Here at TW Towers we're big fans of the work of theatre company Made In China, having first seen the company in action up at the Edinburgh Festival. So of course we were happy to hear that they'd be bringing their latest show 'Super Duper Close Up' to London's Yard Theatre this week.
To find out more about this intriguing-sounding show, I spoke to Jess Latowicki, co-director of the company, and creator/performer of the show. Read the interview here.
'Super Duper Close Up' is on at The Yard Theatre from 13-24 Nov. See the venue website here for more information and to book tickets.
TUESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2018 >>
The Troth | The Place | 13 Nov
Akademi present this new dance theatre production, inspired by the classic Hindi short story 'Usne Kaha Tha', in association with the British Army. "Moving from rural Punjab to the horrific darkness of the Belgian trenches, where young Indian men have been brought to fight for the Allies, we learn about the secret promise made by one soldier, Lehna Singh, as he makes the ultimate sacrifice to save another". For details see this page here.
Walk Swiftly And With Purpose | Theatre503 | 13-17 Nov (pictured)
"Meet Eve, Lana, Robbie and Misha - four friends on the cusp of adulthood. Until now they've lived mostly in their imagination - suddenly, real life interrupts, and their loyalties are tested". This debut play from Siofra Dromgoole is described as "History Boys meets Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour", and is about young women growing up in the 21st Century. The show had a successful run in Edinburgh this summer so great to see it on in London. Info here.
Tobacco Road | Pleasance Theatre | 13-17 Nov
Another show that was on at edfringe during the summer, and that caused glowing words to issue forth from our reviewer. Here's part of what he said: "The performances are staggeringly physical, the spectacularly choreographed dance and fight sequences making remarkably effective use of the space, fists and feet flying over the audience's heads. Beneath the spectacle, the living, breathing characters exude depth and complexity, all powerfully conveyed by the talented - and presumably very fit - cast". Bet you're interested after reading that, head this way for more.
WEDNESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2018>>
Rendezvous In Bratislava | Battersea Arts Centre | 13-24 Nov
I am really intrigued by this: "Miriam and her granddad are making a cabaret together. They're the perfect double act: he's got the stories, she loves telling them, and they both have a flair for the theatrical. The only problem is - they've never met. And he's been dead for 37 years. Laco Kalina was a dramaturg, satirist, collector of jokes, and writer of cabarets, born in Slovakia in 1913 and died in Germany in 1981". This contemporary cabaret uses his autobiographies and material to bring together the "generationally challenged duo". Info here.
Natalie Palamides - Nate | Soho Theatre | 13 Nov-1 Dec
Award winner Natalie Palamides took this show Edinburgh in the summer, if I remember correctly (give me a break, I'm getting old now), and of course won loads of acclaim for it because she is basically brilliant, and collaborated on this with Dr Brown, who is also brilliant. Anyway, this set is all about consent and #metoo, viewed through the lens of the character Nate, a "woke American douchebag". See the venue website here for details.
Dogmatic | Camden People's Theatre | 13-14 Nov (pictured)
"Jamal used to be dogmatic. Well, he still slightly is. But now he is more open to hearing different opinions. Exploring free speech, Facebook debates, police brutality, privilege and self-reflection... Dogmatic focuses on what happened when Jamal became more aware of racial inequality and how he allowed this to consume him". This combination of storytelling, performance lecture and protest sounds really interesting. See this page here for more.
THURSDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2018 >>
Lights Over Tesco Car Park | New Diorama Theatre | 15-16 Nov (pictured)
"Basically, Robert reported lights over the Tesco car park. Then he told us an alien was coming to stay in his spare room. With the help of some historical abduction stories, a latex alien mask, and a bucket of flying saucers, we're working out whether to believe him. Maybe this is a good place to believe him? Maybe you can help?" A big success at the ye old edfringe this past summer, and one which our own reviewer gave the very toppest of top marks. See this page here for more.
How To Catch A Krampus | Pleasance Theatre | 13 Nov-23 Dec
Sounds like it might be a children's show, somehow, this, but no, don't take the kids. It's inspired by London's theatrical past and classic British horror, and promises to serve up "a dark and terrifying twist on the traditional Christmas theatre show" consisting of scary stories and songs. "A black-hearted antidote to all things cheery this festive season... Guaranteed to ruin your Christmas and enough to put you off your eggnog!" Head this way for all the details.
Cuckoo | Soho Theatre | 13 Nov-8 Dec
"Everyone hates Iona. Everyone except Pingu. Fitting in is hard when one of you can't shut up and your silent best friend wears a tuxedo to school every day. Sick of the ceaseless bullying and despair, Iona and Pingu decide to get the fuck out of Dublin. Turns out that emigrating is a great way to get noticed by the cool kids. Loving the attention, Iona is drunk on her new-found popularity until she discovers she's messed with the wrong crowd". This sounds interesting, promising a fresh look at what it's like growing up in Ireland today. Info here.
FRIDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2018 >>
Superblackman | Battersea Arts Centre | 16 Nov-1 Dec
"Al has a secret. He can fly. To break the news to his family and friends, he's made a graphic novel and is going to turn it into a blockbuster movie". An exploration of mental health and representation in which "mythology, pop culture and graphic novel collide in a multi art form mash up". All things considered I am very piqued by the sound of this piece from The Stage Debut Director Award winner Lekan Lawal. For information and to book see this page here.
