“I wonder what Elin did that was so bad? She was turned back, the witch bloody died, that should have been the end of it.” ★★★ ½ Elin has been turned into an owl. In a typical fairy tale, the lifting of that curse would be the happy ever after – but this isn’t a typical tale, and the end of the curse is just the beginning. THE NOTION OF RECOMPENSE skilfully weaves a highly original concept, strong performances and clever use of space and sound to create an intriguing show which blends atmospheric folk horror with thought-provoking exploration of the expectations on women to conform and the dreadful consequences when they don’t. The show builds its world very well. It’s not clear if the setting reflects a real place or not - the Northern English accents used by the majority of the cast would have been the main accent of Salem at the time of that towns shocking events in the 1600s. But it doesn’t really matter; we’re drawn into the story’s own world, and the accents do a great job of letting us know who is in the family and who is not. The story is imaginative and it’s interesting to see a tale of witch hunts where the witch in the woods is real. The choreography and physical theatre is superb, especially from Emma Kirrage as her body and voice get used to being human again after years as a bird. Occasionally it tries to do too much. The acting is uniformly good, but it’s possible that the characters of Magda and Stranger, well drawn as they are, don’t need to be on stage for the story to move forwards. A scene in which the cast sings is spine-chillingly powerful, but it's not entirely clear how it links into the rest.  In one particularly visceral and superbly choreographed moment, a character is bludgeoned to death with an axe. A problem is that sometimes the audience is being bludgeoned over the head too, with all the ways that women, historically, have been targets of injustice. In the final stretch of the play, tragedy is heaped upon tragedy. The most sympathetic character, in her childlike innocence, is of course accused of witchcraft. Sexual violence. Toxic patriarchal families. A daughter born out of wedlock smothered. These were real injustices, and the shadow of them is far too long over 21st century life. The problem with being hit by it all in such a short time is that elements of the show become predictable into cliché, and the impact of the cruelties shown is blunted by them being bunched so close together. But the fundamental architecture of the play is sound, the talent behind it unmistakable, and you won’t forget this one soon. CREATIVE TEAM Directors: Eleanor Dunlop and Kat Munroe Writer: Sarah Pearcey MD, Composer, Sound Designer and Intimacy Director: Amy King Lighting Designer: Mimi Browne Fight Director: Luke Vinecombe CAST Elin: Emma Kirrage Magde: Dorothea Jones Gertie: Sapphire Stutchbury Father: Timothy Nixon Thomas: Kieran Hatchett Thaddea: Lauren Ramsden Lark: Niamh Euers Sorrel: Rachel Thomas Stranger: Alex Guersman Tickets at: https://weareoldred.co.uk/whats-on/grimfest/the-notion-of-recompense Reviewer Naomi Elster is an award-winning Irish author and playwright living in London. Her plays have been staged in London, Dublin and New York, and her fiction and nonfiction have been published worldwide, including in Crannóg, Meniscus, The Guardian and BBC. Her pieces have retold history from women’s point of view, shone a light on Invisible disability and explored contemporary themes such as online dating and the relationship between loneliness and misogyny. Insta @naomielster

 “Counterattack: Youth is a warm, funny portrayal of a group of friends driven by a talented cast.” ★★★ ½ “Your twenties are for borrowing, your thirties are for paying back”. Four Korean Millennial women gather in a bar to catch-up and off-load about the pressures of modern life. They laugh, they sing, they take selfies. The group were high school friends, and Yuna (Mireia Espulga) is about to get married, and it could almost be a typical hen night. But this is not a straight-forward reunion. The fun-filled rituals of modern friendship can’t disguise the pressures these young people face. Whether it’s the impossibility of the long hours faced by Sarah (Lia Lee) in her job, or the reality of Yuna being unable to get a position as a barista despite being highly qualified. Part of the Lambeth Fringe, the play is set in a bar and the production is played out in the Bread and Roses’ back room. The audience blend in with the foursome, who could just be another seemingly happy and boisterous group at the next table. Directed by Gain (Amy) Park (who also writes), the play never uses audience participation in an excruciating way. We are at the edge of the action and are sometimes asked to make a toast, but mostly remain focused on the loud table in the middle of the room. The play is mainly fun in the first half, but gradually darker themes become more prominent. Perhaps the mysterious Sarah is simply just exhausted and busy, desperate to get a foothold in a design career but stuck in a junior position despite her qualifications and intelligence. And perhaps Ella’s (Hazel Oh) confidence and jollity mask a relatively simple desire to settle down, which has turned out to not be so straightforward after all. But it is the exuberant Hannah (Siyun Leem) that provides the emotional core of the play, delivering the evening’s most sombre moment. What is the cost of getting married young and giving your best years away to someone else, only to separate? Counterattack: Youth is a warm, funny portrayal of a group of friends driven by a talented cast. It is not afraid to go into greater depth and get darker at times, and it’s a shame we don’t get to learn even more about the characters. An engaging, watchable part of the Lambeth fringe. COUNTERATTACK: YOUTH written and directed by Gain (Amy) Park at Bread and Roses Theatre 14 and 15 October 2026 Produced by Euna Ko, Annie Kyung, and Jaemin Yu Box Office https://lambethfringe.com/events/counterattack--youth CAST Hannah – Siyun Leem Ella – Hazel Oh Yuna – Mireia Espulga Sarah – Lia Lee Photo credit: Yusuf Bhaimia Reviewer ANDY CURTIS is a playwright who regularly has plays performed in London fringe theatre. He graduated from three cohorts of the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writers Programme.

 'Radical. Raucous. Relevant.' ★★★★ When was the last time you were hungry? Not hungry for love or attention, but hungry for food. And not just peckish but proper hungry, with no food in the cupboards and nothing to eat? According to Ugly Bucket, a physical theater and clowning company, and Winner of The Stage Fringe Five at the Edinburgh Festival, 2024, 11 million people in the UK cannot be sure where their next meal will come from, hence the exponential rise in food banks over the last two decades. The fact that the UK, one of the richest countries in the world, has a significant chunk of its population subsisting on food banks—including many workers and young professionals—and that hunger is no longer a subject for international appeals but one of national shame, might not seem an easy fit for a quintet of Liverpool-based clowns. But it has inspired STUFFED, a one hour show, billed as a ‘blazing inferno’ of physicality, electronica and personal testimonies. STUFFED may tackle poverty and hunger but it does so through the universal language of laughter, satire and absurdity. It bridges the UK's hunger epidemic with the irresistible allure of silly faces, choreographed movement and bizarre scenarios all rooted in the truth of real experience. Complete with a dramatic soundtrack, created live on stage, this is primarily a piece of rip-roaring theatre: loud, funny and well-crafted; not preachy but passionate, not sanctimonious but savage. Led by Rachael Smart and Grace Gallagher, also one of the five piece ensemble, the basis of the piece is testimonies from food bank volunteers. The company worked with thirteen community partners and extracted passages of spoken material lip synched by the performers. Think Nick Park’s Creature Comforts. Words such as “working in a food bank is like putting out fires” provide the creative stimulus for the whacky, physical interpretations that span fire-fighting or scrapping over crumbs. A female contestant on Budget Better, a dystopian quiz show, takes out a payday loan to take her kids to a theme park. Her zero hours contracts mean she must constantly choose. Should she fix her boiler or get her teeth fixed? Should she heat or eat? Hunger, described by one volunteer, as a ‘type of evisceration’ becomes a visual metaphor while dumb politicians make the right noises but provide no solutions. In many ways, it says more than any manifesto and in its own unique way, is as effective a creative output as a Ken Loach docu-drama. Ugly Bucket aren’t just compassionate but incensed. Food banks haven’t just appeared by chance but are the direct result of political decision-making and this show is a call to action. It’s not just about transmitting the message through the stealth of laughter, but also encouraging us to help our hungry neighbours. This three course theatrical experience starts with a community meal included in the ticket price and finishes with a panel discussion. A leaflet distributed post show explains the many ways we can get involved. Both radical and relevant, STUFFED both entertains and provides plenty of food for thought. BOX OFFICE Creative Team Director & Community Producer - Grace Gallagher Director & Stage Manager - Rachael Smart Community Producer - Angelina Moana Set & Costume Design - Sascha Gilmour Music & Sound Design - Duncan Gallagher Lighting Designer - Charly Dunford Production Assistant & Relighter (New Diorama Run) - Stuart Comley Sign Supported English Director - Rhiannon May Caption Operator (New Diorama Run) - Nina Schlautmann Ensemble Jessica Huckerby Grace Gallagher Angelina Moana Adam Nicholls Caníce Ward Photography: Regina Agard-Brathwaite

