Cindy Marcolina - Page 31

Two sisters are struggling to survive past their traumatic childhoods. From the moment social services take them away, their bond becomes the only important thing in their lives. Kathryn O'Reilly writes the story of a disintegrating relationship where the culprit is the same love that once united. Directed by Lucy Allan, Poisoned Polluted presents harsh and disconcerting vicious circles that look and feel real.

Intrigue, passion, rejection, deception, and incurable illnesses populate Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. One of his most famous problem plays, it essentialy sees Helena chasing after her beloved Bertram in pursuit of love. Director Tom Littler scales down the narrative and assembles a cast of six to present an exceptionally instinctive and nostalgic production. He places the action in a cryptic era, using music as a vehicle and memories as the main narration instrument.

The modern world has always seen a fascination surrounding F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby and the licentious partying, wealth, obsessive passion, and excess he painted have seeped into the 21st Century cultural landscape as a beacon of intellectual decadence. This hedonistic view of the Jazz Age and racket - no matter how historically inaccurate at times - lends itself well to an immersive experience, and pushed Alexander Wright's production based on the original material to achieve the title of longest running immersive theatre show. After debuting in London at The Vaults in 2017, it moved around a bit before settling into a bespoke venue in Mayfair last month.

After staging three other plays by Martin McDonagh, Tower Theatre are now tackling the playwright's phenomenal first play, and start of the first of two trilogies, The Beauty Queen of Leenane. After premiering in Galway in 1996 it went on to have multiple transfers in London, a stint on Broadway, and to win a multitude of accolades.

Kelli O'Hara is a star Off and on Broadway, in the West End, on television, on film, and even sang with The Metropolitan Opera. After being nominated five times over the course of her career, she finally won a Tony Award for playing Anna in The King and I. Some of her other iconic roles include Clara in The Light in the Piazza, Nelli in South Pacific, Francesca in The Bridges of Madison County, and most recently Lilli/Katherine in Kiss Me, Kate. We caught up with her ahead of her solo concert at Cadogan Hall.

When Jerker first premiere in Los Angeles in 1986 and excerpts from it were performed on the radio, it lead to a revolution in broadcasting censorship laws due to the alleged obscenities portrayed.

Ugly sets out to be an exploration of beauty standards and the perception of women's attractiveness. Written by Perdita Stott and directed by Danae Cambrook, a series of vignettes delve into how five women struggle to accept their image and who they are. Eve Atkinson, Shereener Browne, Samantha Bingley, Hannah Marie Davis and Orla Sanders are the band of sisters who fight the good fight and try to navigate everyday life feeling ugly.

Every year, thousands of playwrights respond to Papatango Theatre Company's call for their New Writing Prize. 2019 saw 1406 entries from across the UK and Republic of Ireland, from which only one was going to be chosen for a full production and a further commission from the company. The winner of this year's highly regarded and fairly ruthless competition is Samuel Bailey with his play Shook, which examines how three teenagers cope in a young offender institution after being shut away by the community.

Stefan Adegbola is currently starring in Hampstead Theatre's production of Botticelli in the Fire as Poggio di Chiusi, the title character's close friend. We caught up with him to have a chat about the show and the peculiar relevance of Renaissance matters.

Deep in the stomach of Soho, the Boulevard Theatre is the newest addition in the panorama of London's studio theatres. The exceptionally versatile and sleek venue has just opened its doors with the UK premiere of Dave Malloy's Ghost Quartet. The show is a celebration of ancestral storytelling: characters and storylines intersect and transcend time in what feels more like a song cycle or a staged concept album of sorts. The numbers push the narrative while Carly Bawden, Niccolò Curradi, Maimuna Memon, and Zubin Varla take their audience on a primordial journey.

The National Youth Theatre revamp Mary Shelley's masterpiece and update it for a modern audience in what should be a cutting-edge production at Southwark Playhouse. Carl Miller's rewriting of the first ever science fiction novel looks more like a translation for the 21st century rather than a faithful adaptation, setting the story in a nondescript future that doesn't look too far away. Director Emily Gray leads the stylish retelling: Garth (Sonny Poon Tip) corresponds with his sister Bob (Natalie Dunne) via radio, who details the rescue of Doctor Victoria Frankestein (Ella Dacres) in the Arctic and the obsession that's led her to that point.

After spending most of the year in its hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company's newest As You Like It kicks off their London Season at the Barbican Centre. Directed by Kimberley Sykes, the production is a delicate and inventive voyage into a Forest of Arden that feels truer than Shakespeare's fictional real world. It never forgets that it's a comedy at heart, and Lucy Phelps' precise physicality plays into the genre. She has Rosalind win the audience's fondness wink by wink, pulling them towards her side through chuckles and playful nudges.

Prolific duo Stiles and Drewe seem to be having a ball populating London with their works. While Mary Poppins - for which they wrote additional music and lyrics - looms large on the West End from the Prince Edward on Old Compton Street, director Will Keith opened another musical of theirs just south of the Strand at the Charing Cross Theatre. Interestingly enough, Soho Cinders serenades Poppins' address and is a proper celebration of Soho in all its idiosyncratic beauty.

Alex is struggling. She's 27 years old, everything is going well, she's planning her wedding and going to med school, and yet she can't cope with reality. She hides in a dreamlike universe to keep her past and present at bay, but by doing so, the boundaries between truth and imagination start to break and she finds herself wondering where she stands.

a?oeI've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to diea?? might be one of the most well-known speeches in film history, whether you're a Blade Runner fan or not.

The Renaissance is in full swing with Lorenzo de' Medici's (Adetomiwa Edun) modern policies and Sandro Botticelli (Dickie Beau) is at the peak of his success. Parties are held in his honour and Florence is thriving as the home of some of the most sought-after painters of their age.

The last time a Sam Shepard play was in town, London audiences got to see Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn take on True West directed by Matthew Dunster. Now, Alexander Lass is at the helm of Ages of the Moon at The Vaults, marking its premiere in the UK ten years after its debut in Dublin. It stars Christopher Fairbank and Joseph Marcell as lifelong friends, reunited in a cabin in the nowhere USA after life has done its best to burn them out.

Harley (Danielle Williams) is undergoing a psychological evaluation after having been charged for a bank robbery. While the Doctor (Sharon Duffy) tries to get to the bottom of her bruises and prove her subjugation to her partner in crime and life Jay (Joseph Blunt in voiceover), the criminal slowly shows her hand. Written by Lucy Walters and directed by Georgia Leanne Harris for Tripped Theatre, Harley & Me is, unfortunately, a flawed and inconsequential piece of theatre.

After an incredible run as Anne Boleyn in SIX and an Olivier Award nomination, Millie O'Connell is ready for a new musical adventure in Stiles & Drewe's Soho Cinders. Directed by Will Keith, the show is a modern take on the classic fairy tale. 

Originally written in the 50s by musical theatre duo of wonders Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for television but then adapted for the stage multiple times, Cinderella saw actresses of the likes of Julie Andrews and, more recently, Broadway favourite Laura Osnes take on the title role. Now, Cadogan Hall hosted a one-off staged concert of the piece that turned the venue into a bona fide enchanting scene. With the London Musical Theatre Orchestra setting the mood for Christine Allado and Jac Yarrow to fall in love directed by Jonathan O'Boyle, the production was a stunner.