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At this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe (yes, I'm still talking about that) Shazia Mirza's latest show was presented as a work-in-progress, yet still scored glowing praise from assorted comedy critics. The show now has a title, 'The Kardashians Made Me Do It'.
The set deals with some interesting and topical subject matter, and it comes as no surprise that it's handled well by this veteran of stand-up (and myriad TV and radio appearances). I sent some questions over, to find out more about the show. And you can read the interview here.
Shazia performs 'The Kardashians Made Me Do It' from 24 Sep until 3 Oct at Tricycle Theatre. See this page here for more info and to book.
BONNIE ADAIR: NEVER ENDING NIGHT
I love interesting venues, and The Vaults is a brilliant place to stage a show - especially one set in a post-apocalyptic world, don't you think...? 'Never Ending Night' is just such a show, and promises to be an immersive and involving performance.
To find out more about the show, a co-production from Upstanding Productions, Goatboy Enterprises and Actor's Temple, I sent some questions over to creator Bonnie Adair. And you can read the interview here.
'Never Ending Night' is on at The Vaults from 23-25 Sep. See this page here for more info and tickets.
ABIGAIL MATTHEWS: THE WHITE FEATHER
I'm always interested in hearing about new creations (though, you know, revivals have their charm too), and when I heard about a new musical called 'The White Feather', my interest was certainly piqued: it deals with sombre subject matter, the story of a young woman's fight to gain justice for her brother after he was condemned for cowardice during World War I.
I decided to find out more about the production, so sent some questions over to the show's lead actor, Abigail Matthews. And you can read the interview here.
'The White Feather' is on at Union Theatre until 17 October. See the venue website here for tickets and information.
TOM BALLARD: TAXIS & RAINBOWS & HATRED
Unless you're from Australia, you may not yet have heard of Tom Ballard, but he's a pretty big name in his native country. He's begun the process of getting known in the UK, now, though, and recently had a very successful first run at the Edinburgh Festival, securing critical love and affection as well as a Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award newcomer nomination.
This week, he's on at the Soho Theatre, performing the same show that garnered so much attention at the Fringe. Ahead of that, I sent him some questions, to find out more about 'Taxis & Rainbows & Hatred', and about his career thus far. And you can read the interview here.
Tom Ballard is on at Soho Theatre until 19 Sep. See the venue website here for details and tickets.
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Rituals For Change | Camden People's Theatre | 18 Sep Part of the previously mentioned-in-our-tips Calm Down Dear feminism Festival, 'Rituals For Change' is the work of None Of Us Is Yet A Robot, a company who seek to explore gender identity and the politics of transition. It's a multimedia piece, directed by award winning transgender theatre practitioner Emma Frankland, focusing on renewal, regeneration, and change. See this page here for more info and tickets. Fern Brady - People Are Idiots | Leicester Square Theatre| 17-18 Sep Fern Brady made a very, very favourable impression on our extremely discerning reviewer in Edinburgh this year so I have no hesitation in recommending to you this clearly very talented comedian. She's doing two dates at the Leicester Square theatre, reprising the show that won her critical acclaim at the Fringe this summer. See this page here for details and tickets. Miss Behave's Game Show | London Wonderground | 18 + 25 Sep (pictured) Not seen it myself yet, but I have it on very good authority that this is a chaotic riot of fun that includes elements of disco, variety show and of course, game show. "Tired of everything meaning something? Just want to have fun? Then look no further," says our host. "And remember, if less is more, then f*ck all is everything." Get more info and tickets from the venue website here. |
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Open House London | various locations | 19-20 Sep
Open House London, if you're not yet aware of it, is an annual festival of architecture and design, which gives you the chance to see inside buildings that you might not normally get to see, and learn more about London's great yet perhaps not-too-well-known structures. It happens all over town, all over the weekend, so if you're interested, you'll have to plan your own tour; the website can help you with lots of info and guides, so take a look at it, here. London Design Festival | various venues | 19-27 Sep More design, but this time not just of the architectural type. There's absolutely loads going on in this huge celebration of creativity, so again, you'll have to navigate the programme of events and exhibitions for the stuff that piques your interest. Personally, I'm leaning towards anything that involves textiles at the moment, so that's what I will be making a beeline for. Make your own beeline choices here. The Big Bang #1 and #2 | Camden People's Theatre | 19 + 20 Sep (pictured) And so we return to tipping events at CPT's festival of feminism Calm Down Dear (can you tell there's a feminist in the house?) with 'The Big Bang #1' and 'The Big Bang #2'. Each show offers a series of short, sharp, scratch-y performances - and by scratch-y, I mean in the early stages of development, not that they will make you itch. There's also a third 'Big Bang' on 10 Oct, but that's much too far away for me to think about right now… more info here. |
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Yianni - Why Did The Chicken Cross The Line? | Camden Comedy Club | 20 Sep (pictured) The lovely and brilliant Yianni Agisilaou is one of our favourite comedians here at TW HQ - so much so that a couple of years back we gave him an award at the Edinburgh Festival, you know, for being utterly brilliant. His latest show sees him wondering where the line is between what is acceptable and not acceptable - after receiving an email from a booker who requested that no jokes be made about rape, paedophilia or Princess Diana - and won critical plaudits at this year's Fringe. See the venue website for info. See What I Wanna See | Jermyn Street Theatre | 8 Sep-3 Oct It's already been running for a while so they should be well into their stride with this UK premiere of off-Broadway hit 'See What I Wanna See'. It's a musical featuring three separate stories, all of which examine the nature of truth and memory, and ask whether we can really ever see the truth clearly...? See the venue website here for more info. The White Feather | Union Theatre | 16 Sep-17 Oct We are on a musical roll, today, because here is another. This sounds really good - so good, in fact, that we did a recent Q&A with lead actress Abigail Matthews. This is a brand new piece, focusing on the tragedy of a man executed for cowardice, and his sister's fight to obtain a posthumous pardon. See the venue website here, for more info and to book. |
