Off West End
Much like fringe theatre, trying to define what Off-WestEnd venue really means is a debate that would take us long into the night. So for our own sanity, we define it as those venues that are slightly bigger than the fringe venues (so roughly 100+ seats), but not the big West End or similar venues that form part of the Society of London Theatre (SOLT). Like fringe venues, Off-WestEnd are eligible for consideration for awards via the Fringe Theatre Awards.
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Blue Remembered Hills, Watford Palace Theatre
Dennis Potter Directed by Psyche Stott ★★ Pros: The cast give good performances as seven year old children. A lot of effort has gone into the research of children’s lives of the war era. The post show Q&A with the…
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Amusements, Battersea Arts Centre
Sleepwalk Collective Directed by Sammy Metcalfe ★★★ Pros: An unrelenting journey of sound that unsettles your senses. Cons: Narrative and the audience’s position are too confusing to follow. Verdict: An interesting example of immersive theatre with well-researched and effective sensory…
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Prometheus Bound, White Bear Theatre
Aeschylus, translated by Paul Elmer More Directed by Cieranne Kennedy Bell ★★★ Pros: An ancient and powerful story that is rarely performed, with strong actors and an unusual and intriguing method of storytelling. Cons: At times difficult to follow, and…
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Dido, Queen of Carthage, Greenwich Theatre
Christopher Marlowe Directed by Ricky Dukes ★★★ Pros: The puppetry was wonderfully executed and gave the play a strong sense of ingenuity. Cons: A lot of long speeches were delivered standing on the spot, so it was easy to lose…
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Pilgrims, Etcetera Theatre
Sarah Page Directed by Kevin Williams ★★★★ Pros: A play about a recent event is always interesting, and tying it in with a smaller, personal story is a masterstroke. Cons: It could be argued that at one point in the…
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The Blood is Strong, Finborough Theatre
David Hutchison Directed by Bruce Guthrie ★★★★ Pros: A terrific script and a few top class performances. Cons: The play lags in places with a number of slightly confusing moments. Our Verdict: Well worth a look. The topic of Scottish…
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Bye Bye World, Battersea Arts Centre
Anne Gehring & Vera Ketelaars Directed by Marjolein Frijling ★★★ Pros: A very relatable, poignant story with recognisable characters. Wonderful weird writing. Cons: A strange and rather awkward watch and not to everyone’s taste. Perhaps not the best choice for a family…
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SAPPHO… in 9 fragments, The Rose Theatre
Jane Montgomery Griffiths Directed by Jessica Ruano ★★★ Pros: A five star execution by actress Victoria Grove, who performs with both vigour and grace. Cons: Difficult to follow without any background knowledge. You quickly find yourself playing catch-up as you…
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Yellow Face, Park Theatre
David Henry Hwang Directed by Alex Sims ★★★★★ Pros: Delves into a very complex and hard-to-communicate idea with a perfect balance of levity through humour. Cons: The last 5 minutes. Our Verdict: An intensely engrossing play. Creates plenty of laughter…
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The Shepherd’s Chameleon, CLF Art Cafe
Eugene Ionesco Directed by Moji Kareem ★★★ Pros: Both well-designed and well-acted, with an intriguing and thought provoking concept.Cons: Lofty subject matter and repetition made it a bit pretentious and at times hard to swallow.Our Verdict: Well-conceived and produced. Delightfully…