Reviews

‘Tony’s sadness is a bittersweet reminder that sometimes things don’t work out the way we want.’ ★★★★ ½ Tony Riley, guitar in hand, plays the opening chords of Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond and tells us about the lives and deaths of Syd Barrett and poet Arthur Rimbaud. And just like all the other times I’ve heard those opening chords, I knew right away that I was in the right place. Two Foolish Productions’ one-man show Crazy Diamond, part of Camden Fringe, is, above all, a love letter. To Syd Barrett, to Pink Floyd, to Arthur Rimbaud and to life itself. Tony is 63. He’s a musician. Not a very successful one but a musician nonetheless. He did it for the art. And all he wanted in return was to be loved and admired, like his idols Syd Barrett and Arthur Rimbaud. He plays Pink Floyd tunes and recites Rimbaud’s poetry as he walks us through the life and career of these two geniuses, whose words, vision and influence have stayed with him all his life. And much like the ghosts of Syd Barrett and Arthur Rimbaud, the ghost of his friend Colly still haunts him… As he wrestles with his own thoughts, he mourns the fact that life didn’t turn out the way he wanted. He didn’t become a successful musician, he didn’t influence a whole generation with his words. He just… played. Some listened. And he tried his best. Chris Brannick’s performance is outstanding. Armed with his guitar, he delivers his soliloquy with grace, passion and sorrow. Tony’s sadness is a bittersweet reminder that sometimes things don’t work out the way we want. We feel for him because we are him. We have all been Tony. We all want to be loved and admired and be the voice of a generation. And we can be. Syd Barrett’s short-lived career and Arthur Rimbaud’s short life remind us of how impactful we can all be, regardless of how much time we have. Written and performed by Chris Brannick Barons Court Theatre, 27 th – 30 th August 2026 https://camdenfringe.com/events/crazy-diamond/ Photography: Peter Williams

“Nevermind Company is one to watch” ★★★★ The musical Pericles (kind of) follows the misadventures of a boorish king (played with panache by Michael Cowan ) and the fallout of his behaviour on three women who deserve better. The story features pirate attacks, long-lost daughters, and more sea voyages than I care to mention. It is a bold undertaking for a small fringe space. The key plot points are communicated effectively in the lyrics, so you don’t need to bring any foreknowledge. It would have been nice to see director Rafael Solimeno-Harris rise to the challenge of staging one or two of the dramatic moments more visually, particularly a jousting tournament which is skimmed over in a few lines. But no doubt his attention was focused on marshalling all the other elements which make a fully fledged, sung-though musical, with a couple of swordfights thrown in. The music is jointly composed by Solimeno-Harris, cast member Hollie Hurrell, and musical director James Hancock-Evans, who accompanies the performers on the piano. The lyrics are never poetic and often crude, in both senses of the word. Swear words or innuendos frequently stand in for punchlines, and the tone is generally pretty frothy. As a result, the ‘feminist take’ is much more akin to a girl power takeover than a nuanced reframing, even when touching on serious themes. Still, there are some funny moments and catchy tunes. Nevermind Company purports to explore the power of ensemble working, and Pericles (kind of) showcases that very successfully. The six-strong cast bounce off one-another for laughs, move smoothly through imaginative choreography, and multiroll across a wide range of characters. Even so, there are plenty of opportunities for individuals to shine: Hurrell is funny and committed in each of her many roles, including as an inexplicably canine pirate; Zara Stokes-Neustadt pulls off a winning tribute to Julie Andrews in the unlikely setting of a brothel; and when Anna McAuley starts singing, you wish she would never stop. Miranda Cattermole has designed a simple, dynamic set and semi-historical costumes in a neutral palette. The effect, evocative of Greco-Roman statues, is highly professional. It is complimented by colourful lighting design from Kalila Suckley who makes much of what the Old Red Lion has to offer. All in, Pericles (kind of) is good fun, and an impressive achievement from fledgling theatremakers. Nevermind Company is one to watch. - Pericles (sort of) is at The Old Red Lion 24 - 27 August 2026, part of Camden Fringe and