134 more outstanding shows join Pleasance
Theatre Trust’s Edinburgh Fringe programme

The 2024 Edinburgh Fringe programme at the Pleasance brings a range of phenomenal work from the UK and overseas with international sensations, award-winning artists, home-grown Scottish talent, emerging newcomers and much more. The Pleasance Theatre Trust mark their 40th festival this summer and this programme of comedy, theatre, cabaret, magic, family shows and talks illustrates the reason people rush back to their venues year after year.

Comedy

Pleasance’s comedy programme is always top notch and some amazing names are headlining this year. 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner and creator of Starstruck, Rose Matafeo returns to the Fringe with On and On and On. The bad girl of comedy, Sophie Duker, brings her delusional new show BUT DADDY I LOVE HER to Edinburgh. Internationally-acclaimed virtuoso ventriloquist, BAFTA nominee and British Comedy Award winner Nina Conti presents Whose Face Is It Anyway?, exploring and celebrating families and how f*cked they all are. Sheeps are back with hysterical new show Sheeps: The Giggle Bunch (That’s Our Name For You). One of the best stand-ups of his generation, Ivo Graham proves he’s not just Taskmaster’s yardstick for failure in Grand Designs. Jordan Brookes recently had a near death experience – Fontanelle is loosely inspired by that

Fresh from their residency at London’s iconic Comedy Store, Fringe favourites Paul Merton and Suki Webster, two of the UK’s leading improvisers, present their new show Paul Merton & Suki Webster’s Improv Show to the fringe. Ahir Shah brings his 2023 Sky Edinburgh Comedy Award winning show ENDS back for 12 shows only, all about family, immigration, marriage, history, politics and beans. One of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch 2019, Patti Harrison returns to Edinburgh following sell-out runs in 2022-23 with My Huge Tits Huge Because They Are Infected NOT FAKE. After two critically-acclaimed, sell-out runs, Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show 2023 nominee Ania Magliano returns with Forgive Me, Father. Following multiple sell-out tours and barnstorming appearances at JFL Montreal and Melbourne ICF, the Live At The Apollo star Celya AB is back with Of All People to tackle the big three: beauty, money and the void.

Joining the Pleasance family from overseas are an incredible array of Edinburgh newcomers. Melanie Bracewell (Taskmaster NZ) debuts at the Fringe with her signature style of goofy, punchline-heavy comedy that has earned her sell-out shows all around the world. Indian stand-up sensation Kanan Gill makes his Fringe debut with WHAT IS THIS?. After a stalking incident forced Anna Akana into retirement for six years, she’s back – and armed with a restraining order and a plethora of new stories to tell in It Gets Darker. Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip is a very special comedy show featuring original comedic songs, presentations, bits, and one (1) single backflip. After selling out shows across America, Rachel Kaly brings Hospital Hour to the Fringe to perfectly explain why she is so mentally ill. Pussy-poppin’ Mel & Sam are yanking you by ya ponytails through a chaotic hour of musical sketch and all-original songs in Pony.

Already well-known on the comedy circuit, some amazing comedians are now coming to the Pleasance this summer for the first time. Meet Charlie George: an ex-Jehovah’s Witness escape artist and walking survival guide whose debut hour is a laugh-till-you-snort journey in Burning Down the House. The hotly anticipated show Farm Fatale is from agricultural icon Katie Norris – likely to cause delight or distress to anyone who becomes involved with her or her livestock. Sold out, cult shows in the North East, acclaimed short films, their own web series, now Metroland debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, bringing an all new sketch show that promises laughter, profanity and a generous use of the term ‘entertainment’.

Amy Annette, host of hit podcast What Women* Want, has a lot to say about growing up in the noughties and being a woman and now she shares it with us in Thick Skin. Zoe Brownstone has been performing stand up since before dating apps existed but still doesn’t know how love works yet she’s certain she’s unlocked several mysteries of the heart in A Bit of Yours. Don’t miss a dry debut stand-up hour Free Mason from Amy Mason about coming out, parenting, and starting all over again. Award-winning comedian Rich Spalding brings his hotly anticipated show, about working for a living and dying sometime after. Fresh from therapy, Isobel Rogers and her guitar are here to pose modern life’s less frequently asked questions in HOW TO BE CONTENT. Join viral sensation Lou Taylor in her unmissable stand-up hour taking us back to the nostalgic ‘90s in Jeans and a Nice Top. Expect visual aids, balloons and a heartwarming insight into the relationship between mother and her autistic son with Josephine Lacey in Autism Mama.

Debut hour of stand-up and characters from Derek Mitchell (Ted Lasso), Double Dutch is about the journey from being an outsider to a sort-of insider and making sense of all the cultural nonsense and confusion in between. Dan Wye Am I Sam Smith? explores the absurd reality of being publicly doppelgäng-banged until you no longer exist – from Dan Wye one of the country’s most prominent comedy/cabaret performers. Eddy Hare (BBC New Comedy Awards Nominee) serves up his debut hour with This One’s On Me. BANGTAIL is an epic journey of a man in search of his manhood; saddle up for unbridled cowboy clown chaos. A sticky, spooky horror comedy about gender reveal parties, demons from hell, and a Gay Witch Sex Cult comes from Andrew Doherty.

You’ll know them from social media and now they’re on our stages. Online comedy sensation Henry Rowley makes his highly anticipated Edinburgh debut with fast paced stand up and character comedy in Just Literally. A baby and a Fringe debut – that’s one mother of a year but Freya Mallard’s having it all and she’s determined to debut with The Bounce Back! Carpet-fitter turned comedian Jack Skipper delivers Skint, a show about how he went from a tradesman with no qualifications, to a full-time comedian (with no qualifications).

The Pleasance Comedy Reserve is the place to see exciting new talent: this year we’re celebrating 20 years of the Reserve and are welcoming eight previous recipients of the Fund to present their debut shows. As seen on BBC, ITV2, Comedy Central and Channel 4, Abi Clarke has taken the internet by storm; now it’s time to see what she does best in (Role) Model. In Quinceañera, Katie Green (Pleasance Comedy Reserve 2022) tells the story of her coming of age celebration being later than expected. Fresh, exciting, and overall just happy to be here, Dee Allum is the greatest transgender comedian her small village has ever produced. Pleasance Comedy Reserve Alumni and heart-throb of low-energy comedy, Danny Clives makes his debut with Danny Explains It All. In Swimming In A Submarine, Jin Hao walks you through the seascape of his mind, filled with nightmares of being a spider, dreams of joining the yakuza, and breezy memories of serving in the military, with the boys.
The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows is a silly, goofy, heartfelt show from co-host of Help Hole podcast Abby Wambaugh. In Vladislav, Baby Don’t Hurt Me, the multi award-winning stand up Vlad Ilich explores his obsessions with chess and how it led him to leave North Macedonia for the bright lights of the UK comedy scene. With the Best Will in the World is the exciting debut from rising star Will Robbins exploring masculinity, disability and cretins.

