Paula Rego: Obedience and Defiance, MK Gallery - ★★★★★ - Until September 22, 2019


There are two reasons to visit this exhibition: one is the wonderful retrospective of Paula Rego's work and the other is to see the new MK gallery space they are displayed in. Rego's art is unabashedly challenging: powerful pieces deal with political issues ranging from dictatorship to abortion and with personal conflicts about relationships and the sacrifice they may require. These are strong narratives that reward the time spent contemplating their iconography and trenchant reflections on films, novels and the great masters of western art. Rego's works flow from many sources, but she is not simply a conduit for them. Her strong will bends and re-shapes her own experience and her influences into powerful images that haunt the viewer. This exhibition is well worth the 30 minute trip from London. It has been thoughtfully curated by Catherine Lampert and serves as a wonderful inauguration of Milton Keynes newly enlarged and renovated gallery.

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until September 22, 2019
Tue - Sat: 11 am - 7 pm. Sun: 11 am - 5 pm
MK Gallery
Nearest tube: Euston for National Rail service to Milton Keynes Central
https://www.mkgallery.org/whats-on/paula-rego-obedience-and-defiance
Map & Location: 900 Midsummer Blvd, Milton Keynes MK9 3QA, UK

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Renaissance, Stephens House & Gardens - ★★★★★ - Until September 20, 2020

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The words dance off the tongue in this new, delightfully amusing ninety-minute verse play by Charles Ward. Under Emma Butler's immaculate direction, Renaissance is performed on a small raised platform in a magically lit garden. The modern, stylish cream and white clothes look gorgeous. We meet Cesare Borgia, Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli who, at Cesare's behest, assume each other's characters. Light-hearted comedy ensues when the women in their lives turn up. In many ways the story recalls Shakespeare's comedies of disguise and mistaken identity. James Corrigan has great fun and is outstanding as the flamboyant Cesare, getting himself into all kinds of predicaments including some amusing exchanges with the sexually ambivalent Machiavelli. Nicholas Limm as Niccolò speaks beautifully, especially as he begins to enjoy his new role at court. Akshay Sharan, masquerading as a bemused Leonardo, is totally charming. Hannah Morrish as Cesare's sister, the infamo…
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Pippin, The Garden Theatre at The Eagle - ★★★★ - Until October 11, 2020

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Happy hippie troubadours invade this intimate space only to charm their way into our hearts and minds. It might be interesting to discuss the existential crisis which inhabits the heart of Stephen Schwartz's entertainment, but it is far better to relax and let this exceedingly talented troupe entertain us with their superbly directed and choreographed performances. The whole panoply of life in the time of Charlemagne is laid out before us on a pocket handkerchief of a stage. It is all festively strung with fairy lights and surrounded by forests of potted palms. As Pippin himself, Ryan Anderson displays extraordinary talent including some jaw-dropping athleticism. The ambiguity of Pippin being trapped but happy with his lot is nicely developed. Harry Francis is a delight as the fit-but-dim stepbrother, Lewis, and he dances up a storm. Dan Krikler's fine voice serves well as King Charlemagne. However, the clear audience favourite is Joanne Clifton as Pippin's stepmother and,…
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Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, Park Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until January 4, 2020

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The title says it all. You know you're in for a lot of fun and this play lives up to its billing. What do you give to your dominatrix when she turns forty? It's a question we've all asked ourselves, and what we get here is an amusing and provocative answer. This is a piece that looks at and laughs at role playing, how it can liberate us and how it can trap us. Everyone from Chinese Elvis to dominatrix, Josie, has an alter ego that either supports them or constrains them. Coming to terms with the authentic self and enjoying the possibility of playing with the notion of other selves is both the challenge and the solution. This is a very funny play with a lot of heart and wisdom that is beautifully performed by a cast which never misses a beat. Sioned Jones is quite wonderful as the obsessive compulsive cleaner who grows into a new persona and Andrew P. Stephen is delightful as the dry cleaner who accepts his complexity. Kellie Batchelor is completely believable as the age-c…
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Soho Cinders, Charing Cross Theatre - ★★★★ - Until January 11, 2020

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It's all here but the pumpkin coach! This wonderfully updated telling of Cinderella's story takes place around Old Compton Street where Cinderella has become Robbieand Prince Charming is now a closeted politician. The fairy godmother played by Christopher Coleman expects a little more than appreciation and the two wicked stepsisters are now pole dancers threatening to take away Robbie's launderette. Does it sound like a lot of silly fun? Well, it is. It is also a slightly darker commentary on current political spinand image doctoring and on the tabloid culture that creates both political fairy tales and faux scandals. All of the cast are excellent. As the two totally over the top wicked stepsisters,Michaela Stern and Natalie Harman are hilarious in numbers such as "I'm So Over Men" and "Fifteen Minutes."Ewan Gillies as the evil spin doctor is quite perfect and "The Tail That Wags The Dog"sums up what so many of us see on the current politi…
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Sir John Soane's Museum Guided Tour - FREE - ★★★★★

