One Touch Theatre

[Nocturnal Submission]

I'm off to the Gielgud this evening to see To Kill a Mockingbird, which I can see that EIM enjoyed last month.

[E10 Rifle]

We saw Standing At The Sky's Edge last night and loved it too. Both the music and the emotional response grows on you as it progresses (at the start the characters seem a bit standard-issue but they become ever more plausible). Brilliantly staged and sung as well, and cleverly tied together. I'll add to the recommendations.

[Nefertiti2]

Went to see Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead at the Barbican on Saturday, (Complicité daptation of the novel by Olga Tokarczuk)

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Just saw Abigail's Party at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. The play itself needs no introduction, I'm sure - probably one of the five or so best known British plays of the second half of last century. It was a very good production. Alison Steadman as Beverly in the TV adaptation is a hard act to follow, but the actress playing that role (Rebecca Birch) did a damn good job.

[Tony C]

Went to see ‘Ladies That Dig’ at Kendal Brewery last week, a comedy drama by local playwright Joyce Branagh although it’s touring nationally. It was a character driven piece about women who use an allotment for a variety of personal reasons including a love of solitude, a desire to have direct contact with nature and stress relief. Various sub plots focusing on homelessness, LGBTQ+ issues and women’s rights. All of which are important issues obviously, but they deserve a better platform than the writing here offered. The dialogue a little clunky the gags too weak. Rather like Billy Bragg’s work it’s heart is in the right place but you wouldn’t want to revisit it too often.

[WOM]

We saw a very good 'thing' last Saturday called The Land Acknowledgement. For the uninitiated, in Canada, public events are often begun with something like ""We acknowledge we are hosted on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Wendat. We also recognise the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples."

Obviously, it has become rote by now and people hear the words and...that's that.

So, First Nations performer Cliff Cardinal put on a play called "William Shakespeare's 'As You Like It'" and sold tickets. At the start of the show, he comes out and does the land acknowledgement to a room full of Shakespeare-expectant patrons. Instead, Cardinal does a 90-minute monologue about First Nations history, government hypocrisy, Catholic Church paedophilia, residential schools, reparations, etc. It's brilliant. It's funny. It's really uncomfortable at times.

Nobody got the Shakespeare they came to see. It was a master-stroke of bait and switch.

Anyway, it's on its second run now and is now called "The Land Acknowledgement or As You Like It" due to the obviously high number of grumpy patrons demanding refunds. It's definitely must-see.

[hobbes]

Saw "The Play That Goes Wrong" at the weekend.
I'm not much of a fan of slapstick so my enjoyment was limited to a few excellent set pieces that veered into the surreal.
But the cub absolutely loved it. He roared with laughter and incredulity all the way through.

[WOM]

Saw "The Play That Goes Wrong" at the weekend.

Yeah, we saw that and left at half time. Just painful slapstick. We sort of ended up hating the people in front of us who roared at *everything*.

[Benjm]

I'm going to see Sheridan Smith in Shirley Valentine this afternoon. I have never seen the film, while having a strong idea of what it is about, so will be interested to see how it measures against that preconception. I was only keen enough to spring for a £10 ticket at the back of the top balcony so partly going out of curiosity to see how bad that can be. The last time I saw SS on stage was in Hedda Gabler, so a happier ending doesn't seem an unreasonable hope.

[Benjm]

That was brilliant.

[Gangster Octopus]

We saw Shirley Valentine with Hannah Gordon doing it as a Glaswegian. How did Smith do it, as it was originally written for a Liverpudlian?

Oh, and a friend of mine was opposite her in Hedda Gabler. I didn't go as I no longer need depressing evenings...

[Benjm]

How did Smith do it, as it was originally written for a Liverpudlian?

She went for a Liverpool accent. It sounded alright to me, although I'm not an expert.

Which team was the butt of the - Spoiler Alert - Liverpool fan joke in the Glaswegian version?

