Message In A Bottle, Sadler's Wells at The Peacock Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until March 21, 2020

Photographer: Helen Maybanks.

Message In A Bottle uses the music of Sting to tell the story of a family displaced from their country by war. Forced to become refugees they face the perils of a sea journey and incarceration before they can take up a new life. The narrative which follows the lives of the parents and their three children is both poignant and riveting. All of this is set to some wonderfully familiar and emotive music. Over twenty of Sting's songs are incorporated into the story. Sometimes this works beautifully and sometimes it feels a little forced, but the extraordinary dancing leaves no time to dwell on this detail. Kate Prince's choreography brings the absolute best out of her dancers with some wonderfully innovative movement that seamlessly flows through a variety of dance forms. Ben Stones' set, Andrzej Goulding's video design and Natasha Chivers' lighting create a wonderfully evocative atmosphere without ever overwhelming the dancing. Lukas McFarlane as Leto, Tommy Franzen as Mati and Natasha Gooden as Tana were all amazing. They beautifully conveyed their characters while always staying within their stories. Gooden hit a wonderful balance of strength and vulnerability and McFarlane's work with Nafisah Baba was a delight. Franzen simply commanded the stage whenever he was on it. Indeed, all of the cast contributed to making this a quite wonderful evening of dance and drama. Bravo ZooNation!

 Reviewed by J.C.

  Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

 WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
Until March 21, 2020
Tue - Sat: 7:30 pm
Sat: 2:30 pm, Sun: 2 pm & 6:30 pm
Sadler's Wells at The Peacock Theatre
Nearest tube: Holborn
https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2020/message-in-a-bottle/
Map & Location: Portugal St, Holborn, London WC2A 2HT, UK

Most Popular

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

Image
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…
Full Details »

Pippin, The Garden Theatre at The Eagle - ★★★★ - Until October 11, 2020

Image
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,…
Full Details »

Showstopper! The (Socially Distanced!) Improvised Musical - ★★★★ - Until August 30, 2020

Image
'Adapt and change' seems to be the way forward for theatre in 2020. Showstopper!, which has been running successfully in the West End for several seasons with an Olivier Award already under its belt, has created hundreds of improvised musicals before our eyes and ears. This, however, is its first foray into online entertainment and, judging by the audience feedback, it will prove very popular. Four very talented performers – Ruth Bratt, Justin Brett, Pippa Evans and Adam Megiddo, backed by Duncan Walsh Atkins and Alex Atty in the band – work incredibly hard creating and linking songs in the style of favourites from Hamilton, Les Miserables and many more. We also enjoy seeing them flesh out the flimsiest of plots as suggested by audience members; on this occasion, the story involved a hot air balloon trip and time travel. The reimagined format is obviously still unfamiliar to the performers and without a live audience the show takes a while to get into its stride, but by the se…
Full Details »

Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, Park Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until January 4, 2020

Image
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…
Full Details »

Sir John Soane's Museum Guided Tour - FREE - ★★★★★

Image
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
Full Details »

Soho Cinders, Charing Cross Theatre - ★★★★ - Until January 11, 2020

Image
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…
Full Details »

Sweet Harmony: Rave | Today, Saatchi Gallery - ★★★★ - Until September 14, 2019

Image
"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
Mo…
Full Details »

Beyond The Road, Saatchi Gallery - ★★★★ - Until September 8, 2019

Image
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…
Full Details »

Godspell 50th Anniversary Concert (online) - ★★★ - Until August 29, 2020

Image
'Can we see a ray of hope?' is the question which this concert version of Godspell intends to ask. Although virtually all of the plot has been jettisoned and replaced by simple buzzwords flashed before each song, we do eventually get the message. The vocal performances are generally good, but outstanding is the beautiful singing by the trio of Jenna Russell, John Barr and Sally Ann Triplett in 'On the Willows.' Ruthie Henshall has great fun as a temptress in a bubble bath and 'Day by Day' is very effectively performed as a duet on mobile phones by Natalie Green and Ronald Brian. Most musicals tend to dip towards the end of Act Two but with Godspell Stephen Schwartz definitely kept his best work for the last fifteen minutes. In theatrical versions the plot becomes linear at this point for the first time. In this interpretation without dialogue and staging, this is difficult to accomplish, but the performance does finish exceptionally well. The concert would prob…
Full Details »

Fanny & Stella, The Garden Theatre at The Eagle - ★★★★ - Until August 28, 2020

Image
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…
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine. Reviews and Ratings.