THURSDAY 8 JANUARY 2015
ELLA CARMEN GREENHILL: MADE IN BRITAIN
This week at the Old Red Lion Theatre sees the staging of 'Made In Britain', a two hander dealing with the political disillusionment of today's youth, penned by talented up and coming stage and television writer Ella Carmen Greenhill, an alumni of the Royal Court Studio Writers' Group who has previously worked with both the Liverpool Everyman and Paines Plough in collaboration with Channel 4.

With an election around the corner, it seems like a good time to produce a piece dealing with the frustration and anger of those who feel they've been let down by successive governments. I sent some questions over to Ella, to find out more about her work, and specifically about 'Made In Britain'. You can read the interview here.

'Made In Britain' is on at Old Red Lion until 11 Jan, see the venue website here for more info and tickets.



ROBERT GILLESPIE: SHAW'S WOMEN
Robert Gillespie is something of a familiar TV face, thanks to his myriad small screen appearances, most notably in sitcoms such as 'Keep It In The Family', though of course, like many actors successful on the small screen, he's had a rich theatrical career too, as an actor, director, and writer.

His latest work is in the directing department. 'Shaw's Women', playing at Tristan Bates Theatre throughout this month, is a double bill of two of George Bernard Shaw's short plays, linked by the theme of marriage. I sent some questions over to Robert, to find out more about his career, his theatre company, and his current production. You can read the interview here.

'Shaw's Women' is on at Tristan Bates Theatre until 31 Jan. See this page here for more info and tickets.
FRIDAY 9 JANUARY 2015>>
COMEDY: The Alternative Comedy Night w/ Carl Donnelly + Matt Winning + Phil Wang | Rich Mix Studios | 9 Jan
Laid-back conversationalist Carl Donnelly splits a distinctly alternative live comedy bill with imaginative improv man Matt Winning, straight-faced comic Phil Wang, and Vanessa Feltz's least-liked entertainer, Rob Auton. Details and tickets here.

DANCE: Bournonville Celebration | Peacock Theatre | 9-10 Jan
The principals and soloists of Royal Danish Ballet take a rare trip to the capital with this pristine and ultra-classical mixed bill from acclaimed nineteenth century choreographer August Bournonville, which features 'La Sylphide', 'Napoli', 'A Folktale', and 'Conservatory'. Details and tickets here.

FILM: London Short Film Festival | various locations | 9-18 Jan (pictured)
As confrontational as it is creative, the LSFF is back again with a far-from short list of programmes, carrying titles like 'Femmes Fantastiques', 'Gothic!', 'Surreal Worlds' and 'Boyhood' (no, not that 'Boyhood'). First up, after a drinks 'do' at the ICA that is, it's LOL-a-lot compilation 'Funny Shit', which includes Stephen Mangan in 'Guinea Pig', Dean 'Scor-zay-zee' Palinczuk in 'Two Dosas', and new work from BAFTA-nominated Ben Mallaby in 'Milk'. Details and tickets here.
SATURDAY 10 JANUARY 2015 >>


COMEDY: Comedy Virgins Max Turner Prize 2015 - Final | The Cavendish Arms | 10 Jan
Always a reliable monitor for 'comics to watch' in the coming months, Comedy Virgins' Max Turner Prize (which has been won in the past by Tim Shishodia, Pat Cahill and Nick Elleray) reaches its final head-to-head. The entry price is competitive, too, in that it's free. Details here.

COMEDY: Sex Appeal IV | Bloomsbury Theatre | 10 Jan
MC Al Murray leers beerily over this night of sex-themed comic entertainment with A-list appeal in aid of sexual health youth charity Brook. The event features the fancy-tickling David Baddiel and - deep breath - Mark Thomas, Shappi Khorsandi, Doc Brown, Andrew O'Neill, Ava Vidal, Bec Hill, Gráinne Maguire, Nish Kumar, Scott Capurro and Shazia Mirza. Details and tickets here.

MUSIC: Skream All Night Long + Artwork | XOYO | 10 Jan (pictured)
Chameleon-like dance DJ Skream and his Magnetic Man collaborator Artwork each headline a room in this, the first in a series of Skream-selected residency events. Details and tickets here.
SUNDAY 11 JANUARY 2015>>


COMEDY: Daphne presents... Nova! Nova! | Cockpit Theatre | 11 Jan (pictured)
A new night hosted by nascent sketch pack Daphne – aka Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres – this time features 'extreme' pairing Lazy Susan, finicky Norwegian comic Daniel Simonsen and many-faced character actress Emma Sidi. Details and tickets here.

COMEDY: Sara Pascoe - The Museum Of The Robot Pussycats | Etcetera Theatre | 11 Jan
The usually top-billed Sara Pascoe maintains a low profile for this trial spin of her latest solo show, an ode to 'the stories nobody wants to tell'; like 'the man who tips over bins', that other one, the one about the robot pussy cats. Details and tickets here.