We all love to see our Fringe favourites returning with new material and old classics! After years away from stand-up (due to the global pandemic and a lack of interest in being out late), Alice Snedden the co-writer and co-director of BBC and HBO’s Starstruck returns with Highly Credible! Character comedian Emma Sidi is back at the Edinburgh Fringe as Sue Gray. Fuelled entirely by delusion, tequila and the girls group chat, The Bisexual’s Lament is Lou Wall’s musical journey from the pits of personal hell to comic stardom. Take a swan-dive into a physical comedy fantasia of kings and clowns and one absolutely hideous duck in Luke Rollason, Luke Rollason Let Down Your Hair. Friendly Stranger is a solo sketch show packed with lovable characters, charisma and inspired spontaneity, from the internationally award-nominated star Steen Raskopoulos. After running out of life-story, the four-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee is after a new comedic muse; Kieran Hodgson returns to the Fringe with a work in progress.

As seen on BBC’s Live at the Apollo, American transplant Spring Day explores the nature of cults and the role that they play in our everyday lives in Exvangelical. Fresh from a world tour, South Africa’s hottest stand-up Schalk Bezuidenhout returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with new show, Crowd Pleaser, guaranteed to have you laugh and laugh and laugh. Last year, John Tothill (Chortle Awards’ Best Newcomer nominee 2024) was visited by a series of terrible plagues and he’s desperate to tell you all about it in Thank God This Lasts Forever. Horses is the first-ever comedy show at the Edinburgh Festival performed entirely by a horse – made by award-winning Elf Lyons, performed by Treacle. A year after inexplicably winning Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe, Lorna Rose Treen brings Skin Pigeon back to the Fringe. Following his sell-out international tour, Neil Delamere presents his hilarious tall tales, razor sharp observations and quick-witted improvisation in Neil by Mouth. F*ck Off and Leave Me Alone is the debut stand-up hour from writer, actor and comic Juliet Cowan

BAFTA and Olivier-award expectee Graham Dickson (Austentatious, All My Friends Hate Me) presents his eagerly anticipated, deeply personal and revelatory one-man show, No One Deserves This More Than You. Following a sold-out Off-Broadway debut, Caitlin Cook‘s hit bathroom graffiti musical transforms stall scribbles into the lyrics of her original songs in The Writing on the Stall. Having already saved pretty much everything else, Garry Starr is now taking it upon himself to save our flightless, feathered friends from extinction by performing every Penguin Classic novel ever written in Classic Penguins. For years Horatio Gould has made fun of modern self-help gurus but he’s starting to realise he’s not as different from them as he might think. The Greatest Performance of My Life is a heartfelt journey through the joys, sorrows, and hilarity of life from Justin Moorhouse. Join magician, comedian and charlatan Pete Heat on a surreal journey into your own brain in Bogus

Some shows present us with fast paced line-ups, some are late at night and some are only with us for short runs so watch out! Star of Taskmaster, Ghosts, and Stath Lets Flats, Kiell Smith-Bynoe brings his unmissable improvised comedy show, Kool Story Bro, back to the Fringe for one week only! Join comedians, basic huns and horror stans Hannah Byczkowski (Winner of The Traitors) and Suzie Preece (Finalist, Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year), as they bring you the world’s creepiest stories in Ghost Huns Live.

Brooklyn’s finest improv supergroup Ladies Who Ranch (Kelly Cooper, Caitlin Dullea, Maya Sharma, Caroline Yost, and Sophie Zucker) present an hour of comedy that will blow your mind and open your heart. In this unmissable Fringe institution, 12 top comedy and variety acts perform ridiculously short sets in Chortle Fast Fringe, one furiously fast-paced showcase with a different lineup every day. And don’t miss the Chortle Student Comedy Award Final to see one rising stand-up star crowned Britain’s funniest student.

Theatre

This year’s theatre programme is mind-blowing with new musicals, historical retellings, takes on classics, Fringe favourites, storytelling, magic and so much more. An apocalyptic rom-com from the razor-sharp pen of playwright provocateur and Fringe First Winner David Finnigan, watch four hilarious actors ‘go down’ on their microphones, mangos and melons in 44 Sex Acts In One Week, a slippery and subversive take on a classic radio play. The five-star, multi sell-out Fringe phenomenon Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® is back with its hilarious combination of an entirely serious adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and an absolutely sh!t-faced actor!

Fresh from the runway of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Join comedian, crash mat and winner of Season 5 Ginger Johnson as she swaps her stilettos for safety goggles and takes a death-defying leap from the runway to the real world in Ginger Johnson Blows Off! Fan Favourite comedy crossdresser Kate Butch’s jukebox musical brings us stand-up comedy, live vocals and lipsync extravaganzas in Wuthering Shites. Award winning Drag King Bi-Curious George presents Queer Planet; a raucous romp through the animal kingdom which aims to shatter the heteronormative binaries through which we view the natural world.

The stage is an important and pressing place for true stories and autobiography. Performed at the U.S. Capitol Center, Sell Me: I Am From North Korea is a powerful and gripping solo piece inspired by the true stories of incredibly courageous North Korean women defectors. The Shroud Maker is a compelling black comedy inspired by a real-life character, weaving a harrowing story of courage, love, escape and disappointment with comic fantasy and true stories to create a vivid portrait of life in Palestine before recent events. Based on the true story of Lani’s upbringing as a young carer, The Room Upstairs features immersive audio, original compositions and one frustrated daughter.

Autobiography continues with Chatterbox, from Lubna Kerr, a humorous and touching one-woman show looking at the impact of the labels we are given as children and how they persist into adulthood. Twenty years, sixteen postcodes, one city; in 16 Postcodes, Jessica Regan (BBC, Channel 4, The Guilty Feminist) shares lessons lived and learned from a life in no particular order as the audience help her move North, South, East and West. Sisyphean Quick Fix is a heartfelt, true-to-life comedy drama about love, family and the complex realities of addiction. Multi-award-winning writer-performer Katie Arnstein (Sexy Lamp, Sticky Door) is back with The Long Run, a joyful, captivating comedy about love, cancer and running for a really long time.

