Art & Events Comedy Dance & Physical Festivals Spoken Word Theatre ThisWeek In London

Three To See and Stream 8-14 Jun: Interesting Events, Theatrical Shows, Comedy Shows, More Fab Sounding Stuff

By | Published on Friday 4 June 2021

THREE INTERESTING EVENTS

Rosie Wilby – The Breakup Monologues with Shappi Khorsandi | Wimbledon Bookfest 2021 Sunrise Festival | 12 Jun
Yay, TW favourite Rosie Wilby will be doing a live recording of her podcast ‘The Breakup Monologues’ at Wimbledon Bookfest’s 2021 Sunrise Festival this week, and another TW favourite, Shappi Khorsandi, is her special guest on this occasion. As you possibly know – because of a relatively recent Q&A – Rosie’s written a book based on the podcast and it was released at the end of May: a copy of the book is included in the ticket price for this in-person event. There are of course lots of other events not involving Rosie Wilby as part of Sunrise Festival and we endorse those too. A number of events are already sold out but there are still loads that aren’t, plus a number will also be streamed online if you’re not able to make it to Wimbledon. See this page here for Rosie’s event, and this here for all the listings.

Words By The Water | Canada Water Theatre/Southwark Festival Of Words | 10 Jun (pictured)
And so to another wordy festival, Southwark’s Festival Of Words, which focuses on local writers and storytellers and is largely online, though there’s a handful of in-person events. Our pick from the line up, though, is ‘Words By The Water’ via Canada Water Theatre, a digitally delivered event hosted by Tyrone Lewis – UK Poetry Slam Champion 2020, former Roundhouse Poetry Slam Champion and author of debut collection ‘Blackish’ – who will take you “on a journey and introduction to spoken word where you will meet eight talented artists who will share what this artform means to them”. For more information about this show see this page here, and for more info on the Festival Of Words see this page here.

Women Making History | London Scottish House | until 11 Jul
Here’s a cool looking thing for you to take in this week, or indeed over the next month: a free ticketed exhibition of more than one hundred banners, created in 2018 – to mark 100 years of the first women getting the right to vote – by leading British artists in collaboration with women’s groups across the country. “Emblazoned with the concerns of women across the UK, the banners are a powerful reminder of the importance of feminist activism and the power of protest today”. And long may it continue. The exhibition is open afternoons Wednesday to Sunday. For more information and to book a ticket, see this page here.


THREE THEATRICAL SHOWS

Call Mr Robeson/Just An Ordinary Lawyer | Greenwich Theatre | 12 + 13 Jun (pictured)
And now, let’s take a look at some live and in person theatrical performances that might just be right up your street, literally and figuratively. First up is two shows at Greenwich Theatre, and the reason I have picked them both is because they are by the same person, Tayo Aluko, whose work we have long admired. And in fact, quite a few years ago now, we ran a Q&A with him about the first of these shows, ‘Call Mr Robeson’, which, you may have correctly guessed, is all about the brilliant actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson. ‘Just An Ordinary Lawyer’ is about Nigerian Tunji Sowande, who in 1978 became Britain’s first black judge, and in this play muses on international politics and history as they affect the black world from Africa to the USA and Britain. Read more and book tickets for ‘Call Mr Robeson’ here and ‘Just An Ordinary Lawyer’ here.

Under The Mask | Tamasha/Theatre Peckham | 13-18 Jun
“In March 2020, hundreds of final year medical students finished their studies early, and started work on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. This is the story of one of them, a newly qualified doctor, Jaskaran. On her first day at work, Jaskaran is deployed to her hospital’s COVID intensive care unit. Nothing prepares her for what she finds. Rows of intubated patients, the blisters of wearing full PPE for twelve hour shifts, and the crying relatives saying goodbye via Skype”. Well, this sounds topical and fascinating, as well as promising a story of fortitude, hope and strength: audiences listen through headphones, whilst seated on stage, to fully immersive, 360-degree binaural sound recorded on location in hospitals. Read more here.

Heterophobia | The Turbine Theatre | 10 Jun
“Thanks to a population explosion, the UK government began to actively encourage gay relationships. Decades later, being gay is the law, babies are born only by government sanctioned IVF and anyone found harbouring heterosexual tendencies is punished severely in a correctional facility”. I was intrigued by the sound of this play, which focuses on modern day homophobia with the ‘flipped’ viewpoint of a society where homosexuality is the enforced norm. It’s a rehearsed reading, like most of the events that on as part of Turbine Theatre’s Rally Fest season, a celebration of LGBTQ+ voices and stories featuring both new work and re-energised classics that mark important moments. For more information on this show see this page here and see all the listings for Rally Fest here.


