Reviews

‘The intention is admirable … but who is it for?’ ★★☆☆☆ Little M reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid as a dance-led story of self-discovery and transformation. Although Andersen famously denied that his tales were written for children, his works have become central to family theatre — and this production, recommended for audiences aged eight and above, gestures toward inclusivity without ever defining its audience clearly. In the theatre, a few younger spectators were present, but the majority were adults. This raised an intriguing question: who is Little M really for? It does not need to be a children’s show, yet if it seeks to offer new meaning or resonance for a wider audience, it needs to go further. Instead, it sits uneasily in the middle — too underwhelming to challenge or move adults, and too static to hold younger viewers’ attention. The concept — reframing the mermaid’s tale through a queer, non-binary lens — is timely and full of promise. Little M, an outsider who yearns to explore identity and belonging, could have been a potent metaphor. The dancers’ skill and the effort invested in puppetry are visible, yet the staging feels curiously underdeveloped, lacking artistic imagination. Visually, it relies on familiar tropes and small gestures that never quite transform into wonder. The Ursula-inspired puppet, for instance, is an interesting idea that never achieves the scale or theatricality to astonish. Little M ultimately seems more invested in asserting a new identity for the story than in communicating that vision to its audience. The intention is admirable — to question who gets to belong, and what lies beneath the surface — but without sharper dramaturgy or bolder theatrical imagination, the message dissipates. It is neither a show for children nor one for adults, but something caught in between: wellmeaning, sincere, yet emotionally and visually incomplete.  Cast & Creatives Choreographer & Co-Director: Anders Duckworth Writer & Co-Director: Luke Skilbeck Designer: E. M. Parry Associate Costume Designer & Supervisor: Eve Oakley Associate Set Designer & Supervisor: Kit Hinchliffe Puppet Maker & Co-Designer: Scamp Niemz Lighting Designer: Carey Chomsoonthorn Composition & Sound Design: Nicole Raymond / NikNak Additional Music & Production: Joseph Smith Dancers: Jose Funnell, Áine Reynolds, Naissa Bjørn, Tylee Jones Production Manager: Helen Mugridge Stage Manager: Florian Lim Project Facilitator: Orrow Bell Associate Direction: ShayShay Co-Produced and commissioned by The Place.Supported by FEAST, Yorkshire Danceand Gendered Intelligence. Photography: Camilla Greenwell

. ‘Funny, feisty, feminist farce’ ★★★★ It’s quite an achievement to create a fast-paced farce which, beneath the gales of laughter, makes some quite serious points and never quite stoops to frivolity. We’re in the 1840s (as the witty mobile phone warning reminds us at the start) in the Mendelssohn family home in Berlin. Fanny is passionate about, and very talented at, music but because she’s female she must not flaunt this. Her destiny as a woman is to marry, run a household and preside over a family. Meanwhile her younger brother, Felix, is Queen Victoria’s favourite composer. Fanny Mendelssohn wrote a lot of chamber music (over 450 pieces) and one orchestral work but little of it was published in her life time. Modern music scholars now believe that she had far more input into her brother’s work than was previously thought and it is known that six of her songs were published under his name. It’s a fine premise for a feisty feminist statement, swathed in humour, and Charlie Russell’s Fanny is a force to be reckoned with – leaping on the piano to conduct an imaginary orchestra, pretending to obey her draconian mother (Kim Ismay), falling out with the serious, tiresome Felix (Daniel Abbot) and plotting with her future husband Wilhelm (Riad Richie). She talks with her eyes, does a good line in fury, places every comic word with precision and when she gets the audience to create a piece of music with her she is more in command of the room than ever. A fine cast of six works seamlessly together. Ismay and Jeremy Lloyd (basically Paul, a talentless younger Mendelssohn sibling) are adept multi-rolers, whose continual appearance in different guises becomes part of the joke. And I loved the drinking song, led by Ismay. Danielle Phillips meanwhile gives us an enjoyable angry, shouty, scheming Rebecka Mendelssohn, the fourth sibling who is always aggrieved. As Fanny’s long-suffering, non-musical beau, Richie is fun. His Hensel has a passion for puns and at one point launches into a whole accelerating series in Sir Humphrey style. It got well deserved spontaneous applause at the performance I saw. The running Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, Linguini gag grates a bit, though, as Puccini wasn’t born until 1858, eleven years after the early deaths of both Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn. There’s a great deal of dashing in and out of doors and rapid on-stage shifts all done with admirable slickness usually with climactic music: Vivaldi, Beethoven and, anachronistically, Tchaikovsky all get into the mix courtesy of composer MD Yshani Perinpanayagam. It gets ever more manic as the crazy plot moves on and the scene in which most of the cast is in two colliding carriages is beautifully done although it’s strung out too long. In short this is two hours (plus interval) of hilarious theatre. You’ll need tissues to mop the tears of laughter. You will also come away reflecting on the injustice faced by women composers in the past and rejoicing that they are, at last, getting a voice now. Fanny by Calum Finlay Directed by Katie-Ann McDonough Kings Head Theatre BOX OFFICE https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/fanny-qft1 CAST Fanny | Charlie Russell Felix | Daniel Abbott Lea | Kim Ismay Paul | Jeremy Lloyd Rebecka | Danielle Phillips Wilhelm | Riad Richie Photography: Photographise

