Jonathan Marshall - Page 3

Rosalind Blessed takes residency at London's Old Red Lion Theatre throughout January, performing two self-penned plays in rep. Both new works explore the theme of mental health as well as drawing on the fact that a dog's unwavering love for us can often be a redemptive force.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...unless you've just been dumped by your partner of ten years. That's exactly what's happened to Libby. After a decade with boyfriend Rob Everest a long-term relationship status is all Libby knows. Spiralling into depression and knocking back Pinot Grigio at nine am, Libby attempts to rediscover who she is and what life has to offer.

The 90's was an incredible decade for music, film and fashion. It was also a time when society in general was less accepting. For anyone who didn't fit the brief of what was once considered 'normal', life was far more challenging than it is now. In 2019 there is still much work to be done, though it must be said that in general terms we have finally come to embrace diversity. We have London Pride, Black History Month and Mental Health Awareness Week. People with physical disabilities, though, still seem to be on the periphery and are all too easily swept under the carpet. Fitting then, that this new play by Matilda Ibini is being performed underground at the Bunker Theatre.

It's incredible to think Thriller Live has been a staple of London theatre for an entire decade. It holds the record as the 13th-longest-running musical in West End history and has played around the world to over five million people. With Peter Andre slipping on the white sequinned glove once again for a short stint commencing 10 December, the show remains in demand.

With a title such as The Exceptional Case of Whizz and Drex it's almost a dead cert we're in for something unique and original. This is writer and director Fred Kelly's debut play and it doesn't disappoint.

Alcohol is widely considered a socially acceptable norm. Most people think nothing of sinking a few pints in the pub or enjoying a glass or two of red with dinner. Perhaps if it was invented now though, there would be arguments for it to be made illegal. The amount of money spent by the NHS on treating those who over consume is frankly staggering. According to Alcohol Change UK, Britain has an estimated 586,780 dependent drinkers with less than 20% receiving treatment. There's nothing wrong with consuming a few social drinks after work, of course, but what happens when alcohol consumes your whole life?

Bed Seven transports us back to 1953. We're in King's College Hospital, London, where Gerald (Jesse Rutherford) is a patient. Looked after by Nurse Patricia (Chloe Wigmore), the two have completely contrasting backgrounds and seem poles apart. It isn't long, however, before any niggling doubts they have are cast aside and the two permit themselves to embrace the love between them.

We live in an increasingly fast paced 24-7 society. At the click of a button we can have almost anything imaginable arrive on our doorstep just hours later. We can take in a 3D movie, challenge ourselves in an Escape Room and choose from literally hundreds of TV shows at home or on the move. Theatre and the uniquely intimate experience it provides has prevailed through copious changes in recent times. Most mainstream shows stick to the tradition of having an audience seated in front of a stage upon which actors perform a play. Nothing wrong with that. But how can the medium adapt to reflect our ever changing cravings for something bigger, better and more unique? Enter Fabien Riggall and his game changing concept, Secret Cinema. If this particular experience is anything to go by, it certainly lives up to the hype.

Katzpace, the basement theatre of Katzenjammers near Borough Market, seems an ideal venue for a play about the dark underbelly of Hollywood. Sex, power and the sacrifices we make to achieve success are key themes in this dark comedy written by and starring Holly McFarlane.

In August 2017 a journalist named Kim Wall went to interview inventor Peter Madsen on his private submarine. She never came back. Most people seemed baffled as to why someone, especially a woman, would risk entering such an environment with a perfect stranger.  If it had been another man, would we have reacted in the same way? These are just some of the many questions about gender stereotypes that are explored and challenged in this debut play.

As we enter the intimate studio space of Theatre503 we're greeted by our own reflections in a mirror at the back of the stage. This generates some discomfort whilst making it clear that we're about to witness a character study.

Moving into a purpose-built, 325-seat building in 2003, Hampstead Theatre has been a vibrant, award-winning performance space for 60 years. The theatre prides itself on finding and nurturing new talent. Early works of Mike Leigh, Dennis Kelly, Michael Frayn and Harold Pinter - among others - were all developed here. New Artistic Director Roxana Silbert's debut season has just begun.  Here is everything you need to know if you're visiting - from food and drink to transport, ticket deals and accessibility.

The Tabard Theatre has been rebranded as Chiswick Playhouse. If their opening production is anything to go by, it promises a highly exciting new chapter for this long standing West London venue.

Germ Free Adolescent centres on Ashley, a teenage girl with OCD. Developing an obsession with STIs, Ashley collects sexual health leaflets and offers an advice clinic at school. As she reels off numerous statistics, her peers assume she's highly experienced with sex, but in fact it's the polar opposite. When boyfriend Ollie invites her over, Ashley is of course nervous, however behind the laddish exterior, Ollie is also a virgin.

Opening the 2019 National Youth Theatre REP season is Neil Bartlett's adaptation of Great Expectations. With director Mumba Dodwell at the helm, this new take on the novel uses ensemble storytelling to great effect.

Endurance tickling (yes, it's a real thing!) might not seem the most obvious subject matter for a play, however Tickle is actually based, albeit loosely, on fact. Inspired by the documentary Tickled, this new musical comedy is playing at the King's Head Theatre.

This October marks the 20th anniversary of The Lion King at London's Lyceum Theatre. Premiering way back in 1999, the show has entertained over 16 million people and remains the West End's bestselling stage production and the sixth-longest-running West End musical of all time. To celebrate the show's roaring success (pardon the pun), BroadwayWorld spoke with George Asprey, who plays Scar, about being the villain and why he feels the show is still so well loved after all these years.

'Mission creep' is defined as a gradual shift in objectives, often resulting in an unplanned long-term commitment. Premiering just ahead of Asexual Awareness Week, writer Bee Scott, who is herself asexual, cleverly morphs comedy and science fiction with undertones of horror in this original and engaging play.

Following an acclaimed run at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival, A Partnership plays for a limited time at Battersea's Theatre503. The intimate studio setting works well for a play of this nature, immediately inviting us into the world of its two protagonists. Written by and starring Rory Thomas-Howes, A Partnership is a sixty minute two-hander set on the eve of Ally's, (Ben Hadfield), thirtieth birthday. The couple have been together for five years but for the past year and a half, Zach (Thomas-Howes) has been sleeping on the sofa, refusing to be intimate with his boyfriend.

Museum Pieces consists of four monologues and tells the story of four individuals who are forever changed, perhaps scarred, by a reality television show in which the contestants appear naked. Following on from his successful production of Four Loyalty Cards, this marks writer and director Jamie Christian's second collection of monologues.