SHAKEFEST, then transferring to The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol, on 29 August 2026. Tickets: https://camdenfringe.com/events/pericles-kind-of/ Presented by: Nevermind Company Book, Music & Lyrics: Hollie Hurrell, James Hancock-Evans, Rafael Solimeno-Harris Director: Rafael Solimeno-Harris Musical Director: James Hancock-Evans Producer: Hollie Hurrell Set & Costume Designer: Miranda Cattermole Stage / Production Manager: Lydia Tricks Lighting Designer: Kalila Suckley Cast: Michael Cowan, Cari Griffiths, James Hancock-Evans, Hollie Hurrell, Anna McAuley, D’Angelo Poskitt and Zara Stokes-Neustadt. Photography: Fiona Winning Instagram pericles_a_new_musical TikTok: @pericles.kind.of

“Delivers on atmosphere in spades” ★★★ Meet Marcey, a country superstar who was arrested for manslaughter during her heyday. Twenty years later, she is fresh out of prison and recording a new album with young producer Colleen. Over the course of a single night in the studio, Marcey works through a handful of songs and unpacks aspects of her past. It is a strong premise, and the play delivers on atmosphere in spades. Lee Papa’s writing is intensely evocative of the milieu and Agathe Williamson’s set design is detailed and textured. These elements, combined with a masterstroke of a stage configuration at The Glitch, make the play an enjoyably immersive experience. Papa has crafted a very tightly controlled reveal of information, with tidbits about Marcey's life sprinkled across the 75-minute running time and culminating in a satisfying twist. The downside of this is that the audience and characters can only grapple with the full impact of the drama in the final moments. The two performances are both natural and sympathetic. In Biz Lyon's capable hands, the titular Marcey is gentle and reflective. The anecdotes from her life become windows into her soul, and her singing voice is full of authenticity and emotion. Meanwhile, as Colleen, Catherine Mieses listens. Sometimes she offers feedback or direction on the music. Occasionally there is a witty riposte or a personal question. But there is also a lot of listening. When there is eventually some conflict between the two characters, Mieses reveals a simmering underbelly of emotion. The subtlety of her performance suits the intimacy of the small space beautifully, but her character deserves more from the script than the brief flare of feeling and expression she is granted at the end. The music includes a traditional folk song and a nicely judged cover of Kris Kristofferson’s Why Me. There are also three original songs written variously by Kevin Buchmeier , Jeremy Watson , and Lyon. All of them are acoustic, mostly played live by Lyon on the piano. They strike a mild and melancholy note which made me long for a drum beat, electric guitar, or fiddle, all of which feature tantalisingly in the snatches of music between scenes. Janhavi Shivalkar’s compelling sound design is a welcome break from the heavy atmosphere elsewhere. Midnight in Nashville is undoubtedly accomplished and filled with successful elements, but it wilts under the weight of its own poignancy and promises much more drama than it delivers.  Midnight in Nashville is at The Glitch 26 August - 7 September 2026. Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/2149705 Cast: Biz Lyon as Marcy Catherine Mieses as Colleen Creative Team: Writer - Lee Papa Director - Alex Stroming Lighting and Sound Designer - Janhavi Shivalkar Set Design - Agathe Williamson Marketing Consultant - Holly Adomah Facebook: Midnight in Nashville Instagram: midnightinnashvilleplay

“A powerful and confrontational reclaiming of female narrative.” ★★★ Before ECHOES has even begun, writer-performer Lieve de Putter has scattered its central idea across the auditorium. On each audience seat is a scrap of paper bearing a tiny fragment of poetry. We later discover that these are words attributed to Sappho - remnants of the work of one of antiquity’s most celebrated poets, much of whose writing has been lost. De Putter opens with a voiceover offering two versions of the same narrative. A male voice describes a woman through a sexualised lens, lingering on her “seductive” lips and “soft bosom”; beneath it, a female perspective concentrates instead on her nervousness. The action has not changed. The woman has not changed. Only the person describing her has. That distinction - between event and interpretation, subject and storyteller - sits at the heart of ECHOES. Moving between women from classical mythology and the life of a