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Threes To See 30 Apr-7 May: Runs Starting This Week, Comical Shows, Short Runs, Very Short Runs

By | Published on Friday 26 April 2019

THREE RUNS STARTING THIS WEEK

Fanny & Stella | Above The Stag | 8 May-2 Jun
“Victorians Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park were known and adored as Fanny and Stella. They dazzled in female roles on our nation’s stages – and in clubs and bedrooms from London to the Highlands. Tonight – for one night only! – they present the shocking story of their own rise to fame and fall from grace, via a scandalous trial.” Glenn Chandler’s play with songs which you might have seen a few years back at Vault. If you didn’t, now’s your chance. Info here.

Class | Bush Theatre | 7 May-1 Jun
Another acclaimed piece, this time the Fringe First winning ‘Class’, by Iseult Golden and David Horan. “Brian and Donna’s son, Jayden, is nine years old, and he’s struggling. That’s what his teacher says. Mr McCafferty thinks Jayden should see a psychologist. But Brian and Donna never liked school, never liked teachers. So are they going to trust this one? And should they?” All the details right about here.

The Camden Roar – Human Jam | Camden People’s Theatre | 7-25 May
A tip heralding the start of CPT’s Camden Roar festival of theatre by, for and about Camden and its people, and this docu-theatre event looks like it’s the flagship. “How do you excavate 63,000 bodies? Where will they go? And what will be uncovered by all this digging? In St James’ Gardens, right on CPT’s doorstep, the biggest exhumation of graves in European history is taking place. Parks and pubs are closing, too. People are losing their homes and businesses. All to make way for HS2’s new railway terminal.” See this page here for more.


THREE KINDA COMICAL SHOWS

Boris Rex | OSO Arts Centre | 30 Apr-3 May
Kinda comical, kinda tragical. To be honest I’m not sure I can bear to hear any more than I have to about Boris Johnson. But okay, go on. I think I can manage to take in this. “The story of Boris Johnson as a Shakespearean tragicomedy, ‘Boris Rex’ follows its perfidious anti-hero from the boorish days of Oxford University, right through to a blood-soaked General Election, to spin a murky tale of ambition, back-stabbing and ultimately.. a national catastrophe.” See this page here for more.

The Astonishing Singing Fish! | Jack Studio | 30 Apr-4 May
“There is a new show in town! Almost sold to Cirque du Soleil, this sideshow act is dreaming of the West End. But it’s a rocky road for a singing goldfish who wants to play the lead in ‘Les Miserables’. Along with his hapless scientist friend he will warm your heart with his dulcet baritone voice in this new musical comedy. You gotta see it to believe it.” Well, I want to see it. This sounds like a lotta fun. Head this way for all the details.

Does My Bomb Look Big In This? | Tara Theatre | 30 Apr-4 May (pictured)
Not sure if this counts as comical or not, but the title certainly qualifies, and the blurb boasts its “fierce wit” so I think this could well keep you smiling even as it touches on serious issues. “Yasmin Sheikh feels torn in the city she used to call home, but Aisha sees a different London to her best friend. When Yasmin suddenly disappears to Syria, Aisha embarks on a mission to uncover the truth and decide whether there is any hope in Yasmin’s new-found world.” Also on at Soho Theatre later in May, if you can’t make these performances at Tara Theatre. See the venue website here for info.


THREE SHORT RUNS

Don’t Look Away | Pleasance Theatre | 7 May-18 May
“2015. A young Syrian man enters a community centre, covered in flour and looking for help. He finds Cath, a cleaner, who reluctantly lets him stay in her son’s room. A split second decision which will change her life forever.” This sounds rather powerful – “A critical tale of compassion and an investigation into our collective response to the international refugee crisis” – and from a great team. Head this way for all the information.

The Brownie Club | Jacksons Lane | 1-4 May
“Sometimes you keep quiet. Sometimes you laugh it off. Sometimes you decide to speak up. The Brownie Club explores the experiences of women of colour as they choose when, where and how to respond to racism.” An aerial circus, physical theatre, and spoken word show that promises a “joyful, honest and candid look at the assumptions made about people of colour, and asks: What happens when we begin with a different set of questions?” All the details are here.

Sticks and Mangoes | Tristan Bates Theatre | 1-3 May
An exploration of a father-son relationship, immigration and the generation gap between attitudes of masculinity and homosexuality, centring on Trinidad and Tobago’s dissolution of Section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1986 in the summer of 2018. “With unjust laws against the queer community being dismissed amongst few commonwealth countries, are we on the cusp of well needed change? Why and how does the dissolution effect a single dad raising his son away from his homeland, in a city that seems to be open and accepting of all?” More here.

Photo: Alex Brenner


THREE VERY SHORT RUNS

The Isle Of Brimsker | Stratford Circus Arts Centre | 3-4 May (pictured)
This is a special interest sort of show, as it’s a multi-sensory story from the excellent Frozen Light, who, as you may remember, specialise in making theatre for audiences with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities. “A lighthouse keeper lives on a desolate outcrop surrounded by stormy seas. Duty bound to maintain the light that guides boats away from danger, she lives a solitary existence. Until one day a runaway lands on the shore and together they face the inevitable.” Details here.

Friday Night Love Poem | Drayton Arms Theatre | 5-6 May
“So if Matt and I have officially had sex then why does it still hurt? I still don’t get what’s so amazing about it, how can women even come from it – When is that supposed to happen?” This is a show about a topic that I think is really important to address in the current social climate, and which I think a lot of grown ups don’t fully understand: it takes a look at what girls come up against when exploring their emergent sexuality, in a culture saturated by internet porn and bad sex education. See the venue website here for more information.

This Wounded Island | Theatre503 | 5-6 May
“A love story, and a love letter to Chatham. One town, one couple, forty years. Bob and Rose meet as excited teenagers in the 70s. From their first date, it’s clear that this is the start of something special. But unknown to them, the course of their relationship is intrinsically tied to the fortunes of the Chatham Dockyard, and when it’s suddenly closed, their lives are irrevocably changed. Recovering from their losses isn’t going to be easy.” A new play from Natalie Mitchell inspired by stories from the Kent community. Book your tickets here.



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