I was really intrigued when I heard about 'Liminal', an operatic show at King's Head Theatre, developed and directed by a long term TW favourite, Le Gateau Chocolat.
Each night features a specially curated song cycle, and there's a rotating cast of performers that includes Robert Barbaro and Honey Rouhani, Grace Nyandoro, CN Lester, and Dan D'Souza.
I really wanted to understand the form of the show, and what audiences can expect to experience, so I spoke to Dan D'Souza to find out more.
CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.
'Liminal' is on at King's Head Theatre until 23 Oct. For more information and to book tickets, see the venue website here.
RÓISÍN MCBRINN: TYPICAL GIRLS
Regular readers will know that we're big fans of Clean Break, the theatre company that works with women in prison, and stages shows that focus on the topic of jailed women, not least because we ran a very informative interview in the summer about their forty year anniversary exhibition.
The company is currently staging a production of Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's 'Typical Girls' at The Crucible in Sheffield, and - on 6 Oct - the show will be livestreamed for audiences to watch online.
To find out more, I arranged a quick chat with director Róisín McBrinn.
CLICK HERE to read this Caro Meets interview.
'Typical Girls' is on at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield until 16 Oct, and the show will be livestreamed on 6 Oct to watch online. Click here for the live shows, and here for the livestream.
THREE FESTIVAL THINGS>>
Anita Luna - The Diva | Clapham Fringe at Bread and Roses Theatre | 9-10 Oct
"The DIVA with super powers really loves you, London! The Pop Gladiator is crazier and funnier than ever. She can still do everything: act, sing, dance, do acrobatics, move objects using solely the power of her mind. She still wears her glamorous dresses but at the same time, she loves her tomboy trousers". An acclaimed show - and one that I think I would like to call eccentric - which offers a mixture of "theatre, clown, dance, singing, tragicomedy". And of course it's on at Clapham Fringe, which is wending its way towards its end this week. See here for Anita Luna and here for all the festival's listings.
REZON8 Live | The Albany | 8 Oct
REZON8 is a youth record label directed by sound engineer Kamzz in partnership with The Albany and Alchemy at Goldsmiths University, and it supports promising young music creators, offering them studio time, industry knowledge and guidance. This event is taking place as part of The Albany's Festival Of Radical Care and will feature a number of performances from different REZON8 artists - whose work falls into genres ranging from drill and grime to R&B - as well as showings of videos and a documentary. For more information see this page here.
10 Reasons Why | Arcola Theatre | 8-9 Oct (pictured)
This one's part of Arcola's ongoing, long-lasting festival of outdoor art and performance Today I'm Wiser, and it's a fab sounding piece from Nicole Botha. "What if the people of London got the voice they deserve? We arrive on an estate to hear messages from the people that call it home. Ten letters from the community of London that aren't usually listened to transformed into ten poetic stories. A cycle based on real letters. Letters asking for change. Letters that tell the stories of the people who make this city what it is. Spoken word and baselines fuse together and echo across the stage. A night of insight into ten lives". Read more here.
THREE ONLINE THINGS>>
Timeless | The Space | 5-9 Oct (pictured)
Londoners who would rather see this show in-person can do so, this being an in-person show which will be livestreamed for one of its performances. I love the fact that The Space are doing this with their shows at the moment. Anyway, let's talk about this particular production, which has a really interesting narrative inspired by a true story: "If you can't trust your memory what can you trust? Martin has a problem, he can't make new memories. Since he went to the dentist thirteen years ago, every morning when he wakes up, it's 2008. He's a London cabbie with The Knowledge, but he can't remember yesterday". Head this way to find out more.
Paul Robeson's Love Song | online | 9-10 Oct
"While clearing out their late mother's belongings in August 2020, two siblings discover a package containing a record, suggesting a possible romantic link between their grandmother and Paul Robeson, dating back to 1949. As they watch coverage of protests at the latest police shooting happening down the road from them, they recall their mother telling them of protests at a Robeson concert outside Peekskill NY in 1949. They realise that, as a child, she had witnessed the best and the worst of their country in violent conflict in the same way as was unfolding now in Kenosha, Wisconsin". You may well already have seen this - or be aware of it - not least because we have tipped it a few times before, and its creator Tayo Aluko should be well known to our readership. Anyway, it's great to hear that Aluko is doing two upcoming digitally delivered performances. Book here.
Marvin's Binoculars | Unicorn Theatre | until 31 Oct
Something online for the children now, which may well come in handy on the inevitable rainy days this month, and it's the return of Justin Audibert's 'Marvin's Binoculars', which is back for Black History Month. It's all about a boy who loves to explore the parks near his London home, finding animals and insects and birds. One day, though, he loses his binoculars - a ninth birthday present - and to retrieve them he must face the scary park warden. The show engages with a story of friendship and wildlife, touches on themes of racial prejudice, and will, hopefully, encourage children to explore their local green spaces for themselves. See this page here for info and to watch.
THREE THEATRICAL THINGS>>
A Place For We | Park Theatre | 7 Oct-6 Nov (pictured)
And now for some in-person theatricals in the London area, and firstly we're headed to the Park Theatre for 'A Place For We', a bittersweet comedy from Archie Maddocks. "A pub. A funeral parlour. An urban-zen enoteca and conscious eatery. One building in Brixton tells the story of London's changing communities over three very different generations. Trinidadian funeral director Clarence and fifth generation pub owner George don't want things to change. But everything around them is changing. Do they adapt to survive? Or stay true to their roots and risk it all... family, tradition, business?" For more information and to book, see this page here.
