Charlie Wilks - Page 10

After a successful debut at last year's Edinburgh Festival, Derek Ahonen's one-woman show opens on 9 February at the King's Head Theatre. Catherine and Anita is a dark comedy about heartbreak, mental illness and how those in need so often slip through the cracks. Ahonen is an internationally acclaimed playwright, director and founder of The Amoralist Theatre Company in New York. 

Combining the centuries-old skills and traditions of the touring circus troupe, this is a variety act like no other. Contained within is an assortment of acrobatics, contortion, knife throwing, motorbikes, fire juggling, and so much more, from performers originating from as far afield as Kenya, Cuba, Mongolia, Brazil etc.

After a hugely successful 2017 Edinburgh Fringe run and UK tour, Paines Plough's Roundabout plays arrive at the Orange Tree Theatre. Featuring a tense psychological thriller, a fiery tale of friendship, and a story of growing up too fast, this three-show programme has it all. Paines Plough hardly ever tour their work to London, so this is a really exciting opportunity to see three new pieces of writing, by three celebrated playwrights.

Yasmin's family are going through a crisis. The bailiffs are coming knocking, and there isn't enough time to make the money needed to pay them off. Four young women struggle to find their own solution and when Yasmin becomes distracted by a stranger she meets, her sisters question where her loyalties lie. Themes of family, culture and race are all at play in Zoe Lafferty's highly acclaimed production that holds nothing back.

Just breathe. It's something I'm sure many of us have either told ourselves, or people that we love. But how easy is breathing when you feel like there is not enough oxygen? How do you find a time to relax when your stomach is constantly in pain and your head is always pounding?

After a time spent apart, two brothers reunite in an attempt to understand one another. Charting their differences and uniting via their similarities, they laugh, dance, sing, fight, and slowly begin to recognise that everything they once knew has forever changed.

Our current political climate is unpredictable, to say the least. Old orders are collapsing, and new regimes are emerging. Masculinity is in crisis, and young males find themselves searching for an identity and sense of belonging. Riding high from his Fringe First winning success, Javaad Alipoor brings his Edinburgh hit The Brothers Are But Believers to London.

Bruce is an everyday run of the mill Geordie lad who desires more for his life. Living with his Nan he is unemployed and moping over a childhood sweetheart that has upped sticks and gone off to university. Unsure of his life's direction, he discovers Silk Road; a backdoor to the dark web where all sorts of dangerous dealings go on undetected.

There is an intoxicating cabaret currently residing in the VAULT Fest Pit. Actor and dancer Peter Groom has created a blend of theatre, cabaret and drag to produce a show that questions one's own ethical and moral compass. A story detailing the life of Germany's most famous woman, Dietrich: Natural Duty is an eclectic event that is sure to excite.

Mary stands alone on stage and tells a story of loss, betrayal and conspiracy. With her ex-wife she had a child, and then lost it, causing a state of harrowing posttraumatic stress disorder to ensnare her. But when random body parts start appearing on the beach, she considers that perhaps Miriam isn't dead, and thus embarks on an adventure that will change her psyche forever.

Peter Pan is a story that the majority of us will know and love. It's a tale of a boy who never grew up, and instead lived the rest of his days in Neverland leading the fearless Lost Boys. Following their 2017 hit with The Great Gatsby, The Guild of Misrule return to the VAULTs with Neverland.

What do you do when you meet someone that completely knocks you off your equilibrium, causing you to challenging everything you once thought to be true? When your life direction is on the toss of the coin, do you fight or flee? Following it's hugely successful premiere at the National Theatre, Beginning transfers to the Ambassadors Theatre for a limited run.

Carol Harrison is probably best known for playing Louise Raymond in EastEnders. Her other screen work includes Brushstrokes, Get Back and London's Burning. Carol also works regularly in the theatre and has written, directed, produced the musical All or Nothing, which she also stars in. After three hugely successful tours, the show lands in the West End for the first time, this February.

Raw, sleazy, provocative, delicious, and gritty are just a few spontaneously thought of words that I can generate to describe the show currently playing at London's King's Head Theatre. Imagine having sex using a toffee crisp wrapper as a condom, and how disgusting that would be. Watching EAST feels just like that.

In 1992 Anna Deavere Smith interviewed a selection of people who were, in some way, involved with the LA riots. In total, 300 people were spoken to, and the actor and playwright then turned this compilation into her verbatim-style play, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Ola Ince's production has taken 19 of the original interviews, and all are brought to life by Nina Bowers.

It hasn't been an easy journey for this piece to get to the Court. The theatre initially removed the show from its programming, because of its links with ousted Out of Joint director Max Stafford-Clark, who left the company in September 2017, amidst allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Bob and Fran have worked for years to provide the best life possible for their four children. Now, all they want to do is sit back and relax; however the revelation of some home truths makes this task seem impossible. A tragic tale of attachment and co-dependency, exploring the complexities of one family's life, Frantic Assembly's critically acclaimed show is revived for a nationwide tour.

Every now and then you see a show that reminds you why you love theatre. You sit there mesmerised by the spectacle, getting goosebumps at every word spoken. Then there's that specific moment that gives you everything you never knew you wanted. But you needed it, and you feel incredibly full afterwards. Girl from the North Country is that show. Riding high from its wondrous success at the Old Vic, the show transfers to the No l Coward Theatre for a limited run.

Peter Groom is an actor, dancer and choreographer, originally from Newcastle. Since graduating from Guildford School of Acting in 2013 he has gone on to work both in the UK and internationally, with credits including Schaubuhne, Berlin and Aquilla Theatre, New York. Alongside this he began to create his own devised work, and then in 2016 started working as a drag performer, with performances at Battersea Arts Centre, The Glory and Royal Vauxhall Tavern. His new show Dietrich: Natural Duty has its world premiere at the VAULT Festival later this month. I had the pleasure of meeting up with Peter. We talked about inspirations, politics, queer history, visibility and so much more. Here's how it went.

A girl plays jingles on a Casio keyboard, whilst the audience choose between a chair and a beanbag for a seat. I of course chose a beanbag, because how often does that opportunity come around? You get comfortable and take in the surroundings. We're in a child's bedroom; the walls are painted with an overwhelming blue gloss, and decorated with various pictures of celebrities and golden retrievers.