The world today doesn’t leave artists short of inspiration. Multi award winners Ugly Bucket
(Untapped 2022) present Stuffed – a roaring rally cry, a blazing inferno of physicality, clown, original music, and transformative personal testimony about Food Banks. Fringe First winner Joe SellmanLeava and Dylan Howells embark on a quest to uncover how the economy wins elections and why the force that dominates our lives is so bloody complicated in their bold new show It’s The Economy, Stupid!

It’s time for amazing drag and queer joy! Last year saw some incredible new musicals launched at the Fringe and this year is no exception! Tit Swingers is a new Queer Punk Gig Musical about Anne Bonney and Mary Read – polyamorous queer pirates that got the title of Hellcats of the Seven Seas for their various vicious and notorious crimes! Featuring puppetry, shadow play, unforgettable music, and surreal meta-humour, Kafka’s Metamorphosis: The Musical! With Puppets! has delighted swarms of audiences from New York to Montréal and now skitters into Scotland for its Fringe debut. Inspired by real events, The Emu War musical tells the story of how ex-military men worked the farmlands of Australia after WW1 – get your tail feathers ready for some birds, bums, and guns! Together for over 25 years, The Jive Aces are renowned worldwide for their high-energy live show; having played for Her Majesty the Queen and become the first band to reach the finals of Britain’s Got Talent, they continuously showcase why they are the UK’s No.1 Jive & Swing band!

Many shows blur the boundaries between genres incorporating music into their theatrical mastery. Boy In Da Korma is a comedy solo show – featuring live music, hip-hop and Irish trad – about one kid’s desperate attempt to belong as much as he wants to stand out.

Shakespeare and Mary Shelley get their ‘next’ moment at the Fringe. Fringe Legend Pip Utton is Shakespeare in At Home With Will Shakespeare, a moving and comic romp through Will’s life, including some of his greatest hits, performed by the man himself. Join Hamlet’s legendary jester Yorick as he reconnects with his lost love of performance in Hamstrung, an interactive ghost story. One man, one monster, one glorious dream to singlehandedly tell the most famous horror story of all time, and absolutely no budget whatsoever; Frankenstein (On A Budget) is the comedy musical hammer horror homage that you didn’t know you needed.

You’ll recognise some of the names gracing the Pleasance’s stages this year. Join Jake Roche as he squeezes out every last drop of celeb juice, dishing the dirt and spilling the tea on the world of fame in Neporrhoids. Rita Lynn: Life Coach is a deliciously dark drama and a cautionary tale from one who knows – a one-woman show written by and starring Louise Marwood (Emmerdale). Bebe Cave’s The Screen Test is a dark comedy about delusion, desperation and dreams. OOF! sees legendary double act Fiasco Job Job, Arthur Smith and Phil Nice, reunite for one final time to celebrate their 40th anniversary in a hilarious sit-down drama about age, showbiz and the cartography of friendship. The Fringe’s favourite poet Luke Wright returns with stacks of brilliant, big-hearted poems that get to grips with mulchy middle-age in Joy!

Some shows just can’t keep away and return after their huge Fringe successes. Ben Target:
LORENZO won a highly coveted Fringe First in 2023: a life-affirming story about death, conveyed through the popular media of storytelling, servitude to the audience and live carpentry. Following a sold out, award-winning run at the Fringe last year, the People’s Princess is back as Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story returns to our stages with drag, multimedia, audience interaction, puppetry and queer joy. Combining epic storytelling, razor-sharp impressions and a dose of theatrical magic, Joe Sellman-Leava’s Fanboy returns offering a nostalgic, love-hate letter to pop culture. The entire 144 episodes of cult 90s TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as told through the eyes of Spike, the one character who knows it inside out; Buffy Revamped returns for one week only. After a 5* sell-out run in 2023, Burning Down the Horse is back – an immersive comedy epic that drops you into the heart of the most iconic wooden animal in history, the Trojan Horse.

It’s time to be scared! Box Tale Soup will present an astonishing adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels with ingenious puppetry, stirring shanties and sharp satire. From the same company Casting the Runes takes you to the edge of your seat, on a journey to the darkest corners of the night, where Edward Dunning life becomes a waking nightmare. In Buckets Of Blood – Fairy Tales Not For Kids, storyteller Eden retells a collection of some of the darker tales from the Grimms while letting you know what popular fairy tales have left out.

Boundary breaking technology, mesmerising magic and amazing puppetry are all part of this year’s programme. Join this extraordinary journey to discover the beats and rhythms of a busy, beautiful woodland world told from the perspective of an acorn in Breathe with its stunning puppetry and groundbreaking live camera work. Andrew Frost is one of the best card magicians in the world and in Cards on the Table he recounts how he stumbled upon the world of magic in a second-hand bookshop. While magician Tom Brace has opened his very own theme park and you’re invited to the grand opening; The Ride 4D is a world first ride experience using 3D technology combined with magic!

Love and relationships are often not far from our minds. Juniper & Jules is an award-winning play about two women redefining romance, an honest reflection on modern dating under the double bind of sexism and homophobia. A sharp satire on contemporary masculinity and male entitlement, Did You Mean To Fall Like That is a tender, nuanced story of fertility issues, the trauma of miscarriage, divorce and male mental health. Exploring queer friendship, platonic love, and nuclear anxiety, Seconds to Midnight asks what happens in a world with no consequences. Me For You is a play about love and saving the human race, in the face of overwhelming evidence that we’re a despicable race of selfish parasites.

We’re in Scotland and it’s time for some quintessentially Scottish stories. Returning after seven sellout Fringe seasons is acclaimed immersive adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s classic novel, Trainspotting Live where the audience become part of the action! A play exploring religious and cultural identity, Singin’ I’m No A Billy, is a phenomenon in Scotland where it has sold out countless nationwide tours; what happens when on the day of the Old Firm Match, you lock up a Celtic and Rangers fan in a cell together?! For the first time, there will be gender alternating casts across the festival with He’s A Tim, playing on selected days.