THEATRE: Pig Girl | Finborough Theatre | 11 Jan - 16 Feb

Based on the real-life plight of marginalised sex workers, Canadian playwright Colleen Murphy's 'Pig Girl' is the story of a woman held captive by a killer and - on the other side of the stage; her sister, who's trying desperately to drive the police to save her. Details and tickets here.
MONDAY 12 JANUARY 2015 >>
COMEDY: Doctor Brown Trilogy - Because, Becaves, Befrdfgth | Soho Theatre | 12-31 Jan
Prizewinning clown Doctor Brown, aka American comedian Phil Burgers, reprises his three most recent 'bits' 'Because', 'Becaves' and 'Befrdfgth', each show a strange, exhilarating and separately-ticketed serving of his imaginative physical hijinks. Details and tickets here.

COMEDY: Nish Kumar - Ruminations On The Nature Of Subjectivity | Soho Theatre | 12-17 Jan
The sharp and brainy (not irritatingly so, don't worry) Nish Kumar fires off his wordily-titled solo show,  a series of contemplations on wide-world topics like racism, insomnia, and... Google. Details and tickets here.

MUSIC: TLOBF's Five Day Forecast w/ Woman's Hour + Nimmo + Laura Groves | The Lexington | 12-16 Jan
Alternative pop blog The Line Of Best Fit cherry-picks and presents its most prized rising artists via this live five night showcase at The Lexington. The 'what's next?'-style fest begins with a show headlined by singer-songwriter Freddie Dickson, and on latter night features the likes of the hotly-tipped Laura Groves, thrash satirists Get Hot, synth-pop twinning Nimmo and guitar band Woman's Hour. Details and tickets here.
TUESDAY 13 JANUARY 2015 >>


COMEDY: Gein's Family Giftshop - Volume 1 | Soho Theatre | 13-17 Jan
Now tipped for greatness following a Fosters Comedy Award-winning stint at the Edinburgh Fringe, tricksy sketch act Gein's Family Giftshop apply a dark world vision to topics like; tragedy, abject misery, and missing dogs. Details and tickets here.

COMEDY: Massive Dad | Pleasance Theatre | until 17 Jan
"Side-splitting" comic trio Massive Dad make heads spin with their self-referential sketches, honing a similar mix of song, dance and dialogue to the one that sold like hot cakes at 2014's Edinburgh Fringe. Details and tickets here.

OPERA: Orfeo | Roundhouse | 13-24 Jan
The Roundhouse, Royal Opera and one-time RSC AD Michael Boyd collaborate on this contemporary revival of one of the great early operas, Monteverdi's myth-inspired saga of love and loss circa 1607. Details and tickets here.
WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY 2015 >>


COMEDY: Raise A Laugh For Refuge w/ Bridget Christie + Lucy Porter + Luisa Omielan | Kings Place | 14 Jan
Peerless comedian Bridget Christie herself headlines this special show in aid of the Refuge charity, with the likes of Lucy Porter, Ellie Taylor, Luisa Omielan, Pippa Evans and Lucy Beaumont also cashing in laughs for donations. Details and tickets here.

COMEDY: Ward & White's Fun Haus w/ Thom Tuck | The Old Queen's Head | 14 Jan

Top musical comics Danielle Ward and Martin White co-host this bi-monthly variety night brimming with songs and chaos c/o haus band The People of Gotham and extra-special 'Straight To DVD' stand-in Thom Tuck. Details and tickets here.

DANCE: BalletBoyz - Young Men | Sadler's Wells | 14-18 Jan (pictured)
Spanish choreographer Iván Pérez drives this world's first showing of his new work 'Young Men', which considers themes of love, loss, comradeship and survival against a backcloth of war. The ballet, a criss-cross of dance, theatre and 'screen performance', has a score by folk rock auteur Keaton Henson. Details and tickets here.
THURSDAY 15 JANUARY 2015 >>
COMEDY: Mixed Blessing w/ Holly Burn + The Human Loire | The Library, Upper Street, Islington | 15 Jan
Comedian Caroline Hardie and 'Sketchorama' star Gareth Cooper present this free-entry night of 'experimentation' (ie acts previewing new material); which this time features sparky character comic and 'Bad Bridesmaid' Holly Burn and surrealist river/man The Human Loire. Details here.

THEATRE: Bat Boy - The Musical | Southwark Playhouse | until 31 Jan
An intimidating theatre-making team bring this fang-tastical off-Broadway franchise back to London following its premiere in 2004. 'Bat Boy' is based loosely (like, really loosely) on a sensationalised 1992 cover story in American tabloid The Weekly World News, revealing the discovery of a "bat child", a creature "half human and half bat" who lived in a cave. Allegedly. Details and tickets here.

THEATRE: The Changeling | Sam Wanamaker Playhouse | 15 Jan - 1 Mar
Thomas Middleton's tragic Jacobean-era tale, a perverse mix of comic and dramatic irony, traces the spiralling fate of the beautiful Beatrice-Joanna, who enters into a sex pact with slimy servant De Flores leading to all kinds of bedlam. Dominic Dromgoole directs actress Hattie Morahan in the lead part. Details and tickets here.
 
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