A short and sweet feel-good show with laugh out loud moments. Even though it is only an hour long, you will feel as though you really know the characters by the end.
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Becoming Mohammed, Pleasance Theatre – Review
Pros: Good intentions, and some strong performances. Cons: Misses its opportunity to harness an interesting subject. The courage of And Many Others’ Becoming Mohammed at the Pleasance Theatre is apparent from its title. Discussion of integration among Muslim communities, the place of Islam in the West and the experiences of Muslims today, is at once omnipresent and absent – a subject frequently mentioned, but seldom brought to life on stage. Becoming Mohammed not only takes an unblinking look at these complexities, but also does ...
Read More »The Ferryman, Royal Court Theatre – Review
Pros: First-rate writing and direction, a stellar cast, thoughtful staging and a heartbreaking story. Cons: It is quite long (three hours). It’s Armagh, 1981, and the Carney family, abundant with elders, children, and a goose, are preparing for the annual harvest in a time rife with uncertainty. Seamus Carney’s body is found in a bog, with a bullet in his head, which leads his family down a slippery slope, whether they are aware of it or not, to a potential ...
Read More »All Our Children, Jermyn Street Theatre – Review
Pros: An engaging and meticulously researched script, combined with superb performances, make for a genuinely harrowing story. Cons: Needless sound effects and some unwieldy dialogue diminish the overall power of the piece. To my shame, this was my first visit to the Jermyn Street Theatre. On the strength of this visit, it won’t be my last; the theatre is welcoming, comfortable and damned accessible by public transport. Interestingly, to get to the theatre’s toilets you actually have to go across the stage and through ...
Read More »This Beautiful Future, The Yard Theatre – Review
Pros: An interesting view on love and war Cons: Some questionable karaoke that might not be to everyone’s taste It is 1944 in occupied France. Two teenagers exchange laughter and kisses and find love in spite of war. The story follows Elodie (Hannah Millward) and Otto (Bradley Hall) an unlikely but electric pairing; Elodie is a whimsical and playful French girl, while Otto is a German solider regimented, and brainwashed by Hilter’s rhetoric. The two find comfort and joy in each other’s company while ...
Read More »The Lounge, Soho Theatre – Review
A surreal, precise and joyous piece of theatre with room for more questions and more answers about the issues it addresses.
Read More »Radieuse Vermine, Leicester Square Theatre – Review
Dark satire delivered in bright, breezy and impressively physical style.
Read More »The Treatment, Almeida Theatre – Review
Pros: Sophisticated and unusual storytelling Cons: A lack of clear narrative intention 38 performers! That’s how many are credited in the programme for The Treatment. I counted them as I waited for the show to start, wondering would be presented with an all-singing, all-dancing chorus? No. But the imaginative use of this large cast is one thing that makes this otherwise rather indistinct play special. Behind the main action of the play, which is mostly set in an office and a ...
Read More »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, ...
Read More »She Wears Scented Rose, Theatro Technis – Review
An intricate thriller that keeps you guessing – but half an hour too long.
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