[Nefertiti2]

Went to see Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead at the Barbican on Saturday, (Complicité daptation of the novel by Olga Tokarczuk)

Completely sold out in london but on tour to
Nottingham Playhouse
4 - 8 April
Tickets on sale here

Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
19 - 22 April
Tickets on sale here

The Lowry, Salford
25 - 29 April
Tickets on sale here

Don't miss it.if you can

[Gangster Octopus]

Which team was the butt of the - Spoiler Alert - Liverpool fan joke in the Glaswegian version?

You're asking me to remember a throw-away joke from something that I saw probably thirty years ago? Not a Scooby.

[Benjm]

Went to see Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead at the Barbican on Saturday, (Complicité daptation of the novel by Olga Tokarczuk)

A few returns for the remaining performances at the Barbican came up on the website but I'm going to see Phaedra at the National on Saturday and three plays in four days would test my stamina, unfortunately.

[via vicaria]

Saw Titus Andronicus at the Globe (the Sam Wanamaker bit of it), partly driven by curiosity as 1) I've not seen this play before and 2) I've never been in the Sam Wanamaker bit of the Globe. Had wondered whether they'd make many changes (beyond making it an all-female production, which was all I knew of the adaptation going in) - they managed to work in a surprising amount of levity and humour (actually funny humour as well), and there were a couple of songs bookending the performance which worked better than they had any right to.

Overall a very fun night was had (and I really liked the space as well - though would probably pick seats at the back of the gallery next time, as sitting on what is effectively a bench with no back for 3 odd hours tested my bones)

[Gangster Octopus]

Glad to spot that you're back.

[The Mighty Trin]

I got dragged suited and booted to the Olivier Awards last night. Sheffield's finest Richard Hawley was both unnecessarily sweary and also tiresome when he said multiple times that he 'didn't belong here' (the only good thing that he did was pay tribute to Steve Mackey), but apart from that it was enjoyable as far as these events go. I'd have rather been at home watching Newcastle v Man Utd and I've no desire to go to another one of these, but my better half loved it.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Today is the third of six plays we're taking my daughter to at Greenwich Theatre over the Easter holidays.

We took out a family membership for £100 which gives us half price tickets plus some free ones, we've already theoretically made a profit from this and we've still got the rest of the year to go.

[Femme Folle]

I'm having trouble posting on here. I'll try again (probably end up with four of five of these posts).

My friend Wayne Kirkpatrick's musical is in previews now in the West End. Please go see if it you can.

It's called Mrs. Doubtfire and it's at the Shaftsbury from 12 May.

https://www.mrsdoubtfiremusical.co.uk/

[Nefertiti2]

Went to see NIcholas Hytner's production of Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre

Loved it.

[WOM]

Our subscription series kicked off last night (feels early) with Hadestown. Fucking wonderful. Loved it all...music....set...acting....the works.

I have confusingly mixed feelings about "it's a retelling of Greek myth / bible story / Shakespeare story of..." scenarios, but - like O Brother Where Art Thou? - this just works.

L had to explain it to me in the car on the way home, but that's just me. Recommended.

[Jon]

Love the original album (written before it became a full blown musical) but I think it's only toured over in the UK once and I think it only went to London.

I enjoyed two plays at the Birmingham rep recently, both adaptations of books, which seem to be all the rage recently - the beekeeper of Aleppo and noughts and crosses.

[Levin]

I saw The Accidental Death of an Anarchist the other week. It was decent to good, but perhaps the actor playing the maniac missed a bit of stagecraft.

Thinking about it more, I think the adaptation was a bit too keen on breaking the fourth wall and also too focussed on making it relevant to 2020s London. My partner also said she feels weird when white actors are lecturing audiences on how tough black people have it, especially when they point it out.

I wanted to see it because I really like Jeremy Hardy's radio play version with Ade Edmondson as the Maniac.

[E10 Rifle]

It will make you angry and upset, but I would recommend London-based OTFers grab a chance to see Grenfell: In The Words of Survivors at the NT if you can. Based on interviews with survivors and excerpts from the inquiry, it pulls you in and - literally - makes you an activist part of the story, as the actors lead us outside to a memorial display at the end. Go and see.