And that’s far from all in this utterly amazing programme. A smash-hit satire by multi award winning comedy writers for Netflix and BBC Television, Love’s a Beach looks at six months after your five minutes of fame! After the success of Ringer, Out To Lunch and Goons, Hughie Shepherd-Cross returns to the Fringe with Gang Bang, a surreal and madcap parody of 20th century gangster films rammed with pastiches. Never Get to Heaven in an Empty Shell is a tragically semiautobiographical tragicomedy – will an unlikely encounter with a ghost at Angel Station persuade Claud to start living again? A show about the pain and beauty of growing older, Look After Your Knees is a visual and physical collage performed by a clown. Squidge is a one-woman show by award-winning screenwriter and actress Tiggy Bayley about those left behind by our education system and finding love in a world determined to hate. Sorry (I Broke Your Arms And Legs) is a riotous debut PowerPoint presentation combining the thrills of World Book Day with the hilarity of the Maths Olympiad. Toy Stories, or How Not To Make a Living as an Artist is a hilarious (true) storytelling performance, featuring childhood toys, Art Education, Pig-Framers, Boris, Monks, Nazis and Scalextric enthusiasts.

Finally, like the Royal Variety Show of the Fringe, Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe celebrates its 31st year bringing audiences live extracts from seven top shows in a packed 90-minute lunchtime extravaganza.

Childrens Shows

Shows for all the family are so important to the Pleasance who host their renowned KidZone in the Courtyard every year. Come along and take part: Captain Zak’s Space Pirate Problems and he needs your help – this interactive adventure is perfect for all lively small people and their grownups as they work together to solve puzzles and sing songs. Join your host, comedian Benny Shakes, as two teams battle it out to come up trumps in Blue Badge Bunch where disadvantage is an advantage!

Talks

Award-winning LBC radio presenter and For the Many podcast host Iain Dale is back at the Fringe with All Talk, his acclaimed, incisive insight on current affairs back with in-depth interviews featuring audience questions. Guests include: former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond; Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar; TV presenter and journalist Ben Shephard; football pundit and presenter Chris Kamara MBE; political activist and business leader Gina Miller, who successfully challenged the UK government’s prorogation of the Westminster Parliament in 2019; First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party, Humza Yousaf MSP; Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley and former Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding in Keir Starmer’s
Labour frontbench team; former Prime Minister Liz Truss; Rachel Reeves MP, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer; former Scottish Conservative leader, Baroness Davidson; British political scientist Sir John Curtice; broadcaster and journalist Michael Crick; journalist Brian Taylor and; Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. There will also be a hustings-style debate in a pre-election special featuring four Scottish MPs – Andrew Bowie MP, Stephen Flynn MP, Christine Jardine MP and Ian Murray MP.

With more shows to be announced over the coming months there will be comedy, theatre, circus, magic, dance, kids’ shows and much more, alongside support for some of the most innovative newcomers through artist development strand Pleasance Futures. There’s nowhere quite like the Pleasance at Fringe!

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – until Sunday 31 March 2024

Reviewed by Sue Portman

4****

The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big, stripy tiger!

Direct from the West End, the Olivier Award nominated smash hit show, The Tiger Who Came to Tea returns on tour.

Join the tea-guzzling tiger in this delightful family show; packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos. Don’t miss this stunning stage adaptation of the classic tale of teatime mayhem … expect to be surprised!

This was a short show of some 55 minutes, played by three actors. It is only on for two days with several afternoon and evening performances.

The actors were Tia Bunce as Sophie, Ellie Shove as Mummy and Joseph Saunders as daddy/milkman/postman and the tiger.

As an adult – and not taking any children, (unless my husband counts!) I wanted to see this through the eyes of a child so I dug deep into my past life and watched the story unfold with Bunce, Shove and Saunders setting the scene through words and song. All three nurtured the audience into a state of expectation – as the kids wanted to see the tiger! Each time the door knocked and we expected the tiger to appear it was someone else, the father, a milkman or a postman. Would the next knock be the big cat?

The actors whipped the audience up into a state of expectation, using a big clock on the wall. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock went that clock as they sang and moved in unison quite wonderfully around the stage in a mesmerising choreographed routine to depict the passage of time. There was breakfast and lunch, but we all wanted it to be tea-time as
that’s when the tiger would arrive after all.

When this finally happened – and it was a sort of ‘he’s behind you’ moment, the kids went wild as this huge, beautiful, striped tiger with a massive noble head made an entrance and began his strange engagement with the mother and daughter, promptly eating them out of
house and home, then disappearing never to be seen again.

He ate all their food and even drank their water supply. Greedy tiger! All this and he never spoke a word.

Throughout there was a sense of pantomime meets Playaway (remembering Brian Cant) as Bunce in particular established a warm rapport with the audience, and her colleagues assisted in getting the happy throng singing along at various stages. The kids love to growl – that’s for sure. Adults playing as and for kids is difficult and an art in itself and these three actors were clearly experts in their field, enjoying their work.

There was a sense of loss for kids when the tiger disappeared. I could hear it in their groans and silences in equal measure. They must have been wondering why the tiger arrived at this house and why did he have to leave. Where did he go? Why a tiger at all?

So, what does the tiger represent? Much has been written about this, ranging from loss to representation of unwanted guests not only at our house but in life draining us of all we have then moving on. For sure, the tiger was both cuddly and malevolent depending upon how you wished to interpret it, and the focus was on this fascinating feline throughout as
it drew the kids into his world.

There was a good old singalong about yummy, scrummy sausages and chips before the final curtain and the kids joined in with gusto.

The manner in which these three excellent actors portrayed the story demonstrated some level of love and affection between the tiger and the family but you always felt that he wanted things his way or not at all. A sense of manipulation was clear (for an adult anyway) and this is certainly darker than the nice posters would portray. It was an excellent interpretation of the story, it really was.

In the end, the family had nothing to eat and they had to drive out to a café for their supper. So the tiger was happy, but at the expense of the hosts. Read into it what you will but this was all delivered in an intelligent way, with a simple but effective stage set and some really clever ‘magic effects’ especially when the tiger made plates full of food disappear,
scoffing avidly as the mother and daughter (and audience!) watched on with incredulity.

But this is a show for kids right? Wrong! I mean, if you did not know what year you were born what age would you be? We all have something of the child inside us, which is why we visit the pantomime every Christmas. It is the child-like humour and imagination that can remove the dust of countless years from our souls for a couple of hours at least.

The excited children all came with their tiger tee shirts and tiger toys and left with a sense of bewilderment to some degree. Really they are the ones who should be writing this review, because only in their heads can they reveal what they think the story is all about. Judith Kerr wrote it in 1968 and it is as relevant now as it was then, whether you see it simply as a tiger who came to tea or a metaphor for something else.

