Comedy Theatre ThisWeek In London

Threes To See 4-10 Jun: Starting This Week, BLM Themes, Funny Things, Short Runs

By | Published on Friday 31 May 2019

THREE SHOWS STARTING THIS WEEK

While The Sun Shines | Orange Tree Theatre | 7 Jun-27 Jul
“On the eve of his wedding, the young Earl of Harpenden – Bobby to his friends – has offered his room to Joe, an American soldier he drunkenly met the night before. When Bobby’s fiancée Lady Elizabeth turns up, Joe makes a move, thinking she must be Bobby’s ex, the wonderful Mabel Crum. But a Free French lieutenant also has eyes for her…” I love a bit of Rattigan, me, so this revival – the first in decades – is definitely going on my list. See this page here for more.

Afterglow | Southwark Playhouse | 5 Jun-20 Jul
A UK premiere of a play that’s been a hit off Broadway, so you might have heard of it. It’s described as steamy and I think there might be nudity, so, you know, fair warning to you blushers out there. “Josh and Alex are a married couple in an open relationship. But after young Darius shares their bed for a night, a new intimate connection begins to form, and all three men must come head to head with one another’s notions of love, intimacy, and commitment.” Head this way for details.

Kill Climate Deniers | Pleasance Theatre | 4-28 Jun (pictured)
Now, obviously I am not suggesting you kill anyone, but I do think you might want to see this acclaimed and award winning play which premiered in Australia last year, and boasts a cast featuring TW faves Felicity Ward and Bec Hill. It’s a satirical piece in which an environment minister’s plan for stopping climate change is “rudely interrupted when a group of eco-terrorists storm Australia’s Parliament House during a Fleetwood Mac concert”. Info right about here.


THREE WITH BLM THEMES

Custody | Ovalhouse | 5-22 Jun
We first recommended this show back in 2017 – and also interviewed one of the people who worked on it, see the Q&A right about here – and now it’s back at Ovalhouse for another run, which is brilliant. It’s a heart-rending piece dealing with the issue of young black men dying in police custody and the impact on their families, and is inspired by creator Urban Wolf’s own experiences with the police. See the venue website here for more.

The Fear | The Bunker Theatre | 5-8 Jun (pictured)
This one is a world premiere from award-winning playwright Roy Williams, which focuses on “police violence, inequality and why black lives matter”, and tells the story, over three decades of Michelle, who experiences a brutal attack, and subsequently attempts to rebuild her life. Directed by the very much up and coming Lekan Lawal, see this page here for more.

Woke | Battersea Arts Centre | 10-22 Jun
“Two women. 42 years apart. An on-going struggle for civil rights. Travel to the 1970s where unforeseen events have unexpected consequences for Black Panther Assata Shakur. Fast-forward to 2014, where Ambrosia is enrolling in college as the Ferguson riots begin. As they both challenge the American justice system, they become criminalized through political activism and ultimately face the same choice: fight or flee?” The excellent Apphia Campbell, who we first came across through her one woman show ‘Black Is The Colour Of My Voice’ – brings this acclaimed and award winning follow up to BAC. See this page here for info.


THREE FUNNY THINGS

Cuttings | The Hope Theatre | 4-22 Jun (pictured)
“YouTuber turned actor Arthur Moses wins an Olivier Award, and moments later goes on to drunkenly deliver the most offensive, outrageous and profanity laden speech in the ceremony’s history. His publicists Gracelyn, Ruchi and Danica have quite a morning ahead of them.” A satirical piece about “public perceptions, fandom & fame and what it means to be ‘sorry’ in the 21st Century” from Ollie George Clark. “There’s actually no such a thing as good publicity, there’s just planned and unplanned, and this is very much the latter.” Details here.

The Bald Primadonna | Drayton Arms Theatre | 4-8 Jun
“In a London suburb, typically English Mr and Mrs Smith have their typically English evening disturbed by the arrival of the Martins and the Fire Chief.. Will Mr and Mrs Martin remember if they have ever met each other? Will the Fire Chief find a fire to put out? Is Mary the maid really a famous detective? And is there always someone there when the doorbell rings…?” A staging of the excellent Eugene Ionesco’s darkly comical absurdist 1950 play, head this way for all the details.

Laura Doe’s Vaudeville Of The Vulva | The Bread & Roses Theatre | 4-8 Jun
I feel pretty convinced people generally don’t know enough about female biology, so I am very happy to recommend this fun sounding look at all things vulva. “Ever confused a Volvo with a vulva? A G-string with a G-spot? A missionary with a position? Dripping with tongue-in-cheek humour, award-winning sex geek Laura-Doe’s canny characters and unusually vocal velvet vulvae illuminate and entertain on the fertile topic of female genitalia.Taking the baton from the Vagina Monologues, Vaudeville of the Vulva leads us, giggling and squealing, to a deeper appreciation of this much-maligned body part.” Details here.


THREE SHORT RUNS

Live Before You Die | Battersea Arts Centre | 7-8 Jun (pictured)
“What do you do when you have a best mate who is so sad he might die? Especially considering up until now your friendship has mostly consisted of a mutual appreciation of 90s hip hop, borderline alcoholism and finding creative ways to call each other a dickhead. Byron is a bipolar performance artist, Dave only communicates in insults. Together they must find a way to fix Byron’s broken soul before it’s too late.” This one’s definitely on my list – promises to be a story of friendship that is “Funny, tragic and shockingly honest”. See the venue website here for info.

Impact | Waterloo East Theatre | 6 Jun
One night only for this edfringe success, so don’t miss it: “Neil Gwynne plays four men who were there on the day when many lives were changed forever. A crash of such proportions that it made national headlines, cannot help but affect the lives of all of those that witnessed it. But what if your life was a difficult one before this event? Does such a public tragedy help you overcome your troubles? Or make them worse? Or, ultimately, make no change to it whatsoever?” Find out more right about here.

The Bear Pack | Soho Theatre | 5-8 Jun
And finally, for today, we end with one of my favourites types of show, and from a fabulously talented and award winning duo: yes, it’s improv – long form improv, to be precise – from the excellent pairing of Steen Raskopoulos and Carlo Ritchie. Given their reputation, and the strings of sold out appearances behind them, I’d imagine that tickets are moving pretty quickly , so don’t delay booking yours, head right this way, stat.



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