'a valuable introduction to the scope and brilliance of Orwell’s writing' ★★★★ Lights come up on an artfully cluttered stage, plausibly dated ‘40s kitchen chairs, a beaten up table with a typewriter, a hospital bed with a patient sucking oxygen through a mask. This is the introduction to Mark Stratford’s one man show, that leads us through key texts from the lifetime work of George Orwell. Defaulting to pyjamas and a dressing gown, Stratford animates the writing, shares an amused self-deprecating intimacy with the audience, uses the stage subtly – there’s no extravagance on show, there’s a profoundly polite, very reserved demonstration of extraordinary courage and commitment. The writer sought out extreme squalor and mortal danger because he wanted to report to the world about those things, because the world refused to notice them. The actor makes the writing dynamic and forceful, but above all he makes it true. It’s a delicate, nuanced performance that defers to the importance of the writing and makes it accessible. Guy Smith has adapted the key texts with care and precision, so the necessarily brief visits to The Road to Wigan Pier and Homage to Catalonia catch the essence of the socially committed writing, and the dramatisation of Animal Farm and 1984 are extremely well-wrought. The production also benefits from a well-chosen soundscape, and subtle but beautifully managed lighting effects. The tech is never flashy or intrusive, but serves to point up key moments, like Orwell’s near-fatal injury during the Spanish Civil War. This is a valuable introduction to the scope and brilliance of Orwell’s writing, a handy guide to his biography, and a thoroughly immersive experience in the theatre. It is an extremely worthwhile piece of theatre – well written, well designed, and subtly and beautifully acted. ORWELL: The Road to 1984, by Guy Smith and presented by Stratford Productions, at the Jack Studio Theatre 6 – 10 October 2026 and on tour Directed by Guy Smith Sound Design by Chloe Park Lighting and Sound Technician: James Connor Presented by Stratford Productions Cast: Mark Stratford Photo credit: Cat Cross Photography.

‘Serious theatre, well researched, beautifully performed and choreographed. ’ ★★★★ It could be argued that a play about the persecution of Jews is topical right now, but, then, and depressingly, when has a play about the persecution of Jews ever not been topical? Hannah Arendt was a German philosopher, most famous now for coining the phrase ‘the banality of evil’ to describe Adolf Eichmann, an architect of Hitler’s ‘final solution’. She was, of course, Jewish, too. She was also, Julia Pascal’s piece tells us, one of many women held at the Gurs internment camp in Vichy France in 1940, later escaping to the USA where she became established as a pre-eminent writer and thinker on, among much else, totalitarianism. Pascal’s well-researched performance piece finds three young Jewish women taken from their comfortable, cultured lives in Paris to the internment camp in ‘free’ France, where, with nearly 60 more in their hut and hundreds more in their camp, they will starve, live among rats and lice, defecate in the open and in public and much more. Pascal has the insight to see that it is not only their previous luxury that they miss – for one, Eva Daube (Ariella Barnett), for example, the remembrance of a sliver of unsalted butter on fresh bread is the once quotidian commonplace that has become an unattainable indulgence. Hannah (Mai Weisz), older, sterner, educated, and sexually experienced enough to have had an affair with her now dubiously Nazi professor, is a strong figure in this camp. Eva, barely out of school, remains idealistic, a communist as well as a Jew, a fighter. Charlotte (Anna Eckhard), an artist, struggles more to survive this appalling, apparently endless new world in which they are imprisoned and degraded for nothing more than who they are. Dramatists are continually injuncted to find light in darkness, a task perhaps harder in the context of Europe 1940 than in most circumstances, and a task perhaps impossible in the context of Europe’s Jews. Pascal has chosen a fractured structure to provide 20-odd snapshot scenes of the horror, with each scene number announced and location/situation told to the audience. This choice of Brechtian distantiation, telling the audience what they are about to see, prompting them to consider the what and why of the events being portrayed as well as the performances and other theatrical contrivances, adds to the seriousness of what is in many ways as much a presentation as a traditionally dramatic performance. This is not to say there is no joy to be found – the whirling dance and song with which the principal trio (Hannah, Eva and Charlotte) open the performance before they are placed on a bus to the south of France, for example, and several moving songs from the imprisoned women. It does mean that scenes are largely descriptive – we hear what characters say to survive from moment to moment, see what happens to them, but gain little of their interior lives, including that of the title character. Pascal trusts her audience to come armed with pre-knowledge of who Hannah was and why she matters, and for that matter, of who, for example, Heidegger or Eichmann were, or the distinction between Vichy France and Nazi Europe. The detail of the performance lies, therefore, in the experience of these three women, and of representatives of millions more. One such is Agathe (Helen Goldwyn), an older doctor and voice of sense and calm authority, whom the pervasive dysentery or another sickness will claim before liberation or escape. Another actor, Anja Fahlenkamp (also responsible for excellent musical composition and arrangement) is listed as ‘Ensemble’ and, on being asked on arrival at the camp for her name, lists, and represents, many; not all stories can be told.  The performance comes closest to standard drama in a series of scenes involving a fifth named woman, Trude (Pat Dynowska), a thief and a former prostitute, whose ‘trial’ when she is caught stealing some bread from a fellow inmate is the most personally emotionally charged sequence. There is, regrettably, one small mis-step in the finale when Hannah, reunited in America after the war with Eva, recalls that they were three and asks what happened to Charlotte. ‘Gassed’, Eva replies, and we are sickened by the knowledge. But we hear nothing more of the fate of poor, lower-class, uncultured and uneducated Trude. This is serious theatre, well researched, beautifully performed and choreographed, re-telling an aspect of a story that has been told many times in many ways since the 1940s. It strikes, perhaps as a result of its alienating theatrical structure, more at the intellect than the emotions. Yet that is, imaginably, no bad thing when the world around us repeatedly suggests that the tale can never be told so frequently or so well that its lessons will be universally learned and acted upon. Arcola Theatre and Pascal Theatre present: THE BANALITY OF EVIL: HANNAH ARENDT, FRANCE, 1940 by Julia Pascal at the Arcola Theatre 8 October to 7 November 2026 Box Office: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/the-banality-of-evil/ Cast Ariella Barnett | Eva Pat Dynowska | Trude Anna Eckhard | Charlotte Anja Fahlenkamp | Ensemble Helen Goldwyn | Agathe Mai Weisz | Hannah Creative Team Julia Pascal | Writer and Director Carmen Neat | Set Designer and Costume Assistant Tony Simpson | Lighting Designer Anja Fahlenkamp | Musical Composition and Arrangement Andrius Maksimavicius | Assistant Director Naomi Shanson | Stage Manager (on book) Poppy Stewart | Stage Managent placement/Assistant Stage Manager Photography by Alex Brenner David Weir writes The Westminster Mysteries novel series, including The Honourable Member for Murder and Motion for Murder. Plays include Confessional (Oran Mor, Glasgow), Murdering the Truth (Greenwich Theatre, London) and Better Together (Jack Studio, Brockley, London).

