Paul Raymond & Luke ManningDirected by Paul Raymond and Luke Manning★★★ Pros: Fresh, energetic and original. In Cahoots show a lot of promise and works the audience well, especially in such a small venue. Their improvisation is very strong and shows real comedic talent underneath the written material. Cons: The performance wasn’t as slick as it might have been. Whilst this added a certain organic quality to their show, they need to be careful not to let it get out ...

Luke BarnesDirected by Steven Atkinson★★★★ Pros: An incredibly powerful script delivered by a dynamic and talented performer. Cons: A lacklustre epilogue was a disappointing close to an otherwise completely engaging production. Our Verdict: A great piece of new writing and a shining example of what solo performances should strive for. Courtesy of Watford Palace Theatre Bottleneck, a product of HighTide Fesitval Theatre, wrapped up in London last week with a one-off performance at the Watford Palace Theatre after a brief ...

Originally devised by Let Slip TheatreRedeveloped by Crank Theatre ★★★★ Pros: Clever, quirky, visually striking, fun, and thought-provoking. Cons: A few bits were hard to follow, and a fuller conclusion would have been welcome. Our Verdict: A great first piece for Crank Theatre; lots of fun and very smart! Courtesy of Battersea Arts Centre Crank Theatre and their inaugural production of Machines for Living at the Battersea Arts Centre this week were born from Let Slip’s original production of the ...

Written and directed by Jessie Cave★★★★ Pros: A solid hour of fun, quirky humour, spiced with some educational tidbits and some always-satisfying Fifty Shades of Grey jokes. Cons: A few sketches dragged, and some humour may be unapproachable for audience members who wouldn’t consider themselves well read.Our Verdict: A dynamic and original production, and well-worth the small ticket fee. Suitable for bookworms as well as audiences just looking for a laugh. Courtesy of the Etcetera Theatre Jessie Cave may be ...

Presented by Curious DirectiveDirected by Jack Lowe★★★ Pros: Brilliantly intelligent theatre delivered with tremendous style and magnificent production values. Cons: Slightly unclear and dry content which didn’t engage me throughout. Our Verdict: 5 stars for the performance and the physical elements of the show, 3 stars for the content which lets it down. A magnificent company nonetheless; we’re very excited to see more of them. Courtesy of Murdo Macleod for The Guardian There are two things I’d like to get ...