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The End Of The Night - Park Theatre

A true story when at the end of WW2 Norbert Masur from the World Jewish Congress travels to Berlin to meet Himmler. A story of amazing bravery which falls very flat because it goes for accuracy and so we listen to Himmler spout a lot of nonsense and Masur can’t say much. Turns out what is what happened. Felt like an adaption could have made this really something but otherwise flat and tension-less.

House of Ife - Bush Theatre

Reasonably standard family drama but with a sharp script and some amazing performances. I think you might see the kids in this go on to do extremely well. Seen some offers floating around for this, very much worth it just for performances.

Superstition Mountain - Greenwich Theatre

Comedy about three Cornish brothers who take to Arizona to search for a lost gold mine. I would say light and funny but it turns out to not be so light while remaining quite funny. Been on tour for a while and still touring for the rest of the month so a clear chemistry between the cast of three brings a nice little zing to this.

two Palestinians go dogging - Upstairs Royal Court

Dropped 30 minutes from Sunday to Monday to bring it to 2h.45. Doesn't feel long (other than heat and uncomfortable seats) and cast are very strong. The staging is ... mixed, it varies between being really great and then falling back on using mics and mic stands (it was originally set for just before Covid which is when mics started to be very in). There are some odd moments like where the entire audience is assumed to be English and comments about colonialism spread pretty wide. It's kind of a mess really with a lot thrown out with varying degrees of success. Still in previews so might tighten up. I enjoyed it, it was an experience but ... yes a mess.

An Intervention - Riverside Studios (Hammersmith)

I think this is the fourth Mike Bartlett play being performed in London right now (and the second in Hammersmith), which has to be good going.

This is a one-act, 90 minute, play, performed by two recent graduates on a minimalistic set. The framing device are ropes tied up to look like a large Cat's Cradle.

It is one of these relationship dramas which I'm often quite indifferent about, but this has enough of an emotional edge to keep you interested. The two leads, Rachel de Fontes and Ed McVey, both looked perfectly in place and hopefully will have impressed the right people.

As Riverside Studios go, this was in one of the nicer studios, with tiered seating available. You can also check out the Dalek at the entrance, celebrating the history of BBC production in the venue.

One Man Two Guvnors - Bolton Octagon
octagonbolton.co.uk/press-gallery/one-man-two-guvnors-production-photos/ This will give you a good idea of their staging. with 11 actors in the cast, some of whom doubling up as the band (not called The Craze here) They don't look like a beatles style band, more of a skiffle outfit. All very good. The only song I didn't hear this time was The Ballad of Ted and Callista.

Standouts in the cast were Jordan Pearson, who is making his professional debut as Francis. It didn't show for a moment! I remember Polly Lister in Hound of the Baskervilles last year, playing multiple characters. She was a great Dolly. She and Jordan both did the screaming on the floor tantrum, but it wasn't after the "petrol station" argument. The script has changed a little bit. Javier Marzan was Alfie and the way they've staged it with the dining rooms above the main stage, it meant that he got to do all the falls down the stairs as Tom Edden did in the original show. Qasim Mahmood was a wonderful preening, dancing affected speech Alan Dangle. After the scene where he tried to use the knife and got floored by Roscoe, Qasim slithered backwards off the stage propelling himself with his feet. He went sideways off the main playing area, then turned a corner to get completely off stage. Very funny.

Two guys picked out of the audience, the trunk into the pub, and "Christine Patterson" were all present and correct.

This is a co production, and is still running at Bolton Octagon until Sat 25th June,
goes to Liverpool Playhouse 29th June to 16th July, www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on/one-man-two-guvnors
then finishes at the Theatre by the Lake 20th July to 3rd september. www.theatrebythelake.com/event/one-man-two-guvnors/

Pennyroyal - Finborough

Really glad Finborough did this, feels like a bit of a lacklustre run from them recently (except for Bacon and The Straw Chair). Two hander, two sisters and their life over a number of years after one donates her eggs to the other. They are cruel but funny (and it is very funny too). Two really good performances and a great use of the small space. Well worth catching.

