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London Living Large
The City Life Magazine. Reviews and Ratings.

Latest Reviews

Camden Fringe: Shards, The Camden People's Theatre - ★★★★★ - August 15 - 18, 2019

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In physics, as in relationships, sometimes things need to collide and even be broken to discover the particle that holds them together. This is a refreshingly intelligent play about intelligent people. It does not make the mistake of seeking drama in the extraordinary or bizarre, but plumbs the complexity present in the everyday world. Whether it is on the macro-level of the universe or on the micro-level of people trying to understand themselves and to form relationships, there is ample challenge and wonder to be found. We see the steps, missteps and collisions that occur among four people before a rhythm is discovered and the swing dance of relationships can be mastered. Karim Dedda as Matt creates a convincingly caring and questing nurse and Vanessa Toral Diaz's Maya is a completely credible physician. She beautifully captures the manner of a slightly distant, but nevertheless vulnerable professional. Robert Dukes' Viktor is nuanced and does not fall into simple parody of t…
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Dogfight, Southwark Playhouse - ★★★★☆ - Until August 31, 2019

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These talented young people deserve to enjoy great careers, and this musical could not have been better directed by Dean Johnson. There were some superb performances. Claire Keenan as Rose absolutely rules the stage. In a part where she plays an ugly duckling she projects a luminous personality, subtle characterisation, and has faultless vocal production. This is someone to watch as her career develops! Stephen Lewis-Johnston as Eddie creates a totally believable marine - a bastard with a heart - he acts, moves and sings extremely well. The remaining characters are very well played, especially Matthew Michaels and Joe Munn as the two best mates. There is some terrific ensemble work, especially in the excellent choreography by George Lyons, and the battle scene is very well done. The small but excellent band adds gorgeous colour throughout. If there is a weakness it is the script. It is cliche-ridden and uses the old and unpleasant trope of the young military bucks vying to bring the u…
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The Strange Case of Jekyll & Hyde, Jack Studio Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until September 28, 2019

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Ross McGregor offers a fascinating contemporary gloss on the age old questions explored by Robert Louis Stevenson. In both individuals and societies the capacities for violence and hatred coexist with those for love and empathy. How do we repress the former and bring forth the latter? What triggers or exacerbates the expression of one side of this duality over the other? Are the cause and the solution social or scientific? Political experiments like America, with its celebration of personal liberty and proliferation of guns, and scientific experiments resulting in "wonder" drugs and gene modification can have results quite contrary to initial expectations. Dr. Jekyll, the mayor of a small Indiana town is an emblem of both the scientific and social approaches to dealing with the duality of the human condition, and this work reflects the complexity of the question and the dubious nature of the answers. Jekyll is subtly and convincingly played by Will Pinchin in a strong perfor…
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Towards Zero, The Mill at Sonning - ★★★★★ - Until September 28, 2019

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Murder and a lovely meal. This is a perfect summer's day served up by The Mill at Sonning and Brian Blessed. His direction captures the fun of Agatha Christie's classic whodunit without ever condescending to it. He hits just the right note of taking the work seriously and winking at the audience as we share a guilty pleasure. Dinah England's set is perfect and completely captures the era while Natalie Titchener's lovely costumes are completely eye-catching. The cast is excellent. Again, it is so easy to overplay or reduce to parody Christie's two dimensional characters, but these actors get it just right! They work within the genre rather than playing against it. It seems almost unfair to single anyone out, but Hildegard Neil as Lady Tressilian commanded the stage as any matriarch worth her salt should. This is a thoroughly first-rate production with an excellent two course meal before the curtain rises. It is probably the best theatrical value in London. Make the …
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Thriller Live, Lyric Theatre - ★★★★☆ - Until April 26, 2020

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For over ten years this is a show that has been providing electrifying entertainment. It is a retrospective of the music that defined a generation. Michael Jackson has become a controversial figure but his music and choreography still amazes and delights. From the early years with The Jackson Five and the catchy tunes of "ABC" and "Blame It On The Boogie" to the experiences that were "Bad" and "Thriller" the vocals and dancing still captivate an audience. These works are performed by probably the hardest working cast in the West End. The energy is nothing short of spellbinding. All of the cast brought themselves totally to this evening, but for us the stand-outs were Vivienne Ekwulugo who has a beautiful voice and a presence that brings amazing depth to MJ's stylings. And then there is Florivaldo Mossi's rendition of "Billie Jean" who's incredible Moonwalk sequences were just amazing! "They Don't Care About Us"…
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Amsterdam, Orange Tree Theatre - ★★★★☆ - Until October 12, 2019

