THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2016 THISWEEKLONDON.COM
LOUISE ORWIN: A GIRL & A GUN
If you revel in performances that really make you think, then you should definitely plan to see 'A Girl & A Gun', which explores themes of violence and sexism in film, and how the media caters to the male gaze. It also features a different, unprepared actor at at every show.

To find out more, I spoke to the show's creator Louise Orwin, ahead of tour dates at London's Pleasance Theatre. Read the interview here.

'A Girl & A Gun' is on at Pleasance Theatre from 24-25 Nov, see the venue website here for more info.



THINKING DRINKERS: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DRINKS
If you're a big fan of entertainment combined with booze, then you've probably already seen a previous show staged by the Thinking Drinkers, aka Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham. And, if you are a big fan of the written word combined with booze, you have probably read their award-winning writings. If you haven't experienced either yet, you are in for a treat.

The pair will soon begin a month long Christmassy run at Museum Of Comedy with 'Around The World In 80 Drinks', a show which will increase your knowledge as well as your alcohol consumption. I thought it was about time we had a chat. Read the interview here.

'Thinking Drinkers - Around The World In 80 Drinks' is on at Museum Of Comedy from 23 Nov-23 Dec, see this page here to book.



ALEXANDER KNOX: IT IS EASY TO BE DEAD

You may already have seen 'It Is Easy To Be Dead' at The Finborough earlier this year, where it played to much critical acclaim. Fortunately for those who missed it, it's transferred to Trafalgar Studios for a four week run.

The show is about Charles Sorley, a poet who fought and died in the First World War, but who seems unjustifiably all but forgotten. To find out more about the play and its subject I spoke to lead actor Alexander Knox, ahead of the West End dates. Read the interview here.

'It Is Easy To Be Dead' is on at Trafalgar Studios from 9 Nov-3 Dec. See this page here to book.


FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

Christmas Lights Bike Tour | Southbank | 18 Nov-6 Jan
Hurrah for Christmas Lights. Yes, I know it's still November, and I know that many of you, Christmas-haters and Christmas-lovers alike, resent the undignified haste with which we usher in Yule-stuff at the first drop of a leaf. But it is dark and miserable, isn't it? And lights are fun, aren't they? And what could make them more fun than cycling round London looking at them? Yes, Hurrah. See this page here for all the info.

Zoe Lyons - Little Misfit | Leicester Square Theatre | 18 Nov
She's doing two shows in one night, presumably because the first one sold out quickly. So, if you want to see this established and much lauded comedian that you keep seeing on the telly performing live in front of your face, head this way quickly and see if you can get a ticket.

The Establishment | Museum Of Comedy | 17-18 Nov (pictured)
Though, don't despair if you can't, because I have another cracking comedy recommendation for this evening, the very excellent Dan Lees and Neil Frost who present "a riotous, satirical parody of the English ruling classes" in which "two quintessentially English gentlemen struggling to hold on to their whimsical world of cricket, tea and secret arms deals". Went down very well in Edinburgh this summer, so make the most of your chance to see it in London. See the venue website here.


SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

Crafty Fox Winter Market | Oval Space Bethnal Green | 19 Nov
It's a 'Winter Market', not a 'Christmas Market', but everyone knows that 'Winter' as a description is just a way of sneaking Christmassy things in while it's still November. Anyway, all I'm thinking is, you might want to get some of your seasonal shopping done now, because, you know, you start to panic once it's December. Handmade and unique stuff galore. See this page here for more info.

Enchanted Woodland | Syon Park | 18 Nov-4 Dec (pictured)
Well, I've tipped it before and I will tip it again, because I can never have too many light-based events in my winter, and I think you should all follow suit. It's completely lovely to wander through the dark looking at lit-up things, but you have to wrap up warm and wear nice thick-soled boots to properly enjoy it, I reckon. You could even take a flask of mulled wine. Oooh, lovely. Ticket info here.

Peter Pan - A New Adventure | Greenwich Theatre | 18 Nov-18 Jan
Could this be my first panto recommendation of the year? Well, you know, I think it might be. Greenwich theatre served up the excellent and well received 'Red Riding Hood' last year, so hopefully we can anticipate equally excellent things from this year's offering. Hurrah. See the venue website here for details.


SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

Swing By Around 8 | Theatre N16 | 20 Nov-1 Dec (pictured)
"It's just a dinner party. A normal civilised dinner party. Except it's not - definitely not". This comedy by Jess Bray, described as 'Ayckbourn-esque', did well at the 2015 edfringe and is now presented at the excellent Theatre N16 as part of their new First Credit scheme, which offers actors and directors the chance to get their first professional credit in the business. See this page here for more info and to book.

Tonight With Donny Stixx | The Bunker | 8 Nov-3 Dec
Oh, and as it happens, this is another show that had a very successful Edinburgh Festival run in 2015, for which the play's star Sean Michael Verey won a Stage award. It's been on for a few days already so I am a bit late to the party, but you still have plenty of dates to see this highly acclaimed one man show about delusion and our collective obsession with celebrity. Click this link here for more.

