Tag Archives: theatre

2020 Vision | Index

Here’s an index to all the posts in Judith Schrut’s 2020 Vision miniseries. Hope you had fun with our brief but spectacular preview of 2020 London’s top cultural treats. Here’s a list with links to all the posts in this miniseries:

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2020 Vision: Best in Show

You can count on London’s Theatreland to deliver plenty of drama. Judith Schrut samples what’s on offer this year in the West End and beyond. Count on London Theatreland to deliver plenty of drama in 2020. In the West End, … Continue reading

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Unmissable Stage Premiere | Small Island at the NT

Leah Harvey & Shiloh Coke in Small Island, photo credit Brinkhoff Moegenburg, courtesy NT Press Office Andrea Levy’s novel about the postwar Caribbean-to-Britain migrant experience has been adapted for the stage. Judith Schrut reviews this powerful, unmissable show, which opened … Continue reading

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Summer by the River is All Drama This August

London’s Open Air Theatre season is set to return to the heart of the capital this August. Now in its 15th unforgettable year it will offer Londoners free access to the city’s finest theatrical artists and experiences. Performances will run from August to September as part of the Summer by the River Festival which takes place at London Bridge City. Continue reading

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Review | Born in the USA: Taylor Mac at the Barbican Centre

Live knitters, brass musicians and backing singers stage left. Harp, strings and temperance choir, stage right. The legendary Taylor Mac, aka the gender fluid pronoun ‘judy’, in a multi-coloured explosion of glitter and tinsel, spectacularly centre stage. Continue reading

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An Evening of Meat at The Vaults

It’s not often I’m handed a scoop of chicken liver atop a savoury cone and watched as I take each bite. I don’t know whether to stare back at her, or if she wants me to smile and look away. She’s about two inches from my face and can hear the crunch as I bite through the cone despite the thumping music. We’re doing a dance, but I’m not dancing. Continue reading

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Kinky Ping Pong

Dinner and a show with a one-minute stroll? Here’s a great date night idea: dim sum and drinks at Ping Pong Covent Garden followed by catching a performance of Kinky Boots just round the corner at the Adelphi Theatre. Continue reading

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Preview: Meow Meow and the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall

Cabaret sensation Meow Meow returns to Royal Festival Hall for More Pandemonium with the London Philharmonic Orchestra following the success of last year’s one-off performance. Continue reading

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Preview: Immerse Erotic Storytelling at House of Kittens’ Menagerie

Immerse erotic theatre company House of Kittens is to host Menagerie, an evening of conceptual vignettes with an aim to “delve into the endless expression of pleasure to engage people in a new liberated theatrical movement.” Continue reading

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Top 10 Choices for Pre and Post Theatre Food and Drink in London (Trainline)

Grabbing drinks or having a meal at the right place and for the right amount of time can help set the tone to commence or end any theatre outing on a delicious note. Continue reading

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Graeme of Thrones

Spoiler alert! Graeme of Thrones (a live theatre parody of … well, I’ll let you guess) is a guaranteed guffaw inducing hoot with loads of loving comedy pointed in the direction of its inspiration. Continue reading

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Jinkx Monsoon of RuPaul’s Drag Race at Leicester Square Theatre

Season 5 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Jinkx Monsoon returns to the London stage this October with a short string of nightly shows at Leicester Square Theatre as part of the drag performers UK tour. Continue reading

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Preview: Simon Warner’s Viva Hypnosis at Leicester Square Theatre

Comedy hypnotist, Simon Warner, brings his mesmerising act to the West End stage for the first time in 15 years with Viva Hypnosis for two nights only at the Leicester Square Theatre just before Christmas. Continue reading

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London Clown Festival

As clowning is intended (I suppose), performers allowed themselves to be the butt of their own jokes to reflect the follies and quirks of all of us. I especially loved the sneering, nervous-laughter-inducing improv of The Establishment; the manic miming of Inda Perada; the preposterous gags and observations of Ben Target (pictured above); and the athletic dithering of Helen Duff. Continue reading

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Sunset at the Villa Thalia at Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre

Arty, middle class Charlotte (Pippa Nixon) from London and charismatic American – and CIA operative – Harvey (Ben Miles) are frenemies to the highest degree. There’s instant affinity and sometimes even smouldering attraction between them but also deep-seated belief on both sides that one completely misunderstands the other and that the other is absolutely wrong about how the world spins on its geopolitical axis. Continue reading

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Send in the London Clown Festival

Hosted at London’s newest Arts Hub, The Omnitorium at Manor House, from 10 to 19 June London Clown Festival is “a festival of physical comedy and clown influenced contemporary performance” exploring “what clown is to the modern performer and their audiences.” Continue reading

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Sideways: The Play at St James Theatre

If you loved the movie, to be sure you’ll love the play, adapted for the stage by original Sideways novelist, Rex Pickett and deftly directed David Grindely. Continue reading

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Madam Butterfly at ENO

A tearjerker of a show, thanks in large part to a profoundly sympathetic performance of soprano Rena Harms, English National Opera’s staging of Madame Butterfly delights the eyes as much as it moves the hearts of its audience. Continue reading

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The Magic Flute at ENO

Mozart’s fanciful The Magic Flute is on now for a limited run at the London Coliseum with a spectacularly staged production from the English National Opera. I had the pleasure of attending a performance last week and very much enjoyed … Continue reading

