Piles of books adorn the stage, an obstacle course of literature presents itself, intrigue fills the air. Danyah Miller welcomes the audience to the afternoon’s proceedings, naming particular audience members she had been speaking to prior the performance, and acknowledging them for their presence. Although this is an attempt to introduce an inclusive environment, this pre-show goes on longer than it should, and has me wanting for the performance to begin.
Michael Simkin’s stage adaptation tests patience. Adapted from the bestselling book of the same name, Dear Lupin dramatises the real life letter correspondence of The Sunday Times writer, Roger Mortimer and Charlie Mortimer, his increasingly wayward son.
Having received critical acclaim for his previous work, Klook’s Last Stand, award winning playwright and director Ché Walker sets to liven up the Stratford East Theatre Royal stage with his latest work, The Etienne Sisters! 
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With war, especially living in the west, it’s easy to build up the idea of war being separate to the lives that we live. War is always painted as being very ‘black and white’, there’s this idea that there is ‘good versus evil’, and that it is the absolute last resort to dissolve political and social ills. War is a bold term, however when broken down, many humans beings are risking their lives for the greater good. IdeasTap Underbelly Award winner Giles Roberts focuses his latest piece, Much Further Out Than You Thought on a soldier’s life after war, placing a human face on a widely reported but often misrepresented term.
Assembled in the very rich imagination of Carlo Collodi 132 years ago, The Adventures of Pinocchio is a literary gift that provides joy and adventure for both children and adults.
What would you do if you were sent an invite for a show shrouded in secrecy, and set on a secret island? Accept of course! There’s a sense of enquiry that takes the mind as attempts are made to figure out what the show could possibly be. The Secret Theatre trend, that has seen the Lyric Hammersmith host an array of shows to mixed reviews is a theatrical movement set to breathe life into the theatrical form.
Impossible… The word has connotations of the awe inspiring, the draw dropping, danger, a flair for the dramatic, the list is endless! Well, there’s a new show in town, a magic show to be exact that promises audiences the Impossible. This very promise however is not fully realised.
When you think of a Eulogy, this would most likely be associated with a speech given by a loved one at a funeral. Cue IdeasTap Underbelly Award winner Toby Peach, who turns this very notion of a Eulogy on its head, and uses it as a means to celebrate life whilst living. Ahead of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Theatrefullstop were able to speak to the writer and performer about his battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at a young age, what he’ll take away from IdeasTap’s legacy and what he’d like for audiences to take away from his show.
Bonkers, Brave, Brilliant, Bizarre… I’m sure there’s plenty of ways to describe the Island that is Great Britain, however Horrible Histories have decided to settle with Barmy Britain instead, a title very fitting, setting the tone for the very tongue in cheek family show.
London, UK. 24.07.2015. Birmingham Stage Company presents, as part of the Horrible Histories series of stage shows, Barmy Britain Part III, at the Garrick Theatre. Cast is: Neal Foster and Anthony Spargo. Photograph © Jane Hobson.
Don’t despair if you cannot go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. There is a plethora of productions previewing in London. One of those little gems is this award winning show by Flight of the Escales, created and performed by Artistic Director Sarah Calver, which has its UK premiere at the Ovalhouse.
