REVIEW: God Of Carnage at The Lyric Hammersmith

Yasmina Reza’s (translated by Christopher Hampton) unassuming but vicious satirical unmasking of the modern-day middle class, God Of Carnage, has stirred up attention since it first premiered in 2008. Boasting as a hit on Broadway and The West End, its anticipated revival has been met with great expectation. In this new version directed by Nicholas La Barrie, the question I was left asking, however, is why this play now?

God Of Carnage introduces us to two middle-class, pre-middle-aged couples who are brought together by the act of violence between their two eleven-year-old children Ferdinand and Bruno (whom we never meet). What begins as a ‘civil’ interaction and desire to de-escalate the incident between their boys, quickly unleashes a swirling passive-aggressive dance between the four parents fulled by entitlement, misguided values and unrealistic expectations.

REVIEW: F**cking Men at Waterloo East Theatre

Written in 1897 and not publicly performed until 1920, La Ronde by German playwright Arthur Schnitzler, is a tale as old as time about sex and connection. In its naissance, it caused controversy and wasn’t performed for over twenty years due to its premise revolving around ten characters in ten scenes just before or after having a sexual encounter. Each character represents all levels of society to comment on class, monogamy, intimacy and, well, the spread of syphilis. The whore sleeps with the soldier, the soldier with the Parlour Maid, the Parlour Maid with the Young Gentleman… and so on and so forth. F**cking Men is Joe Dipetro’s retelling of the classic. He has chosen to set it in modern-day America instead of late nineteenth-century Vienna and interprets each character as a different man navigating their sexuality within the gay community and hook-up culture. Examples of the contemporary treatment of the characters have a young man turning tricks in secluded public places to replace the whore, a tutor as the Parlour Maid and a high-profile reporter as the Count. It translates nearly too easily.

Finding a comfortable home at the intimate Waterloo East Theatre until June 18, F**cking Men returns to London since its debut here 15 years ago. It has been reworked to keep up with the changing times and in both its long and short lifespan manages to comment on itself as well as the literature legacy it’s drawn from. The appointment of a young director, Steven Kunis, keeps this latest version from feeling outdated and hits the right note on many fronts. The human urge for love might remain consistent but the way we love is not. Apps and cancel culture dictate many of our moves or lack thereof. Likewise, the discord around HIV has changed enormously over the years within the gay community and is served modestly but well in the work.

REVIEW: Black Superhero at The Royal Court Theatre

As a writers theatre, The Royal Court consistently programmes exciting new work showcasing the voices of artists who come at the world with perspectives of our current social climate with honesty and an intention to challenge the comfort of our moral compasses. Black Superhero, written by Danny Lee Wynter and directed by Daniel Evans, continues this legacy with humour, heart and a really fun soundtrack.

Black Superhero is a charming dark comedy centring around David (Danny Lee Wynter), a 38-year-old black gay man loosely holding onto dreams of becoming a successful actor and finding love. The problem is, David works for his kid sister Syd (Rochenda Sandall) children's party company, lives with her and her partner, is single and struggling to move through past trauma about his dad from when he was young. It was never his intention to end up here at this point in his life and as a man who is not shy to strike up a debate about the role of a black man with a platform, he feels like he does not have one of his own to promote. Meanwhile, his group of friends are moving on with their lives professionally and with confidence. Raheem (Eloka Ivo) has a moderate film career brewing and King (Dyllón Burnside) who is married to travel writer Stevie (Ben Allen), is basking in the success of the Marvel-like superhero franchise he is starring in called Craw. The show opens with David's pessimistic acceptance of this reality as he, Syd, King and Raheem drunkenly banter outside a club after a big night. However, when King announces that he and Stevie are in an open relationship, David’s life is disrupted and teased by the prospects of sex and fame that he had given up hope for. In a private moment, King makes a move on David and sweeps him into a delusional love thus making him question who he is and what he wants.

REVIEW: The Lehman Trilogy at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

The buzz surrounding Stefano Massini's The Lehman Trilogy, adapted by Ben Power and directed by Sam Mendes, has remained strong since its premiere at the National Theatre back in 2018. Five Tony awards later, it is back gracing the stage at the beautiful Gillian Lynne Theatre to tell the story of three Jewish brothers who immigrated to America in the mid-nineteenth century to cement their names as key founders in the story of Western capitalism. 

