touring theatre

Maar, Dora; Courtyard Theatre

By Diana Miranda

After two sold-out runs at the Old Red Lion Theatre earlier this year, Nadia Jackson’s Maar, Dora continues to shine a light on the legacy of experimental photographer Dora Maar. Often portrayed by contemporary media and history books as Picasso’s muse, collaborator and mistress, Dora now steps out from the painter’s shadow to address the elephant in the room: Can her story truly be told without Picasso, or would erasing the cubist titan mean further displacing herself from a discipline focused on the male gaze? 

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Frankie Goes to Bollywood, Southbank Centre

by Zahid Fayyaz

Fresh from a regional tour of the UK and a run in Watford, Rifco Theatre Company brings their latest musical spectacular for a run at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, on the Southbank. This is the story of Frankie, who is ‘discovered’ by a Bollywood director working at a UK cinema, and is then whisked away to star in a Bollywood film. However, it turns out that being a Bollywood film star isn’t all that it’s all cracked up to be. Things start to fall apart, in an ironically Bollywood melodrama style.

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The Unicorn in Captivity, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

by Diana Miranda

Written by Angelika May, The Unicorn in Captivity is a powerful tragedy that explores the ways patriarchal systems —from the NHS to art institutions — diminish and fetishise the experience of women grappling with chronic illness. 

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Jazz Emu: Knight Fever, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

Viral hit Jazz Emu (real name – Archie Henderson) has launched his new show and forthcoming tour after garnering millions of views of his music videos on social media platforms. Down in the theatre’s lively cabaret space, the conceit of the show is that the character Jazz Emu is warming up just before he gets on stage at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance. However, Jazz has a secondary objective: he wants to be the one knighted by the King that evening, as apparently that’s how all Royal Variety performances end. The only person in his way is his arch nemesis, Kelly Clarkson, as well as his own failure to comply with various laws and financial guidelines.

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Polly (The Heartbreak Opera), Pleasance Theatre

by Archie Whyld

What do German theatre directors eat in the morning? Why, Brechtfast, of course. Early on in Polly (The Heartbreak Opera), a similar, and admittedly better, Brechtfast joke was subtly slipped in, in a moment of metatheatrical gorgeousness, and so, being a lover of all things Brecht, I thought – this is for me.

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Journey of a Refugee, Stanley Arts

by Laura Kressly

In the Stanley Arts bar, Kassi, Ali, and Daphne hype up the audience for the arrival of a group of refugees. They’ve organised a welcoming party but plans change when only one person, Zain, arrives. He’s initially unenthusiastic about being the centre of attention. With some coaxing after hiding the main performance space, he shares his journey from Sudan using puppetry, dance, and narration. The promenade family show is inclusively crafted with striking design, but doesn’t romanticise his journey or patronise family audiences.

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Last Rites, Shoreditch Town Hall and touring

by Laura Kressly

Even if our relationships with our parents aren’t fraught, they’re often complicated. In the case of the unnamed character in this solo show, his father never accepted his deafness and refused to learn sign language. He rehashes and reckons with this resentment as he ritually washes his father’s body, but other memories show he and his father loved each other. Using movement, creative captioning and projections, the production dives deep into the emotional landscape of a parent’s death to immensely moving effect.

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Cowbois, Royal Court Theatre

by Laura Kressly

Revolutions are rarely peaceful. The queer one that unfolds in Charlie Josephine’s expansive new play is no different. Yet, heaps of trans and queer joy contrast this violence. Combined, they make a well-balanced celebration and act of resistance. Set in an isolated mountain town’s saloon during the American Gold Rush, the story is immensely ambitious and imaginative in scope but would benefit from further narrative focusing and addressing a couple of the more difficult themes that arise.

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Cassie Workman: Aberdeen, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

Fresh from a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Cassie Workman brings her lyrical 55-minute poem to the intimate upstairs space at the Soho Theatre. A spoken-word performance of uncommon intensity, it tells the fictional and fantastical story of the narrator traveling back in time to try to save Kurt Cobain from committing suicide. It touches on additional, more universal themes and issues however, so it isn’t just for the Kurt Cobain fans to enjoy.

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