Reviews

‘A Mesmerizing Fusion of Technology and Emotion’ ★★★★ ½ It’s a show like no other. The mysterious title offers little hint of what to expect—until you’re struck by the intricate web of electronic lines and scattered machines messily yet beautifully arranged on the traverse stage. Throughout the performance, these tangled wires, computers, speakers, radios, and microphones become more than just props; they take on a life of their own, shaping the atmosphere and storytelling in this solo show. Chris Fung, the sole performer, seamlessly embodies multiple roles—his mother, friends, and wife—using an array of technological devices. This interplay between performer and tech is not just a theatrical gimmick but a deeper reflection of perception and memory. Are these characters truly real, or are they the main character’s fragmented interpretations of them? As Chris converses with these figures in his mind, the audience is drawn into a profound emotional journey exploring identity, expectations, love, and loss. Performance-wise, Fung exudes an irresistible charisma, skilfully commanding the stage and shifting its energy with rhythmic precision. The staging, directed by Rupert Hands, is nothing short of masterful—turning cold, impersonal technology into vessels of human longing. What’s truly mesmerizing is how the show transforms these devices into emotional conduits; at first, you might marvel at the cleverness of the tech-driven performance, but soon, you find yourself believing that the silver MacBook at the centre of the stage is his Chinese mother, a symbol of the societal expectations that weigh on him. The irony is striking—these technological tools, often seen as isolating, become the very instruments that expose the character’s internal turmoil. The writer and performer describes the show as an exploration of East Asian masculinity and the devastation of heartbreak. However, what resonated most for me was the poetic chaos of our inner struggles—the desperate, tangled attempt to make sense of the world and our place within it. The show is on at the Omnibus Theatre until the 5th of April, so don’t miss it! THE SOCIETY FOR NEW CUISINE at Omnibus Theatre 19 March – 5 April 2025 Presented by Fun Guy Productions BOX OFFICE https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/the-society-for-new-cuisine/ Photos by @bykenny.k - Kenny Kung Writer and Performer @chrisbfung - Chris Fung Dir. @ruperthands Set and Costume: @yimeidesign Sound: @jamieludesigns Lights: @raj_ld Assistant Dir.: @eilidh_evs Stage Management: Alexandra Kataigida @omnibustheatre @nordenfarm @funguytheatre

. 'part philosophical musing, part a darkly satirical workplace two-hander‘ ★★★ How do you stay sane if your job is combing through the most horrific material mankind has ever produced? That's the question playwright Kevin Kautzman asked himself in 2019, ‘after reading online that many content moderators had begun to believe the conspiracy theories they had been tasked to flag for removal.’ Moderation is part philosophical musing, part a darkly satirical workplace two-hander. ‘He’ (Robbie Curran) is the neurotic, anxious old hand, teetering on the edge of the insanity he's paid to censor. ‘She’ (Alice Victoria Winslow) is the manifestly normal newcomer, though one with some unexpected tricks up her sleeve. He becomes increasingly obsessed with She, and anyone who's stumbled across incel content online can guess where this is leading. He and She sit at a shared desk, keyboards but no screens in front of them. Instead, they narrate what they are seeing. Some of it is merely bizarre: "I am looking at a video of Bigfoot.’ Some is stomach-turning: ‘I am watching a video of Mussolini and his what, wife, girlfriend, mistress hang on meat hooks.’ It's a neat narrative trick that ropes in our own imaginations to do the work, making the audience conjure up images that are (probably) worse than what any pub production could get away with showing, even in an event marked 18+. It is only at the kick-off and in scene transitions that actual video footage is shown, always projected against the back wall—slightly surreal, black-and-white collages (Abbie Lucas) deftly interwoven with an effective score (Ryan Condon). It's a nice stylistic touch that I yearned for more of. For a show about societal dystopias and online horrors and unnamed characters narrating their thoughts, the staging (Lydia Parker) was strangely, and disappointingly, naturalistic. On the one hand, this feels like a series of missed visual opportunities. More importantly, it saps the scenes of tension. She and He work for the nigh-on omniscient ‘Company’, one with the capability to track each mouse click, each eye movement, each second spent on a ‘bio break’ (i.e., the toilet). But apart from a few corporate-speak signs