modern woman, De Putter examines stories in which female characters have repeatedly been defined by the men interpreting them. Echo, Philomela, Cassandra, Arachne and Helen are variously silenced, disbelieved, punished for speaking or denied control of their own narratives. History may be written by the victors, but ECHOES argues that our cultural stories have also overwhelmingly reached us through a male lens, making this a powerful and occasionally confrontational reclaiming of female narrative. Some of the most fascinating material concerns language itself. De Putter digs into the etymology and translation of particular words, questioning assumptions made by generations of male scholars and demonstrating how linguistic choices can fundamentally alter our understanding of a woman’s actions, desires or culpability. Her discussion of the comparatively recent arrival of women translating and interpreting classical texts is particularly compelling. It is fascinating - and more than a little infuriating - to discover how profoundly a single translation choice can alter our perception of a character: Helen’s self-description, for example, has been rendered by male translators as “whore”, where the original Greek invokes the image of a “dog-face”. There is a great deal of material here, perhaps too much for the running time. Some stories are given considerably more room to develop than others. Echo is cleverly reimagined through a modern job interview with a narcissistic boss, who responds enthusiastically as she begins repeating his own words back to him. It is witty, accessible and allows the ancient myth to emerge naturally through a recognisable contemporary situation. Elsewhere, the connections are more dependent on prior knowledge. Cassandra walks through the ruins of Troy declaring that she warned them, but nobody listened - an affecting image if you already know her story, but one given little context for those who do not. ECHOES admirably refuses to spoon-feed its audience, yet several scenarios pass so quickly that they feel more like fragments than fully developed stories. Rather than building towards one clear dramatic journey, the piece can feel like a succession of fascinating ideas placed alongside one another. An expanded version would give both the individual myths and the contemporary character journey more room to breathe. Visually, the production is deliberately sparse but thematically rich. Women’s clothes lie strewn across the floor, becoming both markers for the different characters De Putter inhabits and a recurring image of female storytelling. Textiles run through the piece as a means by which silenced women can make themselves heard: Philomela, her tongue severed, communicates what has happened to her through cloth, represented here by a white scarf bearing her story, while Arachne weaves stories into fabric and is punished for what she depicts. De Putter’s wider point is that women did tell their stories - they simply told them in the forms available to them. Cloth deteriorates. Those stories were not preserved. The scattered garments therefore become fragments of women’s narratives, left behind and gradually lost. De Putter gives a committed and engaging performance, moving between ancient women and contemporary experience with clarity. The everyday negotiations and diminutions faced by a modern woman - in the office and in interactions with her father - sit alongside their mythological counterparts, creating the uncomfortable recognition that, despite the centuries separating them, some things have changed remarkably little. ECHOES is at its best when it makes us reconsider something we thought we already understood: a familiar myth, a translated word, a description of a woman’s behaviour. It asks not simply whose stories survive, but who has been allowed to tell them. Challenging, intelligent and compelling, ECHOES is clearly the product of considerable thought, research and imagination. Its central ideas are fascinating, its visual language carefully conceived, and its reclamation of female voices feels both urgent and worthwhile. Where the piece falls short is in execution: too many of its stories are compressed into too little space, and without a strong enough narrative throughline, its individual moments do not always cohere into a fully satisfying whole. There is an even richer and potentially very powerful piece of theatre within this material, and one well worth developing further.  Box Office: https://www.etceteratheatrecamden.com/events/echoes