"I can't fault the ambition and the concept, both of which work as ideas in principle." The Dirty Thirty is a cross between experimental theatre, an improv sketch show (though call it that at your peril), and a weekend drama club. The premise is compelling though – the company will attempt to perform 30 original plays in 60 minutes. It's sort of Sh*tfaced Shakespeare meets other condensed parody formats. The problem is that they're not plays – they're sketches at most, but mostly random scenes, performance art, or just seeds of ideas. In theory, the audience shouts out any number between 1-30 and the ensemble will perform it. They'll do this by turning theatre inside out in a promisingly absurdist and abstract way, revealing the inner workings of the show from the script to the thoughts of the actors as they run about preparing for each piece. In this way, the show is very consciously Neo-Futurist (the 80s movement of non-illusory, lo-fi messiness), maybe overly so. The concept is intriguing, but it's constantly working against itself: the plays don't really work in any order, the scene changes are too OTT, and the plays aren't plays. One of the sketches – which seems to condescend the audience by explaining that this is what most people imagine by "thirty plays" – actually IS a play, featuring a warring couple at a dinner table. It’s ironically one of the best moments – though I suppose it's supposed to highlight how boring and traditional it is. It generally works as a piece of flash fiction, with a nice funny punchline. However, I can't tell whether the moment is supposed to be self-deprecating towards the company, for not making more of these, or chastising towards the audience, for thinking this is what the show should be. There's also a fun and relatable skit about a breakdown at a self-checkout, told quite creatively using the robotic phrases we all know so well from totting up our purchases. But these moments are vanishingly rare, often damaged by the distracting chaos either side of them. Most of the pieces come across more like a very long in-joke: how it feels to take a play to the Edinburgh Fringe, how it feels to audition... Unless you're catering to friends and family, your general audience isn't going to care or relate. The company also wants to assure us in one of the pieces that this show isn't improv. Though I liked the meta-skit of showing the audience the script in real time as they did this, it doesn't land for me. It isn't written or performed well enough to be convincing and comes across like further lecturing of the audience. But there's a bigger creative disconnect. If this isn't improv, then the scene changes need to be tightened up and rely less on...improv. You can keep the chaos and authenticity, but have it tight and controlled and refined for maximum impact. It doesn't work to have it both ways. Now, if I'm completely wrong and these bits ARE all scripted as well, then the point still stands – it needs some refinement, Neo-Futurist or not. Ultimately, I think what this piece needs to be is straight-up comedy (as it's kind of billed), but what it wants to be is profound. Too much abstraction, too much on-the-nose social commentary. For me, it could be both funny and insightful if given a chance, but it's undermined by a determination for high-concept and a creative but ineffective structure. I have no issue with unconventional or experimental, or neo-futurism, and in that way I can't fault the ambition and the concept, both of which work as ideas in principle: neo-futurist ultra-realism and thirty abstract micro-plays. The element of authentic and ever-changing challenge is fun too and the performers do have charm, though some lacking a bit in confidence. If these were thirty very funny, very clever, fully-formed sketches, with shorter intervals between them, then I think there could be something special here. But it pains me to say that they're not really any of those things just yet. At the moment it comes across a bit more like watching a GCSE drama class write their final year piece in real time. Nevertheless, it is of course entirely subjective; and with The Dirty Thirty's changing cast and content, the beauty is that every performance is different. You might get something excellent. It's just that, on this occasion, my night was more of the Not Great Twenty-Eight. The Dirty Thirty Created and performed by Degenerate Fox UK The Rosemary Branch Theatre, 11 September – 31 October 2026 Box Office: https://www.rosemarybranchtheatre.co.uk/show/the-dirty-thirty-124 Photography credit: Wesley Anthony Reviewed by Alix Owen Alix Owen is a Pushcart Prize nominated writer from Wales. His work has appeared at the Liars’ League, the Camden Fringe, and in print and digital anthologies internationally.

 ‘The Girl in The Mask has plenty going for it but needs a rethink.’ ★★ ½ It's not always easy getting on with your parents when you're an angsty teenager left with no other victims for all that pent up rage. Most of us grow out of it but in some situations – often exacerbated by a difficult parental figure – a nasty split can grow between parent and child. Welcome, The Girl in The Mask to the Kennington pub stage where we witness how a daughter posting about her ‘abusive’ mother on social media whilst wearing a mask tears the whole family apart. It could have been an excellent tragicomedy. Despite a dreary start with Celia (Laura Fitzpatric) shedding tears over her husband’s coffin, daughter Amy/Eddie (Emma Riches) switches on the play’s comic beats with her Iron Maiden album turned all the way in the adjacent bedroom. Amy finally enters and almost moping, asks if she can get inside the coffin whilst reminding her mother that before it was closed she dolled her father up in make-up. At its best, Brad Sutherland script fizzles with such black comedy, witty puns which punctuate the emotional disputes between the family nicely. Yet, this near two hour long play drags in all the wrong places. By half way through the same (albeit escalating) arguments between mother and daughter had become tedious. Amy – who then renames herself Eddie after donning the mask and finally estranging herself from her mother – hangs around moping on the stage with little revealed about her inner workings. Even soppy and head-constantly-in-hands boyfriend Kieran (Edward Jobling) can’t tease a different flavour of character out of Amy’s continual temper tantrum. We learn later of Amy’s possible autism which provides the only explanation for the way that she acts, which is the point of the play. Star-of-the-show is Aunty Jo (Samantha Parry) who is averse to physical touch, unable to hold eye contact and instead, bakes everyone cakes as the most well rendered character out of the whole lot. Parry performs her part with a cool ease dipping lightly into her past to reveal how she has struggled socially all her life. But the family scenes went round in loops despite her often ability to create comedy out of thin air. The Girl in The Mask has plenty going for it but needs a rethink. It is too long to begin with, and the direction needs to manage the script better with tighter interactions between characters. It is with the times, describing the dangers of our media landscape to a T but it certainly needs more oomph. The Girl in The Mask by Brad Sutherland at The White Bear Theatre 6 – 17 October 2026 BOX OFFICE https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-girl-in-the-mask Photography by Paddy Gormley

