Primal Theatre state that their aim is to create pieces that reflect human experience at their core. Whether having a hedgehog alive in your head meets that aim is something that we could debate all evening. And the reason why a hedgehog is alive in Molly’s head is at the heart of Headhog, as she first tries to come to terms with this strange fact, asking ‘how did it get there?’ Then slowly as she bonds with it, her question changes ...
Read More »Author Archives: Rob Warren
#Hypocrisy, Theatre503 – Review
Pros: Full of honesty, humour and a word perfect performance, the sound and strength of Imogen Stirling’s words create a landscape that restores the faith in middle class privilege. Cons: Spoken word performance is not for everyone. Spoken word performance may not be everyone’s cup of tea. For many it brings to mind images of bearded hipsters in berets; rest assured that only occurs once tonight, and in a most amusing of ways. But if you were to consider spoken ...
Read More »Walk Swiftly and with Purpose, Theatre503 – Review
Pros: A beautiful insight into the minds of four teen girls as they come of age. Cons: More work is required to make the conversations feel much more natural. Eve, Robbie, Misha and Looby: four teenage girls protected from much of the world due to the privilege of their private education. Of course that also means protected from boys. So it’s no surprise that much of Walk Swiftly and with Purpose explores that aspect of any teens life, the opposite ...
Read More »Pickle Jar, Soho Theatre Upstairs – Review
An enjoyable show that tries to address serious topics in the #MeToo era, but it's hard to judge how well that message is received.
Read More »Jake, Drayton Arms Theatre – Review
Pros: It’s not often you can say that an office chair put in a sterling performance, but here it almost steals the whole show. Cons: Still very much a work in progress, and there is an imbalance that will need addressing. Roddy Frame’s ‘Loneliness and being alone don’t always mean the same’ has always been a song line that plays in my head regularly. But it wasn’t a line I expected to come to mind whilst watching Jake, the debut show from ...
Read More »POT, Ovalhouse – Review
POT is Heaven Can Wait set on an inner city council estate. It’s bleak, desolate, and full of abject hopelessness. It’s also essential viewing for anyone who cares.
Read More »The Art Of Gaman, Theatre503 – Review
Pros: The lighting director, Simeon Miller, should stand up and take a bow. The same goes for newcomer Alice Dillon. Cons: The writing lets everything else down. Gaman translates as “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity”. Watching The Art of Gaman at Theatre503 certainly felt like an act of endurance at times, but like a good audience member I endured, politely watching as my confusion grew and my patience was severely tested. The Art of Gaman isn’t a ...
Read More »A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit …, Finborough Theatre – Review
Pros: A great comic turn from Cariad Lloyd, bouncing (sometimes literally) off an equally fine Rob Crouch. Cons: It’s not a title that slips of the tongue is it! And if the title offends, then so will the play. So let’s start by getting that title out of the way. I mean really, why would any sane person call a play A funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Of New York? Perhaps ...
Read More »Murder She Didn’t Write, Leicester Square Theatre – Review
Pros: A cast fully able to think on their feet, providing some genuinely brilliant one liners, a little innuendo and plenty of clever ad libs. Cons: Not a show for the connoisseurs who like their theatre seamless and without actors making each other laugh when they should be performing Like a good episode of Scooby Doo, the ending of Murder She Didn’t Write, from Degrees Of Error Theatre, makes very little sense. But getting there involves a lot of rather ...
Read More »Play Something, Drayton Arms Theatre – Review
A charming little play that can't help but make you laugh and smile with the familiarity it will bring to mind, but it feels like it needs a little more body.
Read More »