The Other Place | Camden People's Theatre | 20 Nov
This is part of Camden People's Theatre's latest festival All The Right Notes, a series of different events exploring what happens when gigs and theatre collide. 'The Other Place' tells the true story of two Devon musicians journeying to Westminster in the week before a UK general election, performing the same song in various locations along the way. See the venue website here for details.


MONDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

Beth Vyse - As Funny As Cancer | Soho Theatre | 21 Nov (pictured)
The brilliant Beth Vyse has been performing this show about her own experiences of breast cancer for a couple of years now, and, despite its sombre subject matter, anyone who has seen it will testify to just how funny it is. If you haven't seen it yet, it's possibly time you did, so book your tickets for this one-night-only opportunity ASAP. Head this way.

Making Faces - Sketches | Leicester Square Theatre | 21-22 Nov
This lot made quite an impact on one of our reviewers a few years back, so it's good to see them making their way to central London for a two night stand at the Leicester Square Theatre. The 2016 Musical Comedy Awards finalists pledge to "guide you through their weird world of high pace hilarity, failed romantic comedy, fancy dress and ecological hip hop", which sounds lots of fun to me. See the venue website here for info.

The Rising Cost Of Cabbage by Alys Torrance | Soho Theatre | 21 Nov
I've done that thing where I accidentally choose two shows on at the same venue. But in this instance, they are both going to be really good, and they are both only on for one night, so you see, my hands are tied. Anyway, I bloody love cabbage (really, coleslaw is my favourite food) but that's not why I want to see this. It was the promise of beautiful storytelling and human tales of hunger, lust and cutting free that drew me in. See this page here for info.


TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

Testosterone | New Diorama | 22 Nov-3 Dec
"One year after his first injection of testosterone trans man Kit is perceived completely as male. However, with this triumph comes a crisis of masculinity; What kind of man is he?" This collaboration from Rhum and Clay and Kit Redstone offers an autobiographically-inspired exploration of what exactly makes us who we are, and who we aspire to be. See this page here for more info.

Underneath | Soho Theatre | 22 Nov-17 Dec (pictured)
This award winning piece from veteran Irish new play company Fishamble, written and performed by Pat Kinevane, is dark, comic, and comes from a fairly surreal place: an undead woman tells the story of a life on the fringes, in a show that explores beauty, ugliness, deformity and cruelty. See the venue website here for details.

The Invention Of Shoes | The Space | 22-23 Nov
This looks like a lovely show from Jumble Abode Theatre, and it's family friendly too. It's an adaptation of a poem by Nobel-winning polymath Rabindranth Tagore: a market trader and a Baul singer disagree over the meaning of life, and their words magically give life to the items that are on sale in the busy Bengali bazaar where the story takes place. Click this link here here for more.


WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

Thinking Drinkers - Around The World In 80 Drinks | Museum Of Comedy | 23 Nov-23 Dec (pictured)
Ooh, thank you, Thinking Drinkers, for spoiling us with this completely ideal dark-days-of-November, pre-Christmas treat. If you haven't seen these guys doing their thing, then it really is time you did, especially if you are someone who enjoys an occasional beverage of the alcoholic kind. Free drink, funnies, and a learning experience. Hurrah. See this page here for more.

Boys | LOST Theatre | 23-26 Nov
"Amidst the sanitation strike in Edinburgh the garbage keeps mounting but there is more than the smell of rotten rubbish hanging in the air. Nostalgia soon turns to soul searching and division, as everyones dirty laundry is aired one last time". Ella Hickson's latest piece 'Oil' is currently garnering much praise with its run at the Almeida, but here's a chance to see one of the acclaimed playwright's lauded earlier works, 'Boys'. See the venue website here for more info.

James Veitch - Game Face | Soho Theatre | 22-26 Nov
One of our team saw this show up in Edinburgh in the summer of 2015 and pronounced it to be a five star show. Veitch addresses the frustrations and banality of our contemporary existence with aptly Powerpoint-led comedy which is fast, content-rich and comically geeky in approach. Click this link for info.


THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2016 >>

The Lost Things | Little Angel Theatre | 24-27 Nov
This is a show for children, but only older ones, aged between eight and twelve, because the themes could prove slightly scary: a boy finds himself in a terrifying new world populated by lost things - car keys, wedding rings, dads, and a mysterious girl - and what unfolds is a dark fairy tale about losing things, but also finding things you didn't know you were looking for. And it's performed in a special dome, which is intriguing! See this page here for info.

Manpower | Jacksons Lane | 24-25 Nov
This is another one of those 'Jacksons Five' that we have mentioned before - a season of shows which are either brand new, or by companies new to the venue. This is a new piece from Total Theatre Award winners Two Destination Language, and it's a topical and politically complex look at men, expectations, work and economics in the forty years since we voted to join Europe. See the venue website here for details.

A Girl & A Gun | Pleasance Theatre | 24 Nov (pictured)
Created by the very clever Louise Orwin, this is a very interesting and ambitious piece of theatre, which, each night, features a performance by someone who has stepped on stage without knowing what they are going to perform. It's possibly a bit sweeping to say that it's about masculinity, violence and the portrayal of women in media, but that's around the right area. Don't miss your chance to see it, head this way to book your tickets.
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