The play spans 160 years, from the brother's modest arrival in Alabama where they went from shopkeepers to heavy-weight bankers in New York through to 2008 when the reign of the Lehman name on Wall St came to an end. The story evokes a section of American history shrouded by injustice, war and the prospect of new beginnings that never allows anyone to have equal footing but does allow for the brave a chance to reach new heights.

REVIEW: Frantic Assembely’s Othello at The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

A tragedy fuelled by jealousy and revenge, Othello, can be seen as one of Shakespeare’s most challenging works to navigate. Loyalty and love lose out too dark thoughts and desires that lurk in the best of us which performers and audiences alike must confront in themselves. 

Frantic Assembly’s two-hour adaptation of this complex text finds a way to make it relatable as they bravely tackle challenging aspects of the human condition amplified in it with gusto for a modern-day audience. It is a visual retelling of the story as much as an exploration of classical language with a contemporary tung and has something to offer any die-hard lover of Shakespeare or those more intimidated by the Bard.

REVIEW: Love Goddess, the Rita Hayworth Musical at the Cockpit Theatre

‘LOVE GODDESS The Rita Hayworth Musical’ at The Cockpit is a show with admirable intentions and ultimately, a loving tribute to Rita Hayworth, one of the formidable stars of the Hollywood golden age. The passion and heartfelt for her story are undeniably present in the cast of five multi-disciplined performers, but, unfortunately, it fails to push any boundaries to make this anything more than a light retelling of the starlet's life.

It began its life as a one-woman show called ‘Me, Myself and Rita’, created and performed by Almog Pail in 2017, it has since transformed into a two-act musical. Still starring Pail as the title role, she is now joined by Simon Kane (Orsen Welles and Harry Cohn), Imogen Kingsley-Smith (Young Rita), Jane Quinn (journalist Jules Graham and Hayworth’s mother Volga Cansino) and Joey Simon (Fred Astaire and Hayworth’s Father Eduardo Cansino). The show follows the life of Hayworth, born Margarita Carmen Cansino, from her days as a child dancer in Brooklyn to her breakout roles in Hollywood, her iconic portrayal of Gilda and finally her tragic defeat from Alzheimer’s disease. Intertwined within her career highlights are failed marriages, abuse and ultimately the story of a woman who never really wanted to be famous. Pail wrote the original play after her own family’s experience with Alzheimer’s which is a touching parallel and personal connection present in the work.

REVIEW: Closing Party (Arrivederci e Grazie) at Dance Base at the Edinburgh Fringe

Closing Party (Arrivederci e Grazie) marks the last instalment of Alessandro Bernardeschi and Mauro Paccagnella’s Memory Trilogy AKA Fifty-somethings. It follows Happy Hour (Luminux for Theatrical Moment and Total Theatre awards) and El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido. The performance I saw at the wonderful hub for dance at Edinburgh Fringe, Dance Base, featured Bernardeschi and Carlotta Sagna as the main duo, with an appearance from Ares D’Angelo. 

Without fanfare or grand celebration, this is a work about two middle-aged people, who are ready to farewell a part of their life which has now ended. They do this with nostalgia, acceptance and a little bit of hope for whatever might come next.

REVIEW: Hamlet at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens at the Edinburgh Fringe

One of the most talked about shows leading up to the 75th Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year has undoubtedly been Peter Schaufuss’s concept ballet of Hamlet, starring the formidable Sir Ian McKellen. Directed and choreographed by Schaufuss, this 75-minute production is mostly dance-driven showcasing his company Edinburgh Festival Ballet except for selected monologues, McKellen as the titular character, recites. All in all, it is a very traditional retelling of one of Shakespeares' great tragedies with added novelties.

Two of the biggest questions surrounding the production have been how McKellen, who first took on Hamlet in 1971, will represent the young prince at 83 years of age and how he will interact with the dancers on stage. 