Polaris | Theatre503 | 16-17 Nov
Our reviewer thought this show was charming when she saw it up in Edinburgh this summer, so we know it's worth seeing. Holly&Ted take a look at the normalisation of hatred, toxic masculinity and the violence of language through the medium of three different storylines: "Tracy and Val are dinosaurs from different cultures. Aoife is a female astronaut leading a crew of distrusting males. Sarah-Jane and Lou-Ann are two teenage girls just trying to survive Year 10". See the venue website here for details.
Chutney | The Bunker Theatre | 6 Nov-1 Dec
"Gregg and Claire are a power couple. Well-to-do and up-and-coming. They've got the house. The car. The careers. They're living out their parents dreams in blissful suburbia. They also have an insatiable desire to murder animals. This mutually discovered urge threatens to gut their world to its very core". As an animal loving, meat-avoiding pacifist, this might not seem like a a natural choice for me. But you know, I'm intrigued, and expect at least a few of you are too. Head this way for more.
SATURDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2018 >>
Jazz For Toddlers | Stratford Circus Arts Centre | 17 Nov
The first of two shows we have for kids today (and why not...? It's Saturday after all) and this ones for the younger end of the definition of 'child'. This is part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2018, an interactive session led by award-winning saxophonist Sue McKenzie, and bassist Una MacGlone who specialises in teaching improvisational music to early years. See the venue website here for more.
MEH - Mass Epidemic Hysteria | New Diorama Theatre | 17-19 Nov (pictured)
"1518, France. A woman walks into the street and starts to dance. She is joined by over 200 people all unable to stop. Many of these people dance themselves to death. The exact cause is still unknown. 2018, England. A girl walks onto the beach and starts to dance". I have always been fascinated by incidents of mass epidemic hysteria, and wondered about them a lot. This show from The Outbound Project explores this unexplained phenomenon, and promises to be powerful and visceral. Head this way for details.
Comedy Club 4 Kids | Soho Theatre | 17 Nov
And so to our second recommendation of the day for your young fry, and this one is for your older kids, not your toddlers, because they won't get the jokes. You'll know about this one, because we've tipped it a lot. We don't tip the show every single time it's on in London, but we do like to occasionally point out when it's on next, having had so many great experiences watching it in the past. For all the info, see this page right about here.
SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2018 >>
Hold | Theatre503 | 18-19 Nov
"In a small country pub with a failing music system and sticky floors, Marc sits quietly as instructed. Adam, his partner, is telling Marc's parents that their son is gay. The conversation is blunt, monstrous and painfully funny. It does not go well and Marc is left without parents to turn to. Perhaps that's what Adam wanted". A rehearsed reading of an in-development piece that sounds really rather interesting. See this page here.
Caravan Of Dreams | The Hope Theatre | 18-19 Nov (pictured)
Some lovely sounding storytelling for you: "Rumi is in love. Hafez is drunk - again. Kabir is lost in the market place, waiting for The Guest to arrive. A caravan is departing friends! It is departing for the East! It is a Caravan of Dreams. So climb on board for a psychedelic journey into the heart of the Arabian Dreamtime. Expect flying horses, floating palaces, a smattering of Sufi verses and one very insistent pair of slippers". See the venue website here for more.
The Mould That Changed The World | Ovalhouse | 19 Nov
"Alexander Fleming's death-defying, worldly wonder antibiotic drugs have saved us for the last 90 years. But with bacterial resistance growing, doomsday approaches. What better way to fight back than with a musical of epic proportions?" This new musical has a sell out run up in Edinburgh in the summer of 2018, and is on at Ovalhouse to coincide with World Antibiotics Awareness Week 2018. Info right about here.
MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2018 >>
Glenn Moore - Glenn Glenn Glenn, How Do You Like It, How Do You Like It | Soho Theatre | 19-24 Nov
You might remember that a few times in the past we decided to spend a whole Monday over at Soho Theatre because there were three shows starting and we really wanted to tip all of them...? Well, I haven't done it for a while now so I thought it was okay to do it again. You know, because I wanted to tip three Soho shows. And here is the first one: acclaimed Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Glenn Moore and his show with an incredibly long title. See this page here for more.
Crick Crack Club - News Of The Strange | Soho Theatre | 19 Nov
If you've taken our advice in the past you will be no stranger to the delight of Crick Crack Club events, and here's the latest, at Soho for one night only. "A blacksmith batters himself with his hammer. A fisherman throws back the fish he catches. A blind man begs passers-by to strike him. Shot through with powerful, mysterious images, Daniel Morden delves deep into lesser-known stories from the Arab world, some moving, some shocking, some bizarre, some ridiculous... all of them strange". See the venue website here for info.
Dr Carnesky's Incredible Bleeding Woman | Soho Theatre | 19-24 Nov (pictured)
We heard about this one first at the Edinburgh festival in 2017, and were so delighted and intrigued by the sound of it that we did a lovely feature about it, and you can read that right about here, if you feel so inclined. If you don't feel so inclined, here's what it is in a nutshell: "Putting the magic back into menstruation, Dr Carnesky's Incredible Bleeding Woman uncovers the last unmentionable taboo: menstruation, in an all-out genre bending contemporary performance spectacular". Details here.
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