Reviews

‘one of the most ingenious productions of Shakespeare seen for many a year’ ★★★★ As we filed in the four actors were already on stage. What they were doing and why wasn’t immediately obvious, pulling and straining at pieces of cloth as if they were in an ancient Roman laundry. What emerged was that we were looking at the full extent of their props and the whole cast of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Hard to believe at first and not at all apparent but what was about to unfold must have been one of the most ingenious productions of Shakespeare seen for many a year. The action started with energy and movement, a profound contrast to the deep humming soundtrack. That felt like it had been lifted off Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”. The pace was lively and the scenes moved well with just enough dialogue edited out to keep everyone in the audience well informed about what was happening in the story, whether this was their first time or whether they were a veteran viewer of The Bard’s work. The breaks between scenes were downtime to allow the audience and the four actors to have a breather. The physical movements were sometimes in slow-motion, sometimes synchronized between the actors but always with the booming drama of the music; a great way to slow everything down and yet build the tension for the next scene. Early in the play it became clear that the four on stage at the start were to be the entire cast of the play. For those that don’t know, Julius Caesar has a large cast. So how were the ‘fantastic four’ going to get through this without spreading utter confusion? Well they managed and they managed very well. Not sure if they stuck strictly to the words of the play, as on more than one occasion a new scene was started with one actor addressing another by name when he had just played the role of another character in the previous scene. But I could be wrong about that, maybe that is the way it was written. Whatever the case, there was no confusion about who was playing who. All four must be commended for bouncing seamlessly from Portia to Mark Anthony or Cassius to Calpurnia, Caesar to Octavius, referred to as Caesar, just to stump those not paying attention because of course he was, because that became the title of the Emperors and lastly of course Brutus to, well Brutus. Perhaps he was somebody else early on but it didn’t really matter if you forgot. In fact it would only prove how good they were if you did. The props, all cloth were used for everything. And the death toll of the many murders and suicides was racked up with sheets on hooks hung ominously along the back of the stage as the proceedings unfolded. The lights and shadows were used effectively and sparingly, giving the whole a range of dazzling, dark, secretive or stormy looks which were fitted perfectly to the individual scenes. On the whole a well thought out, well acted and well directed performance. A Rag and Bone Theatre Production Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at The Hen and Chickens Theatre 4 - 7 June 2025 BOX OFFICE https://www.unrestrictedview.co.uk/julius-caesar/ DIRECTOR Directed by Anna Blackburn ( Winner London Pub Theatre’s Special Commendation for Excellence with her version of The Tempest for Burnt Orange Theatre) CAST British-Chilean Louis Cruzat , (who recently performed with Steven Berkoff and was the lead in Mary & Mietek which won Best Black Box production at the London Pub Theatre Awards). Minnesotan actor Greta Hansen , (who last year worked with Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Gorge and in Adam Deacon’s Sumotherhood). German-Italian actor Clio Carrara (who led the surreal Slow Death of a Lotus Flower at the Drayton Arms Theatre).  and Arnold Patrick Lumu features, ( Ugandan graduate of Guildhall who was a part of the immersive production of 1984 at Hackney Town Hall). COMPANY This collective is coming together to create the first offering from Rag & Bone Theatre, a new company focused on reframing classical narratives for modern audiences.

