Reviews

by Anna Clart 18 Mar, 2024
'Writer and director Hugo Lau has a sharp ear for dialogue, and allows his characters to sound real' ★★★ ½ “Are you ok?” “No love.” “This sucks.” Natalie stumbles home after partying to find her mum waiting for her in the living room—not to tell her off, but to let her know that her brother just died. Drowned in the canal. Natalie runs to throw up in the pre-set toilet: Grief or alcohol? Who knows. Will she help her mum break the news to her little sister Julia in the morning? Yes yes of course. And with that Natalie vanishes on a multi-week bender, trying desperately to drown all thoughts and feelings in gin, sex and more gin. Though billed by new company Beau Beau Theatre as “an Irish story about grief,” Magic is a universally relatable play about making terrible choices to avoid facing the unthinkable. Writer and director Hugo Lau has a sharp ear for dialogue, and allows his characters to sound real, sympathetic and fucked-up alike. He has also side-stepped what could have been easy plot points about people taking advantage of the vulnerable main character: Yes, Natalie gets wasted and sleeps with people she probably shouldn’t, but those people are three-dimensional and mostly well-intentioned. Laoise Fleming gives a particularly strong performance as the woman who falls for Natalie at a party and slowly realises that she’s only a means to an end. It’s Natalie who hurts those around her, and full credit must go to Honi Cooke, who doesn’t flinch back from her character’s worst actions but so clearly grounds herself in grief that she never loses the audience’s emotional investment. The story is staged with a playful simplicity that pays off with varying levels of effectiveness. A church pew serves as couch, bed, bench alike; everyone wears a name-tag; and props rarely look like what you’d expect. Personally, I’d love to see more shows subsitute lollipops and candy sticks for cigarettes and rollies. The decision to mark each transition on a white board and rotate most actors in for only one or two scenes, however, means that Magic sometimes feels a bit like a long collection of scene studies. The majority of the (excellent) cast spend their time watching the proceedings from a line of chairs against the back wall, but their presence is rarely put to use. There’s unexplored potential in these silent observers, particularly the dead Lowell and Natalie’s grieving family (including Ciara Pouncett’s shattered mother, who shines in every scene she’s granted). Beau Beau Theatre has brought together a strong group of artists across the board, and it will be interesting to see if they continue to mesh and play and push the form of their storytelling further. But this is a warm and touching first outing. Photography by Jake Bush Writer & Director: Hugo Lau Producer/Welfare Lead: Harriet Bevan Producer/Choreographer: Dulce Fraser Cast Aoibhinn: Georgia McKnight April: Laoise Fleming Fiadh: Ciara Pouncett Julia: Micáela Gorman Lowell: Hugo Lau Mehdi: Michael Joel Bartelle Natalie: Honi Cooke Rae: Daniel Keogh Thursday: Léna Laprès Reviewer: Anna Clart
by Srabani Sen 18 Mar, 2024
‘Classic opera meets the wild, wild West’ ★★★★ ½ The plots of many operas are very silly, and Rossini’s much-loved Barber of Seville is among the silliest. Charles Court Opera’s production ramped up the silliness to the heights of absurdity. The result was a joyous, fast paced romp of a performance, with laugh out loud moments that left the audience gasping for more. Charles Court Opera’s production was set in a wild West saloon. Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina. Disguised as Lindoro, he woos her with the help of his cunning hired man Figaro. Rosina’s guardian Bartolo wants to marry Rosina for her fortune and plots with sleazy Don (or in Charles Court’s version Dan) Basilio to get Rosina to the altar. But Bartolo underestimates his clever and feisty ward Rosina who only has eyes for Lindoro. I think you can guess the ending… Meriel Cunningham’s Rosina was astonishing. She slid from the rich chocolate tones of her chest voice to her bell-like top notes with ease, her coloratura passages were light and precise – no mean feat given the tempo of much of the music - and her comedic acting made hers one of the best Rosina’s I’ve ever seen. She was well matched by Jonathan Eyers’ fabulous Figaro, and his rendition of the much-loved aria “Largo al factotum” was pure joy. Matthew Kellet was hilarious as Bartolo. David Eaton’s English translation of the libretto was at times heavy handed with its jokes and clunky rhymes, but he captured the spirit of the piece well. His piano accompaniment of the show was a tour de force in itself, and the brio with which he played meant I never yearned for the orchestra he replaced. Jonathan Savournin’s direction brought physical comedy and pace to the piece and made some of drawn-out passages in the opera (like the “go to bed” scene) as interesting as they could be. They may wish to relook at some of the lighting states which left performers in the dark at points. For those less familiar with or nervous of going to the opera, Charles Court’s fun and high energy Barber of Seville would be a great first experience. Catch it while you still can. Photography: Bill Knight THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioachino Rossini Wilton’s Music Hall, 12 -23 March 2024, (with matinees on Saturdays) Tickets: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/ Performers: Jonathan Eyers, Joseph Doody, Meriel Cunnigham, Matthew Kellet, Hugo Herman-Wilson, Ellie Laugharne, Arthur Bruce Musical Director: David Eaton Director: John Savournin Set and costume design: Good Teeth Lighting Design: Ben Pickersgill Company: Charles Court Opera Reviewer: Srabani Sen Srabani is a theatre actress and playwright. As an actress she has performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (The Globe), the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse, The Pleasance and numerous fringe theatres, in a range of roles from Shakespeare to plays by new and emerging writers. She has written several short and full length plays. Her play Tawaif was longlisted for the ETPEP Finborough award, and her play Vijaya was shortlisted for the Sultan Padamsee Playwrights Award in Mumbai.