tacked against the walls, there's little sign of this entity's presence. The working periods never feel sickeningly overwhelming; the break times don't feel like (false) relief. The extent to which He and She are (or are not) trapped and their colleagues can (or cannot) hear them scream is not defined, to the detriment of the show's climax. The characters' words may tell us that they are in a shared pressure chamber, but we don't really feel it. The default to blandly naturalistic imagery also makes the actors' lives harder. Moderation ends up being as much about the twisted dynamics between two people as it is about conspiracy theories. He injures her arm on Day 1; She threatens to report him for sexual harassment if he doesn't do as she says. The casualness with which the actors move in and share the space, however, undercuts their power plays. If only, I found myself wishing, they could stop shifting chairs and pacing around desks for the sake of site lines. The fault lies not in the acting, which is effective on both parts, but in the staging. Moderation has plenty of teeth, but could use a more vicious bite. BOX OFFICE https://www.thehopetheatre.com/moderation Cast He: Robbie Curran She: Alice Victoria Winslow Creatives Writer: Kevin Kautzman Director: Lydia Parker Producer: Suzette Coon Video Designer: Abbie Lucas Sound Designer: Ryan Condon Composer: Shawn Phillips Lighting Designer: Jack Hathaway Stage Manager: Nathan Friend

‘A daring production achieving things rarely attempted on the London stage.’ We open on flashing lights and blaring guitars, the female lead seizing a massive hind quarter of meat off the butcher’s rack set to the back of the stage before dumping it on a counter. Reaching back, she grabs a menacing cleaver, raising it high above her as the music crescendos and finally...brings it down lightly to skin off a few small bits of meat. The expected punch is pulled, and as with most of this show you’re never quite sure if it’s for want of trying. The night is a series of these deflated, and some not so deflated, moments of tension, their constantly assured build-up a testament to the craft of director Ross Gaynor and designer Jess F. Kane. The 1972 German script by Franz Xaver Kroetz’s adapted here by Simon Stephens tells the blow-by-blow story of a dysfunctional relationship between lonely butcher Charlie (Lauren Farrell) and thuggish steel-worker Victor (Rex Ryan), as well as the dog (Cooper) that eventually causes a violent rift between them. It’s a story that can be quite refreshingly anachronistic – Ryan adeptly portrays Victor a truly awful man in a way that much contemporary work shies away from. He’s vulgar and insecure, constantly brutalizing Charlie and enjoying the superiority it brings him despite his protests to the contrary. Opposite him Farrell’s Charlie is tragically pathetic, desperate for love from someone who has nothing but contempt for her. It’s a toxic relationship that plays out like a car crash, and one can’t help but rubberneck as the carnage unfolds. And carnage it is; this production is dedicated to every excruciating beat of their mutual breakdown. Nudity is frequent but never erotic, simulated sex happens often yet looks more like torture than pleasure, and as for the dog, well, nothing innocent escapes punishment here. The show takes all this in its stride to build to a harrowing finish that seems like it can only end one way...then once more pulls its punch and concludes almost comedically. Expect the unexpected with a show this provocative and arresting. A daring production achieving things rarely attempted on the London stage, see it so long as you aren’t too faint of heart. Images by Wen Driftwood MEN’S BUSINESS at The Finborough Theatre 18th March - 12th April 2025 BOX OFFICE https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/mens-business/ MEN’S BUSINESS is Simon Stephens’ new version of Franz Xavier Kroetz rarely performed masterpiece Mannersache Written by Franz Xaver Kroetz (translated by Simon Stephens and Bettina Auserwald) Directed by Ross Gaynor Designed by Andrew Clancy Lighting Designed by Jess F. Kane Box office: https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/mens-business/ Produced by Glass Mask Theatre in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre. Reviewed by Harry Conway

