Opening at the Omnibus Theatre this week is 'Femme Fatale', a two hander focusing on a fictional meeting between Nico of Velvet Underground fame and the radical feminist Valerie Solanas, a duo brought together by their very different connections to Andy Warhol.
Polly Wiseman of the brilliant Fireraisers Theatre is the writer of the play and also plays the character of Nico. I spoke to her, to find out more.
CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.
'Femme Fatale' is on at the Omnibus Theatre from 8-28 Oct. See the venue website here for more information and to book.
SIMON CAINE: BARKING MAD
Are you someone who likes dogs? Are you also someone who likes comedy? Have you been dreaming your whole life of being able to combine your love of dogs and comedy somewhere other than in your living room? Well, then, you might just be pinching yourself at the news that this week there's a dog friendly comedy show featuring comedians performing with dogs on at the Bloomsbury Theatre.
It's the brainchild of someone we're proud to call a recent winner of one of our ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards, comedian Simon Caine. I organised a quick chat to find out more about the upcoming dogtastic event, and about Simon in general.
CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.
'Barking Mad' is on at the Bloomsbury Theatre on 12 Oct. See this page here to book your tickets.
STEVE COOPER: PARADISE LODGE
A show that won lots of fans up at the old Edinburgh Fringe this summer was 'Paradise Lodge', a musical comedy covering what might not seem like the most appropriate subjects for a musical comedy: ageing, dementia, love and loss. Rest assured, however, it works.
To find out more about the show and the team behind it, I spoke to writer and performer Steve Cooper.
CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.
'Paradise Lodge' is on at Tabard Theatre from 11-24 Oct, see the venue website here for info and to book.
THREE RUNS STARTING THIS WEEK>>
The House Of Yes | The Hope Theatre | 8-26 Oct
A staging of US playwright Wendy MacLeod's 1990 play, which you might possibly remember better from its big screen adaptation starring Parker Posey, directed by The Hope Theatre's artistic director Matthew Parker. "Meet the Pascals. A family living in the shadow of the Kennedy clan. Outside their Washington D.C. home a hurricane is raging. Inside, at the eye of the storm, a series of twisted and dangerous events have been set in motion that can only have one destination". Head this way for more info.
The Ice Cream Boys | Jermyn Street Theatre | 9 Oct-2 Nov
"There are some enemies you'd wait a lifetime to see face-to-face. Charismatic, corrupt and dangerous, Jacob Zuma was until recently President of South Africa. But before Zuma came to power, Ronnie Kasrils masterminded the intelligence services. Now at last they're alone together. When you've been betrayed, it's never too late to settle old scores". Vik Sivalingam directs this play by the talented Gail Louw, with a cast comprising Andrew Francis, Jack Klaff (recipient of one of our own TW Editors' Awards up at the Edinburgh Fringe), and Bu Kunene. Head to the venue website here for details.
Meet Me At Dawn | Arcola Theatre | 9 Oct-9 Nov (pictured)
Writer Zinnie Harris draws on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice in this acclaimed play that was first staged, if memory serves me correctly, as part of the 2017 Edinburgh International Festival programme, and this is its first London staging. "When a boat trip goes horribly wrong, Helen and her girlfriend Robyn find themselves stranded on an island in the middle of the sea. As the night draws in, it becomes clear that the island is not as it first appears. And neither are Helen and Robyn". Info here.
THREE SHORT RUNS>>
Build A Rocket | Streatham Space Project | 10+12 Oct (pictured)
"Yasmin is a bright 16-year-old from a small seaside town. In an instant, her world is turned upside down when she becomes pregnant with her son, Jack. Suddenly her life isn't sandcastles, arcades, and donkey rides. Abandoned by both the father of her child and her alcoholic mother, Yasmin faces one of life's great challenges completely alone - but can the thing which threatens to ruin her life actually be the thing which saves her?" A play that's won loads of acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival in 2018, and at the Adelaide Festival in 2019. See the venue website here for more.
Hope Hunt And The Ascension Into Lazarus | The Yard Theatre | 14-16 Oct
The 2019 Dance Umbrella festival kicks off this week, and there's loads of good stuff on, so you should have a look at their website here for more info on all the things being staged as part of the festival, but here's the one that jumped out at me at first glance: it's by the award winning Oona Doherty, whose work you may have partaken of at a previous edfringe, and who, in this show adopts "multiple personas of disaffected male youth" to explore themes of masculinity and morality. Info here.
Classified | Lion And Unicorn Theatre | 11-12 Oct
Three interlinking short plays, inspired by real-life situations of social exclusion and inequality, and looking at what might happen if class divisions are taken to extremes: "In today's world, Leanne, an impoverished single parent, is faced with a terrible choice if she wants to give her new baby a better chance. Sixty years from now, an unnamed couple contend with the brutal outcome of a rigidly stratified society; while Sarah, in the final play, is driven towards making her own drastic protest against the dystopian world in which she lives". Head this way for all the details.
