YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN CULTURE
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Children's Shows Comedy Dance & Physical Festivals Music Musicals Theatre ThisWeek In London
Threes To See 16-22 Jul: Shows From Casa Festival, Shows Starting This Week, Longer Runs Starting This Week, Short Stops
By TW Editorial | Published on Friday 12 July 2019
THREE SHOWS FROM CASA FESTIVAL
Moonlight | Arcola Theatre | 22-23 Jul
Hurrah, this week sees the start of the Casa Festival of work made by artists based in Latin America and artists of Latin American heritage based in the U.K. There’s lots to see, and I would urge you to take a look at the full line up here, but I am going to start with this, because it sounds fascinating: ‘Moonlight’ is a dance theatre piece with roots in native Mapuche culture – the indigenous tribes of Argentina and Chile – and tells the story of a young woman who is tracing her ancestry to find out more about her heritage. See this page here for more.
Manuelita | Arcola Theatre | 17 + 20 Jul
“Revolutionary, proto-feminist, underground spy and the beating heart of South American liberation, Manuela Saenz died in poverty, all but forgotten by the history books — until now.” Women who do things are so often ignored by history, or their contributions diminished. it’s almost as if the men have been writing it, isn’t it? I love seeing shows that bring the doings of historical women into focus, so naturally I’d love to see this. Tamsin Hurtado Clarke brings this story to life through storytelling, physical theatre and comedy, and is accompanied by live music. Details right about here.
Ladylike | Arcola Theatre | 16-20 Jul (pictured)
Another woman-focused show (hurrah), this time a fab sounding dance piece: “Are you a hero? Or feeling a bit chicken? Ladylike is a super-heroines journey that uses hip hop and sexually charged Rumba to take a fierce, frank and funny look at gender roles and face our deepest fears and desires. Themed around the slang word for a woman as ‘chick’ or ‘hen’, and based on interviews with young women and female Hip Hop and Latin dancers, Ella Mesma Company has created a new ritual for women to explore consent, the masks we wear, purge cliches and celebrate sisterhood.” info here.
THREE SHOWS STARTING THIS WEEK
Starved | The Hope Theatre | 16 Jul-3 Aug
“Lad and Lass are on the run. They’re squatting in a bedsit on one of Hull’s roughest estates and living hand to mouth on a diet of roll-ups, vodka and Cup-a-Soup. Spiralling towards breaking point, they fight and flirt, dream up stories and drag each other down. But caged by circumstance and warped by their own toxic relationship, will they ever be able to escape and survive?” A semi autobiographical play exploring the depths people will go to when “desperate and adrift from society”. More here.
Barber Shop Chronicles | Roundhouse | 18 Jul-24 Aug (pictured)
Back over to The Roundhouse (we were there during last weeks tips) for another selection from the venue’s Fades, Braids & Identity series, which comprises theatre, photography, film and spoken word championing Black and Brown artists exploring race, gender and identity. I doubt there’s anyone reading this that hasn’t heard of this play by Inua Ellams, and you might already have seen it, given it’s been on at the National Theatre. But I bet there are at least a few of you out there that haven’t, and I urge you to snap up this opportunity to rectify that. Click this link here.
The View Upstairs | Soho Theatre | 18 Jul-24 Aug
“Millennial fashion designer Wes has just purchased an abandoned building, but little does he know that this forgotten gem was the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant ‘70s gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, starting an exhilarating journey of seduction and self-exploration in the summertime heat with the rush of lust, sex and incense mixed in the air.” A European premiere for this acclaimed musical, and it looks like tickets are going quickly, so head over and get yours booked here.
THREE LONGER RUNS STARTING THIS WEEK
Bald Black Girls | Roundhouse | 15 Jul-25 Aug
Another pick from Roundhouse’s Fades, Braids & Identity season for you now, and this one is an exhibition. ‘Bald Black Girls’ is the work of poet and visual artist Ruth Sutoyé, who was inspired by her own experiences to examine the lives of bald Black women in London, looking at why they choose to shave their heads, and exploring “perceptions of masculinity, femininity, androgyny, sexuality and how women navigate barbershop dynamics”. For more info see this page here.
The Falcon’s Malteser | The Vaults | 17 Jul-25 Aug
“A solitary box of Maltesers is delivered by a miniature Mexican, but what’s so special about these chocolates that half of London’s criminal underworld are willing to kill for them? Tim is the world’s worst private investigator, so can the help of his clever younger brother Nick be enough to crack their toughest case yet?” A fantastic adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s novel, which stormed the Edinburgh Fringe a while back, on for most of the summer holidays so if you can’t make it this week, then save it for later. Perfect for older kids and their loving parents, see this page here.
Blues In The Night | Kiln Theatre | 18 Jul-7 Sep
A summer revival for this this Tony and Olivier Award nominated musical revue by Sheldon Epps, first staged off Broadway in 1980, and in London’s West End later the same decade. Focusing on the lives and loves of four hotel residents, it’s full of songs by the likes of Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, and Harold Arlen, and stars Sharon D Clarke, Debbie Kurup, Clive Rowe, and Gemma Sutton. Head this way for details.
THREE SHORT STOPS
Scored In Silence | Ovalhouse | 20 Jul
An intimate new solo digital sign mime performance artwork for 40 people, which tells the untold tales of Deaf hibakusha – survivors of the A-Bombs that fell in Hiroshima in 1945 – and their experiences at the time of the blasts, and during the the horrors of the aftermath. It’s the work of professional dance artist and BSL art guide Chisato Minamimura, and as well as being performed this month at Ovalhouse, it’s headed up north in August for a run as part of the British Council Edinburgh Fringe Festival Showcase. See this page here for info.
Katie Pritchard: Storm Stud | The Bread & Roses Theatre | 22 Jul
And talking of Edinburgh, we are getting pretty close to edfringe time now, so I thought perhaps you all might to hear about some Fringe previews taking place in London. For those of you who can’t make it to the Scottish capital this summer, or for those of you who can make it, but have already filled every available slot in their show seeing time. Anyway, we’ll start with this, a musical comedy show from the award winning and well reviewed Katie Pritchard. Click this link for details and tickets.
Tom Tuck and Tim FitzHigham present MacBeth | The Bill Murray | 20 Jul
Now, this one isn’t actually listed as a preview on the Angel Comedy website, but I know for a fact (because I know an awful lot about what to expect about this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival) that this show is in fact going to be performed at the old edfringe, albeit just for the first week or so. Anyway, this, ahem, “definitive” version of the Bard’s great tragedy will be delivered by two of the Fringe’s most stalwart, decorated and acclaimed funny people, so frankly, expect to enjoy it. Info here.
