Reviews

‘a thoughtful, intelligent reimagining of Twelfth Night, anchored by two skilled performers’ ★★★ LIV: Sapphic Shakespeare is a modern, two-handed retelling of Twelfth Night exploring themes of identity, love, grief, and gender. Poetic and lyrical, the text is delivered by both actors with intelligence, precision, and clear intent. The heightened language never belittles the audience; instead, it enhances the inclusivity of the piece. Set in a graveyard, a shadow of grief lingers—especially for Lady Liv (Beth Birss), who remains in constant proximity to her brother’s grave. The simplicity of the set feels deliberate, allowing the words to command the space. While I appreciate the decision not to over-embellish, I found myself wishing Lady Liv’s relationship to this space was more deeply explored. There was a wonderful moment early on when Birss clings to the grave, it was incredibly subtle but really highlighted the characters loss. As her private sanctuary (or place that one thinks of as a private sanctuary, Duke and Press withstanding), and the one place she can be with her brother, it could have carried greater emotional stakes. This was a missed opportunity to heighten tension and show more dimensions to Liv beyond love and grief, an example being when she has a slight rant at the grave, everything physically was incredibly still, like I was watching screen acting as opposed to theatre. At times, the beauty of the text eclipsed the emotional weight of the situation. The pacing rarely shifted, and without the natural signposts of Shakespeare’s verse, the emotional beats were less clearly structured. Vocally, Birss is compelling, particularly when she allows cracks in Liv’s composed exterior. Those rare moments of rawness—when the polished sheen of status and poetry falls away—are deeply affecting. Vi/Rio (played by Tanieth Kerr, who also wrote and produced the show) is energetic and charmingly guarded. The chemistry between the two actors is evident, rooted in real trust, but their physical relationship could be more impactful. Often, both remain quite static in separate areas on stage. If this was a deliberate choice, it nonetheless reduced the sense of playful tension—the “will they, won’t they” energy—until the eventual payoff felt underpowered. I think a game of ‘chicken’ would be incredibly beneficial to both performers. Kerr’s writing is elegant, lifting the language with pace and precision, and her moments of vulnerability are striking. A more varied vocal journey could, however, strengthen her character arc and make those vulnerable moments resonate even more. In all, Liv: Sapphic Shakespeare is a thoughtful, intelligent reimagining, anchored by two skilled performers. With more dynamic use of space and pacing, it could deepen its emotional impact without losing any of its poetic beauty. Well worth the watch and although its run at the Old Red Lion is over, you can catch the show at the Hen and Chickens (17 th ,18 th & 19 th August at 7:30pm). Tickets can be found here: LIV: Sapphic Shakespeare | Unrestricted View : The Hen & Chickens Theatre Performers: Beth Birss, Tanieth Kerr Directed by: Katy Livsey Reviewed by Heather Antonia

‘Dublin still has us, doesn’t it? Look at all the good we’ve done!’ ★★★ Joe Wright’s Heist is an exciting and engaging piece that follows two lost voices in a near-future Irish dystopia, and asks us what it means to be a hero in their society. Planning for a comedically unrealistic and dangerous heist, the KID and Lady B’s actions are presented less as an aimless attack, and more as what they see as a necessity to recover the identity of themselves and of their society; ‘even the good guys have to get their hands dirty sometimes!’ Although these two operate in the future, their natural and easy friendship connects them to the audience. Some of the exchanges between the KID and Lady B are especially well-constructed, and are well-set in the structure. Joe Wright and Ana Canals are fantastically suited to these characters, and have been able to create an engaging duo for their audience. Running parallel to the show, in short scenes via projector, is Sarah, a character from the present – the beginning of the society we see on stage. Sarah’s problems in society are what the audience can perhaps understand – shortage of employment, food, and isolation, whereas the KID and Lady B operate in a violent foreshadowing of what our/Sarah’s society has the potential to unfold into. At first, the comedic exchanges of the characters feels somewhat out of place, but this quickly becomes a balanced and comfortable contrast to the projector scenes. The dialogue that opens the play is a little hard to follow, and perhaps could have done with something a little slower-paced to set the scene and context for the audience. The dialogue, while mostly really well-constructed, sometimes loses touch with the action of the play, the characters drifting through a variety of political topics without a real conclusion. The particularly intimate Baron’s Court space works well for some scenes, those set in smaller hiding spaces, but generally diminishes the ‘in-your-face’ attitude that these characters have from start to finish. Wright uses a variety of media to his advantage, and uses this as a platform to separate his two timelines, different in attitude, but each uniquely appealing. Heist plays at the Baron’s Court Theatre until 9 th August. Part of Camden Fringe Box office https://camdenfringe.com/events/heist/ Seb Gardiner Seb Gardiner is a playwright living in Reading, having graduated with an undergraduate degree in English in 2023.