‘Love and angst among the American Literati’ ★★★★ Self-obsessed writer Abe develops an online relationship with a famous actress. He barely pays attention to his wife Sophie or his children, and in his selfishness fails to notice his marriage slipping away. At the same time his emotional bond with a woman he has never met grows stronger until he convinces himself he is in love with her. Meanwhile he is writing the story of his parents, a tale of a couple torn apart by the strict religious rules that govern their life: his father deeply immersed in his orthodox Jewish community and his mother straining against the constraints this imposes on her. The visual story telling of this production was exquisite, always supporting and never dominating the unfolding narrative. Igor Golyak’s direction is beautifully judged, packed with clever touches and perfectly paced, but there was never any cleverness for the sake of it. Every unexpected moment was always in service of the story. When I saw that the cast was full of screen actors, I did pause, as sometimes they can struggle on stage. Theatre acting is such a different craft. I needn’t have worried. All the performances were on point, but a special shout out to Katerina Tannenbaum who played Abe’s mother Esther. She shone, every time she stepped on the stage.  Writer Anna Ziegler’s dialogue is precisely crafted and a joy. She made the most of this story of a middle aged, egotistical man having a mid-life crisis, but the story itself was intrinsically a bit dull. Far more interesting was the tale of Abe’s mother Esther, a story that was told in fragments, although seamlessly stitched into the main narrative. I craved more of Esther’s story, and her ending in the play came as too much of a jolt. I wished Ziegler had put the same care and attention into Esther’s story as she had with Abe’s. However, I really did not anticipate the twist at the end of the play, which is always a joy. The monochrome tones of the set and costume designs worked well, with the only shot of vibrant colour coming with Esther’s moments of joy and self-expression. All in all, this was a great show. Catch it while you can. The universality of this story of a Jewish family makes it compelling in so many ways. The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler, Marylebone Theatre, 17 October – 29 November 2025, boxoffice@marylebonetheatre.com Performers: Anna Popplewell, Katerina Tannenbaum, Paksie Vernon, Alexander Forsyth, Eddie Toll Playwright: Anna Ziegler Director: Igor Golyak Set design: Jan Pappelbaum Costumes: Sasha Ageeva Lighting Design: Alex Musgrave Composer: Anna Drubich Sound design: Julian Starr Casting Director: Harry Armytage General Manager: Alex Turner Producers: Sarig Peker, Keren Misgav Photography: Mark Senior Reviewer: Srabani Sen Srabani is a theatre actress and playwright. As an actress she has performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (The Globe), the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse, The Pleasance and numerous fringe theatres, in a range of roles from Shakespeare to plays by new and emerging writers. She has written several short and full length plays. Her play Tawaif was longlisted for the ETPEP Finborough award, and her play Vijaya was shortlisted for the Sultan Padamsee Playwrights Award in Mumbai.

