Seussical, Southwark Playhouse

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by Maeve Campbell

It’s difficult to work out who the musical Seussical is for and why its been revived. Trying to imagine how a ten-year-old might watch this show doesn’t help answer these questions. In fact, it clouds the answer even more. I think if I was ten and watching this show, I’d feel utterly patronised by it.

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Rendezvous in Bratislava, Battersea Arts Centre

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by Nastazja Somers

Born in 1913 in Koscice, Slovakia, Ján Ladislav Kalina was a man of theatre and art. He
lived the bohemian life that young people in Eastern Europe romanticise when they get lost in the works of Milan Kundera. Jan is Miriam’s grandfather, and in many ways his story, is that of my grandfather too. Miriam is a theatre-maker. Rendezvous in Bratislava is her ode to what’s lost and what’s remembered.

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Beauty and the Beast, King’s Head Theatre

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by Amy Toledano

Fat Rascal Theatre Company has created magic in their gender-swapped, musical parody of Beauty and the Beast. This show offers an interesting look at the ideologies behind most classic fairy tales and quite literally turns it on its head with a sharp book, catchy score and brilliant performances.

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The Full Bronte, The Space

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by Jack Solloway

Raucous, loose and incredibly silly, Scary Little Girls’ The Full Brontë is as much about the Brontës as is a bare arse and a lick across the arm. Subjected to both of these, audience member Clive was about as prepared as the rest of us for the romping, light entertainment cabaret about Yorkshire’s most famous sisterhood of writers.

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Elephant and Castle, Camden People’s Theatre

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by Jack Solloway

Elephant and Castle is a strange and precariously funny gig-theatre show about the lives of Lillian Henley, a musician and silent film pianist, and her teeth-grinding somnambulist husband, Tom Adams. Whilst this may sound a little far-fetched, the play is very much rooted in the performers’ own experiences. Acting out their relationship, using live music and verbatim sleep recordings, Elephant and Castle dramatizes the bizarre reality of Tom’s slow-wave sleep parasomnia and his relationship with Lillian.

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A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Gynaecologic Oncology Unit At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Of New York City, Finborough Theatre

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by Amy Toledano

Although this show has an incredibly long title, it is the only thing about it that feels drawn out. This comedy about a cancer ward in New York city is a touching tale of unlikely friendship and the broken relationships and the ways in which we forgive in the face of tragedy.

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Woman of the Year, The Space

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by Amy Toledano

Anna Nicholson’s Woman of the Year is a comedy cabaret that hits all the solo show marks. Incredibly high energy, brilliantly timed with some lovely audience banter and a charming concept, this is a show that brings together all the elements that make character sketch comedy great.

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Eris, Bunker Theatre

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By Laura Kressly

Sean broke up with Tim because he’s just too fabulous and refuses to try to fit in. But now Sean’s sister is getting married back home in Ireland and he doesn’t have anyone to bring to the wedding that will suitably piss off his conservative, Catholic family. With his bestie Callista in tow, he embarks on one outrageous Tinder date after another as the trip home gets ever closer.

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The Dog/The Cat, Hope Theatre

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by Laura Kressly

Dividing up shared belongings after a breakup is awful, but custody battles are even worse – even if they are over a pet. With emotions running high, fallouts are inevitable when it comes to who gets to keep Fluffy or Fido. These two, one-act plays explore relationship dynamics through a filter of pet ownership, though both struggle to translate big ideas into coherent storytelling.

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