These Theatre Thoughts

  Tickets: Gifted Date: 29th March 2023 Seat: V6 (Stalls) Star Rating: 3 Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUsTYfiqHDY Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are two people whose names have gone down in history. They're the infamous couple who robbed and murdered their way across the country, taking down anyone who stood in the way of their dreams of being rich and famous. As deadly and decidedly unpleasant as the pair were in real life, their story is one that has been romanticised and idolised in all kinds of interesting ways over the years, and this musical version is an interesting take on the Bonnie and Clyde mythology.  But that doesn't mean it's a worthwhile one.  In Bonnie & Clyde , which stars Frances Mayli McCann as Bonnie and Jordan Luke Gage as Clyde (although Barney Wilkinson was playing Clyde when I went to see the show), along with Jodie Steele , George Maguire, Cleve September, and Dom Hartley-Harris, we have something that should have blown me ...

  My review of Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Lyric Hammersmith on behalf of Theatre Weekly: Accidental Death of an Anarchist  was originally written by Dario Fo and Franca Rame in 1970, a point referenced numerous times throughout this updated and very meta version itself. In the 50 years since it originally premiered, this story of a strange death in police custody and the ensuing cover-up – based on true events, by the way – has remained relevant, perhaps more so now than ever before. That’s a sad indictment of society, but it makes for a hilarious play.  Read more at:  https://theatreweekly.com/review-accidental-death-of-an-anarchist-at-lyric-hammersmith/  

My review of Grey Widow on behalf of Theatre Weekly: The story behind  Grey Widow , a one-queen drag/horror/comedy performed by Lady Aria Grey (AKA Callum Tilbury), is a simple one. At first. Lady Aria has murdered her husband, although there is quite a bit more to it than that.  The why and how of this murder are kept secret from the audience when we first meet, but as this beautifully rendered monologue soon points out, we’re all friends here. So, she’ll tell us the secrets of her life, his death, and everything in between – and after, come to that. Lady Aria says we are her friends, and we certainly want to be, so we listen and hang on her every word, no matter how dark it gets.  Read more at:  https://theatreweekly.com/vault-festival-review-grey-widow/

  Tickets: Paid for  Date: 15th March 2023 Seat: Unallocated Star Rating: 4 Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=key9oIKyQwc As the audience walks into the intimate space where  Hutchy the Hare  is to be performed, something is already happening. Three people dressed in different coloured jumpsuits are beetling about the stage. One of them seems serious. The other two are playing. Are they adults? Kids? Who are they? What are they doing?  Some of these questions will be answered. Perhaps the most pressing – who they are – will not. And that’s exactly how it should be in this trippy horror fest from Scram and Scrum Theatre.  The story centres around three people – Perry (short for Peregrine Falcon), Beaver, and Frog. Although nothing is explained directly to the audience, it soon becomes clear that these characters work in a kind of sweatshop, making bespoke dresses for rich people and getting points out of ten for each creation. If they ever reach...

  Tickets: Paid for  Date: 6th March 2023 Seat: F31 (Stalls) Star Rating: 5 Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdzwXG5Q7ek I have a great fondness for the work of Mischief Theatre, the company behind The Play That Goes Wrong, Magic Goes Wrong, The Goes Wrong Show , and a variety of spin-offs in the same vein. As soon as I saw the advertising for The Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle with Henry Lewis from Mischief, I was excited to see what it was all about. I was not disappointed; this show was everything I had hoped it would be, and I loved it.  If you know anything of The Goes Wrong Show , you’ll know that Henry Lewis plays a big, blustering, egotistical character called Robert, who becomes increasingly frustrated as each play takes place because he thinks he’s better than everyone else and is always in the right. Lewis plays a version of Robert in Mind Mangler , and it’s as deliciously awful as you might expect – in the best possible way.  T...

  Tickets: Gifted Date: 4th March 2023 Seat: C43 (Gallery) Star Rating: 4 Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WawaDLaJzuM Entering London County Hall on Belvedere Road near Waterloo Station, you get a certain thrill. This is different. This is unique. This is going to be an experience.  Walking through the grand doors and into the enormous lobby is exciting, and the space immediately sets the tone. With all deep, warm wood on the walls and plush carpeting on the wide staircase directly ahead of you, County Hall is clearly not a theatre in the traditional sense of the word. And that’s all part of the charm of going to see Witness for the Prosecution . It’s a play, yes – a very successful play written by none other than the queen of crime, Agatha Christie – but it’s more than that. Immersive theatre has been gaining popularity for a while now, and Witness for the Prosecution fits neatly into that trend, although for those who simply want to watch a good play with pl...

  Tickets: Paid for Date: 1st March 2023 Seat: D1 (Stalls) Star Rating: 5 Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIdv6or_X-s If you're looking for a gut-punch of a show, look no further than Blood Brothers , playing at The Churchill Theatre in Bromley until Saturday 4th March. This is where you'll find the rawest of emotions and the starkest of stories. And yet, within all the turmoil and the grime and the many, many mistakes the characters make, there is also humour and humanity. This is a powerful show that plunges into the soul of what it means to be born and how nature versus nurture plays a part in every move we make.  That sounds incredibly deep, doesn't it? It sounds like you'll be sitting down to watch something that will tear your soul apart and leave you broken. Perhaps that's true because by the end of Blood Brothers , as the last devasting and devasted note of 'Tell Me It's Not True' rang out across the auditorium, I felt wrung out. In a g...