“It touches on the themes of racism and colonialism adding humour to a serious subject.” ★★★ This play has the right venue for it. First, when you enter Golden Goose Theatre, you can feel a sense of community and warmth and the production team contributes to this, as they welcome the audience in a very polite way. There is a sense of unity and kindness which makes the audience feel comfortable. When you come into the room where the play is going to be shown, the set is intimate, and you can tell that there will be history involved because of the old furniture and how the stage area is arranged. The disposition of the furniture and props make you feel involved in the play from the beginning and depending on where you sit , you can see the performance from different angles which makes it more interesting. The seating area is a nice horseshoe shape surrounding the stage. The production team has done a good job taking care of all the aspects of the show from where you come until you leave at the end of the play. The play is a monologue performed by one actor starring Joz Norris who is perfect for the role, and this is one of the biggest qualities of the show. He’s a great actor and comedian. He makes the audience laugh out loud and he brings every line to life, breaking the script from time to time to improvise some jokes which work perfectly well in the audience. He encourages them to participate throughout the play, especially in the first part and he tests the audience reactions and interacts with them to make everyone feel involved. He also uses different accents and is excellent at this. There was a particular moment where a lady sneezed and he stopped his monologue to say bless you, making the audience laugh, and this is a quality that he brings, bringing protagonism to the audience and again making them feel part of the show. This participation is good, given the fact that there is only one actor during the whole play. Even though the performance was good and Jaz Norris can take this show by himself for the 90 minutes perfectly well, it would have been good to add more actors in some particular moments to make it more enjoyable and so it wouldn’t feel that long at times. A shorter script would have been ideal, as there are some unnecessary details that makes the play longer, and they could have developed the whole story in a shorter time. 60 or 75 minutes would have been perfect. The first half was a little bit unclear in some parts to understand what exactly is going on, but the second half makes everything fall into place and it’s superior to the first half. It becomes clear what is happening. It touches on themes of racism and colonialism adding humour to a serious subject and talks about people’s ambitions to be successful until that takes over their behaviour, reactions and way of life. It also speaks about power. The crew along with the actor worked hard. It’s easy to tell that they rehearsed for a long time and he did a really good job to learn these long lines. The props are well used, and the set has an ideal design that works well with the performance. A good and interesting play to watch. It will make you laugh and have a great night out. THE WOLF OF POYAIS Starring Joz Norris Written by Sam Went Directed by Hector Laszio Cosmetatos Produced by Elsie Watkinson GOLDEN GOOSE THEATRE 21-25 October 2025 Tues - Sat | 7:00pm Sat | 3:00pm BLUEBAR PRODUCTIONS https://www.goldengoosetheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-wolf-of-poyais-featuring-joz-norris?book=yes Brief bio of reviewer: Laura Mobilia is an Argentinian- Italian theatre maker, actor and writer based in London. She holds a master’s degree in Performing Arts from the National University of the Arts in Buenos Aires and has trained extensively in theatre and musical theatre. In 2010, she founded a production company in Argentina

‘much to admire, especially the well-choreographed fight scenes’ A large cast for this spooky show set in a monastery, with plenty of thrills, twists and action to keep the audience engaged. Five people enter into a deserted gothic building having received mysterious invitations, which leaves them curious to know what to expect. Some of them believe it’s part of a game and others that it is a ritual. Only one of them, Evelyn (Phoenix Benham) knows the truth because she is already possessed by Lucien (Dragos Bejanaru), the leader of dark hooded creatures. All five guests are made to face their demons in a ritual, but their worst nightmare dawns when they discover that they cannot leave, unless one of them agrees to sacrifice themselves. What happens next includes some neat twists in this two act production. Although there is much to admire, the show doesn’t quite come off because it sits between two styles of theatre, the melodramatic and the deeply naturalistic. It’s best in its more emotional scenes when the writing and the acting comes into its own. The actors all have much ability and embody their characters with aplomb. Benham is gorgeously expressive, and well matched by Tom Highmore as the charismatic boyfriend, Caleb. Sebastian Scott has a wonderful speech as the brother and Simon Bond adds contrast to the other cast members as Father Elias. Whilst not mentioning all the actors, individually, particular praise must be given to the extremely well-choreographed fight scenes (Tom Highmore, Dominic Quinn and Joshua Richardson) Unfortunately, there are a number of strange directorial and design choices. The opening voice over asking the audience to switch off their mobile phones and to impress upon them that anyone filming the show will be removed from the auditorium, doesn’t really need to be in an ‘evil’ pantomime voice. It adds nothing the show. Neither does the amateur looking backdrop with an image of the interior of a monastery. Something rather more imaginative, might work better. The sound track in the first act and for part of the second act, was too loud and meant that the audience had to strain to hear the actors. Another problem is managing the large cast, at times some of them were standing around with little to do. Some of these things are an easy fix and other need further work. Overall, the main worry is that Benham is director, writer and also places herself as the central character. The show could benefit from an outside eye. Whilst Benham has no shortage of talent it is too much to expect a single person to bring the insight needed to enable a show to reach its full potential. BOX OFFICE https://www.citizenticket.com/events/etcetera-theatre/the-summoned/ Creatives - Phoenix Benham (writer/producer/director), Ermelinda Luisa (Stage manager/Assistant Director), Byron Horne (Sound & Lighting Technician). Cast - Dragos Bejanaru as Lucien Phoenix Benham as Evelyn Tom Highmore as Caleb Simon Bond as Father Elias Dominic Quinn as Victor Katy Bevan as Maya Joshua Richardson as Dorian Marsha Bevan as Poppy Shannon Diggins as Mother/Hooded Figure Sebastian Scott as Brother/Hooded Figure

