Kat Mokrynski - Page 11

Kids Can Heckle!, hosted by comedian Ollie Horn, has an interesting concept. As you might be able to guess from the title, children are allowed to heckle. In fact, according to the show’s descriptions, they are “encouraged to jump in, share their ideas, and be as silly as possible,” so you can definitely expect some voices to be chiming in!

'Boy Band takes audiences into a meeting of the titular group, defined in the show’s description as “a top secret club where boys of any age, gender, and orientation meet in top secret to work on choreo and sing songs of unrequited longing, a celebration of all things squishy.”'

Yes Anderson: Tales From the Tent, performed by the improv group Tiny Dynamite, is a show in which audiencces are invited into the world of the films of Wes Anderson, with the performers creating “an anthology of linked character portraits and story fragments” based on audience suggestions.

'A Circus Sized Game Show is exactly what it says it is - a giant game show. But, there’s a twist - the audience members are the ones determining how it will go! We are introduced to Morgan James, who is going to be performing his one-man circus - with a little help from us!'

Dave Bibby: Baby Dinosaur starts with a simple concept - Dave Bibby is going to do a one-man show of the film Jurassic Park, putting on a mini movie for audience members. But, even when planning for a show, life finds a way, and Bibby finds himself unable to write the show due to the birth of his son, Leo.

Judging from the content warnings alone, you can tell that you are in for a show with GODZ - audience interaction, strong language, nudity, haze/smoke effects, depictions and references to violence . . . The list goes on!

John Hinton: Well Well Well . . . is a musical show that has Hinton using songs and the story of his own life to explore the science behind cancer, as he was recently diagnosed with diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Christopher Macarthur-Boyd: Scary Times begins with Macarthur-Boyd telling us about a terrible gig he had recently, a charity gig in Glasgow for Freedom from Torture. For some, this might be a shocking way to begin a comedy show. But, as Macarthur-Boyd himself admits, we’re in London - it takes a lot to shock a person here.

Director Jamie Lloyd has taken on the challenge of Shakespeare’s iconic Romeo & Juliet, bringing his trademark style of theatre to the Duke of York’s theatre this summer. Starring Tom Holland as Romeo and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet, this production brings us into the world of Verona as the star-crossed lovers must fight for their love.

Tom Lawrinson: Hubba Hubba begins with Lawrinson emerging from behind the curtains, acting shy towards the audience and hiding his face behind his jacket. This act is quickly dropped, however, and it is revealed that Lawrinson is anything but shy

The Colour of Dinosaurs, devised and performed by Dom Coyote, Lloyd Coleman, Jakob Vinther, Victoria Oruwari, Harry Miller and Roxana Vilk, has arrived at the Polka Theatre. The show explores how a palaeontologist, Dr. Jakob Vinther, used melanin to discover what the colours of dinosaurs actually were.

Dave Hill: Caveman in a Spaceship begins with Hill bursting through the door of Soho Theatre Upstairs on a bicycle, circling around the stage as music blasts and the audience cheers. A smoke machine goes off, covering the stage in fog, as another machine blows out snow-like confetti, with Hill going straight into its line of fire.

Written by Michael McManus and directed by Joanna Read, Party Games! is a “comedy-drama” that gives audience members an inside look into the political world of the United Kingdom through the “One Nation” party, which has been created in opposition to the other existing parties.

The story of Avital Ash: Workshops Her Suicide Note begins with some context for the audience. Ash’s mother committed suicide when Ash was only an infant and her father remarried, never telling his daughter that her mother was not actually her birth mother.

Fool’s Moon is “an anarchic, genre-bending cabaret night where the mischievous come out and play. Expect extravagant costumes, elaborate props and multiple left feet that may alleviate, if only momentarily, your existential crisis.” The cabaret, hosted by Paulina Lenoir as Puella Eterna, has a different theme each night, making for a unique show.

Phil Ellis’s Excellent Comedy Show begins with a man, dressed in a tight black spandex costume and wearing a bin bag over his head, struggling to make his way to the microphone. Once he removes the bag and reveals himself to be the man of the hour, we discover that Ellis is dressed as a cat, with Sharpie whiskers and a cat ear headband revealed.

Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Brian Holden, one of the founding members of StarKid who has been with the group since it began 15 years ago. We discussed how he got into theatre, what it has been like to be part of the group for so long and even why he thinks StarKid has been around long enough to celebrate its 15th anniversary!

Gillian Cosgriff: Actually, Good begins with Cosgriff performing using a looper pedal, with backwards vocals and some chords from the onstage keyboard. She gives us context for several things in order to understand the show, including that the Whitsundays are islands and Australians like to make touristy things that are “big” like the “Big Prawn.”

FANNY, written by Calum Finlay and directed by Katie-Ann McDonough, is about to open at the Watermill Theatre in West Berkshire. The show tells the story of Fanny Mendelssohn, the real-life older sister of Felix Mendelssohn, and places her in a “what if” situation involving an intercepted letter and Queen Victoria. 

Recently we had the chance to chat with Bronté Barbé and Rebekah Hinds, who play Kathy and Stella, respectively. We discussed what it’s been like to have been a part of the show since the beginning, bringing the production to the West End and how the fans have played an important role in the show.