Christopher Shinn’s new play grapples with big ideas. It revolves around one main protagonist, played excellently by Ben Whishaw. A Silicon Valley billionaire, Luke wakes up one day convinced that he’s been spoken to by God, and that God is telling him ‘to go where there’s violence’. What ensues is Luke’s journey to and through locations of violence, a journey that takes him from schools to American university campuses to prisons and so on.
Finding peace in the Middle East is a catchphrase drummed out by media outlets all across the western world, offering little to no explanation to what peace actually might look like in reality. J.T. Rogers’ latest offering Oslo at the National Theatre is a ballsy, comic insight in to the history making Oslo Accords, agreements set between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Courtesy of Brinkhoff Mögenburg
The thought of not having rehearsed a piece before performing it sounds daunting, surely? A typical stage in a production’s process, the notion of omitting this crucial process sounds absurd or depending on how you look at it, could make for incredibly exciting theatre. Nassim is a play text that demands an alternative approach, its playful structure-seemingly subtle amounts to a powerfully poignant conclusion.
It is clear that a storm is brewing in Conall Morrison’s adventurous Woyzeck in Winter as white confetti-like snow drifts across a beautifully crafted set of old dismantled pianos. This adaptation at the Barbican sees Morrison match George Buchner’s original unfinished script Woyzeck with Franz Schubert’s song cycles Die Winterreise originally composed in response to Wilhem Muller’s poems of the same name.
Courtesy of Colm Hogan.
En route to the Theatre Royal I am berating myself for leaving my notepad at home. I mean really: what kind of reviewer forgets to bring anything to take notes on? I needn’t have feared performer Danyah Miller’s judgement: demolishing the fourth-wall as amiably and easily as she might offer somebody a cup of tea, Miller invites the audience to stand if they relate to statements. From last-minute tidying to nagging mums and body image concerns, Miller proves that we are all by admission imperfect.
Angel self-consciously mythologises the story of Rehana, the ‘angel’ of Kobane, a sleepy market town in the North of Syria. The playwright, Henry Naylor, wrote the one-woman monologue after having researched the stories of women in modern Syria. In so doing, he stumbled across the person of Rehana. Rumours abound about her, but one thing is certain: she was a law student who abandoned her studies to train as a sniper, and she was in the middle of the fighting during ISIS’ 2014 siege of Kobani.
Courtesy of Steve Ullathorne.
Receiving various accolades, including being ranked no.19 in the Modern Library‘s list of 100 best English language novels of the 20th Century, Ralph Ellison‘s Invisible Man has been marked out as an influential text, exploring the incredibly topical subject of race and identity as an African American man navigates his way through the implications of this very complex topic. Invisible to society, society’s impact on him couldn’t be any louder- Ellison taps into a hyper awareness that we see resonating today.
Set in 1950s South Africa, The Suitcase tells the story of young couple Timi and Namhla, who leave their village seeking success in the city. Their dreams of a bright new life are short-lived when Timi is unable to find work. He is faced with a moral dilemma when a suitcase is left on the bus. Little does he know, his decision will have a grave impact.
A melting pot of differing cultures, London has to be one of the most exciting and inclusive cities in the world. A city that thrives on the integrating of cultures, this offers a basis for inclusion and enlightenment. Certain Blacks Harlem Festival embodies these principles, Veronica Thompson‘s Flights of Fancy adding its distinct sense of fun to the line up!
Courtesy of Lyrix Organix, a multi faceted organisation concerned with event production, education and charitable work, Unfold promises an evening of exciting, enlightening and entertaining talent.
