Presented as part of the AXIS Emerging Artists Festival alongside Vesta Created and directed by Menelaos Karantzas ★★ Pros: A clever set for a black box venue with some lovely direction and staging.  Cons: Quite slow which made it hard to follow and I was unsure if all the pauses were necessary.  Our Verdict: A worthy subject to explore, bringing ancient stories into the modern world and contrasting them with much more current geo-political events. Sadly I was left unaware of ...

Presented as part of the AXIS Emerging Artists Festival alongside Publius Horatius  Devised by Fighetta ★★★ Pros: A group of versatile female performances not restrained by stereotyping. Cons: It was very abstract with no real plot. I find it hard to get into a show with no real fictional purpose or characters that I can relate to. Our Verdict: Some real talent on stage, and while I recognise that it is pushing the somewhat fixed boundaries of theatre and performance ...

Presented as part of AXIS Emerging Artists Festival Written and Directed by Shaun Kitchener★★★ Pros: Great atmosphere with laugh out loud moments thanks to some fantastic writing. Cons: Some of the dialogue was lost on delivery leading to some awkward and polite audience laughter. Our Verdict: Makes for an enjoyable evening in the cozy environment created by the White Bear Theatre. Courtesy West Avenue Theatre Walking into the theatre you could be forgiven for thinking you’d made a complete idiot ...

Tom HuntDirected by Timothy J Howe★★★ Pros: A wonderful atmosphere and a few laughs. Cons: Lack of development or evolution of the characters. Our Verdict: Light and amusing, but it could be more engaging. Courtesy of LittleBerry Productions With curtain up being about the time of your evening meal, it’s not unusual to attend a show feeling a little peckish, which is somewhat worrying considering that this play is all about food. I should not have feared however, as this ...

Jean-Baptiste PoquelinTranslated by Neil Bartlett Directed by Jenny Eastop ★★★★ Pros: A wonderfully entertaining and witty adaptation of Moliere’s famous play. Tom Barratt’s indefatigable performance is not to be missed. Cons: Too few to mention. Our Verdict: A simply wonderful version of a classic French farce. Nothing is lost in translation in this production. 80 minutes of pure entertainment. Courtesy of Mercurius Theatre Company Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (better known by his stage name Moliere) was a master of comedy in 17th ...

Clifford Odets Directed by Christopher Emms ★★★★ Pros: A terrific script and a (mostly) excellent cast deliver an impassioned story which rings true. Cons: Not all of the actors are believable. Our Verdict: This is a very enjoyable play and the majority of the performances are of a very high standard. Courtesy of  Waiting for Lefty is a terrific political drama written in 1935 which tells the story of impoverished workers on strike through a series of vignettes. It was ...

William Shakespeare Directed by Emily Morrison ★★★★ Pros: Gorgeous costumes, inspired direction and world class acting. Cons: Not much to report here. A few of the actors didn’t quite hold my attention but this is only a minor dent in a truly dazzling show. Our Verdict: A stunning feat of wholly engaging entertainment with highly creative directing and two astonishing central performances. This came dangerously close to a 5 star review. Courtesy of Emanate Theatre Company Whoever calls the shots at the ...

Conall QuinnDirected by Alice Malin★★★ Pros: A funny and beautifully poetic script with some fantastic characters. Cons: The action is occasionally too loud and grandiose for such a tiny venue and some of the accents are not quite right. Our Verdict: A fairly decent (ish) production of an excellent script. Courtesy of The Public Reviews The White Bear is an intimate theatre hidden at the back of a lovely, cozy pub near Kennington tube station in South London. It is ...