REVIEW: Good Grief at the Underbelly Colgate in the Iron Belly, Edinburgh Fringe

Ugly Bucket Theatre are a Liverpool-based physical theatre and clown company not afraid to delve into uncomfortable subject matters and make us laugh about it. As recipients of the New Diorama, Underbelly and Methuen Drama’s Untapped Award 2022, there is clearly energy behind this young company making their latest show, Good Grief, a contender for a place on your Edinburgh Fringe Festival dance card.

On brand for Ugly Bucket Theatre, Good Grief examines the grieving process that takes place before and after a good friend dies, through physical comedy, verbatim text and… techno dancing. It follows the life of a man who we meet pre-birth in the womb of his mother through to his afterlife after suffering from cancer of the intestine. Right from the beginning, he is subject to the hard truths of life. People and animals come and go and after a montage of macabre tragedies, he is paralysed by doom and eventually must also face his own mortality when sickness strikes. Both he and his loved ones are now subject to grieve a life disappearing. Sounds grim right? Well, not today. Obviously, the best way to address all of this is through clown!

REVIEW: Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show at the Roundhouse

When I first stumbled across a Jean Paul Gaultier documentary as a young theatre kid in Australia, I was entranced by his creations. I sat glued to the TV watching how they told a story, embraced the eccentric and evoked a culture that I was excited by. Just as his work imprinted on me, Gaultier has given permission to countless people all around the world to dream, provoke and express themselves through fashion. Each of his pieces is a performance, full of movement that can change the space it exists in. It, therefore, seems only right for him to arrive at his latest masterpiece, Fashion Freak Show, a full-blown stage spectacle featuring his iconic couture as a vehicle for dance, circus, clown, burlesque and video. This is a visceral experience not to be missed and as this grown-up theatre kid, sits in the London Roundhouse theatre many, many years later since her first encounter with JPG, surrounded by an eclectic mix of fabulous people, it can only be described as a surreal and iconic moment to bask in.

The show is the story of JPG’s life, the culture he has experienced and generally an insight into how he sees the world, which unsurprisingly, is largely through fashion. However, what is so enchanting about this concept is that we also get an insight into the raw inspiration that has inspired him for so many years. From The Folies Bergére who he was introduced to by his grandmother as a young boy to Josephine Baker, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, gender-challenging rockstars such as David Bowie, Boy George and Grace Jones, the British Punk scene, sexual liberation and more.

REVIEW: Sh!t-faced Shakespeare presents: Romeo and Juliet at The Leicester Square Theatre

Shitfaced Shakespeare is a Shakespeare company with a twist and a stumble that has been luring audiences since 2010 with a simple yet effective concept. Each night, one selected cast member from whatever show they are putting on, is made to drink for 4 hours before stepping on the stage and the curtain rises. The rule is that they must be well and truly ‘shit-faced’ by this point. The remaining ‘sober' cast members are then required to accommodate their inebriated peer by justifying and improvising around them and also to continue to drive the action of the ‘actual’ play. It could be a comedy or tragedy being performed, but the drinking game, as it were, remains the same. 

For my first experience of a Shitfaced Shakespeare performance, I went to see their un-holy latest take on Romeo & Juliet and my lucky drunk was none other than Juliet herself. As a comedy show having originally found its feet in the fringe scene, this is a pared-down version of the classic but keeps in all the much-loved key scenes of the play like the balcony scene, death of Mercutio and final death scene. Along with the five actors, the show also incorporates a compare into the mix to help the drunken proceedings along. This is done mainly by making sure the inebriated actor stays that way by handing them more drinks (with help from the audience). Overall the show, also, takes artistic liberties to promote more bawdy and comedy-driven antics. 

REVIEW: Peaky Blinders: The Rise, the immersive theatrical show

It’s 1921 and we are in Camden where ‘The Jew’ Alfie Solomons runs things. However, there is a storm brewing with new friends and enemies making themselves known. In a bold move, Alfie has agreed to make a deal with Birmingham’s entrepreneurial gangsters The Peaky Blinders (for a hefty profit of course) so the fun can really begin! Lead by Tommy Shelby, the Peaky Blinders are now on the rise in London Town and unless the Italians succeed in getting in their way, they plan to take it all. This is worth having a party for!

