Fringe/ OffWestEnd
We could argue for hours what makes a fringe theatre venue, and even then we doubt we’d come to a satisfactory definition. So to keep it simple, fringe here simply means the wonderful little venues, generally less than 100 seats, often located above or below or next to pubs, and very much at the heart of our theatre world, where all the magic usually starts.
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Review: The Last Days of Liz Truss, The Other Palace
A frantic farce that charts the last days of the UK’s shortest reigning Prime Minister, this show hints at political tyranny but is overpowered by cheap laughs.
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Review: The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin, New Diorama Theatre
A spectacle that cleverly blends clowning and digital drama, The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin is a timely commentary delivered with immense care.
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Review: The Murmuration of Starlings, Seven Dials Playhouse
A moving love story capturing the frustrations and resilience required when lives are changed by dementia with its resultant shifts in memory and identity.
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Review: Suppliants of Syria, Hoxton Hall
Border Crossings’ production blends testimony and live performance to explore asylum and displacement.
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Review: Savage, White Bear Theatre
A stark and honest look at the birth of conversion therapy and the devastating, lasting scars felt by those it was done to and those that loved them.
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Review: The Village Where No One Suffers, Brockley Jack Theatre
A unique, impactful story, zoning in on a young woman’s return to her Grandmother’s house in wartorn Ukraine
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Review: The Dance Plague of 1518, New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
An inventive musical that fills historical gaps.
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Review: Sighted in Port Talbot, Old Red Lion Playhouse
A novel and clever take on the werewolf genre, using it to explore a relationship built on co-dependency. It just needs an injection of adrenaline to help keep it moving.
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Review: Rosa Garland: Primal Bog, Soho Theatre
A hilariously captivating combination of clowning and live art, Primal Bog disgustingly and joyously explores taboo and desire, pushing the boundaries of theatre to its limits.
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Review: Flying Ant Day, Union Theatre
A dysfunctional family finds their way towards reuniting in the midst of loss in this enjoyable, funny and thought-provoking play.