Worst shows 2019

Despite how it seemed at times, my year has actually been top quality in theatre terms. I nominate my likes and dislikes as I go through the year, and this time round only ten made it onto my ‘long’ list for worst show (compared with well over 50 for best show) – so it was […]

Red Palace

The latest in an increasingly long line of theatrical dining experiences is Shotgun Carousel’s Red Palace. Just opened at The Vaults, it sees Scripts For Supper AD and MasterChef runner up Annie McKenzie providing a lavish four-course feast as a precursor to Cressida Peever’s twisted fairytale. The plot itself draws on classic fairy stories from the […]

Never Mind The Blog… Here’s Autumn/Winter 2019

The slightest of delays in getting this one out – but if you were dealing with unco-operative internet, a laptop whose keyboard still won’t work, and a manic month at work to prepare for, you’d be in the same boat. News Tower Theatre in Stoke Newington is celebrating its first anniversary, and will be […]

#MindTheMusicals 2019: round-up

What a week that was! For some people, musicals are simply jazz hands and tap shoes – whilst I do love both of those things (mostly the latter, let’s be honest), we’ve come a long way since the early days of this particular medium. All genres of music are embraced in the making of a […]

Day 6: A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)

The words ‘super happy’, ‘musical’ and ‘depression’ don’t instinctively appear to be the most natural of bedfellows, but that hasn’t stopped Jon Brittain and Silent Uproar Productions. Brittain (perhaps best known for the Olivier Award-winning Rotterdam, currently on tour) has written a 65-minute cabaret-style musical that follows Sally as she lives with depression: A Super […]

Lucy Light

Sarah Milton’s latest play, Lucy Light, began life as a single scene in 2015 (the very last one, in fact), going on to receive a professional reading the following year, before its first full production at Theatre N16 in 2017. Milroyd Productions have brought a brand new version of the play to this year’s VAULT Festival, […]

Feed

Guest reviewer: Ellen Casey Feed follows the heavily intertwined stories of a Palestinian woman; her social justice warrior, journalist partner; an obsessed hacker troll; and a YouTube makeup guru looking for a cause. It sounds like an unlikely cast of characters, but they end up whirling tightly around each other, following the ability of the […]

Pufferfish

At first glance, a gay serial killer (who also committed cannibalism and necrophilia) isn’t the most obvious choice for the subject of a 60-minute play. It’s something that should ideally have a degree of sensitivity to it, so as not to sensationalise their actions or make some sort of anti-hero out of them – instead […]

Check-in/Check-out

Guest reviewer: Ellen Casey Check-in/Check-out begins with six people sitting in a loose semi-circle. One of them stands up: “Hi, my name is Christopher, and I’m an alcoholic”. After a little light prompting, we progress around the circle, and after every admission, echo back the traditional second line: “Hi (name inserted)!”. The play progresses in […]

WOOD

Guest reviewer: Ellen Casey The lights come up on WOOD and we’re thrown right in; it’s the middle of a porn shoot and John is trying desperately to get it up. This involves some vigorous miming with a bicycle pump, and the first of many laughs rises up from the audience. I have to confess to […]