Kat Mokrynski - Page 14

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.

'Bilal Zafar: Imposter is an hour-long story in which Zafar uses comedy to tell the audience about a wild experience he had when his housemate tried to get him arrested five separate times.'

Passing Strange, the Tony Award-winning rock musical by Stew, is making its European premiere at the Young Vic. The show tells the story of a young man in the 1980s who travels the world to find himself, going from his home of Los Angeles in the United States to the punk rock realms of Amsterdam and Berlin.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World, a live tour of the television series of the same name, has just finished touring the United Kingdom over the past few weeks. Recently, we had the chance to talk with Scarlet Envy, one of the drag queens on the tour.

'Recently, we had the chance to chat with Jade Ogugua, who plays Hermione Granger, and Taneetrah Porter, who plays Rose Granger-Weasley. We discussed what is is like to be a part of the iconic franchise, how they have gotten into their characters in the past six months and some of their favourite magical moments!'

Recently, we had the chance to talk with Rosie Sheehy about taking on the role of Helen Jones, or “The Young Woman,” in Machinal. We discussed what compelled her to join this production, what it is like being a part of a work based on the real life of a woman and what she hopes audiences take away from the piece.

As soon as Faustin takes the stage, she immediately jumps right in, creating a conversational atmosphere with the audience. She designates a table of audience members in the front row as the “rich table” and begins by talking about her experiences flying first class.

Walking into Shelf: Teenage Men, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Based on the show’s description, there would be “anecdotes, songs, jokes about performing for kids, the Instagram algorithm, confronting your toxicity, and more.” How was all of this going to fit into an hour-long show? Luckily, I had nothing to worry about.

Ghost Stories of Antiquary, a “seated site-specific show with immersive elements” directed by Nicholas Benjamin and co-devised by Benjamin, Niamh Handley-Vaughan, Nadia Lamin and Miles Blanch, takes place in Longfield Hall, a building that survived the bombings of World War II, the very rads that the characters in the show are taking shelter from.

We begin with Kaelan Trough (Doherty) gleefully repeating the word “Love,' grinning as he wanders around the stage. Kaelan and his partner, Jeremy, are having a gender reveal party for their baby. There is a black balloon hanging from the ceiling. Once popped, if the baby is a boy, blue rose petals will fall. If it’s a girl? Cooked shrimp.

Tamsyn Kelly: Crying in TK Maxx is a show about the men in Kelly’s life, starting with her father growing up and ending with a man who works in her local chicken shop. Kelly grew up on a council state, the only one with a father, ironically wishing that he would leave as he was causing nothing but pain to his family.

Recently, we had the chance to chat with Alex Young, who plays Virginia Creel, Henry Creel’s mother, in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. We discussed what it has been like being part of the stage version of a beloved television series, how it feels to be taking on a role seen on the screen and some of her favourite characters from the show!

May Contain Food May Contain You, devised and performed by Sonya Cullingford and Simon Palmer, is Protein’s “scaled-down rural touring version” of May Contain Food, which was originally devised and performed by Cullingford, Carl Harrison, Matthew Winston and Rachele Rapisardi.

'Walking into the Soho Theatre Upstairs, you are given a nametag before taking your seat. Interestingly enough, Playing Latinx has the same start as Derren Brown’s Unbelievable on the West End, with a chair on stage and a sign stating, “The show will start once someone sits on this chair.”'