Katie Kirkpatrick - Page 4

Willy Hudson’s Welcome Home is described on the theatre website as a 'queer sci-fi epic' - and epic it truly is, in every sense of the word. In a neon green fever dream of a one man show, Hudson tackles gay coming of age and religious shame, all while creating a rock concert meets gay club atmosphere on the Soho Theatre main stage.

Zak Zarafshan’s debut play dives into playground politics and marital disputes, but with a touch of divine intervention, and some Britney Spears for good measure. The show follows two sets of parents meeting to discuss a kiss between their two nine-year-olds sons, and the glittery queer guardian angels that help them figure it out.

Sound of the Underground, co-created by Travis Alabanza and Debbie Hannan, unleashes queer chaos on the historic Royal Court. Over the course of three acts, a cast of real London drag performers use every weapon in their arsenal to shed light on the realities of the city’s dying queer nightlife scene, the commercialisation of drag, the persistence of homophobia and transphobia, and the lack of money in the arts… but they have a lot of fun in doing so.

Any one of us could die at any time, with no warning and no reason behind it. This is the heartbreaking truth we grapple with in Tom Ratcliffe’s Wreckage, now running at the Turbine Theatre.

On the Ropes is a play about fighting - in more ways than one. In the first act, it’s about fighting in a very literal sense, tracking the boxing career of Vernon Vanriel. After the interval, however, Vanriel faces a new opponent: the Home Office’s new Windrush legislation. Combining a story that spans over fifty years with live singing and choreography, this is an expansive, ambitious production with a real life story at its core. 

From the London commute and edgy social media spoken word to dramatic orange-lit flashbacks, Kingsman presents us with a fully-formed show-within-a-show that’s a parody of itself. She squeezes every last drop of funny from every single line of her script. It's a fast-paced takedown of the chaotic white woman in her twenties working in the arts that we all know so well.

In the spirit of their popstar namesake, comedy duo Britney are bringing their hit Fringe show back one more time.  For one hour, best friends Charly and Ellen poke fun at gender reveals, Boris Johnson, and, most importantly, their teenage selves, showing us why they did so well in Edinburgh.

A ball pit, inflatable flamingos, beanbags, a pink shiny wall, beach balls, and a giant avocado. Walking into the transformed Studio at The Other Palace is like stepping into a pink and green Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, where unexpected fun lies around every corner.

One year on from theatres being allowed to fully reopen, where is the new writing? This is a problem Darren Clark has set out to tackle with his project New UK Musicals. Set up during the pandemic, the project's website makes sheet music and backing tracks to new original musical theatre songs by British writers widely available.

Playwright Iman Qureshi said she wanted to make the show “a lesbian mecca”, and she has done exactly that. As her play The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs unfolds, the theatre echoes with raucous laughter, murmurs of agreement, and gasps of outrage. The show is a true celebration of lesbian identity - immensely necessary but also, immensely fun.

When Lava was first staged, at the Nottingham Playhouse in 2018, its central plot point of an asteroid hitting North London and causing thousands of casualties may have seemed implausible - over-dramatic, even. Now remounted at the Soho Theatre as we move out of a global pandemic, these themes of loss, and of solidarity in the face of unprecedented tragedy, feel very different.

The themes of classism, of family, and especially of the rural/city divide work so well on stage and are written and performed with honesty and creativity. The set, projection, and lighting are exciting, transforming the pub theatre space. The performances are fantastic. Fridge has all the components of an excellent piece of theatre, they just need bringing to the surface.

Playwright Nell Leyshon has crafted a delicate narrative that quietly unpicks our ideas of music, class, and family. 

As the Almeida revival of Spring Awakening opens in London, writer Steven Sater talks about his relationship with the show over the years, as well as his new Grammy-nominated concept album with Burt Bacharach.

This concert production of Sunset Boulevard was a celebration of show business: glamorous costumes, shining spotlights, intrigue, and incredible voices. Its cast of musical theatre stars transported us to Hollywood in a performance that was musically impeccable, brought to life by the power of the orchestra.

In this concert from Aria Entertainment and ALP Musicals, songs from 15 new musicals were showcased on the West End stage, proving that new writing in musical theatre has a lot to offer.

What If If Only, the prolific Caryl Churchill's latest short play, explores incredibly complex issues of grief and time in its very short 20-minute run time. Premiering at the Royal Court, James Macdonald's production finds the humour and humanity in the text, which is brought to life with imagination.

Award-winning new playwright Mufaro Makubika leads us from Nottingham to Zimbabwe in a tale of mothers, daughters, and spiritual ancestors.