Peaky Blinders: The Rise is a collaboration between Immersive Everywhere, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and Caryn Mandabach Productions. It is directed by Tom Maller (Doctor Who: Time Fracture/ co-creator of the ‘The Great Gatsby’ immersive UK show) with a script by Katie Lyons. This is a unique, immersive theatrical experience paying homage to the immensely popular TV series by physically taking its audience on an unforgettable ride into the deep dark wheelings and dealings of an underworld so seductive you just might change your career path at the end of the night. It features an array of some of the most recognisable characters from the show including, of course, Tommy Shelby (Craig Hamilton), his siblings Ada (Lucinda Turner), Arthur (Kieran Mortell) and John (Isaac Beechey), the matriarch of the family Polly Gray (Emma Stansfield), loyal secretary Lizzy Stark (Megan Shandley), Camden kingpin Alfie Solomons (Sam Blythe), the Italian Charles Sabini (Angus Brown) and many more.

REVIEW: If. Destroyed. Still. True. at The Hope Theatre

No matter where you come from or where you choose to live, the concept of home or where one identifies with throughout their lifetime is in constant flux. Moments of growth are met with moments of stagnation, people we love move at different speeds and even when some sort of peace is made, there is no way of knowing how something unexpected might unravel everything you know. In the intimate space of The Hope Theatre, Jawbones, an upcoming young company celebrating new writing, attempts to start a conversation about these feelings of disconnection in their latest production If. Destroyed. Still. True.

The play is set on the coast of Essex in a small town where everyone knows each other's business. It is here we meet John (Jack Condon) a born and bred local young man, who, like a kid on Christmas Day is revelling in the return of his best friend James (Theo Ancient) who has moved away for Uni. It becomes evident early on, however, that with little direction in his life John can't quite move on from the fun and chaos of their adolescence while James has clearly settled into his newfound academic life with a steady girlfriend Charlotte (Whitney Kehinde) by his side. A divide opens up between the two friends and each struggles with feelings of resentment, loss, a longing for the past and/or future and ultimately, the uncertainty of life becomes overwhelming for both when tragedy marks their final chapter. At the heart of the story is a friendship between two young men who have grown disparate from one another yet at the same time are forever connected by the tangled roots of their youth.

REVIEW: Somnole at Sadler's Wells Theatre, part of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels

Over a period of nearly three weeks between March 9-23, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels is the first edition of an exciting festival celebrating choreography in modern and contemporary dance in partnership with The Royal Opera House, Tate Modern and Sadler’s Wells. With a plethora of influential works on show this year (seventeen to be exact) and I was fortunate to catch French choreographer Boris Charmatz in his solo performance, Somnole, at Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Studio last Friday evening.

Somnolence is the feeling of being on the brink of sleep and in this hour-long dance piece, Charmatz explores this idea through movement and sound. The entirety of the piece involves a mediative quality anchored by continuous whistling from Charmatz and on occasion is broken up by moments of audience interaction and humour. Whistling in particular is the key feature in this work. Sometimes it is ambiguous and it’s difficult to understand where the sound is coming from or sometimes it resembles a well-known tune like Morricone’s The Good The Bad and The Ugly. In both scenarios, however, it interrogates the physicality required to produce such a sound and demands from its performer an impressive stamina. As the sound intertwines with the movement which is often repetitive, spiralling and circular, each element influences each other and takes the viewer on a journey between what feels like concise and unconscious moments but never lingering on either one for long.

This work is performed in a black box theatre space, stripping any possibility of placing it in a concrete environment. For the most part, I remained in the theatre space without entering any visual dreamlike state, despite the invitation through familiar tunes and gestures. I question, therefore, is a feeling of Somnolence one of purgatory, neither here nor there? 

One of the most successful moments of the work came when the fourth wall was well and truly dropped and Charmatz began a slow dance with an audience member before conducting us in a whistle orchestra. Unfortunately, it was a long way in before this interaction was made and it felt like it was over before it began.

The lighting design by Yeves Godin was a simple silvery state supporting the minimalist aesthetic of the work nicely and the costume by Marion Reginer, a skirt made of different patterned strips of material, helps to give the movement a lightens in contrast to the heavier muscular physique of the dancer. 

