talented dialogue writer. But a rather predictable story and a mundane situation let the writing down, which, combined with the poor production, leads to a rather disappointing overall result. At the Camden Fringe. … Continue reading
Grubby Strugglers 