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Three To See 19-25 Nov: Runs Starting This Week, Longer Runs, Short Runs, Theatrical Shows and Comedy Shows That Were On At The Fringe

By | Published on Friday 15 November 2019

THREE RUNS STARTING THIS WEEK

Thread | The Hope Theatre | 19 Nov-7 Dec
“Vivian is on the verge of a career defining achievement when a shattering sexual allegation about her famous father, Peter, now suffering with Alzheimer’s disease, threatens to be revealed. Her social media conscious younger sister Margo, is desperate for the truth but, as family secrets slowly begin to reveal themselves, Vivian finds herself caught between loyalty to her family and the new world of #metoo; a world she should be a part of”. There have been quite a few plays with a #metoo backdrop of late, and they always pique my interest. See this page here for more.

e-Baby | Jack Studio | 19-30 Nov (pictured)
A UK premiere for Australian Jane Cafarella’s 2015 play about surrogacy: “Catherine, an Australian expat living in London, has everything – a husband and an international life. Everything except a child. In a last desperate attempt to fulfil her dream of motherhood, she hires Nellie, a mother of two and first-time surrogate, living in the surrogacy state of Massachusetts in the USA. Together they embark on a journey that creates and changes lives”. See the venue website here for all the info.

Nor Woman Neither | Tristan Bates Theatre | 25 Nov-14 Dec
A piece from Ingrid Schiller and Verity Kirk that promises to be a biting dark comedy. “As a girl she dreams, as a woman she screams. In a world burdened with the pressure of success, how far would you go to get what you want? Meet Laura, an actress: failing but failing confidently whilst drowning in a torrent of love, lust and ambition. Faced with a life-changing dilemma, Laura rollercoasters through her torrid past in deciding what to do”. Details right about here.


THREE LONGER RUNS STARTING THIS WEEK

The Arrival | Bush Theatre | 21 Nov-18 Jan (pictured)
This sounds intriguing, written and directed by Olivier Award-winning director Bijan Sheibani: “When Tom and Samad meet for the first time, they are stunned by the similarities they share. In spite of Tom’s adoption and all the years spent apart, the two brothers are joined by an undeniable biological bond. But as they become closer and their lives entangle, they realise that finding each other comes at a price”. For more information, see the venue website here.

Candida | Orange Tree Theatre | 22 Nov-11 Jan
“Eugene believes in love, free-thinking and liberation: James in social justice for all and conventional married life for himself. Candida believes in her own strength and her right to run her life as she wants. A young man with the soul of a poet clashes with a popular Socialist preacher and threatens his domestic happiness. Only Candida can decide who is the stronger – and who’s to be the winner”. Yay, a revival of George Bernard Shaw’s much loved 1894 comedy, see this page here for all the details.

Hunger | Arcola Theatre | 20 Nov-21 Dec
A new adaptation from Amanda Lomas of the semi-autobiographical 1890 novel of the same name by Knut Hamsun. It certainly feels like the themes are still as relevant as ever. “A young man moves to the big city with dreams of becoming a writer. But in this unforgiving metropolis, friends are scarce and jobs are even scarcer. Once hunger rocks the core of his reality, how can his youthful spirit – and his sanity – survive?” More here.


THREE SHORT RUNS

My White Best Friend | The Bunker Theatre | 25-30 Nov
“Could you put your white best friend on stage and remind them that they’re part of the problem? Even if you love them? Even if you never want anyone to feel for even a moment how you feel living in this world everyday?” Different letters, created by writers such as Zia Ahmed, Iman Qureshi, Somalia Seaton and Fatimah Ashgar, performed by actors who have not seen their material before stepping on stage. Promises to be provocative and important stuff. See this page here for more.

Hamlet (An Experience) | The Hope Theatre | 24-25 Nov
Not your average ‘Hamlet’, this, and should appeal to those of you who enjoy a more active theatrical experience. In this adaptation, directed by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir, Emily Carding plays Hamlet but the audience are the players arriving at Elsinore: the sweet prince needs your help, so you’re going to be his friends and family and help him in his journey. “Hamlet has the questions. Do you have the answers?” See the venue website here for all the info.