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This is one of our favourite museums in London. The quirky and crammed home of John Soane, architect of the Bank of England. It has some wonderful treasures, including Hogarth's "The Election" and "The Rake's Progress." The sarcophagus of Seti I is in the basement along with the parlour of his imaginary friend, Brother John. Don't miss the opening of the display walls in the gallery now done on the hour and half hour. Also, try to be there for the free Private Apartments tour, limited to 8 people and requiring  sign up on site.
Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score: ☆☆☆☆☆

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Wed - Sun: 10 am - 5 pm (last entry at 4:30 pm) Closed: Dec 24, 25, 26, 31 & Jan 1
Private Apartments Tours: 1:15 pm & 2:00 pm Sir John Soane's museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields Nearest tube: Holborn https://www.soane.org
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Sweet Harmony: Rave | Today, Saatchi Gallery - ★★★★ - Until September 14, 2019

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"Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven." Every generation produces its own youth counterculture with its own iconography. The be-ins of the 60's still resonate with that generation, and the 80's and 90's produced the rave subculture. But while the impetus and often the modes of expression are parallel (rebellion politics, drugs and music) the zeitgeist is usually quite different. This look at the rave culture offers an insight into how that generation perceived the world it was inheriting and the aspirations for its transformation. Photographs, sound installations and specially commissioned works give us the faces, activities and environments of the era, but they are now bathed in a nostalgia which transforms these representations of experience into a show for both those who were there and for those who want to have a sense of those heady days.

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until September 14, 2019
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Beyond The Road, Saatchi Gallery - ★★★★ - Until September 8, 2019

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Developed by Colin Nightingale and Stephen Dobbie this intriguing installation brings together works by an amazing variety of artists, from perfume designer Azzi Glasser to Turner Prize nominee Nathan Coley. The visual artists involved worked knowing that the context for their creations would be an environment of the music of James Lavelle and his band UNKLE. The layering in their albums "The Road Part I" and "The Road Part II/Lost Highway" led Nightingale and Dobbie to go "Beyond The Road." This project with its deconstructed music at its core seeks to engage participants by recreating how they perceive music while they experience different environments. The various senses are engaged as visitors explore and are immersed in worlds that they are invited to synthesise and assimilate. A knowledge of Lavelle's music before a visit to the installation is not required, but it will certainly enrich an immersive experience that pushes boundaries.
Reviewed b…
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Afterglow, Southwark Playhouse - ★★★★★ - Until July 20, 2019

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There are no villains here. As relationships are increasingly defined by their participants and less and less by externally imposed "norms," there comes both liberation and challenges. The heart wants what the heart wants and often this results in conflicting and difficult to reconcile desires. This is the struggle faced by Josh, Alex and Darius as they try to negotiate the complexities of an open relationship. The performances of Sean Hart, Danny Mahoney and Jesse Fox are equally strong and nuanced. Tom O'Brien's direction is deft and well-paced. Libby Todd's set is brilliantly economical and versatile. But finally, it is about S. Asher Gelman's play. It offers us an amusing, intriguing and insightful look into how honesty, good intentions, commitment and love can confound us all. This is theatre for everyone who has ever tried "to make it work."

Reviewed by J.C.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

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Camden Fringe: Truth After Murder, Etcetera Theatre - ★★★ - Until August 25, 2019

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Without either a classical education or a knowledge of Strauss' "Elektra" what would one make of this sixty minute play? Although the first fifteen minutes seemed to invoke the worst excesses of fringe theatre, a little gem emerged which was quite enthralling and the last fifteen minutes were riveting! Orestes Carter is giving a promotional lecture on his new book about the life of Electra who has been incarcerated for fifteen years after the horror of her father's murder. The charismatic Riccardo Carollo jumps back and forth as both author/psychiatrist and protagonist. He successfully manages to delineate his different characters despite the lightning quick changes. Mariana Elicetche portrays a woman forced into a life of suffering in a mental health institution with frightening vigour. The effective lighting of author Arif Alfaraz's production enhances the underlying horror. However, we did feel that much of the action would gain by being a little further upsta…
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Fanny & Stella, The Garden Theatre at The Eagle - ★★★★ - Until August 28, 2020

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Live theatre is back in all its glory! Playing outdoors and socially distanced, this is a little gem of a show. Juxtaposing high drama with low comedy frequently succeeds as a theatrical device and this musical is no exception. Revolving around a notorious Victorian court case where two young, cross-dressing men were charged with sodomy, the show uses elements of Music Hall to get its points across. David Shields' simple design cleverly compliments the unusually florid accessories to the gentlemen's dress suits. Fanny and Stella, our drag queen leading 'men', are played with great aplomb by Kane Verrall and Jed Berry. They create believably lovable characters and bring joyous humour balanced with heart-rending pathos. The company of six perform Nick Winston's delightfully slick routines immaculately. Mark Pearce stands out in a myriad of cameo roles; it is a tribute to Pearce and director, Steven Dexter, that he never outstays his welcome. Alex Lodge's handsome…
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