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wonder.land at the National Theatre

wonder.land: it’s a tale we all know well, this time reexamined through the prism of our 21st century addiction to the digital doings on our gadgets’ screens and good old fashioned teenage malaise. Continue reading

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Getting to Know Lady Unknown Playwright Lauren Johnson

Lady Unknown is the third production from ensemble group Theatre Untold. As with its two previous productions, the aim of Lady Unknown is to shine a light on a “forgotten historical figure.” This time round that disremembered person is 19th century philanthropist and chum of Charles Dickens, Angela Burdett Coutts. Continue reading

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Theatre Review: Sunny Afternoon, Based on the Music by The Kinks

Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Sunny Afternoon tales the story of London’s best sounding rock ‘n roll catastrophe, The Kinks, and follows the band from its formation in Muswell Hill between brothers Ray and Dave Davies through the many ups and downs on their way to international stardom Continue reading

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Twelfth Night | Pell Mell Theatre Company | The Space Theatre, Canary Wharf

Set in Victorian music hall, The Space, and staged with a dark edge and an ‘under the big top’ look and feel, the Pell Mell Theatre Company’s production of Shakespeare’s tale of love, subterfuge and mistaken identity is mesmerising to watch with a strong ensemble of actors. Continue reading

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Review: The Motherf**ker with the Hat, National Theatre

American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ award-winning and 100% N-Y-motherf**king-C story of fidelity fraught with fatigue and compulsion proved a hit in the city where it’s set when it premiered on Broadway in 2011. Now the show has crossed the proverbial pond with the promise of wowing London theatregoers from now to the end of August. Continue reading

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Untold Theatre Premieres Second Production: The Scar Test

Not only touched by the performance I caught of The Scar Test and glad for the chance to see such compelling live theatre, I am more informed about the plight of refugees seeking safe haven in the UK and more aware of how poorly too many of these individuals are treated. Continue reading

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London Daily Photo: Lyric Stage Door

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Summer with Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon (OneTravel)

Summertime’s a fine time to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare, with calendar filled with special events and activities for the family. Here’s a look at some of the fun ways to make the most of this beautiful English … Continue reading

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Catalina by Untold Theatre at Ovalhouse

Unflinching and extremely hilarious, a new interactive ensemble piece by Untold Theatre explores the relationship between Katherine of Aragon and her Moorish servant Catalina. Continue reading

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Review: The Curiosity Cabaret at The Old Operating Theatre, London Bridge

Science inspires art in The Curiosity Cabaret, a new limited run production of first ever cabarets in the style of a history of medicine lecture. Founded by medical doctor and circus owner Dr Clive Selwyn, the shows “fuse science and … Continue reading

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The Curiosity Cabaret: Offbeat, Potentially Poignant and Probably Gruesome?

Science inspires art in The Curiosity Cabaret, a new production coming to London for a limited run this December and the first ever cabaret in the style of a history of medicine lecture. Founded by medical doctor and circus owner Dr Clive Selwyn, the show “will fuse science and the arts together to create an entertaining cabaret experience” and will be held at The Old Operating Theatre in London Bridge, an actual operating theatre dating from 1822. Continue reading

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Sponsored Video: ENO does Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro: 16 October to 23 November

The Marriage of Figaro comes to the London stage this month with a highly anticipated return of the English National Opera’s smash-hit production at the London Coliseum for the first time since its hugely well received premiere in 2011. Continue reading

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Theatre Review: Proud Haddock’s Julius Caesar

A few nights ago, I got to catch newbie production company Proud Haddock’s first ever show, a sold out performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at Saatchi Gallery (the only time a play has ever been staged there). That was a one off. However, from early November the play will have a couple of weeks’ run at Chelsea Theatre about a mile or so farther down King’s Road. If the Chelsea Theatre run goes anything like the Saatchi Gallery premiere, audiences are in for a treat. Continue reading

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Miss Behave’s Gameshow at London Wonderground

Miss Behave and her glamourous assistant Harriet (aka a rather thickly bearded Harry Clayton-Wright) wedge a full-on and eclectic variety show into a wacky gameshow demanding out of (and sometimes even on top of) your seats audience participation. It’s at once arbitrary, absurd, inane, and asinine … not to mention astoundingly fun! Ya got two more opportunities to catch Miss Behave at the London Wonderground. If you’re keen for camped up and mildly dirty entertainment, you’d be wise to book your tickets now. Continue reading

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Leicester Square Box Office: Your First Stop for the Best of London Theatre and More

For more than 20 years, Leicester Square Box Office has been offering tickets to the public for a variety of West End productions at half price, discount and full price to ensure customers find the tickets they’re after. Continue reading

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Win a £50 Voucher for Circus Cocktail Bar and Cabaret, Covent Garden

A cocktail bar, restaurant and cabaret, Circus offers a Pan Asian dinner menu alongside an enticing cocktail menu. Designed by British Tom Dixon, the surrealist interior is the perfect setting for wild cabarets, with actors performing on tables and vanishing in between courses. Following dinner and the performance, the West End venue turns into a dance space. Fun place, right? Thanks to a team up with online restaurant discovery guide, Zomato, I’m offering one lucky reader a free voucher worth £50 to spend at Circus. Continue reading

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