by Zahid Fayyaz
After several years of development and subsequent building works, the Soho has opened its north London outpost in Walthamstow, in the beautiful former Granada Cinema that’s also a Grade 2 listed building. A lovely, glitzy venue, and with a capacity of just under 1000, this space debuts with Natalie Palamide’s award nominated Edinburgh fringe show, Weer.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
The New York cabaret star returns to London after the previous success of their Smiths/Frankenstein tribute show, with this personal and sensitive show focusing on Annie Lennox, Judy Garland, as well as Kate Chopin’s groundbreaking feminist novel The Awakening. As part of his Living Record Collection project, all these elements are mixed up with autobiographical elements of his own life, in a stunning 90-minute long cabaret show of real power and sensitivity.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
A massive hit at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, this new play by Julia Grogan has now come to London for a three-week engagement. It is a three-hander, following the lives of three school friends, Lucy, Zainab and Keira, over a 10 year period during their adolescence and young adulthood. Beginning from just before their GCSEs, the last scene takes place post-university. The story is staged around a striking pink ladder in the middle of the stage that signifies an ancient tree the characters climb and gather around.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
Cabaret star Shafeeq Shajahan has returned with a retooled and expanded version of his show from last year at the same venue. Heavily referencing and influenced by the 1970’s Bollywood film Satyam Shivam Sundaram, he works together with collaborator and composer Vasilis Konstantinides who is also a wonderful cellist. The show is a look at Shajahan’s background growing up as a queer man, the difficulties his faith and religious community presented, and its role in adding to his scars.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
The straight-talking Josephine Lacey’s debut stand-up hour is fresh from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. The new grandmother from London, focuses on the subject of her raising her son, with him having Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder. Though this is not a natural subject for comedy, Lacey manages to put together an entertaining show from such a serious topic.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
Over the last few years, the Soho Theatre has been making a concerted effort to bring over and showcase comedians from India’s burgeoning stand-up scene. Coming back to the UK for the third time, Mumbai based Anirban Dasgupta, one of the continent’s brightest comedy hopefuls, is selling out rooms here in Britain.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
This is the sophomore effort from a former teacher turned stand-up comedian, after his critically acclaimed debut from last year The Last Living Libertine. This time around, the ‘modern day libertine’ talks about how he became a teacher, his mouse infestation, his weeknight escapades spent drinking, and how you can make money from participating in medical testing. The latter constitutes the meat of the show, as he explains how a malaria experiment almost went disastrously wrong.
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by Zahid Fayyaz
Former winner of Taskmaster and Celebrity Mastermind, and following regular appearances on Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and The Last Leg, Sophie Duker tours her new show to London this month. This is the sequel to her award-nominated 2019 debut, But Daddy I Loved Her, a play on the trademark phrase from Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, is a loud, brash and electric show from Duker.
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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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by Zahid Fayyaz
Winner of Drag Race UK this year, Lancaster’s Ginger Johnson celebrates her victory with a Christmas residency for most of December and the first week of January. Ably accompanied by the wonderful Sarah Rose on the keys, this is a technicolour riot of music, comedy and fabulous costumes.
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