‘a warm, witty show about love, insomnia, and the pursuit of normality’ ★★★★ There’s a girl who sells caffeine — coffee, to be precise. She has insomnia. One day, her watch breaks. She goes to have it fixed and falls in love with the watch fixer, who, it turns out, follows a completely different sleeping pattern. This witty and warm story by Isabella Waldron is a clever analogy for life in modern society - the frenzy of constant wakefulness and the sense that our time is somehow broken. In her search to “fix” what it means to be “on time,” the watch fixer ironically turns to the Victorian concept of biphasic sleep, suggesting a return to the past in order to rediscover a personal sense of normality. Hannah, our bouncy, high-caffeinated protagonist, panics and runs - until she comes to embrace the idea that differences are okay. Ironically, that’s exactly what she used to tell her mother to help her understand her sexual identity. Ciana Howlin, who plays Hannah, exudes vibrant energy, while Kate Crisp, as Zoe, radiates calm serenity. Their chemistry makes the show all the more believable and engaging. The clever use of signage and LED lights on the set’s pillars is both inventive and effective, and Merel Wheldon’s direction is clear and full of compassion. The Watch is a warm, witty show about love, insomnia, and the pursuit of normality in a disjointed world. Runs until the 9th of June.  The Watch at The Glitch, SE1 7AE Until 9 June 2025 BOX OFFICE https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/1617333 ? CAST Ciana Howlin (Hannah) Kate Crisp (Zoe)

‘Jason Moore’s direction of both plays gives them a sense of continuity that makes sense and feels fresh.’ ★★★★ Audiences want to laugh, the old adage goes. If nothing else, The Red Peppers/Aged in Wood double bill at the Tabard proves it to be true. Set in 1936, Noel Coward’s short comedy Red Peppers follows a music hall husband-and-wife double act, George and Lily Pepper (Jon Osbaldeston and Jessica Martin), who deliver jokes on stage and insults backstage, both against each other and their increasingly frustrated colleagues. While plays about backstage antics are always fascinating to watch, OnBook’s production of Red Peppers is particularly enjoyable, with two outstanding central performances, as well as an impressive attention to detail that successfully brings to life the 1930s theatre scene within the confines of the Peppers’ dressing room. Martin and Osbaldeston play off each other with ease and the supporting cast does a fantastic job of keeping up with them. The second play in this double bill, Cian Griffin’s Aged in Wood, is a much more sombre affair. Set in the present day and in the exact same dressing room, Aged in Wood follows Denna Ames (Jessica Martin), an aging actress coming to terms with the fact that she is no longer a wide-eyed ingenue. Its title is surely a reference to the much talked-about play-within-the-film in All About Eve (1950) and it’s no surprise that Deena is a sort of modern-day Margo Channing. Her career has taken a hit, her divorce is yet to be finalised, her children want to move out of the family home and her leading man can’t remember his lines. While not particularly ground-breaking in terms of the subject matter, Aged in Wood is a performance-driven piece, and that’s where it’s at. Martin delivers a wonderfully nuanced performance, showing us that comedy is about being serious, as yet another adage goes. The occasional overdone joke about the theatre, thespians and the likes is well-balanced by an array of one-liners, delivered beautifully by Avis (Emma Vansittart), Deena’s agent and best friend. Jason Moore’s direction of both plays gives them a sense of continuity that makes sense and feels fresh. A well thought-out double bill that makes for a very entertaining night at the theatre. Photography: Leda Omra RED PEPPERS / AGED IN WOOD An OnBook Theatre production May 28 – June 21, Tabard Theatre BOX OFFICE https://tabard.org.uk/whats-on/red-peppers-aged-in-wood/ Carol Saint Martin is a screenwriter, playwright and pop culture blogger. Her play HABITAT was performed in 2024 in Twickenham and her short film OPEN HELL was selected for the London Lift-Off Film Festival in 2025.