‘A nice evening in the theatre and a worthwhile, if flawed, tribute to an important thinker, teacher and campaigner.’ ★★★ A theatrical celebration of the turbulent life and pioneering writing of Mary Wollstonecraft is long overdue, and Hull Truck Theatre is to be congratulated for taking it on. Mary’s most famous work, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, trod new ground when it was published in 1792, yet is still read and quoted, still considered fresh and relevant. Hull Truck have opted for a musical version, with much of the action narrated in fast, loud songs with a heavy beat in front of a simple all-purpose brown set. Six talented female actors, singers and dancers, drilled to perfection by movement director Ayesha Fazal, play 22 characters, so all the male parts are portrayed by women – which, in this context, worked perfectly well. The result is a straightforward simple narrative, which zips along satisfyingly and tunefully – there isn’t a dull moment – and leaves you indignant that women, and in particular this woman, should be treated as she was treated. With this method, it’s probably inevitable that the story, and even more Wollstonecraft’s thinking, are massively over-simplified. The songs, though fun to listen to, sometimes feel like slogans, which, however much you approve of the sentiments they express, seldom make good theatre. But there’s a deeper problem. Writer Maureen Lennon, in her programme note, makes the valid point that, feminist icon though Mary is, her life was not one that feminist mothers would hold up to their daughters as a model to be followed. “She is too much, too demanding, needy, argumentative, moralistic, chaotic. She makes absolute judgements and then fails to live up to her own standards.” Yes indeed. What sort of feminist icon tries to kill herself when a male lover rejects her? In this show the lover even outflanks her: “I thought I fell in love with a woman of fire and independence” he tells her. The difficulty comes in balancing the two: the fierce and fluent philosopher and feminist, and the woman who tells us: “Sometimes feminism isn’t enough to keep a girl from wanting love.” And here, I think, the production fails. Laura Elsworthy gives us the chaotic, sometimes pathetic Mary, but not the thinker and scholar. Even when she is teaching, we see too much neurotic despair, and not enough intellectual authority. I suspect – because Elsworthy is clearly a competent actor - that this is the decision of director Esther Richardson. She starts very loud and emotional, which is right because the opening scene is the birth of Mary’s second daughter, during which Mary died at just 38. But after that, there should be some quiet, reflective moments. Instead, she stays on one loud note. There is no variation. She becomes quite hard to listen to – and even to sympathise with. If Mary gets less than justice in the show, she hardly appears in the programme, which is quite an odd document. We learn when both writer and director discovered Mary’s writing (at university in both cases), and how the music composer works, and why the design decisions were made, but in 16 pages there is no space to tell the audience about Mary, about the times, about her significance. Theatre people sometimes get very self-referential. This is a nice evening in the theatre and a worthwhile, if flawed, tribute to an important thinker, teacher and campaigner. And it did make me realise that Mary’s fascinating and difficult life would make an excellent straight play. MARY AND THE HYENAS by Maureen Lennon at Wiltons Music Hall 18-29 March 2025 Box Office https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/mary-and-the-hyenas/#wysiwyg_3_in Presented by Pilot Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre CAST Beth Crame – Eliza Wollstonecraft, Dr Price, Margaret Kingsborough Laura Elsworthy – Mary Wollstonecraft Kate Hampson – Mary’s mother Kat Johns-Burke – Fanny Blood, Fuseli, Edward Wollstonecraft Ainy Medina – Mary Shelley, Marguerite, Thomas Paine Elexi Walker – Joseph Johnson, Gilbert Imlay CREATIVES Written by Maureen Lennon Music by Billy Nomates (Tor Maries) Directed by Esther Richardson Designed by Sara Perks

'Bittersweet, irresistible and impressively crafted' ★★★★ Mud splattered and festooned with scout badges, Xhloe and Natasha, an American double act have landed. Fresh from their off-Broadway debut at SoHo Playhouse in New York, they are now delighting audiences at Soho Theatre, Dean Street with their distinctive combination of physical theatre and clowning. In this one-hour, direct address piece we are served a slice of unforgettable Americana: entertaining, energetic, intelligent and funny, A Letter to Lyndon B. Johnson, provides a salient Stateside commentary, alongside laughter, pathos and irresistible performances. Co-writers and performers, Xhloe and Natacha are young boys: Ace is sharp shooting and quick witted, “don’t pick a fight you can’t win” while sidekick, Grasshopper, who has a speech impediment, is slower to respond and looks up to Ace. For part of the performance, they are kids fooling around at summer camp – then through the magic of mime, theatrical time, and evocative lighting from Angelo Sagnelli – we are in Vietnam’s killing fields. Played out to a nostalgic Beatles