Labels is exactly what it says on the tin. Identifying how we as humans label each other by race, sexuality, gender and in fact losing a sense of how these judgements have an impact on the world around us; or in most cases the victims of this abuse.
A coffin presents itself, filled with bereavement snacks including malt loaf, custard creams and apple pie. Jack Rooke and his 85-year old Nan Sicely, invite you to the happiest town in Britain, where Dad’s dead and the only thing to eat is lasagne. Rooke’s critically acclaimed debut hour blends comedy, storytelling and film to explore how we treat the bereaved, whilst challenging proposed welfare cuts for grieving families and celebrating finding happiness after tragedy.
Boy meets girl…They fall in love…It turns out that both protagonists are from rival families… Cue one of the most tragic love stories of all time. There are numerous reasons why this tale has inspired the arts in the way that it has done; it’s language, memorable characters and symbolism trail blazed the theatre making world to follow and it’s heart lies the human condition. In 1830, Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini premiered his very own take on the tragic tale titled I Capuleti E I Montecchi.
“It’s like kind of like a pantomime, but less shit”, so goes Jonnie Bayfield’s pithy summary of Idiots, a new production by Caligula’s Alibi. It seems as good a synopsis as any for this odd, Russian-existentialist inspired, musical comedy.
It often feels like we are headed towards a technology-centric world. How many items around you can you think of that are technological? When thinking of the theatre as an activity, it serves multiple purposes, whether it be for escapism, addressing a range of societal issues or for pure entertainment. How often however do we watch a piece purely for the visual aesthetics, as well as entertainment? The Tom Dale Company and MOKO Dance‘s Digitopia revels in this and triumphs.
The happily ever after conclusion is a concept that we have been candy coated with since the late 30s. Audiences root for a young protagonist bound by their low social standing in the hopes of love conquering all. Fairytales are often our introduction to the notion of storytelling in the west, finding that we’re brought up with a canon of tales we can all recite in our own ways but are perhaps glazed with a sickly sweet Hollywood glitz and glamour thanks to filmic interpretations. balletLORENT however are not afraid to press on the tale of Snow White‘s darker themes, making for a riveting watch.
Whether you think it or not, we’re all a ‘brand’. Yes, we might not conciously be promoting an idea or trying to sell the latest gadgets, however we all have our own manifestos, there are certain ideas that we want to promote to those around us. The concept of the ‘brand’ has not been as important or prevalant as it is today. We’re more mindful of branding thanks to the emergance of social media. ANTLER Theatre’s If I Were Me takes on this sign of the times concept and condenses it into a very watchable 60 minutes.
There is a list buzzing about on the internet somewhere of the ten books people claim to have read but actually haven’t – Orwell makes an appearance on it, as does Charles Dickens, but there’s only one writer who receives the hollow victory of having two novels in the top ten. Tolstoy‘s War and Peace and Anna Karenina are the third and forth most likely novels that people lie about having read. Now, I won’t lie, I haven’t read them either – my knowledge of Russian writing has extended until now, only to Chekhov, so I was very excited to get down to the Jack Studio Theatre in Brockley to see Arrows & Traps Theatre Company tackle Helen Edmundson‘s stage adaptation of Anna Karenina – what turned out to be – a Russian masterpiece of forbidden love and sacrifice.
Fringe has come to London, in the form of a solo standup comedy show, hosted by The Blue Elephant Theatre, in Oval. Situated within a residential area this theatre emanates fringe in every way possible. In this solo show of literature, short stories and standup, Alex Watts discusses fan fiction, classic literature and presents his own writings, in a humorous yet informative way.
Out of Joint’s recent production of Samuel Beckett’s All That Fall, directed by the renowned founder of the company, Max Stafford-Clark, is an intriguing attempt to reconcile the intimacy of a radio play with the immediacy of live performance. There is certainly a frisson of anticipation among the audience as we take our blindfolds, and many an excited exchange of glance as, following a short but warm welcome and introduction from the cast, we donned them and surrender to the darkness.
