Home » Author Archives: James Prescott

Author Archives: James Prescott

After the Dance, Bridewell Theatre – Review

Taking place at company Sedos’ own residence at Bridewell Theatre on the edge of the City, the not-so-amateur collective brings their rendering of Terence Rattigan’s inter-war drama, After the Dance, to life. The play was written on the eve of the Second World War, and suffered as a result – the looming declaration of the war caused audiences to fizzle out after its debut, and it took a 90s BBC TV adaptation to reanimate it, and a prominent 2010 revival ...

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The Distance You Have Come, Cockpit Theatre – Review

Pros: Beautifully written – the musical variety manages to convey just about every human emotion. Cons: The actors’ volume levels are sometimes too low for the musical accompaniment. In a corner of west London at the charmingly grassroots Cockpit Theatre, Sevans Productions and Krystal Lee bring Scott Alan’s musical vision to life through a cast of West End alumni. The tale charts the lives of six individuals as they fall in and out of love, laugh, cry, learn to move on ...

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I Will Miss You When You’re Gone, Hen and Chickens Theatre – Review

Pros: Worth watching, if just to see some of the more complex scenes played out. Cons: It could do with shortening by ten minutes or so. New, international London-based theatre company Starbound Theatre brings its tale of grief and ghosts to the cosy Hen and Chickens Theatre Bar above an Angel boozer. The troupe – whose brand is focused on identity – tackles the topic with plenty of dramatic irony, and even a Roomba robot to boot. Young Celeste, played ...

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Around The World In 80 Days @ Union Theatre – Review

Pros: Soaring harmonies, immersive set design, and some truly terrific choreography throughout Cons: Several questionable directorial decisions plague the production Based on the novel by Jules Verne, Phil Willmott’s adaptation brings a musical theatre version of the Victorian classic to Union Theatre – sewn together by the talent of a young and aspiring cast. This reworking, which sees the addition of a variety of song and dance numbers to keep things interesting, stays true to the original in other respects, ...

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The O.S. Map Fan Club, Etcetera Theatre – Review

  Pros: Endearing, sincere, wholesome and zany. Cons: As of yet no news of a sequel. You may think that an hour-long solo performance about O.S. maps might be a little on the dull side – but oh no, you couldn’t be more wrong! This play has everything – nostalgia, laughs, dread, and sexual politics, even featuring a segment that borders on map-based sexual innuendo, complete with plenty of role-play dotted throughout. Comedy performer Helen is no stranger to the ...

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The Soul of Wittgenstein, Omnibus Theatre – Review

Pros: Subtlety, hilarity and tragedy in equal measure Cons: Restatement of character qualities becomes repetitive in just a few places, but that’s it Based on a tidbit of information that philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein spent a period pushing trolleys at Guy’s Hospital during the Second World War, writer Ron Elisha weaves a rich narrative that, in just over an hour, explores philosophy, language, literature, religion, and an intriguing relationship between an Austrian ex-professor and an illiterate Cockney amputee. The performance took at Omnibus Theatre, and the ...

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Tumulus, The Vaults – Review

Pros: Pacy thriller uses simple but effective tactics to create a cinematic experience. Cons: A bit tedious in parts, but the climax rescues it. Christopher Adams brings his take on London’s chemsex culture to the vaults beneath Waterloo station. When protagonist Anthony (Ciaran Ownes) discovers that his one-night stand has been found dead on Hampstead Heath, he rejects the idea that the young man is just another casualty of the culture’s terrifying, drug-infused underbelly. Anthony suspects something more sinister is ...

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