‘Thoughtful take on a timeless but tricky classic’ ★★★ ½  Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic masterpiece has been adapted many times for film and theatre although it comes with challenges. How do you present a monster in human form, created by an inventor and make it realistic? Andrew Hobbs’s quite pleasing take on it often feels very faithful to the novel in that some of the dialogue is pure Shelley. On the other hand he develops the plot in a new way by making Frankenstein female (Megan Carter - strong) which interestingly changes the relationship with her creation. That make it feel appropriately feminist since it was Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft who wrote the seminally feminist A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792. At its heart, though, the novel and this stage version of it explore the nature of humanity and that feels completely timeless. Although the created creature (Paul Winterford – excellent) learns to speak articulately and to express human needs, everyone he (it?) meets struggles to regard him as fully human. We start aboard Prometheus where the crew are battling against dangerous ice. When Victoria Frankenstein is rescued and brought aboard she tells Captain Robert Walton (Maximillian L’Olive) her story. After the interval it’s the Creature who narrates. Stories within stories are hard to do on stage but this production more or less carries it off. It’s a cast of six, one of whom - Alistair Smith - provides almost continuous, atmospheric keyboard music which he has composed. He also contributes occasional small roles from his position in the corner. Carter and the Creature remain in role but the other three multi-role and it’s unusually effective because they help each other seamlessly in and out of costumes as they morph from character to character. Alice Gold is outstanding as a gruff sailor, Victoria’s sister, a county girl who befriends the Creature, a Scottish doctor and more. She is always convincing in her versatility. Luke Adamson’s lighting design ably supports the action with lots of disturbing shadows in what is technically quite a busy production. By the end one is indeed persuaded that this is “a place mankind should never go” which is really the whole point. Frankenstein Adapted from Mary Shelley by Andrew and David Hobbs Directed by Andrew Hobbs British Touring Shakespeare Bridge House Theatre, Penge BOX OFFICE https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/frankenstein/

‘a masterful composition that transcends narrative’ ★★★★★ There is a person, suspended on stage with red strings — an image that evokes a piece of modern art. At first glance, it feels conceptual, almost like an installation. Then the performance begins. What we witness is a repetition of walking — but wait, it’s not just walking. It is breath. The breath that creates movement, that dictates rhythm, that carries the dancers forward. They walk one and two, but there is always something in between — a hidden pulse, an unseen heartbeat that blurs the boundary between step and stillness. They breathe to walk, they breathe to row, they breathe to step. Each jump is not an act of flight, but the natural consequence of a deeper step into the ground. It is the story of a people adrift on water, yet rooted firmly in the earth. The mesmerising repetition of walking unfolds into a quiet symphony of breath — breath that generates sound, movement, and even the illusion of circus-like feats, all governed by an invisible pulse. The traditional timbre of Paiwan song becomes the final touch, like a cherry atop this profoundly human orchestration. Even without knowing the historical context of the Mudan shipwreck that inspired the piece, the work itself feels like a celebration of endurance and survival. It is a masterful composition that transcends narrative. Regardless of this extraordinary performance, I must note — as a viewer with hearing sensitivity — that the overweening noise from one or two audience members who shouted persistently after the show made me leave the auditorium, missing the Q&A. Such sudden, uncontrolled sound excludes audience members with hearing conditions like mine and undermines both our viewing experience and the performers’ effort. Celebration can take many forms — applause, ovation, or silence — but true respect lies in awareness as much as enthusiasm. The film version of bulabulay mun? Is featured in Dance Umbrella’s digital programme, more information available here https://danceumbrella.co.uk/event/tjimur-dance-theatre-bulabulay-mun-film/