‘Glorious Nation of Vulgaria’ ★★★ Walking into the theatre the tone is set by the playing of ‘Chu Chi Face’ from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, performed by the characters of Baron and Baroness Bomburst. This is fitting for a show about those in power and the unruly way they govern their dominion. However this show harks back to a film predating this by thirty-five years, the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup. Set in our real world but based in the fictional country of Vulgaria the narrative spans sixty-five days of Prime Minister Zadnik and his second in command President MycKyc’s ruling of the nation through the lens of four news reporters. Covering a wide range of contemporary topics from executive orders to the EU the one thing that this play isn’t lacking is commentary for the present. All four performers are strong. Jack Lee brings a phenomenal physicality to a role that requires him seated for the duration. However the stand out performer is Madeleine Devine who brings a nuanced piece of character acting that is understated but effective. The production design works well. A projected screen on the back serves as news footage as well as a day tracker. Perhaps in future iterations the reporters could interact with this element more which would allow a more open staging. The writing is strong at times. The decision to frame the story over sixty-five days allows for a fast paced unveiling of events. Unfortunately this fast pace is what undoes a lot of the show. Running at just under thirty-five minutes we are introduced to various off stage characters, events, locations and acronyms that are picked up and then quickly dispensed of before we have the time to grasp or retain who they are, not to mention a three hundred day prologue. With so much happening off stage these points need to be memorable and absurd enough to be logged in our minds. This show would benefit from an hour’s runtime to let these moments breathe and be fully grasped.  This satire falls into the Horatian variety in that its critiques are light to the touch. The writing does convey it’s points interestingly enough, however none of those points are very damning to the beliefs and entities it targets. Most mainstream British satire is constrained to be tame due to it being commissioned by such institutions (looking at you ‘Mash Report’). As a fringe show this piece of writing has the opportunity to be a takedown of what is happening around us, rather than a mere commentary. We Predict a Riot at Etcetera Theatre (part of Camden Fringe) Dates - August 4th to August 8th Performers - Stacey Haber, Jack Lee, Madeleine Devine and Danielle Kendler-Rhodes Box Office Link - https://www.etceteratheatrecamden.com/events/camdenfringecom/events/wepredict-a-riot Reviewer Jack Elverstone, originally from North Wales, is a playwright with a BA Screenwriting degree from the University of Suffolk. He currently has several projects in the works for stage, screen and radio

‘Shady goings on in the secret life of a spy’ ★★★ A man sets out on a spy mission. What follows is a series of adventures, with a car chase, fight sequences, surveillance operations and much more. But what is real and what is imagined, and is the mission as high stakes as the man believes? Bai Zhijin’s exceptional mime, sometimes playing two characters at once, and Jess Perry’s creation of a plethora of sound effects using everything from a balloon to an electric razor is what this show is all about. Their co-ordination and timing are impeccable. There were lovely moments of humour which lifted the show and some very clever visual moments. While the mime was excellent, and the creation of sound effects in full view of the audience was cleverly done, the story was sometimes unclear and did not always hang together. The odd bit of narration did help, although there didn’t seem to be a logic to when we were given narration and when we weren’t. I was craving more interaction between Perry and Zhijin, as on the occasions this did happen it was very effective. The show had little variation in pacing or tension, which no amount of clever mime or sound effects could cover up, but this is easily fixed with some sharper direction. As with all experimental theatre, some of it worked and some of it didn’t. I hope the company continues to evolve the piece, as there is something very special that remains to be discovered in A.I.M. Photography: Charlotte Levy (top of page), Ben Wilkin (above) A.I.M (An Invisible Mission) at Etcetera Theatre (part of Camden Fringe) Dates: 1 - 3 August 2025 Performer: Bai Zhijin, Jess Perry Box office link: https://www.citizenticket.com/events/etcetera-theatre Reviewer: Srabani Sen Srabani is a theatre actress and playwright. As an actress she has performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (The Globe), the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse, The Pleasance and numerous fringe theatres, in a range of roles from Shakespeare to plays by new and emerging writers. She has written several short and full length plays. Her play Tawaif was longlisted for the ETPEP Finborough award, and her play Vijaya was shortlisted for the Sultan Padamsee Playwrights Award in Mumbai.

