You may be aware (and we definitely told you about it) that The Roundhouse's Last Word Festival is under way, and one of the exciting spoken word acts lining up to take part is renowned performance poet Francesca Beard, who will be performing her latest show, 'How To Survive A Post Truth Apocalypse'.
To find out more about it, and about Francesca in general, I orchestrated a quick chat ahead of her London show. Read the interview here.
Francesca performs 'How To Survive A Post Truth Apocalypse' at The Roundhouse on 31 May, and leads her workshop on 28 May. See this page here for the former, and this page here for the latter. For a full list of events on as part of The Last Word Festival see this page here.
FRIDAY 26 MAY 2016 >>
Vixen | The Vaults | 26 May-10 Jun (pictured)
The excellent Silent Opera offer another interesting and immersive reimagining of a classic, this time Leos Janacek's 'The Cunning Little Vixen', which you'll absorb wearing headphones and while following the cast through the tunnels of The Vaults. What a brilliantly up close and different way to take in the genre. In this version, Vixen is a young girl, a runaway living on the streets of London, abducted by a man known as The Forester, from whom she must escape. See this page here for all the details.
Room | Theatre Royal Stratford East | 2 May-3 Jun
They're close to the end of the run, so it's time to get your shizzle together and make sure you see this acclaimed production while you still can. It may seem like an odd idea, making a musical of Emma Donoghue's best-selling novel 'Room', given the fairly serious nature of the book, which deals with abduction and imprisonment, and the aftermath of escape. Apparently it works beautifully, though. Click here for more.
Othello | Wilton's Music Hall | 16 May-3 Jun
Another show that you need to see quickly because it's not far off finishing, and given the huge praise that's been flying around for this new interpretation which shines a harsh light on the destructive nature of racism and prejudice through a contemporary re-setting. Expect a production that offers a fresh take on the well known play, and is exactly as brutal as it should be. See the venue website here for info.
SATURDAY 27 MAY 2016 >>
All Our Children | Jermyn Street Theatre | 26 Apr-3 Jun
In keeping with the theme of the last few days of tips ("quick, see this before the run ends") I am going to suggest that you see this, quick, before the run ends. Stephen Unwin's debut play memorialises an element of the holocaust that is often forgotten - the crimes perpetrated against disabled children. It seems especially important to remember this right now, given our own government is so intent on making the lives of so many sick and the disabled people such an unbearable misery. See this page here for more.
Jam | Finborough Theatre | 23 May-17 Jun (pictured)
This is less with the theme, given that this is on until mid June, and only started a few days ago, but still, hurry along, please. It's another debut play, though, so there is in fact a connection. 'Jam' is about a teacher whose life was effectively ruined by one of her pupils, and, after an absence of ten years, said student comes back into her now-rebuilt existence. For more information see the venue website here.
Tom Molineaux | Jack Studio | 24 May-3 Jun
"Born a slave, Tom Molineaux boxes his way to freedom. In 1810 he arrives in London where his flamboyant style wins him fame, and the friendship of prizefight writer Pierce Egan. As he faces the great English champion Tom Cribb, huge crowds gather to watch. Can the American overcome the odds to win? And what will it mean if a freed slave becomes the champion in a sport that has come to define the national character?" Based on a true story, and produced by a great creative team. Head this way for details.
SUNDAY 28 MAY 2016 >>
They Built It. No One Came | New Diorama | 28-29 May (pictured)
This show by Fledgeling Theatre did well at the edfringe last summer, eliciting much praise for this musical comedy, which was inspired by a true story about two men who start a commune, but fail to actually persuade anyone else to join it. It's on tour this summer, and here's your chance to see it in London. For more information and to book, see this page right about here.
Judy! | The Arts Theatre | 16 May-17 Jun
You probably read our interview with this show's creator Ray Rackham when it first went up on the website a few weeks ago (what's that? You haven't? Why then, step right this way) but that was a while ago, and the show is still ongoing and it just occurred to me that you might have forgotten about it, so here's another reminder to see this fabulous and acclaimed musical about Judy Garland in three important stages of her life. Click here for details.
Footprints On The Moon | Finborough Theatre | SMT 28 May-13 Jun
"Joanie loves her home - a small town on the Canadian prairies. But Joanie's mum left her, her husband left her, and now her teenage daughter wants to leave too. As she battles to keep Carol-Ann from leaving to go and live with her dad in Toronto, she is finally forced to confront why she keeps being abandoned by her loved ones, and the loves and losses that have shaped her life". This award-nominated and award-winning 1988 play from Canadian writer Maureen Hunter gets its European premiere. See this page here for more.
MONDAY 29 MAY 2016 >>
Much Ado About Puffin | Greenwich Theatre | 29 May
This sounds like a nice family show, delivered via the medium of song, puppetry and storytelling. Set on a small island in the middle of the sea, this show tells the tale of the meeting of a man and the titular puffin, and muses on the ideas of old habits, new friendships and what it means to step out into the unknown. Click here for info.