by Heather Jeffery 16 Mar, 2024
‘a one-woman musical par excellence’ ★★★★★ Set in 1930s Paris and based on the real life of female ceramicist Marie Berthe Cazin, this is a one-woman musical par excellence. It has a very strong storyline, toe tapping music, expert musical accompaniment and a top-drawer performer, what more do we need? Well … The homely Parisian set (by Rachael Ryan) is very versatile becoming the artist’s studio, an art gallery and a backdrop for Marie to make her dreams fly into reality. Added to this there are several effects, whilst they don’t include a Chandelier flying low across the audience (famous in Phantom of the Opera), they are quite surprising and add a surreal element to the show. Not that the production needs any bells and whistles. Rosalind Ford as Marie, gives a stunning performance both musically and theatrically, taking the audience with her as she introduces us to various characters: her best friend (and competitor), her husband-to-be and several other strategic personages. It’s a wonderful story taking Marie from a wannabe to a fully-fledged artist with the usual ‘sidelining’ (or plagiarism) experienced by many female artists in the day, and with war also glancing the story, it’s not all happy endings. Ultimately, though, peace of mind reins, which makes this a feel good, joyful, and feminist tale. At last, a musical from the feminine perspective which has some bite, so full marks to Rebecca Simmonds (book and lyrics), and Jack Miles (music and lyrics). How wonderful that the songs move the story forward and aid the characterisations. There are many excellent songs, so it’s hard to single out one or two, except perhaps ‘Talent’ which was nominated for the Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Prize 2023. There are also some numbers featuring violin (played by Auguste Janonyte) which adds a certain something, perhaps giving it more of a gypsy jazz flavour. Delicious. Ultimately, there is one star of this show and it’s Rosalind Ford, as she shone so brightly: her facial expressions so eloquent, her movements never too much, her voice always pitched perfectly and her French accent absolutely charming. As Marie, she presents a delightful character with a playful sense of her own imperfections. All the little humorous bits land and even the sad parts, give cause to feel sorry for her grief. It seems likely that this is a musical which will have a long life provided it can be produced as expertly as this rendition. Also, of note, an exhibition of ceramicists work accompanies the show, so patrons should arrive a little early to take advantage of this beforehand. Another innovation is the option to book a cabaret table on the stage. This nicely adds to the intimate and homely atmosphere in the auditorium. Instead of a rigid line between the stage and the seats, there’s a feeling of interaction (but don’t worry, there isn’t any actual audience participation), everyone can just enjoy the spectacle. Photography: Felix Mosse Presented by Upstairs at the Gatehouse and Design & Canvas Co. IN CLAY 16 March – 7 April 2024 Box Office https://upstairsatthegatehouse.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173647539/events/428611014 Book & Lyrics by Rebecca Simmonds Music & Lyrics by Jack Direction by Grace Taylor Lighting Designer Chris McDonnell Set & costume by Rachel Ryan Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine
by Heather Jeffery 13 Mar, 2024
‘Faye Ziegler as Maar draws the audience in’ ★★★ The name of Pablo Picasso is one which immediately summons up images of his cubist paintings, most famously, his masterpiece Guernica and perhaps his Weeping Woman painted in 1937. Far fewer people will have heard of one of his muses, Frenchwoman Dora Maar, who was the inspiration behind his crying woman series of images. Maar was an artist in her own right and a prolific photographer hailed as one of the first women in the surrealist movement. In the play we also learn that Maar was one of Picasso’s lovers and was treated cruelly by him. It seems that the press of the day as well as history, sees Maar largely in terms of him, rather than as a separate and extremely talented artist in her own right. With the beauty of hindsight, today, it is easy to understand that she might have deserved to have been in the limelight herself, rather than being sidelined, always in the shadow of Picasso’s genius. The play gets off to a brilliant start and begins to air some of these ideas with great clarity. The script is witty, and the actor (Faye Ziegler) easily draws the audience in with her snide remarks about Picasso and his cruelty and her own lack of agency. One of the positives for the play, is that we are introduced to Maar’s work in the best possible way, so that we come to understand she was no mean talent. This section