'Quite moving....but an opportunity missed' ★★★ Thomas is a funny one. He's the kind of guy who says 'coffee woffee' and 'nighty nighty'. He is a voracious cleaner - he loves a bit of bleach and he shuffles around his bare flat in his cleaning shoes. He likes his food orders to be, well, ordered. And he doesn't go out. His best and only friend is his cactus, Clive, given to him by his departed partner whom had given Thomas the chance to lead a new life with him in Australia. But Thomas chose to stay at home in his IT job and, post pandemic, it's there he stays just looking outside across a canal to his neighbours whose lives tick along whilst he undertakes Zoom calls with his colleagues and, well, very little else. So, Thomas is a funny one who is troubled and likely depressed and inherently sad. As things begin to unravel with his work - his nemesis Naomi is looking to jettison him and there appears little that he can do about it - so Thomas further retreats and whilst he questions his life and what is happening to him it seems he can't function well enough to properly help himself. In a bare white set alleviated by smart moments of lighting by Chris Davey, director Lucy Bailey gives Thomas plenty to do and there is a sense of repetition in action and thought offset by things happening to him that move the plot forward. But, despite, a slight 60 minute run time the script never goes far enough and thus it feels just a little dull in places and things do meander. As Thomas, the very fine actor Paul Keating is not quite fully able to give Thomas rounded dimensions and feelings to make us care enough about what ultimately happens. Part of this is down to the story itself but I also full expect Keating to grow into the role through the run and thus explore Thomas more fully. I did find the ending quite moving as the prickles from the cactus that seem to hold Thomas back are replaced by the smooth edges of trees in the outside world. So, Thomas is very much the victim here and there's plenty to say about isolationism and workplace practices. Interesting but perhaps an opportunity missed. Photos by Ikin Yum BOX OFFICE The Company Paul Keating Thomas Michael Wynne Writer Lucy Bailey Director Mike Britton Designer Elizabeth Khabaza Stage Manager Chris Davey Lighting Designer Nick Powell Sound Designer Brent Tan Production Manager Charlie Flint Photography  Matthew 'Lux' Swithinbank Production Electrician

'Good fun and engaging' ★★★ 1/2 In the week that Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight was confirmed as the writer of the next James Bond film, the charmingly old school Marylebone Theatre is hosting a farcical comedy looking at choosing the next actor to play Bond in a time of political correctness and the tensions between history and modernity. In a show that never quite wants or needs to fall on the side of realism, we see ballsy American producer Deborah (Barbara Broccoli anyone?) getting ready to announce the new Bond when it turns out the actor chosen has been messaging underage girls - which leads to leaks to the press, which in turn leads to headlines like 'Dr No Consent' and 'Moonraper. She then has 20-odd hours to plough through audition tapes and find a new 007. Alongside Deborah's increasingly manic angst is her business partner Malcolm with whom she fights and bickers, especially when he wants to use a spurious algorithm to pick their man. Also in situ is her son Quinn - wearing a not-very-subtle 'Eat The Rich' t-shirt - a self confessed nepo baby who has been interning at the studio but is in line to the key to the throne - but does he want it? In the background and ultimately on the phone is the big kahuna Lacroix who may or may not be on Deborah's side. The set up is neat and across a short running time - including an arguably un-necessary interval - Jordan Waller's script tickboxes all the major questions of the day name-checking male toxicity, AI takeover, legacy versus 'now' and, of course, what it fundamentally means to be a man (Bond is the ultimate alpha male - always 'reliable' and 'ready' but 'complicated' and 'annoying'). The second half gets a bit screechy and there is little time for nuance or to let the audition take it all in but, overall, things canter along nicely reaching a rather smart pay off which surprised and delighted me. As Deborah, Tanya Franks is a revelation. A fine actress and here she goes through the gears. Her character can be overly frantic and she's at her best in quieter moments - especially when Obioma Ugoala (good here) is introduced as her non traditional choice as Bond which sees her go from delightedly flirtation to horrified and manipulative. There is solid support from Philip Bretherton as Malcolm and Henry Goodson-Bevan gets some nice lines as the son who wants the glory but would maybe rather be in Sierra Leone with his documentary making boyfriend. Against a simple wood-panelled set housing photos of Connery, Moore et al this is a show that is good fun, engaging but could maybe have really gone for the darker side - so, shaken and gently stirred then. Photography: Steve Gregson  BOX OFFICE Tanya Franks Deborah Philip Bretherton Malcolm Harry Goodson-Bevan Quinn Obioma Ugoala Theo Peter McPherson Richard ‍ ‍ Creatives & production team Jordan Waller Writer Derek Bond Director Cory Shipp Set & Costume Designer Adam Foley Lighting Designer Amanda Priestley Sound Designer Matt Powell Video & Projection Designer Anna Ryder Associate Director Cieranne Kennedy-Bell Costume Supervisor

