Gracia Rios Calderon keeps the story ticking over and comfortably gets the message across.

It's a coming of age story but with some slightly dark humour

Ever wondered why things go bump; swear you can hear the floorboards creaking, dull footsteps in the dead of night? No me neither! That probably means I don’t believe in ghosts; and Last Orders: the haunting of the Old Red Lion has failed in its objective. But in all truth that isn’t the case. It proves we divide into two camps where the spirit world is concerned. You either believe or you simply don’t know. I’m one of the many ...

an intense, sometimes bumpy ride ultimately wins through with superior storytelling

A rapid return to the Old Red Lion in Islington is always a welcome diversion. A delicious moo pie and pint set me up nicely for Little Potatoes, a tale of matchmaking mums at the Shanghai marraige market, as they aim to get their children hitched. Liuyang (Sarah Curwen) is a teacher and striving to get her daughter Meihua married off. Family Planning Officer Hong (Michelle Wen Lee) has a game-obsessed son who dreams of being an artist. The two ...

In the pet stakes no animal comes remotely close to dogs; man’s best friend has become a fully-fledged member of the family. No longer bred for a purely functional purpose, dogs have assimilated human characteristics and a unique personality. This heavily socialised world of a canine is explored in The Noises, a story that concentrates on a dog called Luna, played by Lucy McAllister. Luna’s been a very naughty dog and is now locked in what appears to be the ...

The wonderfully warm surroundings of the Old Red Lion in Islington has its usual glow: flock wallpaper, chesterfield sofas, a dog sleeping on the floor and football on the telly (think I’ve just described my house in the 1970s?). A framed England rugby union shirt now adorns the wall, and a Norwich City St Georges flag hangs over the bar. Not only does it stock a range of lagers, craft beers and cider, it also houses one of the finest ...

Interesting and compelling debut by Warden which imagines the effects of a Harvey Weinstein type on the women closest to him - his daughters and wife

Pros: Funny dialogue, smart observations and powerful performances from two leads with natural chemistry.  Cons: The lack of nuance and erratic pacing sometimes makes the play difficult to engage with, particularly during moments of revelation.   Europe has a long history of antisemitism. Hatred of Jewish people has existed on the continent for centuries, and is not going away anytime soon. Last week, a survey of European Jews found that nearly a third avoid attending events due to safety fears. In Britain, ...

Pros: An original play with a largely female cast. Good use of props and set pieces to create the multiple locations of the play as well as nice use of puppetry. Cons: The issue of feminism wasn’t really explored despite the gender swap of the lead characters. It felt like the script could have done with an edit to make it more succinct as was a little meandering in places. Burn-Bright’s production of Frankenstein replaces the male scientist from Mary ...