‘Emotionally intelligent’ ★★★★ This could not be a more timely play. This dystopian drama, set in an industrial lock up in the early 2000s, is a world on fire, with scarcity of water and food. Who of us did not feel grateful for the rain after 50 consecutive days of sunshine? Wonderful though it is, the pollinators have been struggling during the draught. Not to mention the wildfires all over the world and other consequences of global warming. It’s a very clever play. Mary drowned in some distant past. Now everything is on fire. A very meaningful contrast. Yet the play isn’t primarily about mankind failing to look after the natural world, instead it is a story about what it is to be human. Mainly within the connections between Ashton and Reece, some of the most powerful and welcome emotions emerge; compassion, loyalty, feeling safe, and feeling loved. The pair act out scenes from their past inspired by the theme of ‘hope’. Into their world, comes Presley, looking for Mary and bringing new dynamics to the story. It becomes clear that the writing is so good that it is a gift, and the company have matched their talents to his. The director Rex Ryan has given the play plenty of room to breathe, so important to engage audiences rather than skimming over any of the passages. All are important to the whole. The scene showing the power of music is particularly poignant. Ross Gaynor as Ashton, gives him an emotional intelligence as well as a verbal one whilst Ian Toner as Reece, has a habit of open mouthed vacancy showing his interior thought processes at work and his shocked reactions. Both are believable as men barely holding it together and becoming reliant on each other to stay sane. Fionn Ó Loingsigh as Presley is suitably intimidating, not to be trusted, clearly a survivor and we all know what that entails. Stephens has used some of the familiar tropes but avoided being a facsimile, he is saying something new. He concentrates on human connection, support, honesty and hope. Here in the UK, we have had seven Prime Ministers in the last ten years, we’ve had the sound bites and the promise that they will make their mark, but they all fail to do so. The job is overwhelming, that’s clear. The future that Stephens imagines in his play feels imminent, isn’t it time that our world leaders took this more seriously? What’s the plan guys? Ah, that’s right, more wars, more divisions, more saleable goods. And if (or when) it all comes to fruition, according to Stephens, we will still have hope and shards of humanity, and some of us might survive. Jermyn Street Theatre and Glass Mask Theatre present A SLOW FIRE By Simon Stephens at Jermyn Street Theatre 20 August - 26 September 2026 BOX OFFICE https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/ Cast: Ross Gaynor (Ashton), Fionn Ó Loingsigh (Presley), Ian Toner (Reece) Director: Rex Ryan Set Designer: Andrew Clancy Costume Designer: Migle Ryan Lighting Designer: Jess Fitzsimons Kane Stage Manager: Summer Keeling Photography: Alex Brenner

‘At its heights, it’s a new kind of in-yer-face theatre’ ★★★ Unflinching and hard-hitting, Quickening is the tale of three connected abortions over thirty years apart. By Flaming Creature Theatre Company, a new independent band of creatives, the debate around abortion is framed with fictional narratives, historical records and real-life transcripts. This six-member cast weave together a defiant, feminist and radical story of how women can be sidelined in gynaecology departments. At its heights, it’s a new kind of in-yer-face theatre. Running for an hour, the show investigates the recent medical and cultural history of abortions. The term ‘Quickening’ arose over time to describe when a pregnant woman first feels their baby move inside them. But this show investigates the dangerous implications of this word and how, for some mothers, the “coming into being” of a baby can signal the end of their future. Stand out performances come from Betty Blythe and Lola Gordine as two young women who become friends whilst having abortions in 1972. Blythe transitions magically from a pregnant teenager into a mother, revisiting the same pressures she faced onto her own daughter who has recently tested positive. Gordine, portraying a woman who is both incredibly avoidant and angry, has a wicked ability to create comedy where many would find none. The script’s dialogue can be just as unforgiving, powerful and tenderly poetic in its humour or anger. Yet, in moments, you can feel the devising sessions that should have stayed in rehearsal poking through the