By Laura Kressly
How can we radically reinvent myths and classic literature? I mean, really radically – not in a box ticking way, or a modernisation the production wears like a piece of costume that doesn’t really change the thematic core of the story. I mean thoroughly, totally, completely. So all traces of horrible ‘isms’ and ‘ists’ are either reframed or criticised.
by Amy Toledano
Baby by MKEC Productions follows a year in the life of three couples as they experience the world of childbirth, from their struggles with conception, to difficulties in their relationships and within themselves as individuals. This talented cast does their best with this dated book and ideas, and attempts to bring the 1983 Broadway hit into the 21st century.
by Amy Toledano
Dance shows can be a tough sell, especially those that are strictly tap dancing shows. Luckily for them, Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs is far from an ordinary dance show. Full of tricks, energy and spectacle, this show is thrilling and entertaining from start to finish.
by Amy Toledano
Scott Alan is a long-standing cult favourite amongst musical theatre enthusiasts and his most recent song cycle The Distance You Have Come weaves in his most popular numbers with some newer ones. But whilst this cast is stellar, the ‘story’ is a little bit of a stretch. It’s the songs and actors that make this show most enjoyable.
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.
by Laura Kressly
Theatremaker and performance artist Bryony Kimmings hit rock bottom a few years ago. Her relationship was breaking down, her infant son was ill and her mental health was in tatters. To recover from the trauma, her therapist recommended a technique where she replays the traumatic events in her mind like a film. What better way to regularly go through this exercise than perform it every night?
by Simona Negretto
Nick Dear’s first visit to William Hogarth’s world took place in 1986 when The Art of Success premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon. Now, over thirty years later, he has decided to take a peek into his character’s life once more and to show us the final part of the artist’s existence in The Taste of The Town.
by Laura Kressly
Tomomi stands on the prow of a ship with arms flung open, ready to embrace a new life as a Hollywood actress. There’s something of Kate Winslet in Titanic about her unfaltering determination and hope – and that seminal pose, of course. When an older man disturbs her quiet reflection on the fish feeding below the water’s surface and her need for acting compared to their need for water, her destiny is forever altered.
by Laura Kressly
Jyoti crouches on the floor rearranging five photographs, frowning with much consternation. A man emerges from the storm outside, awkward and in an ill-fitting suit. Jyoti must decide if this is the man whose promises of an adventure in the one who will change her life forever, or if it is to be another. But chose she must, for it’s 1954 in India and her father needs the extra income that will come from marrying off his daughter.
by Lara Alier
As I was walking to the theatre, down the St. James Street with my H&M boots, I was overwhelmed by a deep feeling of inadequacy. I was surrounded by tailoring shops, light brown leather shoes and the financial times. It was quite uncomfortable. When I finally made it, it felt better than entering a falafel shop after a night out. The intimate atmosphere of this welcoming theatre was the perfect place to slow-cook a good play.
The Play's The Thing UK 