of the play resulted in very positive vibes, but as Picasso was introduced during the middle section of the play, it seemed a little less successful. Unfortunately, Picasso was far more two dimensional than Maar, and needed fleshing out. The actor (Dom Thomson) was not given the benefit of the best lines, which made the character seem rather dull and lacking in interest. This flatness made it rather hard to imagine why Maar allowed herself to be entangled with him in the first place. The spark was missing. It leaves the possibility that she stayed for the media attention rather than being swayed by Picasso as a man. It’s always good to show rather than tell, so having Picasso make an appearance could potentially be riveting viewing, but we need to see what attracted them to each other. This could give deeper meaning to their relationship and result in the abuse having far more impact on audiences. We want to be shocked and to care but we need to feel invested in the characters for this to happen. The play recovered itself in the final scenes with the introduction of Picasso’s mistress (voice over) and the show ended with aplomb, sharing an image of Maar, painted by Picasso. Actor Faye Ziegler playing Maar, had a really good rapport with the audience who were clearly rooting for her, but the middle section just lacked the same energy. MAAR, DORA by Nadia Jackson at Old Red Lion Theatre 12 – 16 March 2024 Box Office https://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/maar-dora.html Written by Nadia Jackson Directed by Spiky Saul Starring Faye Ziegler & Dom Thomson
by Paula David 12 Mar, 2024
‘a moving journey’ ★★★★ On entering the space, the audience are met with a full band set up: Two keyboards, one guitar, full drum kit and nine mics all surrounding a leather armchair. The lighting is reminiscent of a club night and the music supports the club night atmosphere. Excitement and intrigue build as the audience take their seats. The house lights finally go down after some delay. The main character Keloughn Douglas, a British-Caribbean Music Teacher, is played by Cal-I Jonel. Keloughn is caught between his desire to build a traditional life with the love of his life and his thirst for creative expression through his music. He learns to play the game of life at work and home with skill. However, he soon finds himself overwhelmed by the expectation at home, micro aggressions at work, the ever-increasing pressure that squashes his creativity into deep frustration. The pressure experienced by Keloughn is expressed through rap and spoken word with punch, hitting the audience with rhythm and excellent timing leaving them breathless at times. The smooth RnB melodies expressed the love and pain Keloughn felt in equal measure taking the audience on a moving journey. Carl-I jonel was able to smoothly transition from character to character, occasionally slipping out of character to become the performer you would expect to see on a club night. The story of Keloughn Douglas reflects eloquently the struggle of British Black men in the past and the present day. This is story that needs to be told, and Cal-l Jonel has the talent to do this story justice. Nouveau Riche presents the world premiere of No More Mr Nice Guy by Cal-I Jonel. Broadway Theatre, Catford 6 – 16 March Box Office https://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/events/no-more-mr-nice-guy/ UK tour (Home Manchester 21 - 23 March; Birmingham Rep 27 - 30 March; Bristol Old Vic 3 - 6 April). Reviewed by Paula David es here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
by Robert McLanachan 11 Mar, 2024
‘polished performances … the audience had a fantastic time’ ★★★★ The Lady or The Tiger is adapted from a short story by Frank Stockton where the dictatorial King hides his daughter away from the world. At 25 she is almost desperate to have a lover like the other young people of the kingdom. Luckily for her a wandering minstrel just happens to be passing by, but the King finds out and in this adult fairytale they do not all live happily ever after. Bob Karper as The Factotum did a brilliant job of keeping the show on track right from the start where I felt the audience immediately tuned into his wavelength. They too played their part, laughing at the slightest hint of a joke or innuendo every time right on cue. Bob Karper had the well-trained viewers eating out of his hand. A role many of them I’m sure had been playing from their first introduction to pantomime and for the last 50 or 60 years. This was an adult pantomime as well as being many other things and he made sure the audience had a fantastic time. Then to cap it all in the song ‘Here’s Gold’ He showed his versatility by showing off a whole raft of impersonations from a drag queen to Donald Trump. Wayne Smith dominated the stage every time he stepped forward and gave a flawless performance of self-assured smugness as the King. He was hilarious at times and showed off a high degree of comic timing in some of the songs. Georgie Rodgers as the Princess lived through the first half of the play as ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’, petulant and spoilt. Then transformed into a sex bomb in her quest to grab a man. Her voice was equal to the task and her attitude in several of the songs, notably ‘What would you do:’ was deadly. Juan Lobo as the Hero was too quiet most of the time and I could hardly hear him from my seat in the second row and I always felt he was being drowned out by the others when they sang together. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that he had a magnificent voice and at the times when I could hear him it was very obvious that he was equally as good as anyone else on the stage. Philip Shute, the musical director, played piano impeccably. He also sang the background witticisms that added a cheeky accompaniment to some of the numbers. Angus Tikka gave an accomplished performance on double bass and vocals. Indeed, the whole score presented a wide spectrum of musical styles from Gershwin to just plain good old rock and roll. This was an extremely well-polished performance of the highest quality. Photography: Charles Flint The Lady or the Tiger at Theatre at the Tabard 5 - 23 March 2024 Box Office https://tabard.org.uk/whats-on/the-lady-or-the-tiger/ Directed by Keith Strachan Written by Jeremy Paul and Michael Richmond with music by Noloa York Reviewed by Robert McLanachan
by Chris Lilly 08 Mar, 2024
‘Priti Colbeck is very impressive …’ ★★★ Priti Colbeck is on stage for a long time, talking to an unseen other on a phone. Actually, the phone gets left on a table so she sticks in an ear bud and talks to the cosmos. Priti Colbeck is very impressive. This play reminds you of the difference between a theatrical monologue and just talking to yourself – a monologist is aware of the audience, speaks to them, connects with them. Priti’s discourse, at first with a phone and then with nothing, gives her no support, no connection, just her own power of imagination embodying another someone. It’s a hard thing to do. Priti Colbeck does it very well indeed. But… This is a piece about a fractured relationship and a desperate woman, who may or may not have attempted suicide so she is in a featureless room with an IV drip on a stand and a thousand and one things to fiddle with. There are wigs, there’s a Christmas tree, there is an assortment of make-up items, there’s a deck of cards. The woman meanders round the room fiddling with stuff while talking. It would appear to be quite carefully blocked, so yet another praiseworthy aspect of Ms. Colbeck’s performance, but the character is just fiddling, filling the time. The items may have symbolic significance; since this is derived from a Cocteau script that seems quite likely, but the symbolism isn’t apparent. The only prop that earns its place is a pack of cigarettes that are taken up, thrown away, scrabbled for in desperation, and finally flung across the stage. The Christmas tree never even gets fiddled with, it just sits there murmuring “I’m going to be important, me…”. But it never is. Very nicely acted, very carefully blocked, very long, fairly inconsequential. The character of the (woman) lover who has caused the protagonist such pain is undefined, the agony of loss is apparent but unresolved, the half of the conversation we hear is unspecific. There may be another woman. There may not. It’s quite hard to care. Jean Cocteau’s THE HUMAN VOICE Adapted by Daniel Raggett Directed by David Fairs Performed by Priti Colbeck Produced by Kean Street Productions Ltd At White Bear Theatre, Kennington Box Office https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-human-voice Reviewed by Chris Lilly
by Anna Clart 07 Mar, 2024
'a very strong play that has lost some of its source material’s bite' ★★★★ What better challenge for a BAFTA-winning playwright to tackle than a book described by Wikipedia as having “no plot in the usual sense of the term”? That’s not quite accurate: But Sam Selvon’s classic novella about the Windrush generation is famously episodic, a tangle of tales about hope and hopelessness. Selvon centres his book around the long-suffering Moses, an early arrival to London, but weaves in and out of the lives of all those fellow immigrants that come to him for help. Roy Williams has bitten off a hell of a task: translating a kaleidoscope of anecdotes into a 90-minute story for the stage. The result is a very strong play that has lost some of its source material’s bite. First, Williams has cut more than half of Selvon’s characters, rejigging their relationships and reducing “the boys” around Moses (Gamba