final product. Projections of statistics, facts and statements that appear across the back wall don’t stay long another to make an impact upon the action in front of them. Occasionally, scenes feel rushed, especially between writer-actor Madeleine Whitmore (the newly pregnant Darla) and Gaby Albertelli (playing Sam). Ambitiously, Quickening tells a story that many would shy away from putting on altogether. But for me, I would like it to be bolder, more rebellious and disobedient to accepted cultural norms. Show me in blistering detail the events in the history of abortions that many have tried again and again to sweep under the carpet. All being said, I hope this is just the beginning for this new theatre group. Quickening by Madeleine Whitmore at The Lion and Unicorn 25 – 29 August 2026 Part of Camden Fringe BOX OFFICE https://camdenfringe.com/events/quickening/ Cast: Lina - Betty Blythe Josey - Lola Gordine Darla - Madeleine Whitmore Sam - Gaby Albertelli Golder - Mary Alcott Welton - Horatio Holloway Crew: Writer - Madeleine Whitmore Director - Sophia Orr Sound designer - Dilan Kumar Associate Director - Arianna Muñoz Costume designer - Helen Lyster

‘Creditable effort’ ★★★ The plot of Mozart’s 1791 masterpiece is so impenetrable that I’ve long thought it’s best simply to sit back and enjoy the music. So I was amused to see that in director, Marcio da Silva’s programme note he admits that he and his company have more or less decided simply to enjoy the fun of this pantomimic, fairy story fused together with freemasonry rather than worrying too much about what it all means. Part of the annual Grimeborn Festival, this version of The Magic Flute is as accessible as it could be. Unusually for Mozart it comes with large chunks of German spoken dialogue. Here it is delivered in English complete with jokes about Camden and pizza. Most (but not all) of the sung work is in German and the mixture works surprisingly well. The basic story presents a young woman, Pamina, (Helen May alternating with Anna-Luise Wagner) who is held by a group of priests and who may or may not need “rescuing.” Various people then get involved in retrieving her. May (soprano) is terrific as Pamina. She has a fine voice and her acting is warmly convincing. And in the intimacy of Arcola Studio 1 it needs to be because the action is very close to the audience. John Twitchen, tenor, excels as Tamino, who eventually hooks up with Pamina and Vedat Dalgiran has exactly the gravelly basso profundo voice required for Sarastro, the chief priest. Even his grandiloquent speaking voice is as sonorous as a massive old bell. The star of the show, however, is Flavio Lauria as Papageno (bass) the bird man, He leaps about, his elastically expressive face always telling a story and – it’s a huge part – he sings impeccably. And fancy being able to whistle the flute glissandi so incisively in tune! He really is a joy to watch in action. On the other hand this production comes with flaws. Studio I is configured the opposite way round from how I’ve seen it in the past. This means that the orchestra (string quartet with double bass, clarinet, oboe and percussion) is tucked into one corner where most of the cast can’t see da Silver most of the time – and it shows. There were missed entries and occasional tempo discrepancies. And, although these players did a generally good job the sound was ragged at the start, possibly because da Silva took the overture too fast. I was expecting to see a “chamber” production. In fact there are seventeen people in the cast plus six children who puppet and sing (quite well) the Three Boys. That is too many to get on an off smoothly in the Studio I’s small space. You really need only four people to sing the male chorus, for example and some roles can easily be doubled with the Three Ladies. And amongst the ensemble not all the singling was up to scratch. It is indicative of a problem when your percussionist is obliged to sing with the male chorus. Some of the acting is wooden and at one point they hold folders and appear not to be “off book”. A little more rehearsal might have helped. Nonetheless it is an enjoyable evening. Mozart’s glorious music (full marks to Juliet Petrus for her two dramatic Queen of the Night numbers) always carries the day whatever you do to it. It’s a witty production and I admire the ethos of Ensemble OrQuesta which works very hard to provide opportunities for performers and to open opera to everyone. The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ensemble OrQuesta Arcola Theatre, Dalston 25 – 29 August BOX OFFICE https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/the-magic-flute/ This show is part of Grimeborn Festival at Arcola Theatre Full programme https://www.arcolatheatre.com/festival/grimeborn-2026/