“An enjoyable one act play with an array of talent, wit and creativity to entertain throughout.” ★★★ ½ The religious impact of the Battle of Hastings, while an unlikely setting for theatrical comedy, serves as an entertaining backdrop to a performance which is brought to life by a very talented group of actors. The play is promoted with the tagline “Horrible Histories meets The Office politics” and there are definite vibes of both these cultural outputs albeit without the same consistency from start to finish. The play opens with some mild audience interaction with everyone assuming a role of congregant in a church alongside Joan (Julie Joubert) and Stephen (Charlie James-Howard). Theodore, played by George MacGowan, and Nicolas, Xavier Atkins, then conduct a religious ceremony in Latin. It’s a neat and innovative touch to both quickly engage the audience in the story as well as define the dynamics of these four characters. However, the story then takes some time to find a rhythm. The first minutes thereafter are spent discussing the plotting of a riot against the church with some pacy dialogue which, despite being delivered impeccably, did little to add anything to the characters in those initial innings. The introduction of Alastair, the French dignitary to whom Theodore and Nicholas report, also felt like an unnecessary appearance, compounded by the dual role taken on by Joulbert. Thankfully, the emergence of Asa, played by Lily Blunson, ignites some real conflict into the story. Her need to find the legal documents to secure the dwellings she received in her divorce settlement, Theodore’s unrequited interest and Joan’s desire to perform an agreed morality play in the form of a nativity create some compelling and humorous moments. The nativity alone could have served as a standalone micro play and it’s actually unfortunate that we don’t get to enjoy this scene for an extended period. While the final act neatly ties together some of the plot lines, it does all feel a little convenient and rushed, especially after such an engaging middle section. Ultimately, it kills off the momentum that it did so well to build and, although we are left with a satisfying ending to an amusing tale, there’s a slight disappointment in a ‘what could have been’ sort of way. While the energy and focus of the play is choppy in that respect, the same cannot be said of the acting which is stellar throughout. Particular mentions go out to MacGowan and Atkins who steal every scene they are in, but the whole cast should take credit for an ensemble performance that doesn’t dip at any point. God Save Us! is an enjoyable one act play that showcases an array of talent and has enough wit and creativity to keep you entertained throughout, despite its most enjoyable moments being sandwiched by an opening and closing that could be a little more defined. Part of Proforca Theatre Company's Here | For season of plays at Lion and Unicorn Theatre Theodore: George MacGowan Nicholas: Xavier Atkins Joan/Alastair: Julie Joubert Stephen: Charlie James-Howard Asa: Lily Blunsom Writer/Director: Esalan Gates Photography Ross Kernahan

‘Gripping, like watching a runaway train closing in.’ ★★★★ New theatre company Fright Train bring a large cast production of Ödön von Horváth’s JUDGMENT DAY to the tiny space at Old Red Lion Playhouse. This revival, translated by Christopher Hampton, in some ways resembles a series of trials for a community and the judgement of individuals from within. The set up reveals the protagonist Thomas Hudetz, the railway signalman, to be diligent in his work, without ever having made a single mistake. Whilst everyone has nothing but praise for him, the villagers have much to say about his wife, who is some years older than him and whom they dislike. The local publican’s teenage daughter has a crush on him, but he does not reciprocate her affections. It all feeds into the ever- tightening grip of this close-knit community. After a train derails and kills several people, the public prosecutor is tasked with finding out who is responsible. One of the strengths of the play is that the audience already knows exactly what happened and this dramatic irony provides fascinating theatre. In the first act the villagers’ prejudices swing one way and then in the second they have arbitrarily changed sides, with some notable exceptions of upstanding citizens, one in particular who upholds his principals over loyalty. It’s a good cross section of society and, to the credit of the company, the cast also offers a good representation. The cast is a little uneven in acting skills but they work well as an ensemble and the stage positioning has been exceedingly well worked out by the director. It looks good. this is important because the staging is minimal. Added to the pleasing montages of villagers, the play feels very immersive thanks to an exceptional sound design. Those trains really sound as though they’re passing in front of the audience and behind them. In this expressionistic play the fete of the Signalman is decided by others, and he is powerless to escape the final reckoning. Each scene notches up another nail in his coffin, he is on an hellish journey of no return. Unfairly judged and condemned. Written in 1937 as Nazism was gaining ground, Ödön von Horváth play warns of the dangers of herd mentality. He was forced into exile for his anti-fascist writing and activism. These are reasons enough to revive the play. Added to this, new company Fright Train, was founded by the director Matilda Ziegler who is revisiting this play after 37 years, having played Anna in Stephen Daldry’s award-winning UK premiere of Judgment Day in 1989 at the Old Red Lion. Her daughter Faye Ziegler, a recent graduate of Oxford School of Drama, joins the cast to take on the same role. Ziegler does well, a worthy performance, and she is joined by her mother, Matilda Ziegler, in a well observed character performance as the village gossip Frau Leimgruber. Several other performances also catch the eye including a scene stealing performance from experienced actor Michael Higgs as the Landlord, and newly graduated Beyagy Demba in supporting roles. Also a mention to Craig Hamilton as the Signalman for his portrayal of the handsome silent man, being targeted by the community. Finally, also a mention to Lewis Blomfield, as the policeman, who brings a little light relief and sense of bonhomie in the midst of this rather sinister play. Fright Train present JUDGMENT DAY Written by Ödön von Horváth Translated by Christopher Hampton Old Red Lion Playhouse BOX OFFICE https://weareoldred.co.uk/whats-on/judgment-day/ Cast list: Thomas Hudetz: Craig Hamilton Anna: Faye Ziegler Frau Hudetz: Agni Scott Alfons: Alfie Webster Landlord: Michael Higgs Leni: Adrian Greensmith Ferdinand: Florian Saturley Kohut/Severe Angel: Rafaela Nicolay Detective/Customer/Pokorny: Patrick O’Leary Policeman: Lewis Blomfield Travelling Salesman: Henry Alexander Bryan Woodsman/Platelayer: Beyagy Demba Public Prosecutor: Michael Palmer Frau Leimgruber: Matilda Ziegler Director: Matilda Ziegler Set Design: Lily Booth Live Musician: Harry Fisher Score, Composer and Sound Designer: Evie Hilyer-Ziegler Press Officer: Alice Rickett Fight Director: Nathan Flowers & Theo Brignall Intimacy Coordinator: Ros Philips Lighting: Felix Gibbons On-Set Painting: Bobbie Wilson Photography: Alex Storey

“Interesting concept, but Mara falls into the trap of becoming repetitive.” ★★ MARA, written by Dr Erini Konstantinidou and Robin King and directed by Konstantinidou, is a psychological thriller following the story of a woman becoming trapped in the basement of an office building, running out of time to make the final custody hearing for her eight-year-old daughter. As she remains there, panicking and alone, she is faced with visions, memories and fears from her past that cause her to make regretful decisions with potentially life-changing consequences. Although an incredibly interesting concept, MARA falls into the trap of becoming repetitive and it is underdeveloped in its portrayal of her character. Konstantinidou and King presented Mara, played convincingly by Angela Peters, at a heightened state of panic from the very beginning of the play, leaving the story and Peters in a difficult position to build from. As a character her emotions are understandable, she is in a moment of great pressure as not getting out of this basement could mean losing custody of her daughter, a nightmare situation for any parent. Presenting a character’s psychological state on stage is a very difficult task and a one woman show allows the audience to completely connect with Mara’s personality and through telling her own story, creates a brilliant opportunity to make us empathise with her and give those critical moments even more depth. However, the play and direction focussed more on circling Mara’s emotional state than presenting the narrative, leading the 60-minute piece to feel much longer as we watched Peters scream and breakdown a number of times, with the repetition taking weight away from each of those scenes and leaving me unclear on elements of the story in between. Peters’ portrayal of MARA as a woman on the very edge was believable and invested. This is a challenging play to perform for one person, but Peters maintained stamina and consistency throughout. There were times where Peters could have had more clarity and projection on stage, some lines were swallowed by the soundscape or lost within her panicked state making it difficult for us to connect with what she was saying. Her strongest moments came as she multi-rolled and embodied other people in the story, particularly the pregnant and judgmental friend she meets at the very beginning who is picking other women apart for not wanting children. She has a comedic, posh, almost whining tone as she tells her children off in front of Mara, creating a mother I’m sure many audience members and parents would recognise from the school gates. Having different characters gave the play interesting changes in pace and energy and I wish we could have seen more of this variation throughout the performance. The use of set, atmospheric sound design by Lefteris Douros and claustrophobic lighting design by Matty Arakcheev build the isolation of this play well. In particular, the lighting design helped to differentiate between when Mara was speaking to the audience, trapping her in a cold spotlight, and when she was in the basement alone. The mix of naturalistic sound effects, underscored with increasingly tense wider sound made it feel as though something was closing in on Mara. Bringing the inside of her head into view on stage. The direction of this play can develop to add further layers to the world the production design has clearly and cleverly begun to create. MARA is a concept with great potential, focussing on a subject that many would find interesting to explore, with a clever design and moments of performance having the seeds of an isolating and intriguing production. But ultimately the script falls into emotion over story leaving the audience with little to grasp on to. A clearer focus on communicating and developing the narrative to have more variation could match up to the atmosphere they are beginning to create.