Cole) to three: Galahad (Romario Simpson), fresh-faced and hopeful, Big City (Gilbert Kyem Jnr), upbeat and reckless, and Lewis (Tobi Bakare), insecure and lashing out. As for the women, he has compressed Selvon’s two matriarchs into one (Carol Moses’s Tanty, sternly excellent), but overall gives far more weight and depth to the female roles than Selvon ever intended. Shannon Hayes’s Agnes gets as much stage time as her abusive husband Lewis, while Aimee Powell’s Christina, Moses’s past love, is a new invention. This hints at the double-edged sword of Williams’s adaptive choices: Narratively, dramatically, it’s all for the good. The cast is uniformly strong. Gamba Cole provides the show’s warm centre, and everyone meshes together as an ensemble while making full use of individual moments in the spotlight. It’s particularly satisfying to see Agnes given personality, agency, and a voice that her book version was never granted. But this is tightly linked to a decision to soften the book’s brutality, simplify its morals and quietly sand back those attributes of its protagonists that a modern audience might flinch at. Characters’ questionable decisions are rooted in tragic back-stories; domestic violence is not constant but a breaking point, and is ultimately punished and reviled; neighbours pull together in true support. That’s not quite the world Selvon described. Where Williams does preserve the full weight of the original’s violence is in how the West Indian community is treated by the white Londoners that surround them. His decision to write every interaction with a white character as direct address to the audience is clever, the force of the racism and othering they’re subjected to is clear. “We are British subjects!” one man protests. “That don’t mean shit,” another replies. Some things don’t change. The set is simple: eight trunks are lined up against the back wall, one for each of the actors to retreat to and perch on between scenes. It’s the rows of lightbulbs above their heads that take care of most of the location changes, flashing in and out of the letter-and-number jumbles that make up our city’s postcodes. This is clearly not just a play set in London, but for Londoners—an audience that can immediately decode NW1, SE10 and SE1 into their respective neighbourhoods and associations. Ebenezer Bamgboye’s direction is assured, expertly switching between rapid-fire dialogue and slow-motion imagery. He has interwoven the avalanche of text with music and choreography, making particularly excellent use of his movement director Nevena Stojkov’s skills. The effect is an explosion of life that regularly stills into swaying plateaus of longing, or pain, or threat, and bookends the show with connection and emotions, rather than words. This is an powerful show that has—for better or worse—smoothed out and sweetened the book on which it is based. Photography: Alex Brenner Box Office https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/the-lonely-londoners/ Cast Lewis: Tobi Bakare Moses: Gamba Cole Agnes: Shannon Hayes Big City: Gilbert Kyem Jnr Tanty: Carol Moses Christina: Aimee Powell Galahad: Romario Simpson Production Team Author: Sam Selvon Adaptor: Roy Williams Director. Ebenezer Bamgboye Designer: Laura Ann Price Costume Designer: Anett Black Lighting Designer: Elliot Griggs Sound Designer: Tony Gayle Casting Director: Abby Galvin Assistant Director: Paloma Sierra Movement Director: Nevena Stojkov Voice & Dialect Coach: Aundrea Fudge Production Manager: Lucy Mewis-McKerrow Stage Manager: Summer Keeling Set Builder: Tom Baum Set Electrics: Edward Callow Production Technician: Heather Smith Executive Producer: David Doyle Producer: Gabriele Uboldi Reviewed by Anna Clart
by David Weir 07 Mar, 2024
‘Quality drama and musical in the heart of the West End’ ★★★★ Something familiar, something appealing, a new revival of a Stephen Sondheim revue opens a brand new West End venture with something of a bang. Marry Me A Little finds two forlorn New Yorkers (Shelley Rivers and Markus Sodergren) alone in their apartments on a Saturday night, aware of each other’s existence and even more aware of the life happening to other people in the big city outside their windows. The show patches together 17 songs from nine Sondheim shows (with Company supplying a third of them) to provide, without spoken dialogue, a charmingly sad slice of life. It’s beautifully performed, and especially well choreographed as the two of them move around a small and cluttered space navigating kitchen, wine, ready meals, sofa and each other. Interacting but always maintaining the illusion that they’re in separate spaces, knowing each other is there but never meeting or talking. Musical director Aaron Clingham’s keyboard unobtrusively accompanies the mixture of duets and solos with Rivers’ raunchy, funny 