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A mysterious letter from the past which will unravel a story of love, betrayal and survival. This is a great setup for a tale which is bound to capture an audience's interest. The horrors of World War II echo into the present and make us consider the kind of world that we are living in and creating. Amsterdam has a fascinating narrative which resonates relevance to our current situation and connects the past and the present in a fascinating way. The haunting spectre of history is wonderfully invoked in a manner that makes the city come alive and universalises it into our current time and place. The drawback for us was the framework used to tell this gripping, atmospheric tale. The notion of an improvisational drama, which has clearly been written and rehearsed, distracted from the artful counterpoint of past and present senses of identity and political reality rather than complementing them. The constant breaking of the fourth wall with translations and commentary also seemed unn…
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Camden Fringe: Puttana, Etcetera Theatre / Hen & Chickens Theatre - ★★★☆☆ - Until August 25, 2019

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In "Puttana" a gay man explores his challenges of sex addiction, anorexia, the fear of disease and the sense of aging. We watch him try to excorise his demons as he goes from a quiet life in Finland to the fast pace gay whirlwind that is Milan and New York. He pursues his dreams of being a model and finds himself in some harrowing situations. He strives to be honest with himself and to come to terms with the experiences that are thrust upon him and the chaos of his own making. The problem we had with this work was that while it often seemed to be a powerful expression of raw experience, in order for it to be fully successful as a dramatic work it required both more distance and more shaping. There is much that is both challenging and engaging in Oskar Hartman's performance and the recounting of his story; indeed, the fearless and brutal honesty displayed here is often riveting.

Reviewed by J.C.
 Our Score:  ☆☆☆★★ 

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WHEN, WHERE, GE…
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Camden Fringe: Celia Delaney is... Angelic? - The Bill Murray - ★★★☆☆ - Until August 19, 2019

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This show charts the changes and growth of Celia － from a young woman visiting Paris and having a fling with a French boy to the wife of a civil servant. It deals with issues of class, politics and sexual mores. And, accompanying Celia on her journey is an eponymous imaginary daughter. There are lot of laughs in this show and it was enjoyed by the audience, but despite the fact that it was tied together by being somewhat biographical and by the question posed of whether Celia is angelic or not, for us it seemed rather caught between two genres. Billed as a work in progress, the show sometimes left us confused as to whether we were watching a comic one person play or a stand-up act. Just when we became interested in the "character", we would get a series of jokes that seemed rather tangential. We were generously asked for feedback at the end of this sketch or play-in-the-making. Ours would be: this is thoughtful stand-up but might be really interesting as a fully-fashioned pl…
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Camden Fringe: U Are What U Wear, Etcetera Theatre - ★★★☆☆ - Until August 19, 2019

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Nafflix TV fashion personality, PiXii Malone is the alter ego of impersonator, Kate Bell. In her show, the influencer introduces us to a variety of guests. We meet a Russian fashion guru, a fashion agony aunt, a fitness specialist, a super-fan contest winner, a "serious" reporter of fashion, and others. They are all apparently different, but are tied together by their love of being 'in' and by an air-headedness that had the audience roaring with laughter. This satiric look at our current obsession with the rich, the famous and the stylish sometimes seemed a little heavy-handed and rather predictable, but there was a lot of energy here and some good shots at our obsession with trends and the lives of the trendy. It all ends with a song-eulogy for Karl Lagerfeld. However, as we all know, the pony tail of yesterday is the man-bun of tomorrow. Plus que ça change...

Reviewed by J.C.
 Our Score:  ☆☆☆★★ 
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WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Aug…
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The Crown Dual, Wilton's Music Hall - ★★★★☆ - Until September 14, 2019

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Clare Foy and Matt Smith move aside! Writers for Netflix's The Crownyou've been replaced! These two multi-talented actors do all the parts and cover the whole first season in 70 minutes. And, this version's a lot funnier than the original. This is a very clever spoof of the series that has the audience in stitches and it's an amazing demonstration of theatrical timing. The jokes come thick and fast and you really don't require an in-depth knowledge of the series to enjoy the fun. The premise is that Rosie Holt is an actress, Beth, who failed to get the role of the queen in the Netflix blockbuster and Brendan Murphy is Stanley, her part-time agent. They take on the The Crownwith Beth playing the Queen and Stanley doing everybody else (though we must note Beth also does a star turn as the penguin). This is a great evening of silliness and satire, and we thoroughly enjoyed this delightful romp through the monarchy's dramas. Now we want to see Beth's and Stanle…
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The City Life Magazine. Reviews and Ratings.