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It's your weekly guide to culture in the capital. Chris Cooke and Tom Bragg are joined by Sean McGrath from AlterEgo Theatre Company talking about their upcoming production of 'Loaded'. Plus we hear about the 'Iron Curtain Trilogy' coming to The Cockpit and there are performances from Catriona Knox and The Ruby Darlings.
Click here to download or stream this edition.
When I heard about this production, I was intrigued - an immersive piece, delivered by the medium of silent disco and produced by Zest Theatre, a company who specialise in theatre for young people, created with help and input from young people. At a time when younger generations seem ever more alienated by traditional forms of theatre, it seems to me that this kind of work is essential to the future popularity of the genre. You can read the interview here.
'Gatecrash' is on at Arts Depot on Friday 7 Nov. For more info and to book, see this page here.
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COMEDY: David Elms - Nurture Boy | Pleasance Theatre | 7 Nov Tipped by TW London sister site ThreeWeeks as an essential act to see at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, singing comedian David Elms 'whispers it from the rooftops' in this, his latest solo show, an all-natural trail mix of chat, romance and 'little surprises'. And a 'bit with a Rubik's Cube, hmmm. Details and tickets here. MUSIC: Sound Of Tomorrow w/ Sango + Sivey + Hannah Faith | Oval Space | 7 Nov (pictured) Metropolis and Soulection co-MC this forward-thinking showcase of big names in waiting, with on-point American remixer and beatsmith Sango headlining, one-man production unit Sivey, fresh face Hannah Faith co-starring, and Tom Misch DJ-ing on the side. Details and tickets here. THEATRE: Far Away | Young Vic | 7-29 Nov Revived by Kate Hewitt, the winner of this year's critically-revered JMK directing award, Caryl Churchill's millennial play is a dystopian portrait of a world of fear, lies, war and denial, as main character Joan accidentally discovers a terrible, life-changing secret. Details and tickets here. |
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COMEDY: Hennessy & Friends - Murmurs | Pleasance Theatre | 8 Nov (pictured) "Quick-paced and undeniably exuberant" sketch crew Hennessy & Friends present their hit Edinburgh Fringe show 'Murmurs', which plays on the fictitious (or is it?) Fleetwood Mac-style premise that the H&F members all secretly hate each other. "Who thinks it should be called 'Dave & Friends'? Which Steve is threatening to leave the group? How do you tell your husband and the ginger one that they're holding you back?"; that kind of thing. Details and tickets here. COMEDY: Shambles à La Mode w/ John Kearns + Pappy's + Mae Martin | Roundhouse | 8 Nov Comic showcase Shambles goes 'à La Mode' in Camden in the first in a string of bi-monthly stop-ins at the Roundhouse; scooping most-wanted Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner John Kearns, ace sketch act Pappys, Canadian trailblazer Mae Martin and others too. Details and tickets here. MUSIC: Babymetal | Brixton Academy | 8 Nov Never mind the Lord Mayor's show, this is the place the real fireworks show's at; as titanic J-pop teens Babymetal storm Brixton with their deafening, seventeen-million-times-viewed mega-hit 'Gimme Chocolate!!' and other tracks from this year's 'Babymetal' LP. Details and tickets here. |
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COMEDY: Suspiciously Cheap Comedy w/ Gein's Family Giftshop + Liam Williams | Backyard Comedy Club | 9 Nov This reasonably-priced (sinisterly so) post-Sunday-roast repast features darkling sketch three-piece Gein's Family Giftshop, Liam Williams of Sheeps and solo fame, winning combo Max & Ivan and character comedian Lolly Adefope; all on show for £5. Details and tickets here. MUSIC: DD Dumbo | St Pancras Old Church | 9 Nov (pictured) Don't act like a DD Dumbo all your life; instead, go and watch one. 4AD-signed psych-pop artist Oliver Hugh Perry, who released his earthy first EP 'Tropical Oceans' last year, and who's over from his home in Australia to play St Pancras Old Church as part of his running UK tour, that is. Details and tickets here. THEATRE: The Love Shack | Theatro Technis | until 22 Nov Playwright/director Daniel Ward Garver's new baby, a slick, pacey crime thriller (that's featured on the ThisWeek London podcast, by the way), finds a disparate cast of characters - the spoilt brat son of a mob boss, an arrogant banker, and a pair of cops - crossing paths thanks to notorious crime hideout The Love Shack. Details and tickets here. |