Closer - Lyric Hammersmith

Given the flaws or indeed the intent of the play, Alice and Dan are pretty wafer thin and so the performances sometimes suffer as a result. Sam Troughton as Larry with the most meat throughout is quite immense, starts slow and then really builds up. Nina Toussaint-White is equally strong as Anna and some of their conflict really sparks on stage. Very funny, clearly a number of people in the audience not aware what they were in for and the early (archaic) online sex scene combined with some loud reactions to lines lead to a few more empty seats after the interval. Still, enjoyed this one a lot.

Me again, I know plenty of you see the non bigger West End stuff, things that don't get always get a thread - do post up a few words. I've seen many shows after comments on here, as the title says - brief comments help!!!

SUS - Park Theatre.

1979 and on the day Thatcher comes to power, two detectives have brought a young black man into the station. He assumes it's stop under suspicion (these days known as stop and search) and has been there and never charged many times before. The interrogation turns into warfare. The play takes every predictable beat but it's hugely powerful and deliberate in doing so. More than worth a visit to the lovely Park Theatre. Cast are superb and the whole thing is rightfully angry. 4 stars

Ravenscourt - Hampstead.

Kinda ho-hum piece about therapists in the NHS and their relationship with one particular client and each other. Nicely staged and a strong cast. Caught the first night of previews and aside from slightly rushed lighting cues, it didn't feel like a preview. Enjoyed Lizzy Watts seen quite recently in The False Servant over in Orange Tree. 3 stars

The Apology - Arcola.

Amazingly our first visit back there since pre Covid. Strong piece around 'comfort women' (and yes it addresses the term) forced into military sexual slavery by the Japanese around WW2. Great set where everything is covered with pages from a UN report. It's really strong in places and then in others stretches too much (the caricature American bad guy is fun and clearly acting as directed but way OTT). The relationships between the Koreans have much more nuance and strength. 4 stars

Two victorian Navy officers on their ship as it slowly sinks into the seabed because the sea has vanished. Alone, they carry on their routine until suddenly there is a knock at the door. The script is great, the concept is fab and there are some really interesting pieces about the sea and it's meaning to sailors. Not really a horror, there are a couple of horror concepts but it is much more a dark thriller with tension and atmosphere. Thought this was great, first night was also press night and I think while all were really good, a couple more performances and this will be really great. Comes back soon, this time to to ORL as part of Grimfest. Worth seeing. 4 stars

Bright Half Life - Kings Head.

Similar to Constellations, tracks the life and relationship of two women over a chunk of their lives. Suffers from keeping American accents which were really jarring but *lovely* staging and fantastic light and sound. That's not to take away from anything else, just they were notably good. Mostly enjoyed this, found when the characters were together the relationship was lovely and really believable, slightly less so when apart on the stage. Still worth a visit I reckon. 3.5 stars.

Iphigenia in Splott - Lyric Hammersmith

I think this might be the Lyrics first real across the board hit in a while, great reviews have been rolling in and it lives up to them totally. Sophie Melville gives an absolute powerhouse performance and brings us all along on her journey. I won't go into spoilers but the story works and leaves the sense of rage and betrayal and despair, one of those plays with an impact still obvious on the audience as we all streamed out. Top work from all.

Ruckus - Southwark Playhouse.

In a way, I'm sorry I saw this the night after Iphigenia in Splott. The similarities are striking in that it's a one woman monologue leading to an injustice and a societal issue that we all should be raging about. It's really well done and builds to it's ending. Jenna Fincken (also writer director) is great, this was quite a hit at EdFringe and the transfer is well deserved.

The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much - Pleasance

Second viewing of this in 2022, back as part of the 'Best Of Ed Fringe' lovely physical theatre with a smart script and it all comes together to give an razor-sharp show, hugely funny and a very talented group of actors. Likely to be back next year for a short run given the success this year, well worth seeing.