THREE COMEDY SHOWS

Lynn Ruth Is Legal | Phoenix Arts Club | 8 Jun (pictured)
Yay for live comedy – for yes, indeed, we have lots to talk about. We’ve already mentioned a number of TW favourites in this week’s edition of the tips, and yes, we have quite a few more coming up. Including this one, the very excellent Lynn Ruth Miller, who we’ve known and loved ever since we met her up at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe many years ago. Of course, we have also been seeing her perform in London for years and it’s great to see her out there post-pandemic. “Lynn Ruth Miller, the world’s oldest performing stand-up comedienne and burlesque sensation celebrates being granted her exceptional talent visa with her new live show – ‘Lynn Ruth is Legal!’ – an evening of songs, stories and jokes about what the lockdown taught her and how she came out of it…” Click here for more info and booking.

The Antique Jokes Show | Aces & Eights | 10 Jun
“Prepare yourself for a new comedy night unlike any other. The UK’s top acts dust off their most out-of-date material. What happens when the world moves on and your favourite comic’s freshest material is no longer relevant? Pokémon Go, Princess Diana, The Matrix, The Credit Crunch …. Come and rediscover comedy gold that’s been kept in storage… until now!” I am very taken with the idea of this, which means you can probably tell I am always watching old comedy videos on YouTube. Anyway, as well as being a concept I like, it’s also a fab line up – Ed Aczel, Felicity Ward, Jonathan Hearn, Tadiwa Malunge and Chris Timoney. For more info and to book in see this page here.

Laughing Labia Post Lockdown Special | Phoenix Arts Club | 13 Jun
Yay, more comedy, and this time it’s rather female focused as that title probably implies: “Laughing Labia proudly presents a diverse line-up of female comedians. Diversity is mostly emphasised in this show. We want to show that entertainment can be so much funnier, richer and deeper than represented on TV and in the media”. And who can you expect to be there? Well, it’s hosted by Alice Frick, a comedian one of our review team once called “exuberant and perfectly pitched”. And she is joined by a very good line up of guests: Athena Kugblenu, Jenan Younis, Katie Pritchard, Maureen Younger, Kitty Cassis and Maz Alexander. See this page here for more.


THREE MORE FAB SOUNDING SHOWS

Northern Ballet – Dangerous Liaisons | Sadler’s Wells | 8-10 Jun
Now we are into the territory of things we want to talk about but which didn’t easily fit into the other tip sections, largely because there wasn’t space. Though this real life performance is here because a) it sounds fab, as per the title of the section and b) it was the only dance/physical things on this week’s tip list. “In ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, Northern Ballet bring their bodice-ripping adaptation to the stage. In a story of sexual power, cruelty and deceit, letters fly between the mansions of two bored aristocrats as they spin a web of heartbreak and ruin. From the original scandalous novel, and the acclaimed film starring John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer, to the iconic retelling ‘Cruel Intentions’, this dangerous story has been thrilling audiences for over 200 years”. More here.

Forgive Or Forget | Two Foolish/Brighton Fringe | until 27 Jun (pictured)
Now for something for those of you who enjoy the option of theatre at home, because the Brighton Fringe is ongoing and this year it has a fair amount of shows that are happening via digital means. This dark sounding monologue, set in a time when artificial intelligence has maybe become a little too all-encompassing, jumped out at me: “Revenge is a dish best served cold. By a sexbot. Fiona Becklestaffe believes she’s been pushed too far by her friends and her partner. She’s comfortable in her retro, practical relaxation cubicle – it’s so 21st century – and she relates her posthumous life assessment to her thoughtpad. When her psychometrically-assigned life consort retreats to his personal cubicle for some time with his newly acquired sexbot, Fiona sees the opportunity to settle a few scores”. For more information on this show, see this page here and find other online Brighton Fringe shows here (click on the ‘digital events’ banner at the top to sort them).

Hematoma | Lion & Unicorn Theatre | 8 Jun
This is another (and rather interesting) live in person theatre show that spilled out of the ‘live in person theatre shows’ section earlier on, an intriguing sounding piece from producing company Moonloaf, written by Kieran Dee and directed by Grace Millie. “Hey, you. Do you enjoy one/all of these films? ‘The Wizard Of Oz’. ‘Into The Wild’. ‘Roadtrip’. ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. ‘Y Tu Mama También’. ‘Thelma And Louise’. ‘Lord Of The Rings?’ Of course you do. You enjoy a good road movie. This is a road movie. On stage. A road play. A road show. A rodeo. Buckle up, cowboy, and join one man on his journey far from home”. See this page here for more.



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