'Can That Boy Foxtrot' and defiant ' There Won’t be Trumpets' , and a plaintive 'Rainbows' the standout moments. There’s no happy ending to be had, and if there’s a criticism of the show itself rather than this production, it may be that that it leaves us without much of a dramatic arc – Boy Doesn’t Meet Girl isn’t much of a story. Which leaves the songs themselves, which, brilliant as they are individually, can begin to feel dramatically similar as the storyline doesn’t progress. But brilliant the songs unquestionably are, and both singers have strong and pleasing voices and move with the smoothness of stagecraft and applied rehearsal throughout as they lament their lonely, lonely night, their past lost loves and their future hopes and dreams. It’s a new venture at the Prince of Wales, and if it’s going to offer quality drama and musicals like this in the heart of the West End, then all strings to its bow. Photos: Peter Davies MARRY ME A LITTLE Stage Door Theatre, Prince of Wales, Drury Lane 28 Feb - 13 April 2024 Box Office: https://www.citizenticket.com/events/stage-door-theatre/marry-me-a-little/ Songs by Stephen Sondheim Show conceived by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene Directed by Robert McWhir Starring Shelley Rivers and Markus Sodergren Produced by Lambco Reviewer: David Weir’s plays include Confessional (Oran Mor, Glasgow), Better Together (Jack Studio, London). Those and others performed across Scotland, Wales and England, and in Australia, Canada, South Korea, Switzerland and Belgium. Awards include Write Now Festival prize, Constance Cox award, SCDA best depiction of Scottish life, and twice Bruntwood longlisted.
by Nilgin Yusuf 06 Mar, 2024
“a fearless new talent and fresh perspective, Bunny Man is loaded and ready to fire.” ★★★ Anyone under the impression that ‘pegging’ is something to do with hanging out washing needs to get themselves to Barons Court Theatre for some eye-opening education. Pegging, the sexual practice of non-penis bearers wearing strap on dildos to anally penetrate men, is not new. First referenced by the Marquis de Sade in 1795, it has ancient roots. If all sexual acts are political, 'pegging' historically represents a reversal and subversion; in hetero-normative, cis-speak, female to male power. When transposed into the experience of an AMAB (assigned female at birth) trans gay man, it takes on a whole new significance. The penis, one that becomes erect and can ejaculate, is the organ on which this entire play of 60 minutes, pivots. Writer and performer Christopher Lieberman, “a girl until eight years ago” presents his first one man performance with authenticity and humour. It was Freud who first identified the idea of Penis Envy as a theory of female psychosexual development. But penis envy doesn’t capture what Lieberman conveys here as a trans gay man, which is a profound ache for the absent organ. This desire to be wholly male with all the functioning equipment, is the holy grail. Phalloplasty is a long way off but that doesn’t stop Lieberman constantly checking inside his pants to see if anything has appeared. His “bonus hole” meanwhile, insensitively described by a queer male hook up - makes him feel less whole - and perhaps less of a gay man. Having established what the protagonist wants (a working penis) , audiences are taken on a fascinating voyage through gay dating and sexual encounters, based on observations and experience, combined with all the additional complexities of gender reassignment including hormone replacement therapy. With phalloplasty a distant solution, magical thinking steps in to complete the narrative. A "surprisingly butch" camping trip turns spooky and some supernatural elements and mythological horror slash urban myths are thrown into the mix. When Chris journeys into the woods, this also works on a metaphorical level as he makes the uncharted journey from one gender to another. Here he faces down demons, delivers retribution and finds some kind of resolution. Some of this is a little clunky and self-conscious and if this is a play of two halves, it’s the raw and authentic realism that lingers in the mind in this edgy and relevant show. Lieberman’s warm, charismatic delivery and engaging work disarms audiences and invites empathy and understanding regardless of gender or sexual orientation. A raw talent and vital new voice at the cutting edge of LGBTQ+ theatre, it’s remarkable to think, Lieberman only left secondary school in 2021. Bringing a fresh perspective to audiences, he speaks openly and fearlessly to a specific experience and is a talent to watch. Bunny Man is loaded up and ready to fire for another three nights. Box Office https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/bunnyman Reviewed by Nilgin Yusuf
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