The Coral - Finborough Theatre.

This was a bit of a challenging evening. It looks striking, stage and costume and lights work together spectacularly well. Top marks for all that. The play itself, 100 year old German piece, is trickier. The themes of wealth and poverty are still there and still very much among us but it's kind of cold and distant and I'm pretty sure that's the intent but it still makes it feel like a long evening, good and I enjoyed it but yes.. a bit of a slog at points.

A Single Man - Park Theatre

If you take everything about this separately, set, cast, sound etc etc - they are all great but they just don't work together. It's style style style and it looks great throughout but it stays too cold. The set is grey and drab and that's what sticks throughout the show. There are some really strong moments, the finale is beautiful and touching but slightly feels unearned. Reviews seem very mixed so could just be marmite. Might also have a divide between people who are familiar with the book and/or Colin Firth movie - and those who have not. I've not read or seen it but my feeling is that this adapted the movie rather than the book. Still, enjoyed it.

Gosh, this was something. I don't want to cause another trigger warnings conversation (read: argument) but I'd have really liked these ones to be pressed a bit harder. The premise is a relationship falling apart but unmentioned in anything I'd seen before is that it's after a stillbirth and this is pretty graphically detailed and played out. I had not expected my afternoon to be so heavy. However, that aside - this was pretty great. Hugely believable young cast, in their characters and in their relationship. Smart script, smart use of captions throughout and several moments that hit really hard. Still thinking about it a day later, the Guardian sum up was 'tender but brutally powerful' and it is both tender and brutal. More than worth heading out to Richmond for this, not a huge crowd for our Saturday matinee but it deserves to pick up throughout the run

Not Now - Finborough.

Ah, that's the David Ireland good stuff. Although much more toned down, it's really something the emotional layers he writes and gets from his characters. Very funny, as normal some jokes that 100% work better the more you know of Ireland/Northern Ireland but still found most of the audience laughing away. Second night of previews and it all felt slick and good. If you liked his previous work, you'll like this. Good timing in that Yes So I Said Yes just won production of the year and the Finbourgh venue of the year at the Pub Theatre Awards this week.

A Christmas Carol - Shakespeare North Playhouse

The first Christmas show at the new theatre was certainly a different take on this much-loved Dickens story. Instead of being set in Victorian London, Scrooge is now living in Prescot and the story is told by the cast of 3 actor-musicians who play multiple characters in the show. The basic plot of the novel is still there but a few liberties are taken that certainly not in the novel. The cast originally start the show as Scrooges servants who then tell the story as the different characters. 

The whole show has a definite comedy / panto feel to it with plenty of songs and a lot of audience interaction from the basic clapping along / booing to making sound effects at different points in the show. After last night, I am now an expert in making ghostly wind noises and ticking clock sounds. We even had an indoor snowball fight near the end!

There were some very interesting creative choices. For example, the Cratchit family kids now dressed up kitchen utensils, and Tiny Tim is played by the male actor who in their mid-twenties and nearly 6ft! The 3 ghosts are completely reimagined. Christmas past is a small girl who likes balloons, Christmas present is one of the female cast dressed as a Christmas gift (ie. present!) and Christmas future is a Scouse hoody wearing individual who sings hip hop and has problems texting on his phone. 

Yes, ultimately this is a completely bonkers production but is a really fun night out. 

12:37 Finborough


12:37 tells the story of two Irish Jews leading up to their participation in the 1946 bombing of King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

I enjoyed it, I thought the cast were great. I missed a ton of the Jewish references (and it's interesting to see how many phrases are all footnoted and translated in the playtext) but on the flip side, I got more of the Irish references than some of the audience.

Slightly too much ground covered too quickly and the time jump of a decade felt a little rushed but well, the Finborough always has a level of quality in what they put on.

Pub due open in February (and looks to be getting there)