Though at the moment it looks quiet, I have finally got a draft schedule together for my time in Edinburgh, and it seems as if my plan to ease myself in has just gone out of the window… It’s going to be a hectic week for me up there, but it has to be done!
The show must go on in London, as several shows begin performances. Spring Awakening comes to Stockwell Playhouse, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice plays at the Park Theatre, Broken Wings (written by & starring Nadim Naaman) has a short stay at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, and Pentire Street Productions’ Spiders has a run at the Tristan Bates. Boomerang plays at the Blue Shop Cottage, Graceful runs at the Rosemary Branch, Adam Welsh’s There but for the grace of God (go I) comes to Soho Theatre), and Super Hamlet 64 has two nights at the Cockpit.
Elsewhere, The Merry Wives of Windsor opens at the RSC’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen begins its run at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre, Flashdance comes to the Crucible, and Ubu Karaoke! kicks off Kneehigh’s latest Asylum season (this year at The Lost Gardens of Heligan).
The theatrical circle of life continues, as Consent leaves the Harold Pinter Theatre, Heathers the Musical ends its run at The Other Palace (prior to a West End transfer next month), Clingfilm has its final performance at The Water Rats, Knights of the Rose goes out (but not in a blaze of glory) from the Arts, and the Orlando Bloom-led Killer Joe finishes its run at Trafalgar Studios. Miss Littlewood closes at the RSC (following a short run at the Swan Theatre), An Officer and a Gentleman concludes its run at the Bristol Hippodrome, Fame the Musical leaves King’s Theatre Glasgow, and Madagascar the Musical has its final performance at New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham.
This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe kicks off in a couple of days’ time! Also, throughout the course of this month I am aiming to walk 500 miles (#August500), raising money for Mind. This was inspired by Paper Creatures Theatre’s Section 2 (with a little sprinkle of Sunshine on Leith in there for good measure!) – if you’d like to sponsor me I’d be very grateful indeed!
New releases: Miles Kane – Coup de Grace (10th), Neil Young – Hot August Night III (17th); Ready Player One (6th), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (27th)
Reviews
For once, there’s not a lot lined up on the reviewing front (in London) so far this month:
- Breathe (The Bunker)
- The Three Musketeers (St Paul’s Church)
- Beyond the Grave (Etcetera Theatre)
- Much Ado About Nothing (Gray’s Inn Hall)
I’m still in the process of firming up some shows for Edinburgh, but rest assured that there will be plenty for you to be keeping up with during my week there!
As for the Mind the Bloggers… There will be a review of Mary’s Hand, which is taking place at Holy Cross Church as part of the Tête à Tête Opera Festival 2018. We may have some more shows added as the month progresses.
Any Other Business
I have a couple of things for BroadwayWorld UK this month as well – I’ll be back at the Globe tonight for Othello, and towards the end of August I’m finally going to see my first Prom! Excitingly, I’m lined up for Prom 64: Verdi Requiem. It’s one of my favourite classical pieces, so it will be an absolute thrill to hear it performed live in the magnificent Royal Albert Hall.
As well as this, I’m making another return to the National (I just can’t keep away at the moment!) for Exit the King, plus catching a preview of Little Shop of Horrors at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, being a groundling at the very first performance of Emilia at the Globe, and hopefully catching a double bill at The Scoop (the shows this year are The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and King Arthur). If there are tickets and I can get down there, I may even return to Chichester to see Me and My Girl again, as there’s no sign of a transfer as yet…
The main ‘tour’ news for Mind the Blog is, of course, Edinburgh – though I’m also intending on visiting Bristol and Bath for Gromit Unleashed 2 and the Minerva’s Owls sculpture trail.
Hot tips
Blog post: Talk Stagey To Me’s review of OSCiLLATE
Book: East London Suffragettes (Sarah Jackson & Rosemary Taylor)
“Why do we know about so many unremarkable men and so few remarkable women?”
Joan Littlewood, Miss Littlewood (Sam Kenyon)
Don’t miss!
My review of Sounds of Refuge.
Mind the blog 