The Tremors by Nikki Mailer plays at 53two in Manchester July 18–22. Set in a bookshop, under threat of demolition, in occupied East Jerusalem it’s about an unequal relationship between two women and explores the magic of books, erasure of history and the Palestinian struggle against occupation.
Month: June 2023
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Wonderful to see a packed theatre buzzing with anticipation. The lights dim, evocative music begins, then blackout! Eight actors enter, and so the journey begins and it is a journey. Dad, played by Trevor Fox, returns to his childhood home and finds himself beside the old Sussex farmhouse pond where he used to play. He… Continue reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Ten of the best for Dukes’ Dell
The Dukes in Lancaster has been creating outdoor theatre for more than 35 years, and this year audiences can look forward to the return of Sunset Screenings. Set amidst Williamson Park’s The Dell it’s a perfect setting, providing great natural acoustics. From September 1–10, The Dukes will be showing ten films including brand new blockbuster Barbie and… Continue reading Ten of the best for Dukes’ Dell
Wasteman
The formula for autobiographical plays is well-established: well-meaning, soulful self-examinations leading to an uplifting ending. Joe Leather avoids the obvious with Wasteman, a show which is never less than hilarious, and, despite concerning a character who, it gradually dawns, is desperate to conceal certain facts, totally engaging and genuinely moving. Drag is the gateway by which… Continue reading Wasteman
Miss Havisham’s antecedents
Emul8 Theatre is performing Havisham at Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Written and Performed by Heather Alexander with direction and dramaturg by Dominique Gerrard, it offers a fresh perspective of Charles Dickens’s greatest work of Gothic characterisation. Miss Havisham is the embodiment of stuck trauma and malignant rage. But how did she arrive at this place and what are… Continue reading Miss Havisham’s antecedents
Modest
Writer Ellen Brammar and co-directors Luke Skilbeck and Paul Smith have created something of a cartoon from new play Modest. It is all caricature, camp and cabaret hung on events from real-life Victorian artist Elizabeth Thompson’s career to highlight the ongoing struggle for equality. Elizabeth Thompson is a painter you have probably never heard of,… Continue reading Modest
Autobiographical musical at Buxton Fringe
Composer of “Blues for Gilbert”, the “most performed, recorded and studied solo tuned percussion piece of all time”, Mark Glentworth is to perform his autobiographical musical Seven and a Half Years at Buxton Fringe. At the age of 16, Glentworth was one of the youngest students to study percussion at the Royal Northern College of Music. After… Continue reading Autobiographical musical at Buxton Fringe
Beneatha’s Place
Kwame Kwei-Armah directs a compelling and frequently funny production of his own play about racism, politics and power. He wrote Beneatha’s Place in response to Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park, with which it ran in repertoire when it premièred in 2013 at Baltimore Centre Stage when Kwei-Armah was Artistic Director there. Like that play, it has… Continue reading Beneatha’s Place
New series of RAD dance podcast
The Royal Academy of Dance has launched series 6 of its Why Dance Matters podcast chaired by David Jays, Editor of Dance Gazette, featuring people from inside and outside of the dance industry including Australian Ballet Artistic Director David Hallberg, choreographer Wayne McGregor CBE, physicist Merritt Moore and Alice Oseman, whose Heartstopper series has its second season première on Netflix early… Continue reading New series of RAD dance podcast
Hairspray, The Broadway Musical
Hairspray, the musical you can’t help but warm to, is the summer production at the unique Kilworth House Theatre. This open-air venue is set deep in South Leicestershire’s gently rolling countryside; cross the bridge festooned in fairy lights and, in the midst of a wooded glade, ‘sail’ canopies protect the 550-seat audience and stage. Early… Continue reading Hairspray, The Broadway Musical