Following the beautiful Dorian Gray this famous tale of vanity and Victorian “morals” is turned on its head when we have a buffet like selection of choice. With 4 alternative versions, the four actors change roles daily in various configurations in an imaginative gender-bending take on the story. Tonight I had a gloriously complex portrayal of Dorian from Helen Reuben, providing all the joys and contrast of a female protagonist, and equally as fascinating was Augustina Seymour’s Sybil Vane. This ...
Read More »Drama
J’Ouvert, Theatre 503 – Review
A clever and very entertaining dance through many layers of London life
Read More »The Sweet Science of Bruising, Wilton’s Music Hall – Review
A delightfully raucous tale of women making their mark in prize fighting London.
Read More »In Loyal Company, Alexandra Palace – Review
An outstanding one-man show about an ordinary solider’s wartime experiences.
Read More »The Glass Menagerie, Arcola Theatre – Review
I love the metaphor at the heart of The Glass Menagerie. Laura, the daughter of the play, overwhelmed by the expectations of the world, treats her collection of tiny glass animals with such care lest they break. To stage this play, the metaphor must radiate through every facet of its production. Laura’s anxiety threatens the security of her family, should she not find a husband. Her mother Amanda’s desperation to micro-manage her life maintains a familial tension that holds the ...
Read More »Bullet Tongue Reloaded, The Big House – Review
Intense and vivid account of the Catch 22 of gang life in disadvantaged communities.
Read More »Look At Your Palm, Ovalhouse – Review
There is a song, Angles, by Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, about how nothing is as clear cut and simple as it might seem. In just three minutes and 56 seconds it speeds through four characters, all connected by one incident that has terrible consequences for all involved. Except each character sees themselves as the good guy, and views others involved as the bad one, as the one that is the cause of so many of society’s problems. Look ...
Read More »Everything today is the same, Katzpace – Review
A smart, fresh take on a modern dystopian setting
Read More »The Talented Mr Ripley, Wilton’s Music Hall – Review
Because film is such a powerful medium it naturally becomes a reference point for any stage adaptation. The Talented Mr Ripley is a perfect example, coming twenty years after the big screen version starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. Here the four principal characters, within a self-contained plot, seem to suit the stage well. The understated grandeur of Wilton’s Music Hall also provides a natural atmosphere in which to crank up the tension. Tom Ripley (Christopher Hughes) is a small ...
Read More »Does My Bomb Look Big in This, Soho Theatre – Review
Does My Bomb Look Big in This? was born from actor Nyla Levy’s dissatisfaction with being typecast as a ‘jihadi bride’. It deals with teenager Yasmin’s (played by Levy) slow enticement into, what she thinks, is a hopeful new life for her with ISIS. There’s a meta aspect to the play, as it consciously acknowledges its theatrical form to put forward the story of Yasmin, and her best friend Aisha (Halema Hussain). The two play myriad characters, including their family ...
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