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TIFF STEVENSON: MAD MAN
If you're looking for some quality comedy this weekend, then you won't go wrong having a look at the line-up on offer over at Phoenix Fringe. And one of the stand-out acts appearing is the brilliant Tiff Stevenson, who performs her acclaimed show, 'Mad Man'. Don't worry if you can't make it this time, though, she'll be performing it in London again in March.
Anyway, as big fans of Ms Stevenson and all her live, TV, radio and written work, of course we wanted to make time for a chat. I put some questions to her, ahead of her date at The Phoenix. Read her responses here.
Tiff Stevenson performs 'Mad Man' at Phoenix Fringe on 19 Feb, and at Leicester Square Theatre on 31 Mar. For info on those dates, see this link and that link respectively. For further UK tour dates, see Tiff's website. And for info about all the other great stuff going on at Phoenix Fringe over the weekend, see this page here.
FLORENCE KEITH-ROACH: EGGS
Florence Keith-Roach is one of those people you might call a 'rising star'; very much on the up because of her very high quality and much praised work, she brings her latest piece 'Eggs' to Vault Festival this week.
I spoke to the playwright and performer, ahead of the London run, to find out more about this acclaimed play, and a bit more about Florence herself. Read the interview here.
'Eggs' is on at Vault Festival from 24 Feb-6 Mar, see this page here for more info and to book your tickets.
TOBY PEACH: THE EULOGY
Loads of great stuff is on at the ongoing Vault Festival, and 'The Eulogy Of Toby Peach' is no exception – we know because we first came across this funny, endearing, poignant and informative show when it was part of the Edinburgh Fringe last summer.
Toby Peach created and performs the show, which tells the story of his experiences of going through cancer at a young age, and examines the science of what exactly cancer is. To find out more about the play, and about Toby, I put some questions to him, ahead of his London run. Check out the interview here.
'The Eulogy Of Toby Peach' is on at Vault Festival from 17-21 Feb, see this page here for more info and to book tickets.
FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
Goose – Kablamo | Soho Theatre | 18-20 Feb (pictured)
I'm kinda one day late for this, but that's because I didn't find out it was on in time to make it a pick for yesterday. But no matter! You have two nights left to see this excellent show. Goose is the moniker chosen by the partnership made up of Adam Drake and Ben Rowse; the latter writes and directs, the former writes and performs, and the result is pretty magical and five-star-inducing – see this review here for proof. See the venue website here to book.
Cyrano De Bergerac | Southwark Playhouse | 18 Feb-19 Mar
The staging of a classic text, but with a bit of a twist – an entirely female cast. The lead role is taken by Olivier award-winner Kathryn Hunter, who is supported by the likes of 'Game Of Thrones' alumnus Ellie Kendrick. There's also an acclaimed creative team behind it, so I think we can expect good things from this production. See this page here for more info and to book.
The Wondercrump World Of Roald Dahl | Southbank Centre | 10 Feb-3 Jul
This one's on forever (well, until the summer at least) but as it's half term, you might want to take older kids along to this exhibition this week to help alleviate any early to midweek moments of boredom. An exhibition about the life of the acclaimed writer, it promises to be "magical and interactive" – see this page here for booking info and more details.
SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing | Young Vic | 17 Feb-26 Mar (pictured)
Hugely acclaimed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, with much praise for the show's star Aoife Duffin, this much praised adaptation of Eimear McBride's best selling novel is now playing at the Young Vic, so you should definitely make the most of your opportunity to see it. It's a tense and dramatic piece, described by our own reviewer as "a shattering performance". For more info and to book see the venue website here.
Whistleblower – The Story Of Edward Snowden | Waterloo East Theatre | 9 Feb-6 March
I expect most people are familiar with the name, and probably his story, to at least an extent, but however much you know about him, you could do worse than take in this well received production by A&R Theatre, which was very well received on its debut, and now returns to Waterloo East for another run. Powerful and "thriller-like", according to a much more important culture writer than me. See this page here to book your tickets.
The Rinse Cycle | Charing Cross Theatre | 15 Feb-12 Mar
So, having offered you two pieces of rather serious and compelling theatre there, I feel duty bound to move on to something slightly lighter. If you consider opera 'lighter'. Seriously, though, this sounds like the operatic version of what the Reduced Shakespeare lot do, as producing company Unexpected Opera present a comic take on Wagner's renowned Ring Cycle, but thankfully shrink the full sixteen hours down to two. See the venue website here for more info and to book.
SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
The Eulogy Of Toby Peach | Vault Festival | 17-21 Feb (pictured)
This is the last chance you have to see this play, well, for the moment, anyway; I suspect it will be back at some point, but I'd really like you to try and see it right away. Toby Peach tells his true story of his journey post cancer-diagnosis, and does it in a funny, clever, informative way. See this page here for all the info you need to proceed.
The Secret Life Of Suitcases | Southbank Centre | 18-21 Feb
Well, they're back to school tomorrow, probably, so one last half term treat for the kids? And this is very much a goodie, a collaboration from a pair of talented and acclaimed theatre-makers, puppeteer Ailie Cohen and playwright Lewis Hetherington. Should be entirely enchanting for everyone, but especially those little ones from about age three. See this page here for info.
