Today’s Fringe Focus heads to southeast London and the Jack Studio Theatre, based at the Brockley Jack pub. I chatted to artistic director Kate Bannister and theatre manager Karl Swinyard to find out more about the venue, which seats 50 and opened in 1992. The Jack Studio/Brockley Jack has been around for over 30 years... The post Fringe Focus: Jack Studio Theatre appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

Over at Ealing’s Questors Theatre Studio, a new adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s novel The Slaves of Solitude, by Simon Roberts, is an entertaining black comedy about wartime misfits in a Thames Lockdon guest house. Hamilton is perhaps best known for his plays Rope and Gas Light, both achieving international success through 1940s film versions. The... The post Theatre review: The Slaves of Solitude (Questors) appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

In this provocative new book, edited by Clare Chandler and Gus Gowland, and subtitled ‘Out of the Darkness’, the British musical theatre landscape is considered through a number of shows and viewpoints, covering the years 2010-2020. Intended to look beyond the traditional ‘West End’ musical, or any single composer or trend, Contemporary British Musicals celebrates... The post Book review: Contemporary British Musicals appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

A production of King Lear running under ninety minutes, entirely without words, is the offering from Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio, who are having their European premiere at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Nine women make up the cast, led by Cecilia Yip as Lear. On an empty stage they have just a chair and a ladder as... The post Theatre review: King Lear (Riverside Studios) appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

Today’s show preview and interview is with poet, performer, broadcaster and all-round legend Roger McGough. Needing little introduction, McGough has been active in literature since 1959, publishing over 100 poetry books for adults and children. He has been described as “the godfather of modern poetry.” As one of the Liverpool Poets, he was part of... The post Show preview: Roger McGough’s The Sound Collector appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

Stage Door Theatre welcomes A Tailor–Made Man, by Claudio Macor, in a new revival from 9 May. “In the dazzling Hollywood of 1930, William Haines soared to unprecedented heights as the unrivalled No. 1 box office sensation, eclipsing even the legendary Greta Garbo. A meteoric rise that left the world in awe, but the glitz... The post Show preview: A Tailor-Made Man (Stage Door Theatre) appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923)and Eleanora Duse (1858-1924)  are often cited as the greatest theatre actresses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Otho Eskin’s play Duet imagines a conversation between them. What’s different here is that Bernhardt has been dead a year, and it is her spirit that appears in Duse’s dressing room on the... The post Theatre review: Duet (Theatre at the Tabard) appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

As you leave this tiny theatre in Piccadilly Circus after spending 100 minutes immersed in Laughing Boy, the story of Connor Sparrowhawk and the failings affecting young adults with learning disabilities, you will (and should) feel anger and sorrow. Prof Sara Ryan, academic and mother of five, loved her son Connor, who was autistic and... The post Theatre review: Laughing Boy (Jermyn Street Theatre) appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

Stephen Beeny, Half Moon’s Communications Manager, joins us for today’s interview spotlighting theatres and shows across the London fringe. Ten In The Bed is a “humorous and inventive new show” aimed at 3-8 year olds and their families. Where: Half Moon Theatre, Limehouse When: 4 May; 4-11 Jun 2024 Ticket link: https://www.halfmoon.org.uk/events/ten-in-the-bed/ The Half Moon... The post Fringe Focus: Half Moon Theatre & Ten In The Bed appeared first on LouReviews ..read more

When two sisters disagree about the best way to provide care for their elderly mother, Black Swans feels as if it is heading into tried and tested family drama territory. Set on a long white strip with three cubes providing seating or standing space, this play (translated from Christina Kettering’s 2020 Schwarze Schwäne by Pauline Wick)... The post Theatre review: Black Swans (Omnibus Theatre) appeared first on LouReviews ..read more