I am for the first time going to take some words from Wikipedia about just how this play has in some quarters been interpreted.

Kerr invented the story after visiting a zoo with her three-year-old daughter. She said her husband Nigel Kneale was away making a film and “it felt a bit lonely and we wished somebody would come. We’d been to the zoo so it seemed reasonable for a tiger to come. We both thought they were incredibly beautiful.” She told the story many times before making it into a book which took a year to write and illustrate.

Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen has drawn parallels between the book and the author’s life. Kerr spent her early years in Berlin just before the start of the Third Reich and her father was on a death list because of his opposition to the Nazis. Her family fled Germany and most of their property was seized in 1933 when she was nine years old. Rosen claims the tiger could be based on her memory of the past threat: something that could have disrupted her life as a young child and taken everything the family owned.

He said “Judith knows about dangerous people who come to your house and take people away. She was told as a young child that her father could be grabbed at any moment by either the Gestapo or the SS – he was in great danger. So I don’t know whether Judith did it consciously or not – I wouldn’t want to go there – but the point is he’s a jokey tiger, but
he is a tiger.” Kerr, however, stated more than once that the tiger represents nothing more than a tiger, and had no relevance to her upbringing.

This performance is only on for two days bit I am sure it can be seen around the UK. If you get the opportunity go and see it (with or without children) because the actors, crew and the story itself deserve support.

Interpret it as you will, but just enjoy it.

Soho Theatre, Dean Street – until 13 April 2024

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Airlock’s boisterously funny version of the story of pirates Anne Boony and Mary Read takes you for a jolly rogering jaunt on the high seas that is as rib-tickling as it is swashbuckling.

Unimpressed with the limited prospects for an eighteenth-century woman, Anne (Ro Suppa) finds freedom disguised as a man onboard Calico Jack’s (Eleanor Colville) ship. Taking to the life of a pirate like a fish to water, Anne becomes Jack’s lover and is happy in her life of adventure, keeping one step ahead of the dastardly Pirate Hunter General. When a sea battle with rival pirates leads to Mary Read (Elizabeth Chu) climbing on board, Anne embraces pansexual piracy… until the third P from the title throws a spanner (cutlass?) in the works and hard choices must be made while trying to avoid the clutches of the PHG with the help of ship’s “parrot” Ivana Cracker (Robbie Taylor Hunt, who also directs) – who desperately and hilariously tries to insert himself as a main protagonist throughout the show.

It’s all slightly unhinged and has a brilliantly ramshackle atmosphere, best summed up by the epic sea battle between two cardboard ships complete with flying cannonball and giant dolphin wielding a pistol. Colville, Suppa and Hunt have created a queer extravaganza that embraces the filthy best of panto, bedroom farce (a wonderful shipboard version of the lovers being shoved behind doors skit) and cabaret.

The cast seem to be having a blast, and bounce of each other, and the audience, wonderfully. Robbie Taylor Hunt steals the scene as Ivana Cracker whenever he appears, Eleanor Colville is a fantastically louche Jack, Elizabeth Shu is a hoot as Mary, and Ro Suppa gleefully portrays the frustrations and passions of Anne in a winning performance celebrating Anne’s refusal to conform to expectations and sail her own course.

The musical numbers are fun and upbeat, and the birth of Anne’s baby has to be seen to be believed – completely bonkers! Pansexual Pregnant Piracy is an absolute blast – brilliant fun.

MARYLEBONE THEATRE LONDON – UNTIL 20th APRIL 2024

REVIEWED BY JACKIE THORNTON

3***

A lone suitcase is spotlit centre stage as our nameless protagonist, played with wonderful range and subtlety by veteran Greg Hicks, walks on, dressed in off-white, to tell us how ridiculous everyone always thought he was and how much of an outsider he feels. It’s Wednesday and he’s come to the conclusion that the world has no meaning and so needs to do something about it.

Hicks is the sole performer in writer/director Laurence Boswell’s adaptation of Dostoyevksy’s 1877 political allegory and the actor skillfully changes accent and posture, using simple props to take on the guise of other characters he encounters in his tragi-comic adventure. Particularly memorable is a cap that becomes an immigrant child
asking for help who he heartlessly pushes away.

Loren Elstein’s stage design is minimalist but brings the vast backdrop of the stage to life aided by Ben Ormerod’s lighting, which takes us from rainy, traffic-filled London to an imagined paradise of sandy beaches and pink skies.

Gary Sefton’s sound design startled me more than once with loud clashes of thunder and kept tension alive with an overall unsettling mood. Humour is evoked as our protagonist tells us how he forged a career, lost a career, got married, got divorced, reminding us of life’s inevitable losses and gains. This modern day ridiculous man, an unemployed introverted loner living in East London takes us through his despair with life and growing need to end it all. Boswell makes it relevant without feeling like a sermon, observing that, “polarisation and condemnation” seem to be “the dominant form of interaction between people” these days.

Just how ridiculous is this man’s dream of a world filled with kindness, compassion and love and why does it still feel impossible?

Hampstead Theatre – until 27th April 2024

Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith

4****

Sarah Siddons was known as the Queen of Drury Lane and was one of the most respected and celebrated actors of the 18th and 19th centuries. April De Angelis’ new play, thought to be the first written about Siddons, takes us back to 1800 when the 40 (ish) year old actress is battling grief, boring roles, and powerlessness in a man’s world.

In this backstage comedy, we see Siddons (as she was referred to by most and played by Rachael Stirling) at the mercy of her brother, John Philip Kemble (Dominic Rowan), who owned the theatre, managed the plays, and chose her roles, while her husband collected the money and invested it badly, and signed all her contracts. After one too many roles playing sad adulterous women, she decides to engage some main character energy and take control of her life.

The play opens on Siddons and Kemble on stage performing. Kemble is bellowing out his lines and emphasising all the wrong bits – it’s panto-esque and I can’t help but snort with laughter. The set by Lez Brotherston centres the dressing room used by Siddons, with stage flats, and a curtain behind. The curtains open and close for performances and we see the back of the actors as they play to an imagined audience. It is a great device for setting the backstage action.

Whilst desperate to escape the monotony and grief of her life, Siddons, aided by her sweet new maid Patti (Anushka Chakravarti), meets a female playwright, Joanna Bailie (played by a fantastic Eva Feiler), who writes proper female characters. However, things go awry not once but twice when her brother’s fragile male ego put a stop to her efforts.