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COMEDY: Joseph Morpugo - Odessa | The Invisible Dot | 10-15 Nov (pictured) Taking another victory lap following its critics-flooring stint at the Edinburgh Fringe, Joseph Morpurgo's blackly comical one-man show is posited like an investigation into a distinctly shady chemical plant fire in the Texan city of Odessa. Jo-Mo mans the whole cast of the story, from cops to co-conspirators, creating an intricate narrative arc from the grainy basis of 'Odessa'; a half-minute TV clip from 1983. Details and tickets here. THEATRE: First Episode | Jermyn Street Theatre | until 22 Nov Primavera AD and recent TW London interviewee Tom Littler directs this reprisal of Terrence Rattigan's first script, 'First Episode', which is loosely based on the late playwright's days at Oxford University, and indeed which he wrote whilst still a student. Its story follows best friends Tony and David, whose relationship is tried when Tony falls in love with a movie star. As you do. Details and tickets here. THEATRE: My Beautiful Black Dog | Bush Theatre | 10-12 Nov Taking its title from Winston Churchill's 'pet phrase' for his depression, Iron Shoes and writer Brigitte Aphrodite's 'My Beautiful Black Dog' is a a one-woman insight into the intricacies of mental health; shared via a mix of songs, rhymes and theatre. Details and tickets here. |
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CABARET: The Ruby Darlings Show | Leicester Square Theatre | 11 Nov A fiery feminist cabaret pairing (wait... don't leave!) backed by their 'divine pianist' David, The Ruby Darlings' racy act gives an unabashedly candid insight into what it's like to live life with a vagina. Hurrah! Details and tickets here. COMEDY: Ivo Graham - Bow Ties & Johnnies | Soho Theatre | 11-15 Nov Smart yet (he admits) slightly hapless one-time Eton boy Ivo Graham does a nice, round 60 minute show about moving out of his gran's house and - shock horror - having to grow up. Details and tickets here. DANCE: New Movement Collective - Please Be Seated | Southbank Centre | 11-12 Nov (pictured) A world's first from acclaimed 'site-responsive' dance company NMC, 'Please Be Seated' (trailer here) is a dark, dry-witted, slapstick-style aside on the 'unexpected absurdity within everyday structures'. Or for the uninitiated, 'dancers larking about with furniture'. Details and tickets here. |
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COMEDY: Knock2Bag w/ Romesh Ranganathan | Bar FM | 12 Nov Professional grinch Romesh Ranganathan and his straight-faced stylings headline this edition of Knock2Bag, with intrepid Pappy's man Matthew Crosby, slimy character creation Brian Gittins, off-the-wall comic Lou Sanders, playful stand-up Joz Norris and "aspiring" funny guy Don Tran all in the bag (and on the line-up), and all. Details and tickets here. MUSIC: Perfume | Hammersmith Apollo | 12 Nov Now in the midst of their third circuit of the world touring-wise, bionic girl-girl-girl band and J-pop A-listers Perfume ring in their biggest hits via a typically striking hi-tech live show. Details and tickets here. THEATRE: Accolade | St James Theatre | 12 Nov - 13 Dec A repeat of director Blanche McIntyre's award(s)-winning 2011 adaptation of the play by Emlyn Williams', 'Accolade' stars Alexander Hanson as a knighted author caught in the glare of the British media, even as he's being blackmailed over his secret private life. Details and tickets here. |
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ART: Allen Jones RA | Royal Academy | 13 Nov - 25 Jan An appraisal of great British Pop Artist Allen Jones; looking at all his years in the biz (if not quite in the right order), the RA's big exhibition is a jigsaw linking the various motifs and common 'visual language' of his work; which combines traditional painting with the crisp, sexy city and advertising iconography of modern life. And yeah, his notorious 1960s 'furniture' sculptures (aka woman as 'Chair', 'Table' and 'Hat Stand') are part of the show; as is the plastic breastplate he made for Kate Moss; though also prominent are his many canvases and explanatory storyboards. Details and tickets here. COMEDY: The QI Elves - No Such Thing As A Fish Podcast Live | London Irish Centre | 13 Nov The behind-the-scene research team off of 'QI', the self-styled 'Elves', present a live recording of their highly informative and, above all, silly podcast 'No Such Thing As A Fish' as part of this year's Chortle Comedy Book Festival. ThreeWeeks-interviewed academic/comedian Dan Schreiber hosts; with James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray and Anna Ptaszynski all chatting and adding factoids too. Details and tickets here. MUSIC: Ja Ja Ja Festival w/ Emiliana Torrini | The Lexington / QMU Great Hall | 13-15 Nov (pictured) The Ja Ja Ja Festival, a frosty city fest of all-things nice and, critically, Nordic; is this year headlined by Icelandic lark Emiliana Torrini (who leads the event's final, all-day bill, in the Great Hall of Queen Mary University); and featuring live sets by all-Nordic acts When Saints Go Machine, Jenny Wilson, Highasakite, Sumie and Asbjørn; a series of screenings from the Nordic Music Video Awards; and innovative food programme from Helsinki-bred chef Antto Melasniemi. Details and tickets here. |
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