soundtrack and the occasional winsome harmonica, this could all be horribly mawkish and klutzy, but the star-spangled banner has an off note while the iconic stars and stripes flag is conceptually frayed at the edges and pierced by bullet holes. Drawing on their personal upbringings in military families and being taught the USA was the greatest country in the world – a narrative being ramped up at this very moment – this is a bittersweet performance – The Waltons meets Deliverance. Seamless and memorable double acts are two halves of the same whole. They work in sync and may be able to read each others’ minds. These two talented individuals, who have already garnered many awards, have this in spades. The work is impressively crafted, tightly synchronised and in complete harmony, something the two have been honing for over a decade. As ideas of innocence and corruption are narratively mined, the American Dream is never quite what it seems. Several good guys turn out to be phony or illusionary, but the truth of friendship remains even after death. Xhloe and Natasha are also the duo behind, What if They Ate the Baby, being presented on different nights, which offers a queer and colourful dystopia in response to the changing reproductive rights in the US. Fresh, fun and fearless, these two are not to be missed. Photo credit: Morgan McDowell Xhloe and Natasha’s A Letter to Lyndon B. Johnson, Or God: Whoever Reads This First Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE 17 - 29 March 2025 BOX OFFICE

“Although not entirely successful, a lot of love has gone into Mixed Sex.” ★★ In a kaleidoscopic blast of nostalgia, Mixed Sex tells the semi-autobiographical story of creator Samuel Normington's childhood in the '90s. Set in a middle class, passingly Christian household, Sam (Normington) is entering into the hinterland between primary and secondary schools, while dancing to Eternal and collecting Care Bears. He's innocently accepting of his burgeoning sexuality, even though it doesn't seem to conform to everyone else's around him, and there's the familiar pressure and expectation to like football and girls. His parents want him to attend an all-boys school. But to the horror of this Thatcherite family, who’re struggling to adjust to Blair's brave new world, Sam wants to go to the comprehensive. The comp is out of the question, so to help him prepare for the boys’ school, they embark on a mission to man him up with sport, James Bond, and Pamela Anderson. It's a good, grounded concept with a smart context. And it’s nice to see Sam trying to understand the restrictive world around him more than he's trying to understand his own sexuality, which is a refreshing perspective. Sam's story is given colour then by a range of caricatures from schoolkids to the local vicar, with the supporting cast of three (Lana-Peta Dean, Calvin Dean, Lanre Danmola) playing multiple roles, though not always entirely effectively. While it doesn’t particularly lose its focus, it does sometimes lose its footing between the shores of sketch and sitcom here. On my night there were understandably lots of enthusiastic supporters in, but the reaction from those who weren't was much more muted. Actually some of the better laughs of the night came from Normington's skillful reaction to blunders. When he needed to turn on the TV but the prop remote was missing: "I can't find the remote. I'll just use the hairbrush instead." So seamless and consistent with his character were these moments that you can clearly see he has talent and takes the piece seriously. The rest of the production though, despite a couple of clever lines, wacky skits, and neat delivery, sits mostly on the cusp of being hilarious without ever truly getting there. Normington's performance should be commended though. He does fully embody his creation, which, I guess, makes sense because, well, it is literally him. But, while his characterisation may be pitched a bit young, the innocent inflections and intonations are crafted well and make for an endearing and charismatic presence, without ever tipping into being annoying. In all honesty, this shouldn't be underestimated when grown adults are playing kids, so hats off. He does really well. The rest of the ensemble have a good feel for comedy, though I think it could probably be tightened up. With the actors playing multiple roles, there were times when I wasn't sure who I was watching. Even though consideration has been given to some simple defining characteristics of each (an untucked shirt for a schoolboy, a cardigan for the mum) the quick switches aren't quite cleanly cut enough to be obvious. Elsewhere, the lighting design, which starts with bold ‘90s colours, becomes inconsistent with the story quite quickly and a bit incoherent overall. Basically, it goes rogue and gets random. