Cindy Marcolina - Page 47

'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.

The 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.

It'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.

Nastazja 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.

Antony 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.

Proud 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.

'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.

After 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.

Jermyn Street Theatre continues their pursuit of strong women presenting Maureen Duffy's A Nightingale in Bloomsbury Square and The Choice as a double bill directed by Natasha Rickman.

The 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.

Actress Rula Lenska is on the road with The Case of the Frightened Lady. After a brutal murder at Mark's Priory, home to the great Lebanon family, Inspector Tanner finds out that nothing is what it seems inside the house.

Alice (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.

"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.

Monica 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.

Alan (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.

Two 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.

Peter Finch and Eletha Barrett's relationships scandalised Hollywood and lead the actor to an Academy Award-winning performance in the 1976 film Network. Written by Cassie McFarlane and Adrian Hope, Mad as Hell is a brash and provocative piece of theatre.

Bette (Leila Sykes) and Vera (Madeleine Gould) travel the country in an official capacity hosting tea dances to try to improve the morale of the troops in 1942 England. As their real purpose is discovered, three young men from the Royal Canadian Air Force threaten to blow up the women's organisation.

'I am 26 years old, I live in London, and I work in the arts. This is not fantastic.' says Therese Ramstedt as her character finds out that she's pregnant. From that moment on, she embarks on an emotional rollercoaster that challenges the inherent stigma and absurd shame of abortion.

Holly Morgan and Tom Moores tear the house down with their new comedy show, a mix of stand-up and cabaret. Madonna or Whore is a raucous and unashamedly in-your-face feminist piece of theatre.