‘A welcome addition to the fringe comedy cannon, original alternative material with a dead pan delivery.’ ★★★★ This solo comedy sketch show created by actor and comedian Mary Redmond, offers highly original material. Mary Redmon uses mime and cinematic voice over to very clever comic effect, introducing the audience to several characters. These range from Hermione who takes herself very seriously, to a sock puppet who possesses Redmond and a film director who is obsessed with the desire to shoot a scene focusing on the right knee. The sketches come so fast that there is barely time to laugh, as there is so much story to absorb, that takes some concentration, but the rewards are great. One of my personal favourite sketches is the Teddy Bear. Redmond delivers an epic, from first love (the Teddy), to children, to mid-life crisis to old age and death. Utterly convincing, endearing and hilarious. And how about the pub. Redmond becomes a bar maid, pulling pints and dealing with unpleasant customers. It’s a recurring sketch throughout the show. She announces ‘pub’ and we know exactly where we are. So, when an astronaut reaches space with his massive helmet (so well drawn by Redmond that we can actually see it), and she announces, ‘pub’ and pulls a pint, obviously the best in the world. Sadly, it just bounces off his helmet, and no one is more surprised than him to find himself in space and unable to quench his thirst. Redmond’s material has been worked on over many years, with some new gems added for this very short run at the perfect venue for this kind of show, with its café style set up. Hopefully, she has many more characters and stories to bring to the fringe. It clearly is a lot of work to finesse these complicated offerings. With real clarity of storytelling comes the need to have voice overs with exact timings. These are worked to perfection with Redmond playing all the roles and working alongside herself. It’s a multiplicity of characters, all played by one person. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mazpantzcomedy/

‘good, fresh and original comedy ’ ★★★★ A foray into stand-up at the Camden Fringe rather than our usual drama, and a reminder of how good fresh, original, well-devised comedy can be. Renée Rossi gives an hour of sketches and gags based broadly around the theme of organised religion, specifically Christianity, and perhaps more specifically Catholicism. And, while like all sketch shows some bombs hit harder than other and some simply bomb, the energy of Rossi’s performance and coherence of her premise deliver far more hits than misses. Among other excellent skits, we get a glimpse of how the world might have been if the Serpent had had Adam rather than Eve taste the forbidden fruit (over-confident, self-regarding, bit creepy), how an actor who wants to be Mary in the nativity play can all the same do something unexpected with the role of ‘sheep’, and how all the other mothers have decent, smiling photos of their kids they can show around but Mary Mother of God can’t catch a break on that one. The show risks polemic without much humour in the sections on Mother Teresa’s absence of goodness, though the anger driving that justifies its inclusion. Around it all, there’s also a neat framing device where Renée applies to an unseen panel to be a Saint, even though she’s not good, or even Catholic, or has any of the required two miracles to her credit – no spoiler alerts on how she resolves that one. It’s a very fluent performance with a script that’s been worked on and honed and some excellent punchlines (a water into wine one’s beautifully set up), although the sketches sometimes take a little long to reach them. And all this is interspersed with ‘religious’ music (My Sweet Lord, Sympathy for the Devil etc) and entirely unexpected props (holy macaroni!). Only two nights, so already over, at least at this venue, but this feels like a show with legs, and well worth catching when it travels. GOD BOMB by Renée Rossi at Hen and Chickens 22 & 23 August 2026 Produced by TheHatchery — the resident creative incubator at the Hen and Chickens Theatre. David Weir is the author of the Westminster Mysteries novels and his plays include Confessional (Oran Mor, Glasgow), Murdering the Truth (Greenwich Theatre) and Better Together (Jack Studio, Brockley, London).