‘One can sense the passion behind the project supported by a large creative team.’ ★★★ A highly political play, though not overtly, is set in Moscow 1956, under the Stalin regime. Resistance and uprising led by a group of young rebels called the Stilyagi made waves in the underground world. Their forms? Creative expressions in dance and movement to American Jazz music. Led by Bob, a medical student smuggling western rhythms by carving grooves onto X-Ray films, the stilyagi defied the oppressive regime and would go at any length to preserve their freedom of expression. Or would they? There is a saying that the grass is always greener on the other side. Mels, an officer from the Stalin regime, played by Andrii Zamiatin is attracted to the free spirited stilyagi member, Polly (Anastasia Aush). But little does he know that his colleague Katya, played by Olga Pipechamka, has been developing feelings for him. Another stilyagi member, Fred, played by Max Taptygin, is in a relationship with Betsy (Vera Raskina) and wants to travel to America, alone. But he soon found out that life in America is not as bright as he expected. The Bob character played by Arseniy Cassidy was the one who seemed to stand his ground, costing him an arrest and detention. Boogie on the bones is performed by the ensemble cast of six actors-musicians-dancers, all multi-rolling between characters from the stilyagi gang and officers of the Stalin regime. Four statues like characters of politicians from the Communist regime are created using coat stands with grey coats, topped by moulded head masks of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin (MELS). In contrast, the bright neon clothes and colourful ties of some the stilyagi members, much ahead of their times for being reminiscent of the 1980s fashion disco era in the western world, represented acts of rebellion in Soviet Moscow. Transition between multitude of scenes was aided by the variation of blocking of chairs on stage, the special sound effects, flashing lights, neon and red lighting creating an underground and intimate atmosphere. And of course jazz music, played as recorded and live music, accompanying swing and rock and roll dance. Written by Daria Besedina and directed by Sofia Barysevich, Boogie on the Bones is based on true events surrounding the Stilyagi subculture in the post WWII in the Soviet Union. There is even a movie about Stilyagi of the same name, made about those young rebels who dare to rise up against their oppressors. The Slavic theatre company WITHINTHEATRE’s production is quite an ambitious project to put on in the fringe theatre scale. There were some confusing untidy scenes however one can sense the passion behind the project supported by a large creative team and the six cast members, all with lived experience of a totalitarian regime. With a final display on a digital screen: ‘The songs featured in the show were composed by Russian musicians who are now banned in Russia’ this musical theatre piece seems to be as much a tribute to fellow countrymen as it is an attempt at presenting the Russian culture to a western world. Boogie on the bones is played at Omnibus Theatre until 25 October 2025 and at The Cockpit Theatre from 1st to 7th December 2025. BOX OFFICE https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/ Review by Melanie Lam Written by Daria Besedina Directed by Sofia Barysevich Venue: Omnibus Theatre Photography: Varvara Burtseva

“Satire with Stetsons; a rollicking romp for movie geeks” ★★★  With laughs thin on the ground, anyone interested in films, Westerns or comedy might want to get themselves down to Walthamstow’s Ye Old Rose and Crown for something of an epic endeavour. Seven Magnificent Egos, The Making of the Magnificent Seven is a behind the scenes look at the pre-production, production, and post-production of one of Hollywood’s most beloved Westerns. It’s satire with Stetsons; a rollicking romp for movie geeks. In 1960, Yul Brynner, he of the gleaming pate, wished to direct. His pal, Greek actor, Antony Quinn had seen a Japanese movie called The Seven Samurai and between them, they cooked up a Western inspired by Kurosawa’s art house classic. But when the money people came in, Walter Mirisch of the Mirisch Company, Quinn found himself ousted and would go on to sue. This was just the first of many obstacles and conflicts the film faced, not to mention the constant ego-jousting and jostling of the star cast. There are many laugh out loud moments in this surreal caper: pure absurd silliness such as the many Mexican extras bought in (the film was shot in Mexico) and piles of comedic film references for the buffs in the audience. Also, spotting the contemporary parallels is fun, such as the discussion about individuals being cast because of their existing “followings.” And the one about who should be paid should the film be screened on TV (“Who wants to watch a film twice?!”) which resonates as creatives work to renegotiate their rights in an age of Artificial Intelligence. It’s a great vehicle for the cast and there are some strong performances. Toby Watts as the German actor, Horst Buchholtz – constantly mispronounced as Horse Butthole – is hilarious. Paul McLaughlin as Walter Mirish, the Yes Can Do producer, gives Stanley Tucci a run for his money, and Manos Koutsis, the imperious Yul Brynner, is fond of standing around with a thousand-yard stare, hands on hips. Rose Kaur, the only female cast member, multi-roles as a bride, various actresses, secretaries, and a banging Mexican censor. It’s clearly written and signposted, so even with such a large cast, it’s possible to keep up with who’s who and what’s happening when. This has been a labour of love by writer and director, Lance Steen Antony Neilson, who first wrote the play eight years ago and would watch Westerns as a kid, but the danger of passion projects is that every bit of them can become precious. It could be shorter, more disciplined, and tightly edited; it currently runs at two hours and includes a fifteen-minute interval. This is longer than most pub theatre shows, but while it could be shorter, I’m not sure if it could be any sharper. SEVEN MAGNIFICENT EGOS The Making of the Magnificent Seven at Ye Olde Rose and Crown, Walthamstow 15 – 19 October 2025 BOX OFFICE https://www.yeolderoseandcrowntheatrepub.co.uk/whats-on/7-magnificent-egos Produced by Simon Berry & Lance S A Nielsen Written & Directed by Lance Steen Anthony Nielsen