The plot at times stumbles, but the brilliant cast does not. Rachael Stirling is mesmeric in the role of Siddons, and is a calm and comedic counter to the loud and ridiculous Kemble played by Dominic Rowan. Eva Feiler is fabulous in many roles from the female playwright, to a fencing instructor, to a desperate wife on the run from her abusive husband. Anna Mackmin’s production is exaggerated and over the top, everyone playing a caricature with fun effect. The laughs are plentiful and the comedy doesn’t grow old. Do I feel like I know more about Sarah Siddons at the end? Not really. However, it’s a highly enjoyable couple of hours spent watching incredible talent, plus it highlights how little has changed for women on stage (and screen). Men are still largely in charge and there is still a scarcity of central roles of women past a certain age, even now, 200 years later.

PLAYHOUSE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL – UNTIL SATURDAY 30TH MARCH 2024

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

4****

“My Beautiful Laundrette” is a British romantic comedy-drama film released in 1985. The screenplay, written by Hanif Kureishi, received an Oscar nomination. Although originally planned for release in 2019, the UK tour of the film has only just begun due to various reasons and this stage production is being directed by Nicole Behan.

In this cleverly crafted screenplay, Kureishi effectively addresses universal themes that sadly remain significant in the twenty-first century. The script explores racism, conflict between social and economic classes and misogyny through the lens of a same-sex, mixed-race relationship. It skilfully presents these issues with a blend of realism and compassion, making the story feel current and relatable.

The story is set in London during the Thatcher era, exploring the intricate and often amusing relationships between members of the Pakistani and English communities. The plot follows Omar, a young Pakistani residing in London, as he reconnects with his childhood friend Johnny, who is now a rebellious street punk with neo-fascists beliefs. They work together as caretakers and managers of a launderette which was previously owned by Omar’s uncle, Nasser. However, the main focus is on their romantic relationship.

Lucca Chadwick-Patel’s portrayal of Omar is charismatic and captivating, effectively holding our attention on the main character. Sam Mitchell playing Johnny, skilfully uncovers the vulnerability beneath his tough exterior, gradually revealing more depth to his character, and is unafraid to show some skin in the process. The duo has a fantastic connection. Their relationship feels authentic, and it really draws the audience in, making them cheer for the pair.

The performance that really stood out to me was by Gordon Warnecke, who portrayed Papa, Omar’s father. He originally played the role of Omar in the movie, so it’s a wonderful nod to the past to see him in this production.

You find yourself firmly in the realm of the 1980s, with the original music by the Pet Shop Boys connecting the different scenes. Against the stark, grey concrete backdrop created by Grace Smart’s set, it breaks the heavy atmosphere but also adds to it.

The story is relevant and significant, and this production offers a beautiful new interpretation of an iconic and compelling tale.

Hull Truck Theatre – until 13th April 2024

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

5*****

Upon entering Hull Truck Theatre, the scene is instantly set for this production of Animal Farm with discordant music playing, strange animal headpieces dangling down and a dark and smoky stage, resulting in a very unsettling feeling. Hull Truck Theatre is an intimate space and proved to be the perfect venue for this Hull Truck Theatre, Octagon Theatre Bolton & Derby Theatre production of Animal Farm directed by Iqbal Khan. Animal Farm is based on the novel by George Orwell and has been adapted for the stage by Ian Wooldridge.

The animals of Manor Farm are overworked and badly treated by the drunken farmer Mr Jones and after a stirring speech by Old Major (Polly Lister) begin to think about overthrowing him. Led by the pigs Snowball (Samater Ahmed) and Napoleon (Ida Regan) they overthrow the farmer and are ready to live a life where they will all be free and have equality. However, Snowball and Napoleon and the other pigs gradually manipulate the other animals and take control of the farm and the animals find that this is not a better life after all. Ending with only one maxim “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”.

This is a production with a small cast, where their eyes will bore into you as they consider what they are suffering, you feel their pain and worries along with them as life does not turn out as expected. Polly Lister was impressive delivering Old Major’s stirring speech, the audience was held by her words. Ida Regan’s Napoleon is a little unexpected as she appears a little unsure at first but develops into her leadership role, with a voice that is uncannily like that of Margaret Thatcher. Samater Ahmed is wonderful as Snowball, the more idealistic of the pigs and then as the world-weary donkey, dropping effortlessly into the new character he is playing. Sam Black is simply magnificent as the cart horse Boxer, his whole body oozes the character, it was difficult to take your eyes off him and his voice is beautiful to listen to. Killian Macardle was mesmerising as Squealer delivering political spin in such a convincing way, clearly the power behind Napoleon. Special mention should go to understudy Olivia Chandler who played Mollie the horse beautifully and was also a superb crow.

All the actors moved convincingly as the animals they portrayed and this production is very physical, movement director Shelley Eva Haden is to be commended. The set and lighting design by Ciarán Bagnall produces an oppressive atmosphere which is supported by the music composed by Dylan Towley. The animal headpieces developed and constructed by Sarah Worrall added to the atmosphere, being skeletal in their construction.

Orwell’s novel (published in 1945) was a satirical allegorical work based around the events of the Russian revolution in 1917. Sadly, this production emphasises that we have not moved on from this era and in fact there are clear links to the current political situation in our country (and others) with political spin and misinformation galore.

This is a thought-provoking chilling production; it pulls no punches and is not always an easy watch but it is still so relevant to today’s world. The two hours flew by and left me considering the world we now live in and wondering how this play is still so relevant today.

Rose Theatre Kingston – until Sunday 14th April 2024

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge and Daughter Sarah-Jane aged 11

5*****

The Rose Theatre presents The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, a popular story known to many, brought to life and what a fantastic performance it was.

It tells the story of a quiet, meek mouse who longs to be seen but, because of his size, he never gets a look in  – forever is along time to feel incredibly tiny and when he wants to be noticed, no one seems to see him at all, making him feel incredibly small. Being little really isn’t easy at all. Whilst alone by himself a thought pops into his head – I may be small but I just need a rather large roar. That will get him noticed for sure, no longer will he be lonely but will have many friends to join him and feel happy. So he decides to go on a journey to find the head of the pack, the mighty king cat, he’s tough and strong and has a roar that goes beyond. But when the fear sets in, will he teach me to roar, or eat me for his supper so that I’m nothing at all?!

But he soon finds the strength to approach the king, only to see him whimpering – the lion is shaking as he’s scared of  mouse! Making the mouse not feel small at all, forming a friendship that will last above all. With both of them learning that, no matter your size, we all have a mouse and a lion inside.