My main criticism of the piece relates to the quality of the movement. Although engrossing with a clear flow and cohesive structure, it lacked any dynamic and stayed on one note for the most part in a middle ground of wight, tempo and texture. Repetition is interesting but without some evolution or nuance, the piece becomes stagnant in many moments.

Somnole is a dreamlike experience that sits on the edge of reality. As an audience member you are subject to the ebb and flow of its affective mediative quality as Charmatz draws you in then leaves you to float alone.

Review by Stephanie Osztreicher

Rating: ★★★

REVIEW: Tom Fool at Orange Tree Theatre

On a rainy Tuesday evening I ventured out to Orange Tree Theatre to see Tom Fool by celebrated German playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz in a translation by Estella Schmid and Anthony Vivis. Although, one of the most performed playwrights in his homeland, less frequently do we see his work staged in the UK and it is a welcome addition to the Orange Tree Theatre’s Recovery Season’s programming. 

Kroetz works with a style of realism, that at its core, commentates on social oppression caused by a capitalist system prevailing in the 1970s, with a focus on the emotional toll it takes on families and individuals. He also has a nuanced ability to capture lightness and humour within moments of despair and defeat when dealing with something bigger than any one person. 

In Tom Fool, despite the grim anxiety experienced by his characters due to their working-class status, each search for and dream of freedom and happiness in their lives. It marks itself as one of Kroetz most iconic plays and although written for an audience over forty years ago, Tom Fool resonates all too strongly with the economic stronghold capitalism still has on families of today.

REVIEW: This is How You Will Disappear by Gisele Vienne at Sadler's Wells

What happens when you create a giant forest on a stage and put into it a gymnast, her serial killer coach, a rockstar and throw in a real-life wolf for good measure? Despite spending 80 mins in said environment, I am none the wiser. First created in 2010 for the Festival d'Avignon, This is how you will disappear is an ambitious stage production that straddles the identity of art installation, dance and theatre by Gisèle Vienne and is part of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels at Sadlers Wells Theatre. Although this work is undoubtedly engrossing and boasts imagery that will last in my mind for a long time to come, the overall structure of the work rests unclear, diluting whatever the intention it is meant to have. 

The narrative of the work follows a young gymnast in the forest who is training with her serial killer coach. It is then intertwined with the story of a rockstar who has recently killed his girlfriend and is dealing with the psychological stress of his actions. The ending, with the wight of a great message that is never revealed, introduces a man with a bow and arrows and a live dog/wolf. This together with an epic forest installation shrouded in mist and an assaulting soundtrack that fills the auditorium instantly conjures up horror movie vibes from beginning to end. There is no denying that the design of this work, is spectacular. It not only explores the effects of epic visuals and sound on an audience but also stimulates ones touch and smell senses as the mist onstage (a fog sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya), bellows out into the audience in a cool damp cloud and fills the space with the smell of foliage. There are several sequences that involve no performers at all and these design elements are allowed to take the spotlight. 

REVIEW: Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch Kontakthof at Sadler's Wells

Undoubtedly an icon in the world of dance theatre since the 1970s, Tanztheter Wuppertal Pina Bausch has played a large role in changing the landscape of modern dance with a ripple effect that can be felt through contemporary dance and theatre today. The late, Pina Bausch, a maverick of the arts, through her choreography has the ability to transcend movement into an expression of the human condition which is raw and pure. The latest remounting of the pivotal piece Kontakthof by the company at Sadler’s Wells this February is an important reminder of how, truly great theatre, can transcend time and context. 

Kontakthof was originally premiered in 1978 at Operahouse Wuppertal and has remained, for many, to be one of the most important pieces in Bausch’s canon of work dealing with themes of desire for contact the need to be seen, appreciation and equality. Provoked by the pandemic, social issues such as sexism, racism and cultural appropriation, have also been largely explored by the company for this latest version. Moving forward, you can’t help to think there are themes of gender too yet to be tapped into.

REVIEW: Set and Reset/Reset and Last Shelter by the Candoco Dance Company at Sadler's Wells

Candoco Dance Company boast a proud 30 year legacy within the UK dance world. Alongside world-class choreographers, disabled and non-disabled performers and company members prepared to push the boundaries of convention, this collective has travelled the globe and if recent years are any indication, they are only going from strength to strength. On Friday 15th, in a buzzing Sadlers Wells, I was very pleased to attend Concdoco’s double bill of Set and Reset/Reset and Last Shelter. 