‘Clunkily unclear’ ★ ½ We’re in a croft in the remote village of Coillie Ghillie in the Highlands which had to be abandoned in the 19 th century because of contagion. From that historical starting point Ali Milles’s play presents three pairs of women at different points in the history of the building. Or at least I think it does. The story telling is clunkily unclear. This touring production of The Croft is a revival, now directed by Alastair Whatley. It was originally directed by Philip Franks but the tour had to be aborted in March 2020 at the beginning of the Covid 19 Pandemic. It opens with two women arriving at the titular croft, in the present, after a long journey north from Letchworth. For the young one (Gracie Follows) this is returning to the family holiday home for a quality time break with her older lover (Caroline Harker) whose mind is preoccupied by her two teenage sons and estranged husband. Of course there is little or no phone signal. There are audibility problems in this production, right from the start: I struggled to catch many words even from Row G. This may be due to acoustic issues in the Churchill but either way it is not acceptable in a much hyped professional production. It’s billed as a ghost story and chilling thriller but actually it’s simply a series of, sometimes baffling, time slip scenes with very loud clichéd “ghostly” sound effects (by Max Pappenheim) which quite often drown out the dialogue completely. The sound balance is woeful although the occasional snatches of traditional Scottish music are quite effective as a location reminder. Attempts have been made, moreover, to ratchet up the ghostliness with devices such as pictures falling unaccountably off the wall and a rocking chair moving by itself – a trope nicked from The Woman in Black. Characters often ask, not always with convincing timing, “What was that?” and it gets wearingly predictable. There are five actors in the cast which necessitates a lot of doubling and it’s often confusing. If you find yourself thinking “Oh it’s him again. Who’s he meant to be now?” which I did several times, then the piece is failing dramatically. Having said that, there is sense in Caroline Harker - she is the best thing in the entire show - playing both Laura’s older (mother figure?) lover, Suzanne, and her mother who has died from cancer and whose presence she still feels strongly. And Follows makes a reasonable job of playing Laura as an adult and as a child although the significance of her also playing a young unmarried pregnant woman in the nineteenth century scenes was lost on me. The Croft runs for two hours including an interval but it feels much longer as you watch scene after scene, each flagging up possible story developments but failing to follow them through. It’s always a pity to see, and report on, a show into which a great deal of hard work has evidently been invested but which ends up as a lacklustre muddle. But it’s a critic’s job to be truthful. Photography: Manuel Harlan The Croft by Ali Miles starring Liza Goddard, Caroline Harker & Gray O’Brien On tour from May - July 2025 Tour details https://www.thecrofttour.co.uk

“an authentic show that presents an important and untold story” ★★★ Mrs T Foresees is as bonkers as pub theatre gets, but for very good reasons. Through a series of devised vignettes, it documents the true(ish) story of the Irish fortune-teller Molly Tolpuddle (Mrs T) who ventured to Australia in the 19 th century to make something of herself. She was an entertainer, and so the red curtains and wooden crates above the Lion & Unicorn pub and the interaction with the audience are a fitting means of storytelling. We meet Molly as she arrives at the Yarra Bend Home for the Lunatic and Insane in New South Wales and is taunted by her new inmates, Franny, Lewis and Pinky. Molly (Carol Tagg) monologues about her journey and her life as an entertainer, a servant, a mother, a wife and an outcast. A lively and physically impressive ensemble of actors spook in ghostly makeup and tremble with the weight of their mental illnesses, playing the characters that peppered her life. The play is a great example of well-researched and innovative devised theatre, but unfortunately suffers from being too long. The writer and director, Gail Matthews, has created lyrical beauty from old wives’ tales and colonial lullabies, but gives them too much space in the play. Mrs T Foresees runs for over two hours, when really the story only needs one. It is more novel-esque than drama: the monologues press on too long and it is far more descriptive than action-led. The play’s strength lies in the absurdity and commitment of its ensemble (Dottie Lubienska, Michael Nowak, Tom Barnes) who swarm Molly with their lunacy and react viscerally to her every word. Their madness