‘An adaptation with strong creative lineage drowning under its own weight’ ★★ “Full fathom five thy father lies, Of his bones are coral made…,” sings Ariel to Prince Ferdinand in The Tempest. Imogen Usherwood, last year's Peter Shaffer Playwright-in Residence (Trinity College, Cambridge) imagines a folk-horror interpretation of Shakespeare’s most magical work in modern-day East Anglia. Widely believed to be the Bard’s final work, Usherwood adapts The Tempest into a murky thriller about rural secrecy, but despite its strong creative lineage ultimately fails to escape its exposition. Instantly dropped into a nightmare situation, Finn (Ben Smart), wakes up house-bound after an accident deep in the marshland. We meet the house's occupants later: Peter (Philip Jennings), the father, a biologist; Martha (Helena Baker), the daughter, who spends most of her time sat by the marsh, and Abigail (Rebecca Eden) – a straight laced maid of sorts. In Usherwood’s interpretation of Shakespeare, Prospero becomes Peter, controlling magic that can contain people in the bog around his home. At the same time, he maintains strict control of his daughter (Martha, or Miranda) and eventually forces her into a situation against her will. Abigail gives foreboding warnings and signals to Finn, in the same kind of sing-song way which Ariel does to Ferdinand. Fathom succeeds best in creating an atmosphere through lighting and sound. The set creates an underwater feeling that gives the impression of being submerged in a marsh. The un-personified bog, Colin (presumably Caliban), is reflected excellently in the sceneography. The thematic structure of physical preservation and memory also has real poetic potential. Unfortunately, the play doesn’t come together and cannot keep up with the poetic adaptation. It suffers from being an all-saying play; rather than driving a story forwards with active conflict or action, the narrative unfolds through revelations alone in bloated monologues. Usherwood’s dialogue in key scenes feels under-refined and unintimate – especially noticeable in emotional scenes, for example, when Finn learns more about his father. The dynamic between Finn and Martha remains a repetitive loop of mutual apologies rather than dramatic progression and ends by partially mirroring the fates of some of Shakespeare’s characters but with a lack of Reasoning. The plot's logic relies on characters suddenly possessing knowledge that hasn’t come as a result of any action and is therefore unearned, causing the tension of the play to collapse. The plot reads far more like a compelling short story than a piece written for the stage. Again, the poetic potential of this story is strong and contains promise; I would love to see a version of this with more individual character styles and with appropriate tailoring to a modern setting. In this instance, however, this play ultimately drowns under its own weight. Photography: Imogen Usherwood Cast: Ben Smart Philip Jennings Helena Baker Rebecca Eden Creatives: Imogen Usherwood (Writer) Gina Stock (Director) Marianne Nossair (Assistant Director) Tilly Jackson-Long (Lighting Designer)

“tour-de-force performances” ★★★★ David Ireland's hilarious debut play What The Animals Say, explores the relationship between Northern Ireland’s past and recent present. It begins with the unlikely reunion of its two main characters. Former classmates Eddie and Jimmy are waiting for the Stranraer ferry to Belfast when they first recognise each other. They exchange school memories, offer recaps of life in the years since graduation, and discover they have both relocated to Scotland. As their catch-up continues, however, what they have in common gives way to disagreements that slowly reveal deepening cracks beneath the foundation of shared history. The 70-minute dark comedy is as funny as it is thought-provoking. What The Animals Say invites its audience to laugh at depictions of The Troubles in popular culture, while highlighting the very real and enduring political, cultural and social legacy of this history. Ireland, the playwright, uses witty dialogue to effectively recreate and satirise the polarity of Protestants and Catholics, loyalists and republicans, to parallel the divisions in the global politics of the early 21st century. The points of view are, at once, specific and universal, and although the play was first performed in 2009, it remains remarkably relevant. The script also wrestles with competing ideas of masculinity and the manifestations of anger. The Finborough production features tour-de-force performances from both lead actors. Robbie Martin disappears into Eddie, the brash but famous footballer whose unique combination of charisma and bravado has landed him playing for Celtic - as a protestant - just to get back at Sir Andrew Ferguson. Eddie finds the perfect foil in Jimmy, a self-serious but struggling actor with his own particular combination of integrity and bitterness, played brilliantly by Matthew Blaney. Both characters are individually compelling but it’s their shifting dynamic with each other that holds the piece and the audience. These performances are elevated by excellent direction from Harry Burton. The show calls for minimal props and set dressing, but the subtlety of the production and set design effectively supports the size of the personalities. Though What The Animals Say does not have an interval, it does include a time jump that involves a memorably clever set change. What The Animals Say is over too soon. The play flies by to its clever ending and while it is a relief it does not drag, there is potential depth sacrificed for time. Arguments between the two men occasionally feel more circular than propulsive but the play is presently too short to linger on flaws. It’s thoroughly entertaining and the lack of heavy-handedness is refreshing. What The Animals Say maintains humour throughout. Highly recommended. Read our interview with actor Robbie Maritn on the play here Photography: Gavin Watson WHAT THE ANIMAL SAY by David Ireland Presented by Hallions Ltd in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre Playing at Finborough Theatre 29 September - 24 October 2026. Tickets available here Cast Robbie Martin Matthew Blaney Directed by Harry Burton Designed by Alex Marker Sound design by Joe Dines Costume design by Ellie Landrebe Hair and Makeup design by Sophia Knight Stage Manager Lesley Clay Stage Manager Raffy Elliston Assistant Director Robin Stewart Lighting design by Jodi Rabinowitz

