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We Live In Time

  When: 18th January 2025 Where: Cinema Writer: Nick Payne Director: John Crowley (Spoilers ahead) We Live In Time relies on its actors and Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are perfectly cast. Not only do they interpret the script beautifully, but they bring their own personalities to the characters, making them detailed and nuanced. Nick Payne's script is wonderfully crafted, it shows such clear understanding and a close reading of what it means to be human. By allowing the actors to interpret it in their own ways, and I suspect improvise around it, the characters are given a texture and depth which is often lacking from film characters.  One of the most notable elements of this film is its portrayal of time. Time is what the film is all about, it's in the title, yet what may surprise many people is its non-linear portrayal of time, the film takes place in disjointed time. Disjointed time is not something new to Payne, in his play Constellations the characters similarly ...
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Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

  When: 12th December 2024 / 1st January 2025 Where: Almeida Theatre, London Writer: Tennessee Williams Director: Rebecca Frecknall I have now been fortunate enough to see this production twice. Being able to see it both in previews and deeper into its run, it was great to see how things have changed new pieces of direction and development in the actors understanding and performance.  Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is, as you would expect from Tennessee Williams, masterfully written, revolving around the relationships between its characters, and finding drama in the tensions between them and the similarities in their flaws. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Kingsley Ben-Adir are the famous names in this cast, and unlike many productions that cast predominantly screen-famous actors they both feel well cast in their roles. Edgar-Jones captures Maggie's catty nature beautifully, in her Act 1 monologue she possesses just the right energy, understanding how to keep such a long and ranting speech captiv...
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Moulin Rouge: The Musical

  When: 10th October (Matinee) Where: Piccadilly Theatre, London Writer: John Logan Director: Alex Timbers Moulin Rouge is one of my favourite films, and whilst I was excited to see it transferred onto the stage there was also a lot at stake. Adapting a fan-favourite can come with a lot of backlash, and while yes, there are changes in this production that I found confusing and frustrating, overall I really enjoyed watching it.  I think the biggest way in which this production of Moulin Rouge gets around backlash and anger from movie lovers is through the ways that it harnesses the techniques of theatre that are not present in film. It allows audiences to experience the story in a new way and makes it feel less like its trying to recreate and more like its trying to build on what the film started. It proves this in a number of ways but most notably through its use of immersive experience. From the moment you step into the theatre you can tell that this is about the experien...
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The Real Thing

  When: 5th October (Matinee) Where: The Old Vic, London Writer: Tom Stoppard Director: Max Webster Immediately after leaving the theatre I thought this was a good solid play, but nothing much of note. Yet, a day later thinking back on it there's something interesting in the artistry of this production. It's a beautifully crafted play written by Tom Stoppard and I think this specific production brings that effortlessly into the contemporary through its use of set and the included characters of the stagehands.  The play itself written by Tom Stoppard is the beating heart of this play. Whilst that could be said for most productions as it's the story and the words that bring something to the stage in the first place, more so than many the actors are simply hanging off the text, it is the craft of the play and the precision of Stoppard's story that make this play something worth watching. Initially it didn't fully engage me, I found it a little confusing and whilst I...
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ECHO (Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen)

  When: 19th July 2024  Where: The Royal Court Theatre, London Writer: Nassim Soleimanpour Director: Omar Elerian This production was unlike anything I have seen before. It is an experience not just for the audience but for the actors that take to the stage each night.  Soleimanpour's play is performed as a cold-read, unrehearsed with a different actor taking on the role each night, unaware of what is going to be asked of them. On our night Rebecca Lucy Taylor took on the role of the actor. Taylor is relatively new to acting and whilst I think many audience members will choose to see actors such as Fiona Shaw or Adrian Lester who are trained or have years of experience, I personally think Taylor's lack of training made the production even more raw and moving. Without this training Taylor fully allows herself to take the soul of the story onboard reacting genuinely and in real time, not trying in any way to perform. As an audience it felt as if we were going on the journe...
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Spirited Away

  When: 10th July 2024 (Matinee) Where: London Coliseum, London Writer: John Caird and Maoko Imai (After Hayao Miyazaki) Director: John Caird After seeing the RSC's stunning production of My Neighbour Totoro this production of Spirited Away had a lot to live up to, and it managed it beautifully. This production of Spirited Away is a perfect adaptation of the film, holding onto its joy and excitement transporting us into the world of the bathhouse.  In it's approach to adaption Spirited Away feels similar to My Neighbour Totoro, using Puppetry and practical sets to bring the magical world of Miyazaki's award winning film to life. Not only are the puppets beautifully crafted, but the performers puppeteering them expertly give them life. Each character looks, moves and acts in their own specific way, so whilst we may never hear them speak they are all individual and understandable. With more complex puppets again this production took a practical approach using its ensemble...
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Passing Strange

  When: 5th July 2024 Where: Young Vic, London Writer: Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald Director: Liesl Thomas  The first thing that stands out about Passing Strange is the performers, every single one of them from the band to the ensemble to the narrator were phenomenal. The casting of Giles Terera as the narrator is perfect, his charisma from the moment he steps on stage is electric. The style of the production is very chatty, ignoring any existence of a fourth wall and bringing its audience along for the ride and Terera plays a brilliant leader for this. Similarly the way in which the ensemble move into and out of the stage space and for that matter the auditorium feels as though the characters of the story are infiltrating the audiences space rather than the audience simply being onlookers. Through this the ensembles range is also tested, at points it feels experimentalist, perhaps verging on University drama with the mad over exaggerated characters and playing with ster...
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