The whole performance was magical from start to finish with the use of puppets. The opening scene of a cricket – tick tick tick – listen, can you hear the sound of the wilderness  there’s music everywhere, going into a fabulous song with the simplicity of props such as zebra legs, beaks and horns controlled by the cast, which caught the children’s attention as well as the adults, immediately so effective, creative and magical.

James Keningale – Mouse, showed some amazing puppetry even down to Mouses little hands and little feet and what great ears mouse had! to then go onto a bigger puppet and then become mouse himself in different stages of the story this kept his character alive keeping everyone entertained.

Caitlin Mallory – Lion, she gave such an outstanding performance, with much attitude and rhythm, was so much fun, let’s rock its Lion O’clock getting the whole audience to join in – Well cubs can you do a roar with your claws? It was lovely to see the whole audience take part and even more magical to see so many little smiles as well as big ones.

Clarke Joseph-Edwards – Storyteller, kept the whole show running smoothly whilst taking us through the story he was energetic and fun and a delight to watch.

Between the three you could see that they had a great connection on stage for all to see.
The stage was done amazingly well with the lions rock turning into the mouses house and with all the animal props setting the scene so simple but effective. Great songs to keep all entertained and the use of animals noises that added great impact to the show.

What an enjoyable show that had everyone smiling from start to finish. Definitely a must see.

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

THE JAMIE LLOYD COMPANY’S

ROMEO & JULIET

STARRING TOM HOLLAND

The Jamie Lloyd Company today announces the full cast for the new West End production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, directed by Jamie Lloyd.

Tom Holland (Romeo) is joined by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet. Freema Agyeman (Nurse), Michael Balogun (Friar), Tomiwa Edun (Capulet), Mia Jerome (Montague), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Paris), Ray Sesay (Tybalt), Nima Taleghani (Benvolio), Joshua-Alexander Williams (Mercutio) and Callum Heinrich and Kody Mortimer (Camera Operators) complete the cast.

Romeo & Juliet opens at the Duke of York’s Theatre, on Thursday 23 May, with previews from Saturday 11 May, and runs until Saturday 3 August 2024.

Tom Holland said today, “Beyond excited to announce our cast for Romeo and Juliet. I can’t wait to get started and I know we’ll create something really special together.”

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers said today, “I’m so grateful to be making my West End debut as Juliet with The Jamie Lloyd Company. It’s a dream to be joining this team of incredible artists with Jamie at the helm. I’m excited to bring a fresh energy to this story alongside Tom, and to welcome new audiences to the theatre.”

Jamie Lloyd also commented, “I’m very excited to introduce the amazing cast who will be joining the incredible Tom Holland in Romeo & Juliet, including Francesca Amewudah-Rivers— an exceptional young artist.”

As part of The Jamie Lloyd Company’s commitment to accessibility, there are 5000 tickets available at £25 exclusively for under 30s, key workers and those receiving government benefits, across the run and on every level of the auditorium – including the front row. These seats will be on sale from Wednesday 10 April at 10am. For full ticketing information please visit: www.romeoandjulietLDN.com.

The Jamie Lloyd Company presents

ROMEO & JULIET

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Jamie Lloyd

Text edited by Nima Taleghani; Set and Costume Design: Soutra Gilmour; Lighting Design: Jon Clark; Sound Design; Ben and Max Ringham;Video Design and Cinematography: Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom; Composer: Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante; Casting Director: Stuart Burt CDG;Movement Directors: Sarah Golding & Yukiko Masui (SAY); Intimacy Coordinator: Ingrid Mackinnon; Associate Director: Jonathan Glew; Associate Designer: Rachel Wingate; Associate Costume Designer: Anna Josephs

Duke of York’s Theatre

Saturday 11 May – Saturday 3 August 2024

Violent delights have violent ends.

Tom Holland is Romeo in Jamie Lloyd’s pulsating new vision of Shakespeare’s immortal tale of wordsmiths, rhymers, lovers and fighters. 

Romeo & Juliet is produced by The Jamie Lloyd Company.

www.romeoandjulietLDN.com

Instagram:           @RomeoJulietLDN

X:                           @RomeoJulietLDN

Facebook:            /RomeoJulietLDN

Tom Holland plays Romeo. He is a global star as a result of his iconic portrayal of ‘Peter Parker’ in the box office record-breaking franchise Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home as well as the installments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Other film credits include Uncharted with co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas and directed by Ruben Fleischer; Cherry for directors Joe and Anthony Russo; Chaos Walking for director Doug Liman, opposite Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, David Oyelowo and Demián Bichir; The Devil All The Time directed by Antonio Campos, also stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska; Alfonso Gomez Rejon’s The Current War, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon; Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible, for which he was awarded ‘Breakthrough Actor of the Year’ by the National Board of Review, received the ‘Spotlight Award’ from the Hollywood Film Awards and was nominated for the ‘Best Young Actor/Actress’ BFCA Critics’ Choice Award; James Gray’s Lost City Of Z with Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller; Ron Howard’s In The Heart Of The Sea; Kevin MacDonald’s How I Live Now opposite Saoirse Ronan; Steven Knight’s Locke with Tom Hardy; and Rob Connolly’s Edge Of Winter opposite Joel Kinnaman.

Television credits include The Crowded Room (Apple TV+), for which he serves as an executive producer and received a Critics Choice Award nomination for his performance; and Wolf Hall (BBC), alongside Mark Rylance and Claire Foy.

He has appeared as a featured voice in the PIXAR animated film, Onward, opposite Chris Pratt; Disney action-adventure animated film, Spies In Disguise; and the feature adaptation of Dolittle, opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Antonio Banderas.

Holland made his stage debut as the title role in Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre).

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers plays Juliet.

Theatre credits include: School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Lyric Hammersmith), The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English (Bush), Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), Antigone (Colchester Mercury), Othello (National Youth Theatre REP Company), Animal Farm (National Youth Theatre REP Company), Ordinary Miracle (National Youth Theatre REP Company)

Television credits include: Bad Education Series 4 and 5 (BBC)

Freema Agyeman plays Nurse.

Theatre credits include: God of Carnage (Lyric Hammersmith), Apologia (Trafalgar Studios)

Film credits include: The Matrix Resurrections, Eat Locals, North v South, Rulers and Dealers, Aisha The American

Television credits include: Dreamland, New Amsterdam (Nominated for Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Drama, Hollywood Critics Association), Sense8, Rubenesque, The Carrie Diaries, Old Jack’s Boat, Law and Order: UK (Nominated for Best Actress, TV Choice Awards), Survivors, Little Dorrit, Dr Who (Nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, Monte Carlo TV Festival; Most Popular Actress, National Television Awards; and winner of Nokia Newcomer, Glamour Awards), Torchwood, Silent Witness, Crossroads

Michael Balogun plays Friar.

