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Yearly Archives: 2019

Cuzco, Theatre503 – Review

Language can take you on a journey. Through stories we can explore the histories, cultures, and struggles of people across continents and ages. In a more literal sense language, or rather translation, can bring these stories to new audiences, many miles away from their source. In Cuzco, an unnamed couple journey to Peru. He hopes to rekindle the spark in their relationship. What she wants is unclear. As the two travel from one exotic locale to another they are driven ...

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Welcome to the UK, The Bunker – Review

Pros: Fantastic comic routines, dark satire, beautiful set design, and an endearing ensemble performance make Welcome to the UK a rewarding and powerful watch.   Cons: Welcome to the UK may disappoint viewers looking for character or narrative development. Immigration is a joke. Whether fleeing death or simply looking for a better life, recent arrivals in this country can expect meagre allowances, strict surveillance, limited work, trafficking, exploitation, violence, demonisation and, always, the threat of deportation. The joke is a cruel ...

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I Stopped…when, The Vaults – Review

PROS: The thought and passion that went into the poetry was a pleasure to watch. CONS: It was hard to avoid the slow pace of the dialogue once a slam poem was finished, it only ever picked up during the poetry. I Stopped…when, tells the story of three young slam poetry contestants. The lives of Wren (Tom Nguyen), Naya (Nicole Acquah) and Adele (Lauren La Rocque) are all intertwined; they face ongoing battles due to their identities and the wrath ...

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Taro, Jack Studio Theatre – Review

Pros: Smart, well-written, and extremely well-acted. Cons: Elements around life and afterlife aren’t always clear, and some familiarity with the story is helpful. This is an energetic and enjoyable production which looks at the true life story of Gerda Taro, the first female photographer killed in action. Taro was a force of nature and she’s brought to life wonderfully in this production. Born Gerta Pohorylle (a Jewish woman in Stuttgart pre-second world war), she moved to Paris in the midst ...

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VIOLET, Charing Cross Theatre – Review

Pros: Excellent musicianship and a good range of song styles Cons: Lack of memorable tunes and a confusing storyline Calling all producers! Please stop pasting microphones to your singers’ foreheads! If you can’t hide them under their hair (although, why?) then the jawline is a far better option. Your audience is connecting to a singer’s eyes, and they don’t want to be distracted by a bundle of wiring in the middle of their face. Sorry, just had to get that ...

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Blue Departed, The Vaults – Review

Pros: Excellent performances by the three cast members.  Cons: The ending is a bit of a damp squib. So the Vault Festival is in full swing beneath Waterloo station. With its interesting spaces and buzzing atmosphere it is well worth a visit. Looking at the eclectic mix of shows available you will surely find something that takes your fancy.  With some planning it may even be possible to see more than one per visit. But one of the problems of ...

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Notre Dame de Paris, London Coliseum – Review

Pros: Nicely menacing Gothic atmosphere. Cons: Shallow characterisation and a complete lack of variation in tone A word of warning to anyone planning a visit to Notre Dame de Paris at London Coliseum. Brace yourself. Brace for histrionics. The breast-beating starts early, with the first big number, Les Sans-papiers, and never really lets up for the rest of the show. The understandable anguish of the outcasts, the vulnerable and the falsely accused is rendered with the same power ballad intensity ...

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Theatre Access Schemes – Part 3

In Part One of our Access Articles Sidonie explained what Theatre Access Schemes are, in Part Two she explained what a visit to the theatre is like to as an Access Customer.  Now in the third and final part, Sidonie uses her experience both as a customer and from working in theatre to examine how Access Customers can work with venues staff to ensure they are best served. Serving Access Customers As I’ve previously discussed, it can be difficult to ...

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