Accompanying your ticket is a cohesive digital program that includes links to downloads and films to give you insight into Set and Reset/Reset and Last Shelter and accessible content to support the experience of all audience members. In this review, I draw from intentions set out in this material.

The first dance to be presented for the evening is Set and Reset/Reset, a re-imagining of New York choreographer Trisha Brown’s 1983 work Set and Reset. The choreography of Set and Reset/Reset is made up of a combination of the original and Candoco dancers’ choreography under the direction of Abigail Yager and the co-direction of Jamie Scott. 

Visualisations of War in Performance: A deep dive into the creation of NMT Automatics Theatre Company new play Tempus Fugit: Troy & Us

The act of going to the theatre is a sacred one offering escapism, entertainment and catharsis. Every now and again, however, a play has the ability to unlock hidden stories existing within our communities. These are the types of stories that challenge our perceptions of what it means to be human under extreme circumstances, what it means to love, fight, grieve and deal with trauma. Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of witnessing part of the development of one of these special plays, Tempus Fugit: Troy & Us, by NMT Automatics Theatre Company. As a company NMT Automatics are known for their visual and physical style of storytelling that explores classical texts with the intention of making them relevant for current audiences. In this instance, they have combined their unique style in response to the provocation visualising war and as a result, they have created a poignant and timely work that will speak to people both directly affected by war and those who have no tangible connection with it. More specifically, Tempus Fugit: Troy & Us, is a visceral representation of the mental and physical sacrifice and violence endured by individuals and their families once they have given their lives over to duty. 

The main storyline of this play follows a modern-day military couple living and loving under the shadow of war paralleled and intertwined with the ancient Greek story of Andromache and Hector from Homer’s Iliad. After witnessing the latest R&D performance of the work in August at The Union Theatre, I have been compelled to find out more about what has been behind this creation. I recently sat down with co-creators and performers of the work Genevive Dunne and Jonathan D’Young (AKA Noah Young) and director Andres Velasquez to get further insight.

To begin with, I asked the company if they found this story or if it found them and like most things that are meant to be it very much seems like it found them. Initially developed in partnership with the British Museum for their Troy exhibition in 2020, after a series of somewhat serendipitous meetings the project has also become a collaboration with the Centre for the Public Understanding of Greek & Roman Drama and König & Nicolas Wiater’s Visualising War project, all based at St Andrews University. Specific literature has also been a big influence on the work and includes Jonathan Shay’s Achilles in Vietnam and Odysseus in America, as well as Vietnam Wives by Aphrodite Matsakis and Jon Hesk’s publication on Sophocles’ Ajax. In conjunction with the extensive academic research undertaken by the company, they have also interviewed several current and ex-serving military members of the public and their family’s while Dramaturg Máirín O'Hagan has been an invaluable member of the company helping to contextualise the material.

REVIEW: Tell Me Straight at the King's Head Theatre

Tell me Straight is an original new play championing queer and working-class voices making their mark on the independent theatre scene produced by Gartland Productions and as part of the Kings Head Theatre queer season. Written by Paul Bradshaw and directed by Imogen Hudson-Clayton, together with the rest of the team they have produced a charming piece of theatre that will speak to a generation of LGBTQ people in London navigating hookup culture, getting older and sexuality.

Writer, Bradshaw, also stars in this work, he plays a millennial gay man determined to find some new perspective in his life. He decides the only way to do this is by putting himself on a self mandated 30-day detox from sex, booze and fast food. This attempt at a sober existence forces him to examine his work life, past relationships and to confront the prospect of new ones. It becomes quickly evident, in regards to his love life, that he has a type, ‘straight’ men working out their own identity. Alongside Bradshaw is George Greenland who takes on a multi charter role to represent these past and present flames. As the story unfolds, tales of optimism and romance are met by constant disappointment and this man willing to put himself on the line in the name of love, is forced to question why he finds himself as a sort of testing ground for these other men who are not yet ready to fully confront their own sexuality.