A thought-provoking and intelligent show

Fails to ignite a spark

A gripping, emotional reflection on the theatre industry

Triptych is probably one of the lesser known entries in the theatrical lexicon; it is a set of three associated artistic, literary or musical works intended to be appreciated together. Which is more or less what we got with this latest offering from the excellent Old Red Lion Theatre. Comprised of three plays; Nuclear War, Buried & Graceland draws together common themes exploring life and death in the very broadest sense. However, they are very distinct pieces but no less ...

Gracia Rios Calderon keeps the story ticking over and comfortably gets the message across.

It's a coming of age story but with some slightly dark humour

Ever wondered why things go bump; swear you can hear the floorboards creaking, dull footsteps in the dead of night? No me neither! That probably means I don’t believe in ghosts; and Last Orders: the haunting of the Old Red Lion has failed in its objective. But in all truth that isn’t the case. It proves we divide into two camps where the spirit world is concerned. You either believe or you simply don’t know. I’m one of the many ...

an intense, sometimes bumpy ride ultimately wins through with superior storytelling

A rapid return to the Old Red Lion in Islington is always a welcome diversion. A delicious moo pie and pint set me up nicely for Little Potatoes, a tale of matchmaking mums at the Shanghai marraige market, as they aim to get their children hitched. Liuyang (Sarah Curwen) is a teacher and striving to get her daughter Meihua married off. Family Planning Officer Hong (Michelle Wen Lee) has a game-obsessed son who dreams of being an artist. The two ...

In the pet stakes no animal comes remotely close to dogs; man’s best friend has become a fully-fledged member of the family. No longer bred for a purely functional purpose, dogs have assimilated human characteristics and a unique personality. This heavily socialised world of a canine is explored in The Noises, a story that concentrates on a dog called Luna, played by Lucy McAllister. Luna’s been a very naughty dog and is now locked in what appears to be the ...