'a wrenching story of alcohol addiction' ★★★★ ½ ‘Truth is stranger than fiction’ is a commonly bandied adage. In “The White Chip”, you realize pretty quickly that this is someone’s personal story as the details are so specific, even ludicrous. It is a wrenching story of alcohol addiction shared dramatically and without holding back the dark and dirty, as the characters sometimes struggle with the concept of truth. Steven (Ed Coleman) starts as a youth who has his first drink as a teenager and learns how to hide his love for drink (or so he thinks) over the years from family, friends, and lovers. Coleman speaks quickly and charms all members of the thrust stage as he takes us through a tour of his life and middle America to show how a Mormon boy ends up at the number one party school in the US (Florida State, if you must know) and finally on his knees. The two other actors (Mara Allen, Ashlee Irish) are a swirl of action: quickly shifting set pieces, beautifully multi-roling, and providing the banter Coleman needs to pull off what would otherwise be a very long monologue. They come to represent the many people who come into and out of his life because though Steven is the teller of the tale, there is a swarm of people both impacted by and influencing his story. Allen’s turn as his mother is particularly poignant in her own shift from the careless mother to the co-recovering alcoholic. What is interesting in this whirlwind of a story of addiction is Steven’s awe for the American playwrights who juggled alcoholism with writing some of the most lauded plays in the canon, such as Edward Albee, Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams. A successful dramatist in the US, finding professional success, he is constantly pulled away by his greater love for drink. As the story returns to the concept of ‘the white chip’, representing a chance to start afresh, Steven has to confront the strength of his own desire to truly become sober and overcome himself. At times, the play reminded me of a country music song: parents hate him, wife leaves him, dog dies . He is living out Groundhog Day (the film gets a mention). Similarities exist to Duncan McMillan’s People, Places, and Things (recently reprised by Denise Gough from a decade ago) playing a main character caught in a cycle of addiction and the ending of The White Chip has a moment of intersection with this play’s fervency. I also recalled B lackout Songs by Joe White about a codependent couple who fall in love after an AA meeting. They “oscillate at a higher frequency” (direction notes) without ever ‘playing drunk’. Coleman operates at a similar frequency very effectively in his take on Steven. The set is simple, easily changeable, at times perplexing. Huge columns of chairs in the back (perhaps symbolic?) behind the sound person’s table loom and are at times pulled out. Most notable is the use of coloured lighting with the sound of a heartbeat effectively brings us back to the singularity of Steven’s choices and consequences. The blackness of the stage and the props correspond well with the darkness of Steven’s experience. Throughout this take on the orthodoxy of addiction, from the initial Mormon summer camp reboot to AA Meetings to the Jewish pair (Lenny and Stuart) who ultimately help Steven find the higher power he could trust (science), something beyond himself that could pull him out of that constant internal struggle. Once he sees that truth for himself, Steven can also remember what it is to be human, and what a beautiful thing that is. Photography: Danny Kaan BOX OFFICE Written by Sean Daniels Performed by Ed Coleman, Mara Allen, Ashlee Irish Directed by Matt Ryan Set & Costume Designer: Lee Newby Lighting Designer: Jamie Platt Sound Designer: Max Pappenheim Reviewed by Mariam Mathew

