Children's Shows Circus Comedy Dance & Physical Theatre ThisWeek In London

Three To See 21-27 Jan: Funny Treats, Shows Starting This Week, Festival Tips, Up And Running Shows

By | Published on Friday 17 January 2020

THREE FUNNY TREATS

Garrett Millerick: Smile | Soho Theatre | 20-25 Jan
The TW team have been fans of Garrett Millerick for quite a long time now, and this show in particular won a very glowing response from one of our reviewers who saw it in Edinburgh in the summer of 2019. Here’s part of his conclusion: “Millerick doesn’t try to be politically correct, he goes against all that is held dear and is both right and completely hilarious with it. He absolutely focuses on the art and it really shows – with material that is tight, funny, and irreverent, he’s the comic that other comics want to be. Thoroughly recommended, he’s my pick of the Fringe so far. Brilliant”. I daresay you’ll be wanting to head this way to book your tickets.

Huge Davies: The Carpark | Soho Theatre | 27 Jan-1 Feb
Also on at Soho Theatre this week is another act who won the approval of our edfringe team at the most recent festival, eliciting praise for his rather dark humour and surreal songs. More words from our writer on why you should see this show: “Watching Huge Davies is like staring into the abyss, as he straddles the border between surrealist deadpan and musical hilarity. He’s part hectoring task master and part conjuror of convoluted tales, which all come full circle with Seinfeldian satisfaction”. At the end of that review he added “Go see it”, so take his advice, and head right this way.

Great British Mysteries 1599 | Chiswick Playhouse | 21-25 Jan (pictured)
“Do you like mysteries? Do you like historical inaccuracies? Do you know the difference between Thomas More and Roger Moore? Then read on!” And yes, it’s yet another show that our team loved up at the old edfringe: I can’t move for them this week. And this one’s a personal fave too as it blends history and comedy which is kinda my idea of heaven. Expect a “a surreal voyage, by land and by sea, against a backdrop of beautifully judged visuals” performed by Will Close, described as “outlandishly funny”, and Rose Robinson, a “comedy natural”. See the venue website here for more.

THREE SHOWS STARTING THIS WEEK

The Sugar Syndrome | Orange Tree Theatre | 24 Jan-22 Feb
“Dani is seventeen. She’s looking to meet someone honest and direct. What she finds is a man twice her age who thinks she’s an eleven-year-old boy”. The first major revival of Lucy Prebble’s disturbing yet funny debut play, directed by Oscar Toeman. “I like the internet. I like that way of talking to people. It’s honest. It’s a place where people are free to say anything they like. And most of what they say is about sex”. Head to the venue website here for more information and to book.

Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act | The Playground Theatre | 23 Jan-15 Feb
“Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act tells the untold story of dance’s forgotten diva, the early 20th Century Russian impresario performer and femme fatale. From Paris to Palestine, from dancing in the Ballet Russes to commissioning Ravel’s Boléro, Ida Rubinstein’s career as a dancer and impresario saw her working with artists such as Stravinsky, Nijinsky and Debussy. But despite her varied career and her fame in her own time, her name is all but forgotten whilst her contemporaries live on in memory”. Actor and former ballerina Naomi Sorkin tells the story of her amazing life. Details here.

Tales From The Shed | Chickenshed Theatre | 24 Jan-14 March (pictured)
One for the children, and I am going to start by clarifying the dates on this one: the shows are running until March but only Fridays and Saturdays, with some extra dates over half term. Perfect for those of you looking to entertain young ones during the grey and grim days of late winter, and you can go more than once frankly, not least because each week the shows tell different tales, but involve the same set of characters. It’s informal, interactive, features puppetry and songs and is suitable for little ones up to the age of six. Info here.

THREE FESTIVAL TIPS

Shorts Festival | Tristan Bates Theatre | 23-26 Jan
No, don’t make the mistake of thinking this is about a type of clothing and turn up in your hotpants – that would be rather an unfortunate error at this chilly time of year. This is in fact “a unique celebration of solo-storytelling featuring twleve brand new international pieces performed across four days” which frankly sounds like just my kind of thing. There’s a rotating line up of the fifteen minute pieces at each of the four performances, so check this page here for more information on what to expect, and to book tickets.

Coulrophobia | Jacksons Lane | 24-26 Jan (pictured)
“Coulrophobia – the fear of clowns – is 80 minutes of brilliant slapstick, mime, puppetry, existential angst and big shoes. Our heroes are Dik & Adam, two clowns in search of freedom from a bewildering cardboard world”. This show, presented by Opposable Thumb, is part of the oft previously mentioned London International Mime Festival and promises to be simultaneously sinister, touching, ridiculous and hilarious – though probably may not be the ticket for those who actually do suffer from coulrophobia… though do head this way for details, if you are feeling brave.

Now 20 | The Yard Theatre | 21 Jan-22 Feb
Finally, we head to the Yard Theatre for some festival fare courtesy of Now 20. Now, in case you’re not yet aware of it, the format here is as follows: five weeks of shows, five different theatre double bills, each lasting a week. So you could quite easily make a weekly date and see every one of those double bills, and you’ll get a discount if you buy all your tickets together. In this first week you can see ‘Dadderrs’ from Daniel Oliver and Frauke Requardt, plus in ‘In A Way So Brutal’ by Eirini Kartsaki and Tasos Stamou, but see this page here for links to each week’s offering.

THREE UP AND RUNNING SHOWS

Falling In Love Again | King’s Head Theatre | 14 Jan-8 Feb
Right, I thought we’d talk about a few shows that have been running for a while, and are still running, and may even be not too far from the end of the run, meaning you might want to get your skates on if they’re things that pique your interest. Let’s start with this premiere of of a piece by acclaimed Australia based playwright Ron Elisha, directed by Tama Matheson, which tells the story of Marlene Dietrich approaching King Edward VIII with a view to preventing his abdication. See the venue website here for more info and to book tickets.

The Process | The Bunker Theatre | 11 Jan-1 Feb (pictured)
“Jo’s winning at life. Her business is going brilliantly. She’s Cost Positive. She’s even on the telly. She’s a Deaf woman turning the hearing world on its head. Until the system turns on her. A malevolent bureaucracy, the rise of alt-right politics, and the human lives caught in the middle all ask: what happens if you believe ‘it’ll never happen to me’?” An interesting piece with a fairly novel approach, being performed in both English and BSL, but not always at the same time, and with no translation: see this page here to understand more.

Shackleton And His Stowaway | Park Theatre | 8 Jan-1 Feb
This one won quite a bit of acclaim at the old edfringe back in 2018 and that’s when I first heard of it, but now it’s on at the Park Theatre winning yet more praise. It’s based on real events during the Shackleton’s Endurance expedition to Antarctica, following the misfortunes of an eighteen year old stowaway whose admiration for the famous explorer fades when their ship ends up trapped in the polar ice and sinks, leaves them adrift on the ice, hundreds of miles from civilisation. Head this way for all the details.

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