"As fringe musicals go, this is among the best." ★★★★  A woman lies in a hospital bed on the eve of gender-affirming surgery, waiting to wake up as the person she has always known herself to be. But before Amanda can finally become herself, she looks back across the life that brought her here: childhood, adolescence, first love and crushes, family, marriage, parenthood, prejudice and, eventually, courage. This is Amanda – The Night Before Me, Rory Six's solo musical making its London and English-language debut at The Bridge House Theatre, with Divina de Campo (of RuPaul's Drag Race UK fame) becoming Amanda and the fourteen other people who have shaped her life. As fringe musicals go, this is among the best. There are some hellish catchy tunes that I must admit were swirling in my head for a good 24hrs after the final bow. For me, the marker of a genuinely good musical is whether you’d choose to listen to its soundtrack. Well, suffice it to say, I've already looked for it. Now, all that said, it's not without its flaws. I feel this is a five star production that only just scrapes a four. We're greeted upon entry with Timo Verse's large and impressive set, though it's strangely reminiscent of angel wings, which is a bit cheesy and narcissistic. The music is good enough that a simple hospital bed would have been more than enough, maybe much more powerful. As it is, the heavenly clam-cum-chrysalis slightly overcrowds the space and undermines the substance of the piece. It isn't needed in my view; they've gone with a fair strategy of having the show star-led, so let de Campo shine instead. There's a fantastic lighting package from Stephanie Afleck though, even if it is occasionally a bit flat or on-the-nose in its creativity, and flawless sound from Birgit Plank too, from start to finish. De Campo is good, with natural charm and comic timing. Hats off to them, they give it their absolute all, playing as if to a full West End auditorium, but without overpowering us. The role could maybe benefit from a stronger character actor to juggle the 14 versatile parts, as there are moments where it's not clear for longer than is comfortable who is speaking. But it's a good stab nonetheless and does pretty much always click into place thanks to the great direction and choreography from Six and Jerôme Knols. A decent Act I finale takes us into a slightly rushed second half that seems to race through Amanda's adulthood in half the time it took over her adolescence, as though Six suddenly got very bored and thought the job was done. This is ironic as it was in many ways the most nuanced and interesting part of her life: we end up learning nothing about the relationship between her identity and her role as a dad; no real sense of the altered family dynamics; nor any examination of the impact on the long and loving marriage with her wife. Instead we have quick-fire caricatures that shun her out of toilets, sack her from her job, and direct her to the male changing rooms, which wipes away any depth it might otherwise have had in favour of a blunt and awkward "message" that possibly does a disservice to itself. There's truth in it, but superficiality is for TikTok, theatre needs shading. With a bit more of it, there'd be five stars waiting here. I think this is a common thread. For all the great songs and brilliant lyrics, Amanda remains quite two-dimensional. We see her discovering make-up and dresses, but never really go any deeper. It feels a bit reductive and I wanted more from her. I felt she had more to give. It is undeniably an accomplished musical overall. I would say much of that is down to the work of musical theatre veteran, Charles Hart (perhaps most famous for The Phantom of the Opera), whose lyrics are one of the best things about the whole show. Despite a few bum lines, he does a mind-bogglingly brilliant job of rendering songs originally in German into something highly legible, poetic, and natural, as though they were always made for English. Not a cringe in sight. One of the problems though is that it's also pretty expensive. It is worth it, and that's not a quality issue, just an observation. At £35 a pop, you're talking the best part of a hundred quid for two. Throw in a couple of drinks and you've got yourself a big night out. The show's production values are good, but that's steep for a small (however perfectly formed) pub theatre and unfairly pits it against much larger productions. At that price, you're only attracting an audience of de Campo fans – and no minds need changing or informing there. It locks out the very people who may benefit most from seeing this kind of story – everyone. Amanda finishes up hoping she'll at last be able to see herself reflected truly in the mirror. I have a feeling if she allowed the audience in a little closer, in depth and accessibility, they'd see she was always already there. Amanda – The Night Before Me Written by Rory Six & Charles Hart Directed by Rory Six & Jerôme Knols Music by Rory Six English Lyrics by Charles Hart Musical Direction by Bettina Bogdany Orchestration & Musical Supervision by Perrin Manzer Allen Choreography by Jerôme Knols Produced by Theatercouch The Bridge House Theatre, 22 September – 10 October 2026 Box Office: https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/amanda-the-night-before-me/ Photography Credit Andreas Hofmarcher Reviewed by Alix Owen Alix Owen is a Pushcart Prize nominated writer from Wales. His work has appeared at the Liars’ League, the Camden Fringe, and in print and digital anthologies internationally.

‘A warm, sincere portrayal of life in and out of the care system.’ ★★★ At seventeen years old, Robbie is on the precipice of adulthood. A daunting prospect for most people, but he faces an additional challenge: leaving the care system he has been in for most of his life in order to live independently. Based on true experiences of care-experienced young people, Lin Coghlan’s FLOCK goes beyond the typical coming of age story, exploring the reality of navigating the UK care system in 21st century Britain. This quest for independence is central to the play, as Robbie fixates on securing the all-important bidding number that will theoretically get him a priority place in social housing as a care-leaver. His sister Cel is equally driven by her ambition to go to university and achieve the degree she has always dreamed of. However, the journey is not an easy one for either sibling and as they lean on each other in lieu of their parents, cracks in their relationship start to form. Robbie’s best friend Miko is also a key source of support, but faced with the reality of caring for a seriously ill parent, the question of who can genuinely be relied upon in the absence of traditional family figures is at the core of the narrative. The performance certainly has a lot of heart, and features a charismatic cast of characters. Though Robbie, Cel and Miko have faced a staggering amount of adversity in their short lives, they remain spirited and determined, moving through the world with boundless energy and vibrant humour. By contrast, social worker Mrs Bosely is relatively restrained, treading a careful line between professionalism and compassion that often blurs when times get tough. The actors switch roles to inhabit different secondary characters and time periods to portray significant figures like their Nan and various love interests, as well as their younger selves. This device can often be challenging to execute smoothly, but the actors in this production pull it off with ease, and the high points of the performance are the genuine moments of tenderness that the characters manage to cultivate in their otherwise chaotic lives Although undoubtedly a story about social care in the UK, FLOCK concerns itself primarily with exploring the experiences of individual service users, and the emotions that arise from these, rather than being an overt critique of the system. Lengthy discussion of specific policy or reform are notably absent, as the play centres its focus on the difficulties of living a life rooted in so much instability and the ramifications this has on relationships, finances and navigating the wider world. In places, the play struggles to maintain its momentum, and although there are certainly emotionally-charged moments, there is a perceptible lack of tension as the play moves towards its denouement. The story is shaped through a series of non-chronological scenes, and is less interested in narrative surprises than in portraying apexes of emotional resonance, in which the bravado of the main characters breaks down, revealing the vulnerability at their core. The references to Deliveroo and vapes situate the piece in the present day, however some of the language, especially the slang, feels a little dated. Similarly, some logistical details of the plot do not ring true in a play that is otherwise committed to gritty realism. The staging is one of the most impressive aspects of the play. White, billowing screens of fabric are used for shadow work, to change scenes, and even function as makeshift markets in one particularly inspired scene depicting a bustling town centre. Set in local Lewisham, the play is peppered with local references, and there is even a ‘Walk the story’ guided audio tour as a bonus feature for anyone who wants to experience the main sites of the play themselves, all narrated by the character of Miko. The attention to detail in these choices cannot be faulted, building a truly fleshed-out picture of the world the characters inhabit. Despite its issues with pacing and a few questionable dialogue choices, FLOCK still shines as a warm, sincere portrayal of life in – and out of – the care system, that is poignant and humorous in equal measure. Flock, by Lin Coghlan at Jack Studio Theatre, 1st October 2026 Box office Presented by PlayingON Cast Robbie: Joseph Clarke Cel: Tabitha Detroit Miko: Romeo Mika Mrs Bosely: Alice Selwyn Crew Writer: Lin Coghlan Director: Jim Pope Set and Costume Designer: Sophie Jump Lighting Designer: Alex Wardle Sound Designer: Jules Maxwell Design Assistant: Amelia Kyriacou Production Manager and Technical Stage Manager: Brent Tan Assistant Stage Manager: Isabella Caseley Poster Design: Nancy Ellis Producer: Chris Elwell Executive Producer: Rhian Davies Programme Manager - Education: Nina Graveney-Edwards Photo credit: Lucy Hayes