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at a schoolyard or a sex club. I caveat this though by saying that some of that might be down to the technical difficulties on the night. However, it says something alone that I can't fully tell where the difficulties ended and the design began. Some of the physical comedy from movement director Sonny Nwachukwu and performed by Normington, with his wild and crazy dance moves tinted with childlike wonder, is good, though I think it can be overdone in these kinds of productions. And the soundtrack is pretty fun in most places. While the cartoony set design is also amusing, the scene changes are occasionally chaotic and distracting. If you're sat either side of the thrust, you'll find yourself drawn to the shuffling taking place behind the two large decorative flats, where the cast change outfits and wait for their cues. Nevertheless, these set pieces have a fabulously kitsch Memphis pattern and give you a proper temporal plonk into the decade. So all that to say, although not entirely successful, a lot of love has gone into Mixed Sex. I think you can feel the heart in the production, especially from Normington himself, and his hard work should be commended. I like what he’s heading towards here. But while even the recent past can have a lot to teach us, I think in this case it should come back to the future. Mixed Sex by Samuel Normington Directed by Samuel Normington and Santiago Guerra The Lion & Unicorn Theatre 19 – 21 March 2025 Box Office: https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on Reviewed by Alix Owen

‘A refreshing new angle on politics is always welcome’ ★★★★ Although the play is titled ‘the last days’, it is more of an exploration of Liz Truss’ life, her character and her journey into politics. It argues that she deserves more respect than she has been given. The play begins with Truss laying claim to her choice of name, telling her school teachers that she must be called ‘Elizabeth’ (her middle name) and not Mary (her first name). Choosing the name of our strongest female monarch’s and despising poor Mary Queen of Scots who was beheaded in 1583, having been found guilty of plotting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, shows an early sense of purpose. Writer Greg Wilkinson takes us on a whistle stop tour of Truss’ education (excellent credentials), makes plain that she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and also shows her determined character. Very human. She’s also revealed as someone with a penchant for karaoke, cue a few episodes of popular music chosen for maximum ironic impact. Sound and lighting, though sparse are used extremely well in this two act play. It all moves along at a brisk pace with excellent direction, never a dull moment, thanks to director Anthony Shrubsall. However, it is Emma Wilkinson Wright as Liz Truss, who scores very highly for her portrayal. Who cares if she is not exactly like Truss, she looks and sounds very plausible, with word perfect quick fire delivery. Her singing voice is also in fine fettle and is a pleasing addition to the play. Wilkinson Wright is aided by Steve Nallon of Spitting Image as the voice of Margaret Thatcher (and others). These often add a note of humour which the audience clearly enjoy. That quote about a lettuce lasting longer than Liz Truss (49 days) features in the second act and brings much laughter, especially considering it is a gift for puns, Cos and Romaine to mention a few. It is very cruel. However, Truss points out that it is a very British sense of humour, not taking things seriously to the point of refusing to see the deeper truths. There follows a tirade about growth which Truss has championed, and how dismal life would get for everyone if Britain didn’t achieve growth. The next decade and the next becoming increasingly austere. White Bear theatre is certainly a venue where political plays thrive, they sit extremely well in this space. A new angle on politics is always welcome, perhaps some might consider them to be brave, but it is refreshing to hear different perspectives, when the media at times trivialises events for the masses. It’s all too easy to lap up the jokes, but here there is some push back, which encourages deeper consideration. The Last Days of Liz Truss? By Greg Wilkinson at White Bear Theatre 18 – 29 March 2025 BOX OFFICE https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-last-days-of-liz-truss Directed by Anthony Shrubsall with Emma Wilkinson Wright as Liz Truss and Steve Nallon of Spitting Image as the voice of Margaret Thatcher (and others) Produced by Oxia Theatre. Photo credit: Elliott Franks

