Thundermaker’s Immaculate is a hilarious and clever look at the problem of approaching the supernatural in modern-day life. Is there still room for elevated notions of the soul, divinity, and the existential problem of free will in a world of flat-pack furniture and irritating mobile phone ringtones? Or will it turn out these questions are inescapable no … Continue reading
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The Reviewing, in Review: 10 Reviews for One Stop Arts
I am really enjoying this reviewing racket–it combines many of my favourite things: theatre, writing, and travelling around London finding brilliant new spaces I never knew existed. I’ve now done ten for One Stop Arts and in celebration I’m sharing with you my top five Essential Reviewer Kit Items. (Why five and not ten? I’m efficient. I like to travel … Continue reading
Still on the Shelf: Shelf Life: Lotta Quizeen’s ABC of Home Management at Battersea Arts Centre
Katie Richardson’s Lotta Quizeen is a charming pastiche of several female TV cooking show presenters. Shelf Life features some fun ribald interactive party games but ultimately struggles to keep its energy up. At the Battersea Arts Centre. Read on… Continue reading
Open Your Eyes to Very Still and Hard to See by Steve Yockey at the Etcetera Theatre
BeLT’s Very Still and Hard to See builds a dark ambience from a thoughtful script by Steve Yockey. While the premise is an encounter with an external manifestation of evil, as the show progresses it becomes clear that it is actually an exploration of the evil already existing within ourselves. At the Etcetera Theatre. Read … Continue reading
Dark Rides
I recently went to the Tate Britain for the first time while some friends from the States were visiting. I enjoyed our walk around its placid galleries–a wonderful way to spend a cloudy afternoon. But I admit it wasn’t the most compelling collection of art I’ve ever seen, though there are a few standout pieces. … Continue reading
The Bellicose Beauty of Penthesilea at the Space
In a time when social expectations of the female body in public space seem a particularly vexed issue at the forefront of the public imagination, Penthesilea opens vital space for exploring how those expectations might be reimagined. It also begs the question of what we really mean when we say a loved one is so … Continue reading
Gazing at The National
I adore the National Theatre. There’s always something exciting going on: plays, photography exhibitions, jazz in the foyer. For me it represents the range of possibilities of creative endeavour. Every time I walk in or even just see it from across the river I feel more awake, like something is about to begin. I often … Continue reading
Lights up on Dickie Beau: Blackouts at Soho Theatre
At the Soho Theatre, Dickie Beau evokes beautiful and dangerous pictures of two of our most famous screen idols, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. This production asks us to revisit our memories of these larger-than-life figures and tear back the curtain – or slap on the greasepaint. Five stars from me for this cabaret on … Continue reading
The Apple
It is hot in London, hot-hot. Everywhere I walk are lobster-faced people, limbs sticky with sweat. Yesterday I walked home in the afternoon from Sunday lunch. I had walked there in the sun over Tower Bridge, mid-tourist season, the bridge clogged with hesitating crowds all wanting the same photo in the same spot, distracted by … Continue reading
The Heart-Stealing The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at the London Welsh Centre
My first five-star review for One Stop Arts! If someone were to design a piece of theatre expressly for me, it could not have been more to my taste than The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. Strong in all production areas, David Greig’s writing supports creative and energetic performances from Melody Grove, Paul McCole, David … Continue reading