Irrelevant

“Vivien fucking Leigh!” An opening statement that certainly makes its feelings clear, in Keith Merrill’s Irrelevant, now on at the Seven Dials Playhouse and starring stage & screen stalwart Debbie Chazen. It’s a 75-minute piece that charts the downfall of actor-turned-agent Millie Grable; she recounts her life story for a camera she’s set up in her […]

End of 2019 report

Well, it’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? The less said about the political landscape the better, except for the fact that it’s probably given James Graham enough material to last a lifetime… I can’t help but wish that I had some play writing ability to lighten the load (and for my own catharsis)! Back […]

2019 mid-year update

Once again things started off steadily and sensibly, but then too much interesting sounding stuff (both in & out of London) came up and ended up taking over my diary… I may have again gone down in terms of the amount of shows I’ve seen in six months (103 different shows, 126 individual visits to theatres), but I […]

Never Mind The Blog… Here’s Spring/Summer 2019

You may remember that last year I provided you with one of these big preview posts every month. Whilst it was interesting to find out what was going on across the country (and remind myself of things I still needed to see), the self-imposed pressure of compiling so much every few weeks started to cause […]

good dog

Back in spring 2017, Arinzé Kene’s one-man show good dog made its debut. Inspired by the Tottenham riots back in 2011 (following the police shooting of Mark Duggan), it takes a forensic look at the dynamics of a community, as well as the motivations and dreams of the individuals within it. The play has been brought back […]

Coming up in 2019…

Once again I start off with the intention of looking after myself more – it worked for a short while in 2018, but I very quickly slipped back into old habits… I have at least blocked out regular nights off for half of the year already, so fingers crossed I can stick to that. This […]

End of 2018 report

Gone are the days of one show or one venue to rule them all! Obviously I will still happily make repeat visits to shows – or follow them around on tour – if I really enjoy them, but variety has very much been the spice of life in 2018. That covers venue as much as […]

2018 mid-year update

Where have those six months gone? The year started off quite slow and steady, but all of a sudden things have picked up the pace again… It’s as if I never attempted to take things a little easier! As of this evening, I’ve managed to fit in 110 different shows – plus there are the […]

Coming up in 2018…

Well, we’re all still here… The big red button hasn’t been pushed yet and theatre is better than ever! I’m starting as I hope to go on, and making sure I have the odd night off here & there – as much as I like being busy and seeing as much as possible, there were […]

2017 mid-year update

Like last year, I think now is probably a good time to see how my theatrical exploits are going in 2017 so far! You’ll likely agree that it’s been an eventful six months all round… As of approximately 3am (hello, midnight matinée), I’ve managed to clock in 112 different shows in six months – and with repeat […]