THURSDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2017 THISWEEKLONDON.COM
HENRY NAYLOR: ANGEL
We've been aware of the work of Henry Naylor for quite some time now, having followed his work in the comedy sphere, and, in more recent years as the writer of rather more serious theatrical peices. He's had a number of hits up at the Edinburgh Festival of late, winning lots of awards and acclaim.

'Angel' took the Fringe by storm back in 2016, and so when I heard it was headed for a run at London's Arcola theatre, I thought it was definitely time for a chat: about this show, his other recent output, and what we can expect in the future. Read the interview here.

'Angel' is on at Arcola Theatre from 11 Sep-7 Oct. See the venue website here for info and to book.



FRAUKE REQUARDT & DAVID ROSENBERG: DEADCLUB
Frauke Requardt and David Rosenberg have won much acclaim in recent years for their rather experimental, outdoors, site specific collaborations, so you will have probably seen - or at the very least heard about - one of their inventive co-creations: the likes of 'Electric Hotel', 'Motor Show', and 'The Roof'.

Their latest work, 'DeadClub', opens at The Place this month. To find out more about this, and their creative history together, I arranged a quick chat. Read the interview here.

'Deadclub' is on at The Place from 9-30 Sep. For information and to book see this page here.


FRIDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

The Blinding Light | Jermyn Street Theatre | 6 Sep-14 Oct
This new play from the award winning Howard Brenton offers a fictional account of August Strindberg's 'Inferno' crisis, a time when the famous playwright seemingly vanished in fin-de-siècle Paris. Great creative team, great cast, and what sounds like a very compelling storyline. see this page here for more.

The Magic Flute | Soho Theatre | 6 Sep-7 Oct (pictured)
"Invited behind the velvet rope at London's most exclusive club, Tamino doesn't have time to stop for beggars, paparazzi, or even his girlfriend Pamina. Going to bed after a blazing row later that night, this ordinary couple relive the events and encounters of the evening in dreams made extraordinary by the lateness of the hour, their befuddled senses, and yes, a touch of magic". The excellent OperaUpClose present another re-imagined classic, see the venue website here for details.

The March On Russia | Orange Tree Theatre | 7 Sep-7 Oct
The late David Storey's 1989 play is given its first major revival since its National Theatre premiere. Focusing on the Pasmores, who are celebrating their sixtieth anniversary, and their children who return home to mark the occasion, it's a funny and and moving depiction of family life and what happens as we age. Click here for info.


SATURDAY 9 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

The Palest Ink | Hen & Chickens Theatre | 9-11 Sep
"The story of a doctor driven to kill by an impossible love for a married woman is a story told a thousand times; but how many times have you heard it from the pages of the guilty party's diary?" This play is inspired by Swedish novelist Hjalmar Söderberg's then-controversial 1905 novel 'Doktor Glas', and I think it sounds rather promising. See this page here for all the details.

Deadclub | The Place | 9-30 Sep
If you've seen previous collaborations by Frauke Requardt and David Rosenberg - the likes of 'Electric Hotel' and 'Motor Show' - then you might already have booked your tickets for their latest work together, given the previous success of their unique site-specific, physical pieces. They're usually outside, but this time they've moved indoors with this slightly scary sounding look at memory distortion, see the venue website here for more.

Alice Fraser - Empire | Camden Comedy Club | 9 Sep (pictured)
Following successful runs at The Melbourne Comedy Festival and The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, very clever Australian comedian Alice Fraser calls in at Camden Comedy Club with this show focusing on power, quantum physics and Disney villains. Head this way for more information.


SUNDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

Black Is The Colour Of My Voice | King's Head Theatre | 10+17 Sep (pictured)
The excellent Apphia Campbell has performed this show up at more than one Edinburgh Fringe to much acclaim, so it's great to see it on at the King's Head this month. It's inspired by the life of Nina Simone, reflecting on the life journey of a successful jazz pianist, singer and civil rights activist. For more information see this page here.

Seven Sins | The Cockpit | 10-11 Sep
A show that was guaranteed to catch the TW eye because of its attractive format: as you might get from the title if you gave it a little thought, here we have seven short plays, each based on one of the seven deadly sins. Promises to be exciting and hilarious, and very immediate, thanks to the seating arrangements and staging techniques involved. Click here for details.

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad | Greenwich Theatre | 10 Sep
"Guys, you don't have to worry - this is a happy story! It is SO happy. If it were a food it would be Skittles, if it were a day it would be Friday night, if it were a person it would be a really cute puppy!" We gave this upbeat show about depression (yes) a spectacular review up in Edinburgh in August (really, read it here, it's so glowy) and so I command as many of you as can fit into the theatre to go and see the show. Head this way to book.


MONDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

Fin Taylor et al | The Good Ship | 11 Sep
A customarily cracking line up over at the Good Ship's comedy night this week: The excellent Fin Taylor (of Whitey McWhiteface and Bearpit podcast renown) heads the bill, but you also have recent Comedy Award nominee Jordan Brookes, and a bunch of other really excellent comedy acts: Kelly Convey, Rhys Nicholson, Michael Stranney and Amy Howerska. Click here for more.

Angel | Arcola Theatre | 11 Sep-7 Oct (pictured)
This play inspired by the internet-fuelled myth of the Angel of Kobane took the edfringe by storm in 2016, and now rocks up at the Arcola for a reasonably chunky London run. Writer Henry Naylor has been around for a long time doing the comedy thing, as you are no doubt entirely aware, but in recent years turned his attention to some more serious stuff, with great results. See this page here for all the details.

The Unknown Island | Gate Theatre | 11 Sep-7 Oct
"You want to go in search of an unknown island. Because somewhere out there, there must be something else. Because you want to find out who you are when you are there". A tale of adventure and dreaming of the impossible, based on prize-winning novelist Jose Saramago's short story of the same name. See the venue website here for info.


TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

Bullish | Camden People's Theatre | 12-30 Sep (pictured)
This is what I think one could regard as the 'flagship event' of CPT's Come As You Are festival, which focuses on gender and reflects the current, progressive conversation about it. 'Bullish' is the work of Milk Presents - previously responsible for the excellent 'Joan', which made a splash at edfringe this summer - and it seems to be kind of based on the Minotaur story, mixing ancient mythology with modern gender navigation. Described as a "cabaret odyssey", it's performed by Krishna Istha, Cairo Nevitt, Lucy Jane Parkinson, and Amelia Stubberfield. Info here.

Testosterone | New Diorama | 12-16 Sep
Like the previous show, 'Testosterone' also takes a look at gender, this one through the experiences of of Kit Redstone, who transitioned from female to male in his early thirties, and has therefore experienced adult life from two rather different perspectives. A very interesting sounding piece of physical theatre from the hugely acclaimed Rhum and Clay. See the venue website here for more information.

Staged - The Colour Of The Sun | Jacksons Lane | 12-16 Sep
Experimental circus collective Circumference present their latest theatrical spectacle: "Featuring three performers on an aerial platform as precarious as our perceptions. A single action changes everything, but everything is not always what it seems. After all, everyone knows the colour of the sun - don't you?" Head this way for details.


WEDNESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

Gate | The Cockpit | 13-23 Sep
"Evolutionists tell us that we're just trying to spread our genes. Economists tell us that all we do is maximize our self-interest. Psychologists tell us that we just want to get laid. But is it true that we only act on narrow material desires or do our wider spiritual beliefs still count for something?" This new play by Artemis Fitzalan Howard has my interest piqued, and I reckon you'll like the sound of it too, click here for more info.

London Podcast Festival | King's Place | 13-17 Sep
It's the London Podcast Festival over at King's Place for a few days and there's loads of great stuff on so I am not going to choose for you but insist that you go to this page here to choose from a long list of events with brilliant themes featuring vast numbers of clever and entertaining people.

Greenwich Comedy Festival | National Maritime Museum | 13-17 Sep (pictured)
Five nights of different line-ups of really and truly top class comedians. Amazingly the first night doesn't appear to be sold out already so you can still get tickets. See this page here for the aforementioned evening of the thirteenth, and see the festival website to find out what's available to get tickets for on other days.


THURSDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2017 >>

O Deptford | The Albany | 14-17 Aug
"It is a very special day in Deptford...Her Royal highness the Queen is coming! What to wear and how to prepare? Granny Dumpling is cooking up her best batch of dumplings as she fondly reminisces meeting Her Royal Highness from when she first came to Deptford in the early 90s. But what are the rest of her East Asian neighbours doing for this Royal affair?" This sounds like fun, a promenade performance offering a window into the lives of the East Asian community living in this part of London. Click here for more.

When You Fall Down | Hen & Chickens | 14-15 Sep
This show is about silent screen star Buster Keaton, telling the comedy actor's story from his earliest movie-making experience in 1917 to when he was signed by MGM a decade or so later. This theatrical tribute is performed by James Dangerfield, who played Keaton on stage back in 2009 and has apparently been planning this show ever since, so it sounds like it's had a lot of thought and effort put into it. See this page here for details.

Bridges Y Puentes | Stratford Multi-Storey Car Park | 14-16 Sep (pictured)
Well, as the saying goes, you wait weeks for a promenade performance, and then two come along all at once. Ahem. This one, presented by Ragroof Players, is about about migration and the search for home and is delivered in a mixture of ways - spoken word, song, music and dance - by six actor-dancers in a multi-storey car park. I think that sounds brilliant. See the Theatre Royal Stratford East website here for info and to book.
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