is confrontational, in-yer-face, and requires the breadth of the actors’ voices and bodies – they are excellent. Tagg’s performance as Molly is just as committed, but tires with the length of the script. In the director’s note, Matthews writes that the cast sprung from an improvised drama group called Three Worlds, and it is evident that the show was built through workshopping and improvisation. Having participated in many projects like this throughout my Drama degree, I can appreciate the work that it takes to build a world from newspaper cuttings, interviews and piles upon piles of research. One cannot discredit the creative team’s commitment to building an authentic show that presents an important and untold story, but the show would benefit from their condensing the piece by at least half. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes in the asylum and wondered if, to give Molly more agency, there might be scope for a framing device where Molly instructs the ensemble to re-enact the important moments in her life. This would serve to tighten each scene, each transition, and in turn abbreviate a play whose brilliant moments are at present lost amongst the sheer quantity of material that has made it into the script. Photography: Tara Basi Mrs T Foresees by Gail Matthews and Copilot Projects Lion & Unicorn Theatre 27 th May – 7 th June 2025 Box office: https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on Written and directed by Gail Matthews Visual Creative Director – Sara Curnock Crook Technical Creative Director – Richard Allport Technician – Laura Hulme  Cast Carol Tagg – Molly Tolpuddle Dotty Lubienska – Franny Michael Nowak - Lewis Tom Barnes – Pinky Social media: @MrsTForesees

‘a wonderful homage’ ★★★★ Heather Alexander is raw in her delivery, bold in her performance and bewitching on this stage of her own. Emul8 Theatre’s Room, written and performed by Heather Alexander and directed by Dominique Gerrard, takes the audience on a journey through Virginia Woolf’s seminal work A Room of One’s Own. This famous essay is based on two lectures delivered by the author at Girton and Newnham College in October 1928, challenging the injustices faced by women throughout history. Through Emul8’s adaptation, Woolf’s glittering prose is reborn – triumphant and as resonant today as it was a century ago. It’s refreshing (and Woolf herself would find it so!) that in an adaptation of a text that centres around women’s lack of freedom, Alexander is so courageous and unshackled in her expression. She glides seamlessly between emotions, from frustration and anger in one moment to episodes of complete calm in the next. It’s a testament to Alexander’s skills and Gerrard’s direction that the show rarely feels rushed or repetitive, even when chunks of prose are repeated. The repetition only adds to the neurosis, which in turn adds to her frustration and our understanding of the importance of the issues at hand. The set is cluttered and inviting, brimming with creativity and littered with all the usual debris you’d expect to find inside a writer’s room. There are two Virginia’s on the stage, as a voiceover reads lengthier chunks of the essay in soundbites and recordings indented between Alexander’s performances. A bold direction from Gerrard, this allows the larger chunks of the text to be performed without interrupting Alexander’s emotional response. This creates an inescapable sentimentality between the two Virginias, as the distance between the corporeal Virginia on stage and the recorded Virginia (also voiced by Alexander) somewhat bridges the distance between the real Virginia Woolf and Heather Alexander. It’s a moving use of voiceover and one that also adds a brilliant pacing to the show. Room is a thoughtful adaptation and Alexander brings a wonderful vulnerability to Virginia Woolf’s words and character. One moment, we see Alexander sitting on an armchair relaying to the audience stories of fishes and cats that feel like a bedtime story. The next, she is enflamed about women’s poverty and the injustices towards herself and women in history, talking of Shakespeare’s forgotten sister, Jane Austen, and Aphra Behn with tenderness. Often remembered and revered in academia for the bold and complex woman she was, it’s particularly poignant to see her in these anxious and tender moments. It’s in these moments of doubt that the perpetual relevance of A Room of One’s Own breaks through. In Room, Woolf is not relegated to a shelf but brought to life as a flawed and physical individual facing dilemmas that face all women, then and now. It’s a varied and passionate performance and a wonderful homage to a celebrated and important text.  BOX OFFICE Performance 29 th and 30 th May, 7.30pm at the Jack Studio Theatre. Theatre Company: Emul8 Theatre.