‘startling imagery for this slice of 50s Americana’ ★★★★ Multi-award-winning performers Xhloe and Natasha bring a double bill on alternating nights to Soho Theatre, Dean street. Their signature style is grounded in clown, absurdism, and has a similar DNA, based on Americana, pop culture and American history. In WHAT IF THEY ATE THE BABY the pair bring 50s style to the fore along with an atmosphere of fear which was pervading the States at the height of McCarthyism. The set nods to a period kitchen with checkered tiles and a lace cloth on the table. An off-kilter window frame adds to the impact of the stylized performances. Starting with a startling scene involving ‘jazz’ hands appearing as if from nowhere, the couple surprise throughout with brilliantly synchronised duets and sudden conflicting movements. There is a STEPFORD WIVES kind of vibe, faces behind masks, the fake smiles, the insincerity. The show is far from literal, the storyline starting with a housewife calling on her neighbour with a casserole, the niceties of suburban life. Several repetitions drive toward the pair revealing their sexual attraction to each other, with the feeling of being watched. The footsteps coming from upstairs and the knocking on the door. Finally, the piece delves into the possibility of dead bodies under the floor. Undoubtedly the pair bring a sense of claustrophobia and repression, but perhaps the show could afford to cut one of the earlier scenes, as it loses its impetuous in some sections. The scenes involving food, a recurring theme in the show are some of the finest. A particularly flirtatious and sexually alluring scene involves naming parts of the body that they would eat. “The tongue because I would have your words inside me, and the fingers ….” The pair hail from New York, but most of their work is confined to the UK as it is ideal for studio theatres (not available in New York). The upfront a personal allows them to share their extraordinary expressiveness, and the astute intensions, with the smallest of gestures which speak loud and coherently. Photography: Morgan McDowell Xhloe and Natasha present WHAT IF THEY ATE THE BABY Soho Theatre, Dean Street 17 – 29 March 2025 This show is on alternate nights with ‘A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First’

‘powerful performances’ ★★★ ½ The latest production from Quid Pro Quo is a taut two hander about love, ambition and fallibility. When a young, jaded theatre reviewer and her partner return from a night at the theatre, they find that they have a very different response to the play. As the night wears on they also discover other dissimilarities between them. At this stage in their lives their ambitions are separated by a gulf. David is ready to get married and start a family, but Phoebe says she’s too young, there’s so much more to explore in life. Will they stay together? The play engages immediately with an interesting discussion about trigger warnings and how much they spoil the opportunity for a play to surprise its audience. ‘It should feel dangerous’ says Phoebe. Strangely, against that thought, TELL ME YOU’LL THINK ABOUT IT doesn’t deliver any shocks to the system, but we know that the play is bang up to date when the couple mention ‘speak your truth’ and other fashionable phrases. Its also a neat reversal to have the woman wanting to explore opportunities while the man prefers to settle down. There is no doubt that this is a play for today although the philosophical debate raises some ancient ideas, quoting Aristotle’s diktat that the main object of life is ‘to be happy’. The play that the pair have just seen is Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. it seems that the writer Lyndsey Ruiz is giving a nod to the kind of debates we might enjoy in ancient Greek Theatre which offer opposing ideals. In Greek theatre is it usually predetermined by a supernatural power. Are the pair able to make their own choices or are they victims of fate? Ruiz’s script is promising, full of ideas and the occasional striking line, but it is her performance as an actress, that sizzles. Boyan Petrov as David is an excellent foil for her excitable energy. He’s got a stability which allows the pair to have a ‘opposites attract’ kind of relationship. The pair are totally believable as lovers with a terrific fission between them. This is the plays main strength and it is a credit to director Sarah Majland that the performances, with very little in the way of lighting and sound to offer added impact, held interest for the audience. Producers Quid Pro Quo who brought us THE HOUSE WE INHERIT and A WOMAN ON FIRE are certainly an interesting company with powerful performances and original work. They have much to offer. TELL ME YOU’LL THINK ABOUT IT by Lyndsey Ruiz at Hen and Chickens Theatre 11 – 15 March 2025 Cast and Creatives: Written by Lyndsey Ruiz Directed by Sarah Majland Cast: Phoebe: Lyndsey Ruiz David: Boyan Petrov Produced by Quid Pro Quo Theatre