THREE POST EDFRINGE RUNS>>
Tokyo Rose | New Diorama | 8-12 Oct (pictured)
Yes, they keep coming, those shows we saw or heard tell of in August 2019, wending their way down to London theatres, which is all very handy for Fringe fans who didn't make it up north this year, or who were there but, understandably, didn't make it along to everything. And here's the first, Burnt Lemon's acclaimed 'Tokyo Rose': "Iva Toguri is charged with treason in one of the most controversial trials in American history. Iva stands accused of being the notorious 'Tokyo Rose', a Japanese wartime disc jockey who broadcast Axis propaganda to the Allied forces in the Pacific. But was Iva the villain she was made out to be?" Info here.
Baby Reindeer | Bush Theatre | 9 Oct-9 Nov
"I looked at her, wanting her to laugh. Wanting her to share in the joke. But she didn't. She just stared. I knew then, in that moment - that she had taken it literally..." Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Richard Gadd's highly acclaimed debut play in which "what appears to be a trivial interaction has ramifications far wider than he could ever have imagined", and which explores obsession, delusion, and the aftermath of a chance encounter. I think most critics would advise you not to miss this if at all possible, so head this way to book some tickets.
The Good Scout | Above The Stag Theatre | 9 Oct-2 Nov
Another very well received show, a play from Glenn Chandler inspired by true wartime events: "In the 1930s, Baden-Powell and Von Ribbentrop, Hitler's ambassador, decreed that British boy scouts and Hitler Youth should learn from one another. In Bassington, England, the local troop play host to a cycling party of Hitlerjugend - but are the German boys cyclists or "spyclists"? For Will and Jacob, two Rover Scouts on the cusp of manhood, it is a visit that will change their lives forever". Info here.
THREE SHOWS AT CAMDEN PEOPLE'S THEATRE>>
Composed | Camden People's Theatre | 10-11 Oct (pictured)
Try not to miss this clever and well received show from performance artist, dramaturg and producer Rosa Postlethwaite: "'Composed' is an investigation into social conventions, contained fury and work. A high octane show dealing with apologetic addresses, revved-up entrepreneurial spiel and whether or not you are asking for it. Examining the relationship between a spokesperson and their institution, Rosa performs an in-house announcement, a thank-you to the sponsors, a warm-up act... Through subversive humour, 'Composed' interrogates theatre rituals, fantasy and institutional violence. And plays with what happens when the composition cracks". Info here.
Beta Public X | Camden People's Theatre | 8-9 Oct
Staying over there at Camden People's Theatre (for yes, verily, we can't stay away from the place this week, as you'll already have noted, having read the header of this section) we're hoping to stop by at the tenth - yes, the tenth - instalment of Beta Public, a curated night of video games and theatre. And this time, to celebrate reaching double figures, they're doing two whole nights instead of one. "For anyone curious about the cutting edge of performance and play!" And I am sure there are many of you. See this page here for details.
Off Season: Out Of Water - A Brazilian Pocket Musical | Camden People's Theatre | 14-18 Oct
This sounds interesting, a production of an award winning musical from South America, first performed a year or two ago. It's set in a small city in Brazil and tells the tale of Kid, a young boy who has apparently forgotten his own name, who teams up with a new friend - a fish called Mr Out Of Water, and sets out to find the sea. They embark on a journey and are helped along by a succession of traditional Brazilian characters, who help them overcome their fears and find new meaning in their lives. Find out more on the venue website here.
THREE SHOWS AT SOHO THEATRE>>
Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats | Soho Theatre | 8-19 Oct (pictured)
And yes, dammit, we are going to take up residence at another London venue this week too, and we are not remotely apologetic about it. Not least because there are some long standing TW favourites at work at the Soho Theatre this week, starting with the excellent Sh!t Theatre and this marvellous show, which we saw and utterly loved when we saw it in Edinburgh this summer just gone (so yes, it could have gone in the Edinburgh section too). Here's what our beyond-impressed reviewer said: "Sh!t Theatre knock back rum and weave together a show that has no right to be as funny as it is when such burning anger runs through its core. What a triumph this is". Book your tickets here.
Ari Eldjarn: Eagle Fire Iron | Soho Theatre | 7-12 Oct
Yes yes, this was on in Edinburgh too. Move on, nothing to see here. Except, well, yes, there is something to see here, cause Ari Eldjarn is really good. "With multiple accents, voices and a stubborn determination to translate Icelandic material into fluent English, 'Eagle Fire Iron' covers various topics including fatherhood, mindfulness, Icelandic weather, 'The Avengers' and what it's like to live in a country with a population the size of Coventry. Fast and friendly comedy". Head to the venue website here for more info and to sort your tickets.
Max & Ivan: Commitment | Soho Theatre | 14-19 Oct
And finally, on to another veteran Edinburgh act, the longstandingly excellent and award nominated Max and Ivan, as directed by the longstandingly excellent and award nominated Kieran Hodgson. "Commitment is the TRUE STORY of the unreasonable lengths one best man (Max) will go to give one groom (Ivan) the greatest weekend of his life. It's a show about dreaming big, growing up, and trying - but ultimately very much failing - to make it in the band". Brilliant, head this way for all the details.
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