Following a succesful run at The National in 2016, Michael Longhurst‘s production of Peter Schaffer‘s Amadeus returns with a high level of fanfare. Having missed it first time around, I arrive with few expectations, my only familiarity with this play being Milos Foreman‘s 1985 film adaptation.

Courtesy of Marc Brenner.

The joy of theatre is the sharing of a common experience. The typical 9 to 5, an experience that many share. Typically multi-tasking and working towards tight deadlines, it can very easily be forgotten as to just how hilarious work place scenarios can be. In a world whereby there is so much seriousness, talented duo Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan revel in life’s lighter moments.

Courtesy of Soho Theatre.

Every January the London International Mime Festival (LIMF) kick starts the year with an impressive dose of international visual theatre. From puppetry to live art, LIMF has showcased the work of some of the biggest movers and shakers in the physical theatre scene.

Hanna examines old themes in new – and genuinely compelling – ways. Nature and nurture, motherhood, blame, responsibility, class and ethnicity all collide in this one-woman monologue that unpacks the consequences of a life-altering mistake made in a hospital wing. This is a poignant personal tragedy, made more affecting by recent news of NHS chaos and cuts post-Christmas 2017.

In his comic triptych Hot Pepper, Air Conditioner and The Farewell Speech, the Japanese director and playwright Toshiki Okada examines office life in contemporary Japan and explores the relationship between temp workers and full-time workers in the declining Japanese economy.

Courtesy of Julian Baumann.

There’s a special magic in having the hottest tickets in town, one made better when that ticket is a front row seat to Broadway hit and current West End colossal Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

Courtesy of Digital Theatre.

Digital Theatre has officially announced the launch of an online subscription platform that brings the best of live theatre, ballet, opera and classical concerts, to your own screen. Performances can be streamed anytime, anywhere, and to any device.

Afterglow is an intimate and challenging play that follows the story of three men through friendship, sex, love and everything in between — “The climax is just the beginning.”
A well written play that challenges social expectations, Afterglow provides a unique view into different forms of passion and shows how hard it can be to manage love in today’s society.

Courtesy of Afterglow.

Courtesy of Christophe Raynaud De Lage.

Returning to the capital and proudly in its fourth decade, the London International Mime Festival sets the bar when compiling an eclectic programme of mime, physical theatre, circus , mask, puppetry and live art. This year will witness seventeen shows taking over some of London’s much loved venues including Sadler’s Wells, The Barbican and Soho Theatre, each venue transformed by worlds filled with vivacity and inventiveness.

The continuing success of right-wing populist parties and Trump’s presidency are worrying at best. Many people feel powerless, hoping that this situation will soon pass. Lion Feuchtwanger contemplated very similar problems in his trilogy Wartesaal (Waiting Room), which he wrote between 1930 and 1939. Feuchtwanger ‘s observations of national socialism in the 1930s were almost visionary and already entailed a theory of swarm intelligence, decades before this phenomenon was actually described.

Courtesy of Arno Declair.