Home » Author Archives: Laura Sampson

Author Archives: Laura Sampson

Adam, Battersea Arts Centre – Review

Pros: Visual alchemy – the production design and Grand Hall setting combined to create delightful thematic echoes that enhanced the whole experience. Cons: With so much going on visually and sonically, the text felt unnecessarily wordy sometimes. At last summer’s Edinburgh Fringe, I was sad to miss Adam in its first triumphantly sold out run, but now I’m glad I had to wait. From Egypt to Glasgow, from Woman to Man – seeing this global transgender odyssey in the newly ...

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Out – Underbelly @ Edinburgh Fringe – Review

Pros: Great music and sound, riveting movement, a lot of vitamin C Cons: More guidance about context before the show would have enhanced the experience. We filed into the space as two performers (one male, one female) danced beside each other to the kind of insistent Dancehall beat that tempts surreptitious chair-dancing. Both were dressed the same, in clothes that hid nothing: fishnet body stockings, matching trainers, tiny nipple shields. Naked equals. The atmosphere was intimate but inward-looking, devoid of ...

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Refugee Boy, Chickenshed Theatre – Review

Pros: Some great performances and a pitch-perfect design Cons: The main storyline seemed less subtle than its tributaries I know Chickenshed Theatre for its big, glorious, all-ages Christmas shows, and for being pretty much the only thing that sweetens the bitter end of the Piccadilly line, at Cockfosters. But Chickenshed is so much more than that: it’s an industry leader in inclusive theatre, with a full professional programme of devised and scripted work, alongside a drama school, a popular cafe/bar, ...

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The Fall, Acklam Village Market – Review

Pros: Gorgeous visuals, fascinating live score, welcoming atmosphere Cons: Time constraints made some episodes of the story hard to follow Tucked right at the top of Portobello Road under the Westway flyover, Acklam Village Market isn’t the easiest place to find if you’ve not been there before. But once you do, it’s worth the trek – a red iron gate opens rabbithole-like into a bustling wonderland of streetfood stalls packing up for the night, theatre-goers arriving and a warm welcome ...

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Quint-Essential, Peacock Theatre – Review

Pros: Striking design, beautiful dancing and a focus on building new audiences Cons: Sometimes felt more like a PR stunt than it should have done The New English Ballet Theatre is a young ‘neoclassical’ ballet company whose (admirable) mission is to  create opportunities for excellence across the creative spectrum of dance. Everyone is an impeccably trained dancer. The rest of the team commit earnestly to outreach with a ‘Ballet Boot Camp’ for bloggers,  music festival gigs and more. Now, Quint-Essential: ...

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