‘Failure project is a risky, daring and brave address to the world' ★★★★ The minimalist set design of a solo chair in the middle of the stage, underneath which lies a bouquet of loose flowers, some also scattered across the black box stage, draws the audience into an almost sacred ambiance and atmosphere. A soft spoken voiceover opened up the one woman show, followed by the entrance of the playwright, actor and co-director, Yolanda Mercy, under the co-direction of Joseph Barnes Phillips. Mercy portrays Ade, a South Londoner of Nigerian heritage with a gentle soul, sharing her life story, almost as a stand-up comedian. She addresses and interacts with ease, the many strangers, acquaintances, friends and family, and she dares to be open hearted about her experience of being, or of becoming a successful writer. Although Ade started as an actor herself, performing in several venues including her favourite Soho open mic nights, she found success as a writer with an agent and received several writing commissions. However the pressure of the industry demands her to write black stereotype characters, which led her to frustration. Her second script ‘Day Girl’ portraying the life of a black girl winning a scholarship in a private school, attracted the interest of a renowned theatre. Ade is over the moon but when the decision by the programmers to cast another actor to play the part of the lead, someone who is more influential than Ade herself, that sinking feeling of erasure and being invisible came as a stab in the back. Through the mix of comedy and silent repressed anger, Ade watched her script being performed on stage by the influencer actor, using words that were not even written by the writer. A horrifying feeling all too common to the zillions of playwrights out there, whose written words have been manipulated, changed, erased and edited to fit in with what the industry wants to hear, or what they think the audience wants to pay for. Be wary, the performing arts industry in reality is not one of freedom of expression and creativity but more so, a controlling commercial manipulative mechanism whose aim is to sell tickets and make profits. Ade commutes to Norwich regularly to visit her mother at her childhood home and hopes to find solace at a difficult time of her career, when her shows got cancelled. Instead of finding encouragement and support, she comes face to face with the realities of being the eldest daughter “who does not drive a car”, unlike the younger sibling, and being the one who is in a creative profession that is not sustainable. Mercy performs several characters, with great characterisation, the highlight being expressing the mannerism and accent of her Nigerian mother. Her prowess at storytelling supported by a wide selection of special sound effects and voice overs was so relatable that it was easy to forget that we were watching a one person show for the 75 minutes run. One cannot help but have empathy for all the playwright creatives who are struggling in a very competitive arts industry, but continue to press on only because they have a story to share. Failure project is a risky, daring and brave address to the world that there is space for kindness in such a cold-hearted industry. Following a critically acclaimed and sell out Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, BAFTA nominee Yolanda Mercy is touring her self-penned work Failure Project across the UK including Harrogate Theatre, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Soho Theatre, London from the 27 May to 14 June and the Norwich Theatre Stage Two on 20 June. Failure Project Soho Theatre, London 21 Dean St, London W1D 3NE Tuesday 17 May - Saturday 14 June, 6:45pm. Tickets: £11-£20 Age 14+ Running time 75 minutes https://sohotheatre.com/events/failure-project/ Writer & co-Director & Performer: Yolanda Mercy Co-Director: Joseph Barnes Philips

‘Shopland exhibits strategic mastery in this witty play, revealing the cause of underlying tensions’ ★★★★★ Every once in a while we can be met with a play that resonates deeply within ourselves, something that we can relate to in every sense. Something that touches our innermost feelings and thoughts and reflects what we believe and what we think and what we fear. Not very often, I must admit but just often enough to surprise us. On the occasions that this happens we are happily reminded how sublime some of the work done in this industry is. Tonight it was so with this play. Primarily involved with the relationships of three couples, although we don’t see some of the partners, it starts in the house of Ruth and Frank Townsend. Ruth is a former psychologist married to Frank a hospital administrator who tonight is complaining about someone parked in his driveway. A visitor comes round, the local vicar’s wife who does not seem quite right, is agitated and a bit jumpy which may or may not be her natural disposition but anyway we find out later about that. The next to entre is Simon Waller, a neighbour who works in a gardening centre and whose wife has recently left him. This all sounds a bit serious and what we also find out is that all these people are holding onto something. This is a story about secrets, secrets that get revealed as the story proceeds. This is an incredibly funny and very witty play but underneath the witty comments traded between the couple whose house it is there is an underlying