JunNk Live | Vault Festival | 17-27 Feb
Yes, guilty, another one from Vault Festival. Yes, yes, I am obsessed. But there is so much to not ignore. And today, I won't be ignoring this, a variety show brought to you by four fabulous performers, powered by rubbish (yes, rubbish) and featuring "a cappella singing, innovative musical creations, ridiculous comedy and boundless energy". Sounds riotous. In a good way. See the festival website here to book.
MONDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
What I Learned From Johnny Bevan | Soho Theatre | 22 Feb-12 Mar (pictured)
Long long long term TW favourite Luke Wright (seriously, he was about ten years old when we first met him) heads to Soho Theatre for another run of this award winning show. He's well known for his poetry, of course, but this takes his work in a slightly different direction, as it's a more theatrical piece, and one which is dramatic, humorous, and political. We spoke to him about it when he first performed it last year, so read the Q&A, and then go to this page here to book your tickets. Or book the tickets first, possibly, you don't want to miss out.
Playwrights Beyond Borders | Theatre Royal Stratford East | 22-28 Feb
This short season of staged readings of seven plays by writers from transcultural backgrounds begins with 'Brainpeople' by José Rivera, which I think sounds incredibly intriguing and I would love to see it. But then there are six other plays in the same strand that sound equally great, and I only wish I could see them all. More info about tonight's show here, and take a look at the 'What's On' page here for links to the other events.
Sarah Kendall | Soho Theatre | 22-27 Feb
Another long term TW favourite (we even gave her an award), also heading for a run at the Soho Theatre, with her excellent and critically acclaimed show 'A Day In October'. She is known for her brilliant stand up, but she isn't just throwing out gags, this is an hour long set with a compelling narrative, about a "disastrous pool party", and I pretty much guarantee it will leave you in awe of this woman's talent. Get yourself over to this page here now to book your tickets.
TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
James Acaster WIP | The Invisible Dot | 23 Feb (pictured)
We are not the only ones, I am sure, for whom acclaimed comedian James Acaster is a firm favourite, but he certainly has a high hit-rate with the comedy loving members of our writing team – many four and five star reviews. This is a work in progress show, but we don't care, because everything he does is entertaining. See this page here for all the info and to book.
The Encounter | Barbican | 12 Feb-6 Mar
You might already have heard about 'The Encounter', because it was staged to acclaim at the Edinburgh International Festival last summer, and because it's already garnered a clutch of glowing reviews from the London critics since it opened at the Barbican last week. It's a wild tale of a journey into a remote part of the Brazilian rainforest, performed by Simon Burney and featuring ground-breaking sound effects, piped into your ears via headphones. See this page here for more info.
Terra | Print Room at The Coronet | 23 Feb-12 Mar
It's the world premiere of 'Terra', the final part of Print Room's Artistic Associate Hubert Essakow's trilogy exploring the elements – water, fire and earth – and it's accompanied by a specially commissioned new poem from Ben Okri. Plus, the music is courtesy of French composer Jean Michel-Bernard, who has created scores for Martin Scorsese and Michel Gondry. All sounding rather good, isn't it? Hurry up, at least one performance is sold out already. Info and booking here.
WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
Eggs | Vault Festival | 24 Feb-4 Mar
This is dark comedy about women, friendship and fertility, focusing on the expectations life places on us, and I expect it to be rather good. It's from up and coming writer and performer Florence Keith-Roach, who we recently spoke to. Take a look at the Q&A here and book your tickets here.
Daphne Do Edinburgh In London | Soho Theatre | 23 Feb-1 Mar (pictured)
Award nominated/winning sketch trio Daphne – aka Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres – head to Soho Theatre with the show that won them much acclaim in Edinburgh last summer. It was their debut hour, which makes it all the more impressive that the critics were so uniform in their praise of it. Don't miss your chance to see it in London, see the venue website here to book your tickets.
Mark Bruce Company – The Odyssey | Wilton's Music Hall | 23 Feb-19 Mar
This dance theatre production of Homer's epic tale looks extremely promising, not least because it comes from an award winning creative team. I am always interested in contemporary renditions of classic stuff, and taking into account the acclaim that the Mark Bruce Company generated for its 2013 take on 'Dracula', I am rather interested in seeing this. See this page here for all the info.
THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2016 >>
Captain Morgan | Vault Festival | 17-28 Feb
I am very much in the mood from some comedic, Hollywood-blockbuster styled theatrical shenanigans, so it's a good job I noticed this was on before its run ended. That said, not sure I will be able to see both shows. Both shows, you ask? Yes, both – there are two different stories: 'Captain Morgan: The Sands of Time' and its sequel 'Captain Morgan: The Sea of Souls', playing on alternate dates. See one or both. Get all your information from right about here.
What IS Going On In France? | King's Place | 25 Feb
I came across this event when browsing through events taking place as part of Jewish Book Week, and was piqued by this one, initially because someone I know personally appears to be involved in it, admittedly, but that's not why I chose to highlight it. It's because I would really like to hear a discussion of what IS going on in France, frankly. For more information on this, see this page here, and for information on Jewish Book Week in general, see all these listings here.
The Vanishing Man | Vault Festival | 24 Feb-6 Mar
"Hugo Cedar was an Edwardian magician known as 'The Vanishing Man'; he created the perfect trick and then disappeared forever, but his story lives on..." Intrigued? Me too. Not least because directors and performers Simon Evans and David Aula promise "time-hopping, misdirection-abusing and mind-bending examination of what really happens when a man, in full sight of his audience, simply ceases to be". If there's a thing I love, it's time-hopping. And mind-bending is pretty good too. See this page here for all the info.
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