Category: Drama
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Jailbaby (Griffin Theatre Co.) ★★★1/2
Written by Suzie Miller. Griffin Theatre Company. 7 Jul – 19 Aug, 2023. Playwright Suzie Miller has crammed a lot into 80 minutes with Jailbaby, her third new play staged in two years (after Anna K and RBG: Of Many, One last year). The story of AJ, a cocky youth who gets thrown into the…
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The Turn of the Screw (Seymour Centre) ★★★1/2
Written by Richard Hilliar (after Henry James). Tooth & Sinew and Seymour Centre. 21 Jul – 12 Aug, 2023. Henry James’ classic gothic horror novella has been given an extra layer of psycho-sexual intrigue in writer/director Richard Hilliar’s new stage adaptation that blurs the line of reality right up to the final minutes and keeps…
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On The Beach (Sydney Theatre Co.) ★★★★1/2
Adapted for the stage by Tommy Murphy. Based on the novel by Nevil Shute. Sydney Theatre Company, Roslyn Packer Theatre. 18 Jul – 12 Aug, 2023. On The Beach opens with a tableaux of 60s beach-side bliss, all pastels, buff bodies and short shorts. Soak in the eye candy because things get darker from here.…
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The Hero Leaves One Tooth (KXT on Broadway) ★★★1/2
Written by Erica J. Brennan. KXT on Broadway. 14 – 29 July, 2023 Fucked up dinner parties are a theatrical staple. Get a bunch of characters around a table and let their personal drama’s play out as subtext, hidden by polite behaviour… at least at first. That basic premise gets turned into a speculative, body-horror-infused…
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London Week Five
On the final stretch now and my brain is starting to look ahead to life back at home. Going into the office, seeing local shows (I can’t wait to catch up on City of Angels, The Great Comet, Jailbaby etc) and sleeping in my own bed again. But first I have a couple of days…
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London Week Four
My final full week in London rolled up very quickly, and having seen most of my ‘must-sees’ I got to check out some other shows around town that piqued my interest and I’m really glad I did. Then, Now & Next (Southwark Playhouse) ★★1/2 Written by Christopher J Orton & Jon Robyns. Southwark Playhouse Borough.…
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London Week Three
Things got a little manic this week as I made a side trip to Broadway for the weekend. Plus there was a West End opening night, a fringe show and some big revivals. Here are some mini reviews in chronological order. Self Tape (Kings Head Theatre) ★★★ Written by Michael Batten. Kings Head Theatre. 18…
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London Week Two
Two new musicals, two existing musicals and two play revivals, mixing off and on West End productions – it was a nice mix this week, including a pleasant surprise and a clanker of a show. Here are some mini-reviews in chronological order The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The Musical (Southwark Playhouse) ★★★★ Book &…
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London Week One
I hit the ground running in London, thanks to a bunch of theatre-loving friends who were keen to catch shows or take me to shows they loved. Here are some mini-reviews in chronological order… Groundhog Day (Old Vic) ★★★★★ Book by Danny Rubin. Music & lyrics by Tim Minchin. The Old Vic. 20 May – 19…
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Consent (Seymour Centre) ★★★1/2
Written by Nina Raine. Outhouse Theatre Co. Seymour Centre. 1 – 24 June, 2023. The ever excellent Outhouse Theatre brings Nina Raine’s 2017 UK hit play Consent to the Seymour Centre. A big drama that blends the professional and the personal for a group of British lawyers who prosecute and defend sexual assault cases. These…
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