Theatre credits include: The Lehman Trilogy (Gillian Lynne Theatre), Blue Orange (Royal & Derngate), Henry VI Part 1 (Royal Shakespeare Company), Death of England: Delroy (National), Macbeth (Chichester Festival), Barbershop Chronicles (UK tour), The Dark (Ovalhouse), People, Places and Things (UK tour)

Television credits include: Sherwood, Top Boy, You Don’t Know Me, Vera, War of the Worlds

Tomiwa Edun plays Capulet.

Theatre credits include: Macbeth (National), The Deep Blue Sea (National), Translations (National), Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe), Botticelli In The Fire (Hampstead), The Mountaintop (Royal Exchange), Lionboy (Complicité) But I Cd Only Whisper (Tabula Rasa / Arcola) Often, Mud Sits On The Throne (Nabokov), Slaves (Theatre503), Proper Clever (Liverpool Playhouse Theatre), Tiata Delights ‘08 (Almeida)

Film credits include: Cinderella, Dying of The Light, What Happened to Monday, Eyimofe, Argylle
Television credits include: Trigger Point, Young Wallander, Merlin, Trying, The Chelsea Detective, A Discovery Of Witches, Bates Motel, Lucifer, Elementary, Dr Who Christmas Special, The Hour, Legends, Law And Order: UK, The Fixer II

Callum Heinrich as Camera Operator.

Theatre credits include: MAMMA MIA! (Novello), The Pirate Queen (London Coliseum)  

Television credits include: Renegade Nell, Masters of the Air, Breaking The Band: Foreigner 

Mia Jerome plays Montague.

Theatre credits include: Treasure island (Hall for Cornwall), Lost Lending Library (Punchdrunk Enrichment), A Christmas Carol (Goblin), Tales from The Thames (Queen’s), Bloodrites (Vault Fest), Legend of the Jazz Penguin (Goblin), Small Wonders (Punchdrunk Enrichment), Bing Live (Minor Entertainment)

Film credits include: The Third Day: Autumn

Kody Mortimer as Camera Operator. 

For The Jamie Lloyd Company:Sunset Blvd. (Savoy) 

Theatre credits include: Assassins (Chichester Festival), Hex (National), 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air), Hairspray (London Coliseum), Gypsy (Royal Exchange) 

Daniel Quinn-Toye plays Paris.

This marks Daniel’s professional stage debut.

Training: LAMDA

Ray Sesay plays Tybalt.

Theatre credits include: Anna Karenina (Bristol Old Vic & Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), Romeo & Juliet (Lyric Belfast), Seeds (Pleasance), The Merchant of Venice (Royal Shakespeare Company), Book of Actions (Nouveau Riche), 13 (Tobacco Factory), Chicken Palace (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Sons Without Fathers (Arcola), Red Helicopter (Arcola)

Television credits include: Doctor Who, Endeavour, Cheaters, Holby City, Doctors

Nima Taleghani plays Benvolio.

For The Jamie Lloyd Company: Cyrano de Bergerac (Brooklyn Academy of Music/Playhouse/Harold Pinter)

Theatre credits include: Hope Has A Happy Meal (Royal Court), Macbeth (Royal Exchange), Armadillo (Yard), Romeo and Juliet (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Plough and the Stars (Abbey), The White Whale (Slung Low)

Film credits include: Femme, 90 Minutes, Dublin Oldschool

Television credits include: Heartstopper, Danny Boy, Hatton Garden, Casualty

Joshua-Alexander Williams plays Mercutio.

This marks Joshua-Alexander’s professional stage debut.

Training: Arts Ed

Jamie Lloyd directs. His credits for the company include Sunset Blvd. (Savoy Theatre – Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Director; nominated for 11 Olivier Awards including Best Director and Best Musical Revival), The Effect (National Theatre/The Shed, New York), A Doll’s House (Hudson Theatre, New York – nominated for six 2023 Tony Awards including Best Direction of a Play and Best Revival of a Play), The Seagull (Harold Pinter Theatre), Cyrano de Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre/Harold Pinter Theatre/Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York – Olivier Award for Best Revival), Betrayal (Pinter at the Pinter, Harold Pinter Theatre/ Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre – nominated for four 2021 Tony Awards including Best Direction of a Play and Best Revival of a Play), Pinter One, Two, Three, Six and Seven (Pinter at the Pinter, Harold Pinter Theatre), The Maids, The Homecoming, The Ruling Class, Richard III, The Pride, The Hothouse and Macbeth (Trafalgar Studios).

LISTINGS

ROMEO & JULIET

Duke of York’s Theatre

Saturday 11 May – Saturday 3 August 2024

Box Office: www.romeoandjulietLDN.com

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham – until 30th March 2024

Reviewed by Jacqui Radford

5*****

This production of a timeless comedy brings Shakespeare to an accessible level, regardless of any previous experience or persuasion. As an Everyman Theatre Company production incorporating Tweedy, a celebrated local clown, Cheltenham is a perfect start for a tour that will move on to Malvern, York, Southampton and Coventry.

Most people attending this production will either be there because they love the play or because they’re hoping to see it portrayed in a format that leaves them with a sense of at least an understanding the play. For me, it was apparent that the classic Shakespeare text and modernised rhyme exceeded expectation. Tweedy’s clowning around and the effect it had on the production reminded me how much Shakespeare’s clowns contributed to the enjoyment factor in so many of his plays.

The plot unfolds from a setting in Athens and is delivered by a cast of just ten people: each of them playing a role either as a lover, member of the court, fairy, or artisan performer. Tweedy, cast as Bottom enhances the comedy value of the performance and as the most recognisable is the thread between scenes.

The brilliance of this performance lies in the cast’s ability to flex between roles, interpreting the multiple expressions of them and delivering perfect comedy and slapstick. Mention should be given to Laura Noble (Helena/Flute/Mustardseed), Jeremy Stockwell (Egius/Puck/Snug), Oliver Brooks (Lysander/Starveling/Moth) and Nadia Shash (Hermia/Quince/Peaseblossom).

If you love this Shakespeare classic or want to understand the influence of Shakespeare or understand his plays in a modern context, book your seats now