 ‘… the individual scenes convince. The let-down is the revelations. Too many, and too much.’ ★★★ In a tidy little semi in an outer London borough, three warring brothers come together to resolve the mystery of their father’s disappearance. As the afternoon drags on, revelation after revelation of the family’s stormy history tells us more than we wanted to know about them. David Solomon writes and performs in this, as the stay-at-home brother tasked with the father’s care. The dialogue is sharp and funny, the characterisations are acute, the individual scenes convince. The let-down is the revelations. Too many, and too much. This is a cut down version of Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams’ family sagas, where the dark cloud that has hung over them finally bursts and dysfunction is explained. The plays explore a looming sense of doom and move remorselessly towards the final revelation. Very Greek. Solomon proceeds by manufacturing a series of small revelations that pile up to a final big one, and does it by manufacturing one to one scenes, that require a surprise visit, a crow-barred excuse for the uninvolved actors to get off stage. It becomes predictable and almost farcical, and that isn’t the mood music the piece requires. The effortlessly funny back and forth between three brothers that opens the show gets darker and more doom-laden, but also more mechanical and less convincing. It’s a promising play with a good cast, and it is briskly and effectively directed by Brittany Rex, but it desperately needs editing, it desperately needs fewer reveals, it would be better served by leading its audience to a revelation they can infer, rather than get clubbed over the head by. Lots to enjoy, many good moments, but a severely flawed structure. Part of the Lambeth Fringe, on till Saturday 3rd October 2026. Cellar Door Theatre Company presents: DAD by David Solomon at Golden Goose Theatre 22 September – 3 October 2026 BOX OFFICE https://www.goldengoosetheatre.co.uk/whatson/dad Cast Ivan Kaye as Aaron David Solomon as Nathan Nigel Betts as Karl Paul Kelvin as Daniel Joanne Arber as Leila Jerry Ezekiel as Alistair Creative Written by David Solomon Directed by Brittany Rex Lighting and Sound Design by James Denny Fight Direction by Nora Iso-Kungas

'Well-performed pastiche' ★★ The spotlight is on Arthur Carmichael, a suited lawyer, who persuasively talks to the audience about truth, proof and evidence before we see him back in his office with his partner, Mitchell Hargrieve. Keen-to-impress young female intern, Talia Cooper brings a potential new client to the office. Rita Lemkin openly admits to murdering her husband but would like a defence lawyer. Played consistently by Rhian Holmes, Lemkin is set up as the classic film-noir, femme fatale with a mid-west, Southern drawl; she's fully aware of her own sex appeal and female charm. Lemkin brings both the inciting incident and an ethical predicament for the lawyers. Should they take the case on? Lemkin is convinced Carmichael is her man. After all, he did marry his first client, Lucy Carmichael née Balsam (Maeve-Anne Allen) who was acquitted of murdering her abusive, millionaire father. After a short successful run at Sheffield’s Lantern Theatre, Conflict of Interest, a character-led drama by Righton Productions is having a whirlwind presentation in London. Directed by Jazz Sewsanker and written by Thomas Carruthers, it’s a long piece at 2 hours and 25 minutes with an interval. Carruthers also plays the toxically masculine and arrogant Carmichael, who constantly clashes with his professional partner, Hargrieve, performed with defensive bitterness by William Leggetter. Bespectacled and put-upon, he’s more of a ‘details’ man but also an angry man, recently divorced by his wife. Both male characters are repugnant and attempt to out-vile each other with revolting comments and humiliating put- downs. Who will win this war? A strand of misogyny is explored in Conflict of Interest and depressingly concluded. All the audience's hopes are pinned on Talia the intern, who may be the only honest character in this study of duplicity. Sympathetically played by Amy Cash, she sees most clearly what’s going on but ultimately, she too is shafted by the patriarchy. The courtroom is arguably one of the first forms of theatre and brings inherent drama to an audience with built in stakes, conflict, protagonists and antagonists. There have been some notable past examples: Witness for the Prosecution, Twelve Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird and this play does feel like something of a homage to the past which may account for its confusing time and setting. The staging and delivery give both 1930s Raymond Chandler vibes and 1950s crime classics. It’s only when Alvin & the Chipmunks and fax machines are mentioned, we realise this is the 1980s. (Although a date is scrawled on an ‘evidence board,’ it’s too small to read.) Despite the talent on show, one can’t help feeling this pastiche would be fresher, more authentic and contemporary if had been transposed into current-day Sheffield. It suffers from trying to cram in too much story; a shorter, sharper version would be stronger. The ensemble in this play all do sterling work and impressively embody their roles, but as a piece of dramatic writing, it’s unfocused with too much going on and too many points of view. CONFLICT OF INTEREST by Righton Productions at The Hen and Chickens Theatre 1 - 3 October 2026 BOX OFFICE

'Remembers the lost' ★★★ ½ The air is forty shades of blue as two men, in separate bedrooms and apartments, have hard core, full-on, explicit telephone sex, their fantasies batted back and forth. JR, a he-man in the Tom Selleck mould with lots of body and a mid-west drawl, is fully invested and drives forward with an urgent need. Bert, slimmer built, more sensitive and a little detached, listens carefully to JR and mirrors him - or whatever the audio equivalent is. The masturbatory conversations finish when their purpose is achieved. As these mutually relieving conversations continue over evenings, weeks and months, we learn more about the characters as small reveals slip through the sexual content. JR (Paul Dennison AKA Mr Gay England 2021 and Mr Gay Europe 2022) is a military man who served in Vietnam. Recovering from an injury, there’s a subtext of Christian belief as he struggles with questions of morality and sin best expressed by a strange story he tells Bert that involves them both being ‘purified’. He may be married or passing as heterosexual in the world outside these illicit conversations. Bert (James Lee) is intellectually superior to JR, more relaxed with his sexuality and more nuanced as an actor. Out of the closet, he finds joy not shame in his lived life. Although he finds some of JR’s attitudes curious and despite their obvious differences, the two men draw closer, sharing collective fantasies and intimacies. When Bert is laid low following the bereavement of a close friend, JR listens, and as their conversations start to separate the sexual from the emotional, feelings begin to shift and deepen. Set in 1980s San Francisco, JERKER is set at a terrifying time when AIDS was decimating entire communities of gay men. Although the word AIDS is not mentioned once, it weaves in and out of the text as an unspoken, fearful spectre. The story arc is built through the phone calls alone - with no action outside these - and each phone call and time span is broken up by a poppy, feel-good music choice of the era (sound design by director, Henry Adams & Scott Michaels) including Madonna, Blondie, Prince and the Eurythmics. At 85-minutes long with no interval, this 18+ production by Adam Roebuck, has some issues with pacing and transitions. While the middle section, when the two men start to grow closer, is fully engaging , the beginning and end are drawn out in different ways. Theatrically, it starts with a long bang - which gives a new dimension to the cock and ball story - and finishes with a long whimper. The audience understands what's unfolded, and Paul Dennison as JR is left isolated and exposed, probably for too long. That said, this is a moving piece that recalls a time when shocking numbers of gay men vanished from the world forever. Forty years after Robert Chelsey’s debut of JERKER in San Francisco, this revival invites us to remember all those who were lost. BOX OFFICE Cast: JR - Paul Dennison Bert - James Lee​​​​ ​ Creatives: Director: Henry Adams Assistant Director/Intimacy Director: Alice Camarota Set/Costume: Waterloo East Theatre Lighting Design: Jonathan Simpson Sound Design: Henry Adams & Scott Michaels QLab Programing: Dylan Salinger Stage Manager: Jack Firman Photography & Videography: Scott Michaels