The Showstoppers’ Christmas Kids’ Show | Christmas In Leicester Square | 23 Nov-1 Dec (pictured)
You’re probably all more than aware of the brilliantly brilliant Showstoppers, especially those of you who have been hanging around at that there Edinburgh Fringe in recent years. Or, you might never go to Edinburgh, and are aware of them because you’ve seen them at work in the capital. Anyone who doesn’t know: they are award winning musical theatre improvisers, and look, here’s a lovely Christmassy show intended for your increasingly-looking-forward-to-Christmas kids. Yes, It’s only November but, as you all know, November is the new week-before-Christmas. Details here.


THREE THEATRICAL SHOWS THAT WERE ON AT THE FRINGE

A Womb Of One’s Own | Pleasance Theatre | 19-23 Nov (pictured)
Yes yes yes, roll up, roll up to ThisWeek London for not one, but two whole tip sections dedicated to shows that were on at the old edfringe in recent times. We start with a trio of theatrical treats beginning with this, a play with a time honoured theme that won lots of praise in 2019 for its funny and “politically challenging” exploration of self and sexual discovery, and the experience of unwanted pregnancy. “Babygirl is 18 and has just discovered sex, despite her Catholic upbringing. Just when her university life of drinking, partying and bisexual excitement begins, she discovers she’s up the duff”. See the venue website here for more.

Tumours | Soho Theatre | 19 Nov
“Jay is 27. For one more day. And she reckons she’s about to die. It’s not all that rational, but whoever let that get in the way of a premature death fantasy?” Another show that we heard good things about up in the Scottish capital, a northern dark comedy written and performed by Ashleigh Laurence, which explores “ themes of femininity, the infamous 27 Club and the importance of decent role models in a young person’s life (and what can happen without them)”. Click here for all the details.

How To Save A Life | Soho Theatre | 20 Nov
Aaaaand we are staying at the Soho Theatre for another choice (there are loads of post-Ed shows there coming up) and while the last one was about fantasies about serious illness, this one is about actual serious illness. “Melissa wakes up after collapsing at her Cancer party…yes cancer party.
And she can’t tell you if she’s dead or alive but she can tell you the story of her life. Join Melissa in this hilarious and heart wrenching story of one woman, one party and a cancer diagnosis”. Info here.


THREE COMEDY SHOWS THAT WERE ON AT THE FRINGE

Connie Wookey: Denied | Soho Theatre | 21 Nov (pictured)
Ok, now let’s move on to some comedy, though we are staying at the Soho Theatre for this and the next tip. First up, we have Connie Wookey, who delighted our reviewer with this show when she covered it for us at the most recent Fringe Festival. Expect musical parody, storytelling and comedy, excellently formed, and a very feel-good show, despite its rather gloomy starting point: “In February my cousin died in a plane crash. I flew to the funeral and my plane stopped working mid-flight. Good… This is a true story”. Details here.

Goodbear: Dougal | Soho Theatre | 21-30 Nov, 3-4 Jan, 27-29 Jan
We’ve been following and loving the work of Goodbear for quite a while now, so it was no surprise that a) this summer they were nominated for the big Edinburgh comedy award and b) the writer we sent along to ‘Dougal’ this summer absolutely loved the show and gave it a resounding 5/5, using words and phrases to describe it like “superb”, “sublime”, “delightful” and “immense flair and skill”. They’re doing quite a few dates, but I bet tickets are selling quickly, so come on, click on this link now and bag yours.

Izzy Mant: Polite Club | The Bill Murray | 20 Nov
“They say it’s always the quiet ones, and that would certainly be true for Izzy Mant. Her show tackles her very British ‘politeness’, and she has the audience in the palm of her hands throughout”, wrote our charmed reviewer on seeing ‘Polite Club’ this summer, concluding: “Mant conquers her politeness addiction in this enjoyable combination of comedy and storytelling, with a surprise ending I certainly didn’t see coming”. So, what are you waiting for? Head this way to find out more.



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