‘Unexpectedly compelling’ ★★★★ This is a refreshingly old fashioned play. The action takes place mostly in a single setting. You have to listen to what is said and there are no theatrical gimmicks. It could very easily be dull but isn’t. Based on Josephine Tey’s 1951 novel, M Kilburg Reddy’s version comes with borrowings from Tey’s other four Inspector Grant novels. Grant (Rob Pomfret) has broken his leg in the course of his duties and is now obliged to spend six weeks in hospital. He is bored and bad tempered until his flighty actress friend, Marta Hallard (Rachel Pickup – nice performance) brings him a photograph of the famous portrait of Richard III. Richard, as nearly every one knows, has long been perceived – largely thanks to Shakespeare – as a villainous, ruthless, power-hungry murderer, guilty of infanticide. Grant studies the face, decides that this benign, wise looking man can’t have done what he is blamed for and sets out to prove his innocence. Of course – with the help of a young researcher and his friend/colleague from the Met – he eventually succeeds. At the same time there are two gentle 1950s-style love stories winding their way along in the background. Both are eventually resolved happily The history is carefully researched despite flaws in Tey’s argument which becomes a quasi-courtroom scene in a hospital room. And court room scenes generally make good drama. I thought it was a fine novel when I first read it in my teens and – although by then I was more au fait with the background history – I quite liked it again when I reread it a couple of years ago. Now it also makes an unexpectedly compelling play. And although I remain unconvinced that it was the Duke of Buckingham wot-did-it, I can suspend disbelief long enough to appreciate this piece. Pomfret’s central performance is nicely sustained as he goes from being a curmudgeonly “bad” patient to a professional detective at work. He is horizontal in bed for most of the play’s two and three quarter hours and that can’t be easy. He gets a brief respite when Noah Huntley (good) as actor, Nigel Templeton treats us to extracts from his current play at the Old Vic – Richard III of course – in front of a traditional red velvet curtain. There are also some short scenes when Templeton and Marta meet in the Ivy which is nicely depicted on a half stage flat, complete with distinctive diamond stained glass. The support cast is generally strong although Hafsa Abbasi, as one of three nurses looking after Grant, isn’t always audible from Row H. Harrison Sharpe is entertaining as the earnest, excitable young American researcher, Brent Carradine. And Sanya Adegbola is enjoyably naturalistic as Grant’s gravelly, no nonsense sidekick. Janna Fox, the nurse who listens patiently to Grant’s developing theories and constantly pours cold water on them, adds dramatic tension and a lot of humour. It’s quite a treat to see such satisfyingly grown up theatre. It doesn’t set out to be “edgy” or to explore difficult territory but sustains interest throughout. Take it on its own terms and The Daughter of Time is rather good. Photography: Manuel Harlan THE DAUGHTER OF TIME by M. Kilburg Reedy, adapted from Josephine Tey  Charring Cross Theatre 18 JULY - 13 SEPTEMBER 2025 BOX OFFICE https://charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/theatre/the-daughter-of-time Directed by Jenny Eastop Produced by Excelsior Entertainment and Mercurius Theatre The production’s cast includes: Hafsa Abassi Sanya Adegbola Janna Fox Noah Huntley Rachel Pickup Rob Pomfret Harrison Sharpe The cast also includes: Henry Douthwaite Sophie Doyle Gregor Roach Creatives: Author: M. Kilburg Reedy Novelist: Josephine Tey Director: Jenny Eastop Set and Costume Designer: Bob Sterrett Lighting Designer: Oliver McNally Composer: Haddon Kime Sound Designer: Andrew Johnson Hair, Wigs, and Makeup: Diana Estrada Hudson Casting: Neil Rutherford Key Art: Kurt Firla Production Manager: James Anderton Produced by Excelsior Entertainment, Mercurius Theatre, and Steven M. Levy for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Limited.

‘Bonni Chan portrays a rare gem of a fragile sensitive soul’ ★★★★ A great storytelling piece of theatre presented with a minimalist set design, a digital video projection of an island on a fabric canvas, a screen generating Chinese text subtitles, the stage dotted with miniature mountains, a miniature green building, a white rhinoceros, a luggage and a mustard coloured coat. It begins with the arrival of a plane. ‘Must I cry’ recounts the journey of a daughter in a search for a moment in time. She picks up along the way several fragments of memories of a past life back on the island which her late father told her one day resembles the shell of a turtle. And just like fleeting memories, scenes of her childhood appeared on stage, like the ebb of a wave crashing on the shore of that island, flowing back and forth in a poetic dream-like state. ‘Must I cry’ is almost an invitation to the audience to look within themselves to find or to rediscover that which may have been lost in adulthood. As the saying goes, many go to the theatre to see themselves reflected in the characters and stories, and to process emotions on a personal level. This one woman show delivered with a kind soft spoken voice evokes that state of innocence, tenderness and carefree moments of childhood, and even the foreign accent of the director-devisor-performer Bonni Chan appeared so fitting in creating an outwardly meditative experience. Bonni Chan portrays a rare gem of a fragile sensitive soul coping with loss and the tragedy is not that when she returns to her homeland, she finds the city landscape is ever changing, but it is that she is struggling with retaining memories of her late father. One of the highlights was the musical soundtrack ranging from the opening scene’s raw primitive sounds of drumbeats to electronic instrumental tracks. The audience was also delighted with live music. In the left corner of the stage sat musician composer Lau Chi-bun playing beautiful tunes from his accordion and music box tunes from another instrument as the miniature green building rotated eerily on stage. Produced by Theatre du Pif, a Hong Kong based theatre company formed in 1992 in Scotland by Bonni Chan and Sean Curran, ‘Must I cry’ made its UK debut in 2024 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is now on an European tour having been to France, currently in London until 2 August and next to Ireland. Photography: Cheung Chi Wai Devised, directed and performed by Bonni Chan Pleasance Theatre, Main House, 31st July – 2 August Box Office: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/must-i-cry Avignon, France 19 – 26 July | Cork, Ireland 6 – 9 September Review by Melanie Lam