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Garrett Millerick: A Selection Of Things I've Said To Taxi Drivers | Camden Comedy Club | 21 Sep (pictured)
Our Edinburgh review teams have long been collective fans of Garrett Millerick. You can see the evidence of his TW popularity here, or you can just take it from me that he'll delight you with his dark, sometimes angry, brilliant wit. "Things you didn't realise were annoying, analysed in detail that you never thought was necessary," says the blurb. Don't tell me that doesn't sound appealing. See the venue website for listings info. Get Your S**t Together | Landor Theatre | until 27 Sep I can't honestly claim to have seen this in Edinburgh (give me a break, there are thousands of shows) but I'd decided to recommend it even before I knew that it had completed a successful run up there this summer. It's a comedy musical, the sort that twenty somethings (or perhaps even thirty or forty somethings) who still feel they need to get their shit together ought to relate to. Sounds fun. And all the details are right here. Stewart Lee: A Room With A Stew | Leicester Square Theatre | 21 Sep-8 Jan I am not sure I need to say anything at all about Stewart Lee. He's one of those comedians we've loved and followed the career of pretty much since time (or his career, really) began. So I would rarely pass up a chance to tip him. Though, to be fair, there have been times when I passed up the chance to see him. Like, when I was in labour. See more info on the venue website here. |
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Fake It 'Til You Make It | Soho Theatre | 22 Sep-17 Oct The award winning artist Briony Kimmings (we gave her an award, in fact) brings her latest show, the award winning 'Fake It 'Til You Make It' to Soho Theatre for a sizably meaty run, which is pleasing. You might find the show slightly affecting, or poignant, because it's about clinical depression, and she made it in collaboration with her partner, who suffers from it; but I suspect there's a lot of warmth and hope here too. See more info here. Sam Simmons: Spaghetti For Breakfast | Soho Theatre | 22 Sep-10 Oct Oh no! I broke the unbreakable rule that says I can't mention one venue more than once in one set of tips. Well, I've broken it now. And perhaps it can be fixed. I kind of had to do it though, because you won't want to miss Sam Simmons. He has just won the Foster's Comedy Award, and this is the very show he won that award with. More info from right about here. Portrait | Camden People's Theatre | 22-26 Sep (pictured) And on to 'Portrait'. Thank goodness this isn't on at the Soho Theatre. No, this time we are back to the Camden People's Theatre, and their oft-mentioned festival of feminism. 'Portrait' is the work of actress Racheal Ofori, who here performs her first solo show. It's had a great critical reception elsewhere, so I think we can count on this to be a fascinating look at cultural stereotypes, identity and role models. See this page here for more info and tickets. |
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The Birds | Leicester Square Theatre | 24 Sep-17 Oct
Ooh, this sounds scary, which is good, really, because it is, after all, supposed to be a thriller. Scripted by Conor McPherson, based on Daphne Du Maurier's novelette of the same name (which of course also inspired Hitchcock's film) this production offers a post-apocalyptic take on the story, setting it in a world where society has collapsed. See more info and book tickets here. Mae Martin - Us | The Invisible Dot | 21 Sep-1 Oct Award nominated Canadian comedian Mae Martin makes her way to The Invisible Dot for a reprise of her most recent Edfringe road-tested show 'Us', in which she tackles the topics of identity, sexuality, biphobia and loneliness. She's long been a bit of a favourite for us, and we are also convinced she will never age. More info and tickets from this page here. Joey Page - Catastrophe Party | Camden Comedy Club | 23 Sep I know that I probably say this about too many people (not that you'd know that, I normally say it in private, with friends, not in print) but I feel as though Joey Page ought to be attracting way more attention than he usually does. We love him, we've given him glowing reviews in Edinburgh, and now we want everyone in London to go and see him too. Though I am not sure that everyone in London could fit in the room at the same time. Maybe you could form some kind of tag team? Anyway, info and tickets here. |
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Shazia Mirza - The Kardashians Made Me Do It | Tricycle Theatre | 24 Sep-3 Oct (pictured) It seems like an unlikely title for a show about Jihadi brides, but all will be revealed. Shazia Mirza's latest show seems like it's her most serious and most politicised yet, and it's won a fair bit of acclaim during its 'work in progress' showings. You can see our recent q&a with her here, and you can find out more info about the show and book tickets here. Bloodletting | Bread and Roses Theatre | 24-26 Sep Did you know there was a thing called the Clapham Fringe? Well, there is, and it's happening this month at the Bread and Roses theatre. 'Bloodletting' sounds like one of the highlights, not least because it's the winner of the 2015 Bread and Roses playwriting competition, but also because it's got a very interesting concept set in a dystopian near-future at its heart. See more info and book right here. Mike Aremu | Canada Water Culture Space | 24 Sep Mike Aremu is on as part of the fabulous, musically and culturally diverse London African Music Festival, taking place from 18-27 Sep. In fact, there's so much good stuff on, that in all honesty, I really struggled to narrow it down to one choice. Mike Aremu won in the end because he fought off all the competition with his saxophone. Well, not literally, obviously; he didn't beat them with it. He just played it beautifully. See more info on the whole festival here. |
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