‘plays with expectations and identity, constantly shifting our understanding of relationships’ ★★★★ A middle-aged man who still finds himself very attractive walks into a bar to find a young woman who’s asked to meet him. She says he’s her father. From the first tonal shift as Doug adjusts to this unexpected situation, Girl Out Of The Blue plays with expectations and identity, constantly shifting our understanding of relationships between three characters whose past have been submerged and Abi, a girl (Miranda Braun) who wants to know who she is. Doug (Jonathan Sidgwick) is a journalist, a jack-the-lad playboy who, even married with two teenage daughters, is still an eternal chancer. Maya (Seeta Indrani), his wife, wants nothing to do with the unexpected arrival of a new step-daughter into her well-ordered existence. Beth (Sarah Berger), the mother of Doug’s unknown daughter, has done all she can to keep him unknowing. Giles Cole’s sharp, episodic play sets brief scenes in wine bars, outdoor spaces, homes as the older triangle navigate the new waters Abi’s decision to seek out her father has revealed. Abi herself (and Braun’s is the pick of the performances as a girl both confident and vulnerable) is never clear what she wants – a dad, a relationship with a man who was never a meaningful dad, just a sense of where she came from. The play’s structure and dialogue sometimes feel televisual, with short scenes and some slightly awkward transitions between them and speeches in which characters say whatever is on their minds without much filler, suspense or subtext. But the power of the emerging relationship between father and daughter is the heart of the play as Doug and Abi move from suspicion and uncertainty to trust and comfort and back to something less easy as Abi finds out more about a father who left her mother for another woman he’d made pregnant and has other skeletons in a rather grubby closet. Most scenes are duets, and the mother-daughter sequences between Berger and Braun touchingly find both their vulnerabilities in a warm if sometimes touchy relationship. Braun and Sidgwick combine brilliantly, too, his shiftiness and the ever-present hint of sleaze playing a significant role as she finds out more about him. The third pairing, of Doug and Maya, works less well, with something of a mismatch of styles as Sidgwick plays Doug big and Indrani remains very understated even in her moments of biggest emotion; individually fine acting choices, but not collectively persuasive on why these two would ever have married at all. Sound design is great, the simple set works well in creating multiple locations in a small space, and the show remains gripping throughout its fairly brief length. Alexander Marshall and Close Quarter Productions in association with Holocener Ltd present: GIRL OUT OF THE BLUE by Giles Cole at the Tabard Theatre 23 September to 10 October 2026. Box Office: https://www.tabard.org.uk Cast Sarah Berger | Beth Seeta Indrani | Maya Jonathan Sidgwick | Doug Miranda Braun | Abi Creative Team Alexander ‘Sandy’ Marshall | Producer Holofcener Ltd | Co-producer Close Quarter Productions | Producer Jonas Cemm | Director Giles Cole | Writer Bethany Blake | Designer William Godfree | Composer Andrew Johnson | Sound Designer Alexandra Kataigida | Production/Stage Manager Reviewer David Weir writes The Westminster Mysteries novel series, including The Honourable Member for Murder and Motion for Murder. Plays include Confessional (Oran Mor, Glasgow), Murdering the Truth (Greenwich Theatre, London) and Better Together (Jack Studio, Brockley, London).

‘a veritable miracle elixir of tragedy and comedy’ ★★★★ For the London location of this show, there could have been no finer home than the Bridewell Theatre just off the infamous Fleet Street; home of the Demon Barber himself. Walking down the street from the stunning St Paul’s Cathedral right past the very address of the pie shop and barbers was the perfect atmosphere to welcome me into this gripping tale. Stepping into the intimate auditorium, I was greeted by a haunting sombre orchestral choir and a stage lit by candlelight; an eerie welcome indeed. As the house lights went down, Mrs. Lovett herself, played by writer Lucy Rosyln, slowly steps forward to begin our journey, in this solo performance. Lucy’s portrayal of Mrs. Lovett is equal parts hilarious and frightening. Recounting the tragic and illuminating events that would soon lead her to becoming the accomplice of a madman, her demeanour switches rapidly between gleeful and despairing as she engages with the audience in a welcoming manner, enticing quite a few laughs. The demon manages to charm you with a smile... for a while. Drawing on comparisons between man and animal throughout the play, she speaks of the savage nature of man’s soul. Animal noises are played throughout the performance consisting of the barks of stray dogs, the squeals of pigs, the neighs of horses and the songs of whales. Prostitutes are referred to as ‘Winchester Geese’. The wails of her parents are compared to whale songs. The buried bodies of the unnamed in Crossbones Graveyard are referred to as trimmings. Making her point that the only real difference between man and beasts is the language we speak. This is a woman desperately seeking to belong in a world that cages her true nature. Her desperate sense of wanting to belong is shown by her insisting to be referred to by her first name, Eleanore. Doing her best to remain seen as a person even as she slides ever closer to becoming a monster. In the movie and the musical, she is solely referred to as Mrs. Lovett. Nothing more than a wife. An object of possession. But here? Just her? She’s Eleanore. Tragedy plagues every corner of Eleanore’s life, and you find yourself sympathizing with her character. Hearing her recount her story of when the carcass of a whale washed up on the bank of the Thames and she cried with pity. It’s easy to forget this young girl will become the woman who bakes bodies into pies. She takes you on a journey of your own along with her; a journey of understanding how a person becomes what they are. It’s up to you if you can find the balance, if you can. Sympathizing with someone’s past while condemning their present. Her anger is also shown throughout, and a lot of this is placed towards God. Unable to find solace and protection through Him, she seeks it elsewhere. Her butcher’s table becomes her altar, where she alone has control over life and death. She wears only her nightclothes while carving up the remains of the animals that find their way to her table; allowing us to see her open and vulnerable for just a little while. She shows the helplessness of women in the Victorian era. The things they go through and the things they had to do to survive. Not that much has changed between then and now. Lamenting the struggle of power and the lack of consequences for those in it. She recounts how sin was attempted to be confined to Southwark, and it highlights this power struggle well. The men who venture out there can come back. The women remain trapped. And as her life goes from bad to worse as the years go on, we see her shed her skin of innocence and goodness. When faced with utter desperation, morals are usually the first sacrifice. What use is goodness in a world that insists on handing you the bad? It’s hard for a solo performer to maintain people’s attention on their own. But Roslyn’s gripping and entertaining portrayal of Eleanore Lovett manages to make the 70-minute runtime fly by, to the point where I found myself disappointed when the play came to an end. There’s an unhinged beauty to the performance, and you find yourself almost entranced. The limited set consisting of a single table with few props helps to keep your attention on the leading lady. Clearly you can tell this story is something Roslyn is deeply passionate about, and it absolutely shows in her hauntingly beautiful performance. Overall, this show is a veritable miracle elixir of tragedy and comedy detailing the powerful notions of God, savagery and womanhood. If you have the chance to catch this show at the Cheltenham Everyman on the 30th September, the Chichester Festival Theatre on the 1st of October or the Exeter Phoenix on the 8th of October please do, you’ll absolutely ‘Lovett’! Further coverage of LPTM HORROR SEASON 2026 can be found here LOVETT Written and performed by Lucy Roslyn Directed by Jamie Firth Sound Design by Annie May Fletcher Artwork by Madison Coby Cheltenham Everyman - 30 September, 7.45pm | Tickets Here Chichester Festival Theatre, The Nest - 1 October, 8pm | Tickets Here Exeter Phoenix - 8 October, 7.30pm | Tickets Here Reviewer Laura King is a 28-year-old aspiring writer of novels and plays, with her first novel aiming to be finished this year. She studied Productions Arts at Weston College before moving to London and finding work within the theatre industry with both ATG and DMT. She has previously found work as a life admin assistant to Olivier award winner Janie Dee and has collaborated with her on such shows as ‘Putting It Together’ and ‘Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret’.