Matt Winning - Filibuster | The Bill Murray | 29 May
Lots of Edinburgh previews around at the moment, and yes, this be one of them, from edfringe veteran and TW favourite, the excellently excellent Matt Winning. This show, not unlike his last show, has a bit of a focus on the old global warming issue. And he is a proper environmental economist at the UCL Energy Institute and UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources who knows all about these issues so you're not just getting entertained here, you're getting quality information with which, I'm hoping, you'll be more likely to be able to silence those pesky climate change sceptics. See the interview we did with him last summer, here, and find details on this show here.
102 | The Space | 29 May-3 Jun
"I would just love to have a night, where we don't have to worry about taking care of children. No fighting, no arguing. Just a night where we can play some of our favourite songs and eat some sushi... Can you do that for me?" A couple hold a dinner party with friends and things get tense as the night goes on, in this piece inspired by and exploring domestic abuse and domestic violence. Sounds fairly raw - adult, shocking content - see this page here for more.
TUESDAY 30 MAY 2016 >>
The Secret Garden | Lyric Hammersmith | 30-31 May
An extra fab way to introduce children to ballet - a show performed entirely by talented child dancers, and featuring a helpful narration to help keep audiences informed of the direction of the plot. And of course, it's a classic tale - the orphaned Mary Lennox leaves behind the colourful world of colonial India and is packed off back to England to live with her reclusive uncle, in whose home she finds a great mystery, a secret garden, and a magical friendship. See this page here for more.
The Forecast | New Diorama | 30-31 May
"In a backyard near you, in the not-too distant future, four women from four corners of the globe float in mid-air. Fleeing war, poverty and environmental destruction, they now have a new job: human garden ornament. As the reality of what they have signed up for, and who they are literally stuck with, becomes clear, what unites and divides them will be paramount as they struggle to endure the ordeal". This sounds odd, but awfully compelling and I really want to see it. Click here for info.
The Forever Machine | Ovalhouse | 30 May-3 Jun (pictured)
Another brill-looking show for family viewing, which is possibly great news if you have children and are very much aware of just how half-term it is. The Wardrobe Ensemble offer a "wild lo-fi hi-five sci-fi adventure" which sounds very exciting, especially as you can expect it to take you through vortexes in time and space and bring you in to contact with dinosaurs and stuff like that. Hurrah, head this way for all the details.
WEDNESDAY 31 MAY 2016 >>
The Greatest Liar In All The World | Greenwich Theatre | 31 May (pictured)
We love the creators of this show - Familia De La Noche - so much that at the Edinburgh Festival back in 2015 we gave them a ThreeWeeks Editors Award. Everything they produce is quality, and this show in particular earned a beyond-glowing five star write up from our reviewer. To find out more about the company and this show, you could read the Q&A we did with them in 2013, and then head this way to book your tickets.
The Man Who Knows It All | Unicorn Theatre | 31 May-4 Jun
"Two performers and a musician go on a quest in search of everything it is possible to know. Along the way it becomes evident that the questions and answers just keep coming, especially when the audience gets involved. Knowing everything is more difficult than we imagine". An intriguing sounding show, conceived and directed by Jetse Batelaan. Is it possible to know everything? Go and see what the man who knows it all has to say. See this page here for details.
Mothers | The Place | 31 May + 1 Jun
Expect something odd, dark bizarre and chaotic from this piece by Frauke Requardt, which focuses on (as you might expect from the title) mothers and the messy business of being one, and promises to evoke the sticky, relentless, oft-interrupted experience of motherhood. As well as two evening performances, there's a daytime parent and baby session, if you want to attend with a teeny in tow, though they really do have to be babies, as the show isn't really suitable for children. See the venue website here for more.
THURSDAY 1 JUNE 2016 >>
The Pearl Harts et al | The Victoria Dalston | 1 Jun (pictured)
Female friendly promoters Dance Like I've Got Diamonds return following their sold-out International Women's Day Event at The George Tavern earlier this spring with this super woman-dominated line up at The Victoria, headlined by blues-driven rock duo The Pearl Harts, and also featuring post punk types Ghost Car, rocky four piece The Nyx and alternative trio Long Teeth. Fabulous. Click here to book your tickets.
Combustion | Arcola Theatre | 30 May-24 Jun
"Bradford, in the month of Ramadan. Latching on to the latest grooming scandal, racists plan to march through the city. Shaz, a local garage mechanic, desperately tries to keep his business running smoothly so he can save up and settle down. In this combustible atmosphere, his sister Samina is determined to make her voice heard". Very topical, and from very talented up and coming playwright Asif Khan, see this page here for details.
One Item Only | Ovalhouse | 1-3 Jun
Created and performed by Margarita Sidirokastriti, 'One Item Only' is inspired by recent events and follows a boy's journey across continents in search of a refuge away from his troubled homeland. It takes a look at what is really important to us - asking the question of what we'd take with us if we could only take one item - and offers an eventful and uplifting story, as the hero of the piece makes his way to an optimistic, albeit uncertain, future. See the venue website here for info.
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