Before An Inspector Calls | Chiswick Playhouse | 7-9 Oct
When I read 'An Inspector Calls' in my mid-teens, I really, really loved it, so of course this jumped out at me when I saw it. It's a show that builds on Priestly's original piece, further exploring the show from the perspective of the tragic Eva Smith, around whose suicide the play is wrought. This show sees the inspector arriving at the scene of a suicide and then commencing an investigation, and the voice of Eva Smith - who may or may not actually exist - being expressed through words left behind in a journal. I think you'll agree that it sounds like an interesting exploration. For more information, see the venue website here.
Rat King | The Hope Theatre | 5-9 Oct
"Kelly wants change. School is boring and the medication she takes looks like tic tacs and tastes like crap. The more her parents worry, the more suffocated she feels living under their roof. The world is a big place that she's desperate to explore, so she's preparing to run away. Jack is living on the streets, life's hard for a homeless youth like him, but he's surviving. As Kelly takes her first steps towards freedom she lands herself in trouble. Jacko comes to her rescue and they are catapulted into a journey that will change their lives forever". A Bruntwood Prize longlisted drama from Bram Davidovich about homelessness, love, and overcoming demons. See this page here for more.
THREE CHILDREN'S SHOWS>>
We Three | Half Moon Theatre | 8-9 Oct (pictured)
Yay, shows for kids, who, as aforementioned, may well need an indoor distraction this autumn, and we begin over at the Half Moon Theatre with 'We Three', which is for a younger age group, specifically those three to five, and is about the pleasures, perils and pitfalls of friendship. "For a long time it had just been the two of them. Life was good, mostly. The sun shone, the flowers bloomed and the birds sang. There were ups and downs with squabbling and sulking, then making up and giggling, plus, of course, soaking wet rain! Then one day, unexpectedly, someone else came along. Now there were three of them. And everything changed". Click here.
The Bed | Little Angel Theatre | 8-31 Oct
"Curl up and get comfy for a bedtime story like no other. Let us take you on a journey sprinkled with fantasy and escapism, where you will meet elephants, macaws and parakeets. Venture underwater, to the North Pole and even outer space without ever leaving the comfort of your own bed. Beds come in all shapes and sizes, from cots to king-sized, and some you might never have heard of before - see if you can discover them all along the way". Sylvia Plath's poem, written for her own children, is the basis for this, which is in fact available in two 'editions' - there's a version of the show for toddlers (aged eighteen months to three years) and a version for babies (aged six to eighteen months). Click here for toddlers and here for babies.
Meet Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking | ArtsDepot | 10 Oct
This is something we saw at the 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and we can confirm that the host of this storytelling show, Sofie Miller, is a confident and engaging storyteller, and of course has great resources from the work of Astrid Lindgren to work with. "Nine-year-old Pippi is strong, brave and fearless. When she comes to live in her new home with her monkey and horse, but with no parents and no rules, she brings mischief, chaos and confusion to the folk of this ordinary and traditional town". Get your tickets sorted quickly, though, it looks as though they are slipping away fast. Hie you hence.
THREE MORE INTERESTING EVENTS>>
Roots | Wilton's Music Hall | 5-30 Oct
"What tales to tell in such strange times? Sitting on a shelf in the British Library is an unassuming red book. 'The Aarne Index' has categorised thousands of folktales, offering a glimpse into the imaginations of pre-industrialised people". 'Roots' from production company 1927 is "a medley of these rarely-told stories, an anthology of ancient folk tales by anonymous authors. Tales of tyrannical ogres, magic bird's hearts and very, very fat cats are brought to life with 1927's signature fusion of handcrafted animation and storytelling". As someone who is a big fan of folky stuff, I could not be more interested in seeing this fab show with its brilliant live score. Bet you are tempted, too. Head this way to book tickets.
We Are As Gods | Battersea Arts Centre | 6-10 Oct
This is another show that's selling out fast, so you'd better get your skates on if you want to get a ticket. It's an immersive experience with an "electric club atmosphere", which features recorded text by British-Egyptian poet Sabrina Mahfouz. Audiences will explore a range of rooms, rooftops and secret stairways, choosing their own path through these spaces, each hosting different dance performances. It culminates in an after-party in the venue's Grand Hall hosted by acclaimed DJ and rapper Gaika. Head this way for more.
Njambi McGrath: Accidental Coconut | Soho Theatre | 4-9 Oct
This show is in the comedy listings, despite the rather serious sounding blurb, but it's what I'd expect from the excellent Njambi McGrath, who is very good at dealing with heavy issues whilst also generating laughs. "Brexit seems inescapable as the British stand at the crossroads of self-identity and nostalgia of a bygone era of an empire. This show is a juxtaposition of loss of a people from opposing sides. Those mourning from loss of former glory and those mourning how that former glory impacted on their lives ripping apart their innocence. In the era when the British people are re-examining who they are as a people, and in relation to the rest of the world, Njambi scrutinises her own story; from the other side of the empire". Book here.
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