BWW Review: DEATH OF A HUNTER, Finborough TheatreApril 3, 2018Death of a Hunter sees Ernest Hemingway fighting his demons at once in the last harrowing hour of his life. Unable to write like he used to, he questions the ghosts of his past and examines the path that's lead him to that point. Finborough Theatre sees the English language premiere of Rolf Hochhuth's piece in a new adaptation by Peter Thiers (and in a translation by Peter Sutton).
BWW Review: MIRRORS, Leicester Square TheatreMarch 31, 2018When YouTuber ShyGirl is stood up by her date in front of all her 8 subscribers, her life turns to shambles. As she sits facing her mirror in a state of intoxication and humiliation, she inadvertently summons Shivvers, a witch who's a distant relative of Snow White's. Siobhan McMillan writes a hilarious and audacious one-woman show that explores mental health, narcissism, and the pressure to appear perfect.
BWW Review: KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, Menier Chocolate FactoryMarch 23, 2018Kiss of the Spider Woman has taken the shape of a novel, a play, a film, a musical, and is now being adapted for the stage again by José Rivera and Allan Baker. Directed by Laurie Sansom, Manuel Puig's work becomes a story of acceptance and hope.
Empowerment and Togetherness Win at Second Annual Tonic AwardsMarch 20, 2018'There is a magic that can happen when you bring people together' Lucy Kerbel welcomes the audience to the Second Annual Tonic Awards at the May Fair Hotel on a chilly March evening. The shared sentiments of empowerment and togetherness are the real winners of the night.
BWW Review: FREUD THE MUSICAL, The VaultsMarch 16, 2018The father of modern psychology comes back from the grave in a flurry of cross-dressing madness. Natasha Sutton Williams writes an exhilarating musical filled to the brim of phallic jokes and the basis of psychotherapy. Sigmund Freud's cocaine addiction and an imaginary cat named Oedipussy move the action from the real-life cases of the misunderstood lesbian Dora, little Hans, and Rat Man.
BWW Review: SUFFRAGETTE CITY, London PavilionMarch 15, 2018It's not every day you get to be shuffled through a tiny green door in the lower-ground floor of a Money Exchange in Piccadilly Circus and, quite literally, enter the Suffragettes' world. 'Are you prepared for a long or short sentence?' they ask, and so you are thrown into a frenzy of missions and painted rocks in the depths of the London Pavilion.
THINGS THAT DO NOT C(O)UNT, Waterloo East TheatreMarch 15, 2018Nastazja Somers brings her new show Things That Do Not C(o)unt to Vault Festival. A daring and bold feminist one-woman play, it explores female sexuality and body issues unabashedly. She takes her audience on a partially autobiographical journey through Poland and London, stretching the boundaries of language and writing, and alternating vulnerability to irreverence in her raw monologues.
Book Review: YEAR OF THE MAD KING: THE LEAR DIARIES, Antony SherMarch 15, 2018Antony Sher details his journey as he prepares for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear directed by Gregory Doran, his partner and Artistic Director of the company. Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries draws a fascinating, detailed picture, taking the reader through the doubts Sher encountered and the fears he faced.
BWW Review: THE DOG BENEATH THE SKIN, Jermyn Street TheatreMarch 10, 2018Proud Haddock presents The Dog Beneath the Skin, which concludes Jermyn Street Theatre's Scandal season. Every year, in the village of Pressan Ambo a young man is chosen to go on the unfortunate quest to try to find Francis, the heir of a large estate who went missing as a child. When the burden is thrust upon Alan Norman (Pete Ashmore), he decides to take a dog (Cressida Bonas) as his companion for the adventure.
BWW Review: HAMLET, Hackney EmpireMarch 9, 2018'Hamlet, Prince of Denmark!' the announcement at Wittenberg's graduation ceremony is barely made that beating drums accompany Hamlet Senior's glass hearse across the stage while Gertrude and Claudius look down woefully.
BWW Review: GOOD GIRL, Trafalgar StudiosMarch 7, 2018After successful runs at Edinburgh Fringe and Vault Festival, Naomi Sheldon brings Good Girl to Trafalgar Studios. Her one-woman-show picks apart and analyses what it's like to go through the discomfort and insecurity of growing into a woman. A liberating and honest comedy with a big heart, it shines a light on the perils of growing up a member of Generation Y.
BWW Review: FOUL PAGES, The Hope TheatreMarch 1, 2018The Hope Theatre's own Artistic Director, Matthew Parker, presents the world premiere of Robin Hooper's Foul Pages in a frenzy of neck ruffs paired with leather all wrapped up in homosexual subtext. The Countess of Pembroke (Clare Bloomer) convinces Shakespeare (Ian Hallard) to debut his new play As You Like It in an attempt to persuade King James I (Tom Vanson) to release her former lover Sir Walter Raleigh.
BWW Review: CONQUEST, The VaultsFebruary 22, 2018Alice (Lucy Walker-Evans) is trying to buy the morning after pill in Boots when she meets Jo (Colette Eaton), who drags her into a world of feminist revenge. Written by Katie Caden and directed by Jess Daniels, Conquest explores feminism and consent in a humorously, full of darker undertones.
BWW Review: THE VAGINA DIALOGUES, Waterloo East TheatreFebruary 17, 2018"Hi, welcome to the feminist" The Volvas say before embarking in an irreverent and unabashedly in-your-face rollercoaster of a piece. From coping with an unexpected pregnancy, female orgasm, office boredom, and the jarring experience of sexual assault, the five women brilliantly succeed in their audience listening.
BWW Review: THE B*EASTS, Bush TheatreFebruary 16, 2018Monica Dolan examines the sexualisation of children from the perspective of a psychotherapist, Tessa, who's assessing a mother who allowed her eight-year-old to have breast implants. She narrates the story of Leila, a precocious child, and her mother Karen, leading her audience on a crucial journey through ethics and morality.
BWW Review: FIND YOUR WAY HOME, Etcetera TheatreFebruary 14, 2018Alan (Anthony Cord) has decided to leave his family for Julian (Julian Bailey-Jones), his younger lover. The latter is ready to take him back after almost a year, but the arrival of his scorned wife (Julia Faulkner) interrupts their reunion. John Hopkins' Tony-nominated 1974 drama Find Your Way Home is an eye-rolling trainwreck.
BWW Review: AN ACT OF KINDNESS, The VaultsFebruary 12, 2018Two worlds collide at a bus stop. Martin (Robert Hayes) is a young professional whose life clashes with Leila (Helena Westerman), a bubbly and energetic 23-year-old woman who works in a coffee shop (and hates it). He takes his mum to chemotherapy sessions and she's always rushing off. The discuss gender pressure and stereotypes, family issues and jobs. An Act of Kindness is a feel-good play which resembles but never becomes a romantic comedy.