tension which inevitably comes to the fore. After having the audience in stitches for most of the time, the first half of the play ends in a massive brawl. The second half of the play then proceeds to examine the aftermath. Gone is the humour, replaced by a psychological and emotional insight into what has really been going on. The drama starts when explanations and back stories come out in an example of writing that exhibits strategic mastery . Why everyone was so full of anger and angst, venom, guilt and confusion is shown by the writer who does a fantastic job of allowing each character to relate their own story in turn. Laying bare the human condition this allows us to understand how things from their pasts have shaped their present and govern their behavior. The things that caused the characters to have their problems, issues and misunderstandings between each other are wrapped together to form a fascinating plot. This is a very deep study into people’s lives and relationships and is expertly done by the writer. All of the cast without exception were outstanding. The comedy of Callum Patrick Hughes as Simon Waller was underpinned by a sense of deeper emotional trouble in his character. The eccentricity of Lucy Farrett who played the vicar’s wife Marie Gilchrist was there for great comic effect but also to disguise the fact that something else was afoot. The plain speaking Hamza Al-Haytham played by Behkam Salehani expertly shifting between blokishness and gooey infatuation. Ellis J. Wells as Frank Townsend and Shereen Roushbaiani as Ruth Townsend both gave emotional performances as husband and wife, as well as showing how strain in a relationship gets unleashed in passive aggressive bickering hiding in plain sight as witty banter. In the end some of the problems were resolved between some of the couples but I’ll leave you to find out what happens to whom. You must go and see this if you can, it is the best play I’ve seen for years and possible the best modern play I’ve ever seen. Once again I must say how outstanding the acting was and that some if not all of the cast and writer need to be nominated for some kind of an award. Don’t miss it. Read LPT interview with writer and director David Shopland here Images: Kat Foryth CUL-DE-SAC Director and writer David Shopland Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common North Side, London SW4 BOX OFFICE https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/ Produced by Fake Escape Website www.fakeescape.org/cul CAST Shereen Roushbaiani Ellis J. Wells Callum Patrick Hughes Lucy Farrett Behkam Salehani Stage Manager Ellie Holloway Assistant director Lexie Woodroof Movement Director Jahraine James Dramaturg Roann Hassani McCloskey

‘hilariously funny … the individual characters were familiar and convincingly and the audience loved them’ ★★★★ Let me start by saying that this was an incredibly funny well written and well acted play. You don’t really need any more from me, just go and watch it, you will not be disappointed. Alternatively you can read on if you like but my words can barely do them justice. The play is centered on three women actors in their fifties about to go on stage to perform a murder mystery play. We get a fascinating insight into their uncensored and unashamed honest opinions on almost anything. Proceedings are brought to a halt after a death or two and are then examined by a detective. Or are they? . . . . I’ll leave you to find out for yourself. The writer has succeeded in celebrating the wealth of attributes brought to the acting profession by ‘older women’. Helen Bang as Elizabeth Treasure, Rosalind Blessed as Angelica Finchley-Power and Laura Morgan as Sheila Jayne Punnock are all absolutely fantastic. The parts are sensitively written and the embodiments are expertly crafted. Their professional comic delivery was hilariously funny, their individual characters were familiar and convincingly believable and the audience loved them. The supporting cast was James MacKay as James Maguffin and Jonny Davidson who played Sebastian Fawn the director of the murder mystery. They join the rest of the cast giving faultless performances. Finally we come to Detective Inspector Charles Fortitude played by Peter Rae who also gave us a great performance as well as writing this play. We must thank the rest of the team, unfortunately too many to mention all here by name, who helped put the show together. Everyone involved must be congratulated for this first rate piece of work. “This is NOT a Murder Mystery” was produced by Canonbie Productions who are Peter Rae the writer and Helen Bang the director. They are regulars at the Drayton Arms and have over the years developed and evolved a group of actors into an ensemble of exceptional talent. Their attitude and dedication needs your appreciation and their performances are an example to all of how theatre should be done. Canonbie Productions also have a feature film coming up so that should be worth seeing too so keep an eye out for that one. Images: Lily Renshaw This is NOT a Murder Mystery at Drayton Arms Theatre 27 May - 7 June 2025 BOX OFFICE https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/not-a-murder-mystery Cast: Helen Bang Rosalind Blessed Jonny Davidson James Mackay Laura Morgan Peter Rae Creative team: Director - Helen Bang Assistant Director - Oettie Devriese Lighting Design - James Denny & Mudlark Creative