Review: INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON, Garrick Theatre
Girlhood comes to the Garrick. Rosie Day’s moving one-woman play Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon transfers to the West End helmed by Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran. Filled to the brim with trigger warnings and imbued with the blunt honesty and pure emotion owned by young girls only, the piece fits perfectly within the recent industry shift towards pink feminism. Directed by Georgie Staight, it’s a heartbreaking depiction of teenage depression and a touching journey through grief and loss. Eileen is barely a teenager when her sister dies of complications from an eating disorder. Suddenly turned into the only child of a grieving couple, she convinces herself that it’s her fault Olive died. Her parents are wrapped up tight in their own pain and her friends disappear. Unable to address the elephant in the room, unsurprisingly, she falls in with a bad crowd.
Review: THE FELLOWSHIP, Hampstead Theatre
A week after Windrush Day saw Prince William and his wife visiting the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station, two children of the Windrush generation are at the heart of Roy Williams's new piece. Debuting at Hampstead Theatre, directed by Paulette Randall, it introduces sisters Dawn (Cherrelle Skeete) and Marcia (Suzette Llewellyn), who grew up as activists in 80s London.
BWW Review: INSTRUCTIONS FOR A TEENAGE ARMAGEDDON, Southwark Playhouse
“Thirteen is young for an existential crisis”. Eileen has barely entered her teens when her older sister, Olive, dies of anorexia. It was sudden, during their family Sunday roast. Eileen had made the Yorkshire puddings, so it must be her fault. Rosie Day writes an intense rollercoaster of a play built on pitch-black humour and abrasive prose. The story of Eileen and her broken relations leads to an intelligent reflection on grief and mental health in a society where girls die trying to make themselves look smaller.
Jay Leno to Play Ed Sullivan in MIDAS MAN Film
Jay Leno will make a rare film appearance as Ed Sullivan in the upcoming film Midas Man. Ed Sullivan was largely responsible for introducing The Beatles to American audiences. Their first appearance on February 9 1964 was viewed by a record-breaking 73 million viewers, now viewed as a watershed that helped lead to 'Beatlemania' in America.
Michael Morpurgo to Make Guest Appearance at BARNFEST OUTDOOR THEATRE FESTIVAL
The Barn Theatre in Cirencester have announced internationally best-selling author Michael Morpurgo will make a guest appearance at BarnFest - Outdoor Theatre Festival for a post-show Q&A session following the opening night performance of Simon Reade's play adaptation of his modern classic Private Peaceful on 17 August.