A promising show with an identity crisis

Superbly performed fable of friendship and sexuality

A lively script in a well-structured two-hander.

The opening scene of this one-hour play is designed to confuse the audience, beginning the arc that leads to discovering the one event that changed everything. In a sense, this kind of narrative is hard to shock audiences with. You start to feel that everything is building up to a single revelation, and once it is revealed there is not much else to do, unless the characters are radically changed by the event. In Jade City, this doesn’t seem to ...

An education, a celebration, and a warning

If you’ll forgive the ad pitch, flowers suit nearly every occasion. A loving declaration, celebratory congratulations, or a sorrowful consolation. Living things that bloom and die, flowers represent beauty and sorrow, life and death. In Funeral Flowers they represent something else – the chance at something new. Funeral Flowers is a powerfully personal, utterly involving tale of a girl’s struggle to achieve her dream. Written and performed by Emma Dennis-Edwards, Funeral Flowers tells the story of Angelique, a 17-year-old whose ...

Social inequality is the theme that binds Killymuck and Box Clever together, a double bill of one woman shows at The Bunker. But there is so much else that links these shows. Both have powerful performances from their sole actor, exploring the lives of young women affected by the simple fact they were born into poverty and social inequality, and both are a mixture of laughter and seriousness as they try to present their topics in a way that will ...

Pros: Fantastic comic routines, dark satire, beautiful set design, and an endearing ensemble performance make Welcome to the UK a rewarding and powerful watch.   Cons: Welcome to the UK may disappoint viewers looking for character or narrative development. Immigration is a joke. Whether fleeing death or simply looking for a better life, recent arrivals in this country can expect meagre allowances, strict surveillance, limited work, trafficking, exploitation, violence, demonisation and, always, the threat of deportation. The joke is a cruel ...

Pro’s: A bright young cast with a concept that dares to be different. Con’s: The promise of an immersive experience never quite materialises in the true sense of the word. Southwark Street is fast becoming South London’s answer to the North’s Upper Street. The Bunker, Menier Chocolate Factory and Katzpace, three fringe theatres all located within a five minute walk of each other. Tonight The Bunker certainly lived up to its name, situated at the end of a long ramp ...

Two enjoyable short plays highlighting the difficulties encountered by people who are different from the majority. Both need refining and a bit more development to explore fully the many questions raised.