WHAT'S ON at THE HOPE THEATRE
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TOP PICK
16 APR - 4 MAY
7:45PM
IN EVERGLADE STUDIO
£10 PREVIEWS/£13/£16
writer
NATHANIEL BRIMMER-BELLER
director
NATHANIEL BRIMMER-BELLER & PHOEBE ROWELL JOHN
In 1974 London, three musicians and their manager seal themselves inside an underground recording studio to complete a country-rock album, unaware that materials in the walls are driving them to the brink of insanity.
As artistic and social tensions flare, the atmosphere grows thornier, the music grows stranger, and Everglade Studio’s mixture of creativity and claustrophobia demands its pound of flesh.
Black Bat Productions returns with this ferocious comedic thriller by Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller and with original music by Brimmer-Beller and Aveev Isaacson. This electric new production follows a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer (★★★★★ ‘an intelligently constructed masterpiece’ – The Student, ★★★★★ ‘fierce and intense’ – Butterwort, ★★★★ ‘tuneful, tense and entertaining… Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller’s most impressive piece to date’ – AllEdinburgh Theatre).
28 & 29 APR
7:45PM
THE KING OF HOLLYWOOD
£13/£16
writer
PAUL STONE
director
PAUL STONE
Before Tom Cruise, Cary Grant or Clark Gable, Douglas Fairbanks was the King Of Hollywood!
Now virtually forgotten, Doug was a remarkable actor and gifted visionary. Alongside his wife Mary Pickford and his best friend Charlie Chaplin, he is responsible for the movie industry as we know it today. Doug single-handedly invented the action movie and was instrumental in the creation of the Oscars, Beverley Hills and even Batman! The King Of Hollywood tells the story of his rise and fall which is more astonishing than any movie!
Writer and director Paul Stone (‘His writing is hugely effecting’ – britishtheatre.com) tells the amazing true
story of the first and greatest of Hollywood legends. Gerardo Cabal brings Doug to life in this moving and funny (almost) one man show. Simon Lawrence plays… see if you can work it out!
7 - 11 MAY
7:45PM
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
£10 PREVIEW/£13/£16
writer
CHESS HAYDEN
director
CHESS HAYDEN
'A joyous farce'
THE REVIEWS HUB
Dylan and Lucy are best friends and housemates, but the fallout of a tragic accident causes the trajectory of their relationship to descend into unexpected chaos.
As the situation escalates and the stakes get higher, they use the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to make some life-changing decisions; but when your choices directly affect the outcome of a game, how much of it is ever really left up to chance?
Born from a short sketch created during the 2020 lockdown and now developed into an independent full-length production, this is a comedy of errors with a twist. Written and Directed by Chess Hayden, Rock, Paper, Scissors is a farcical thriller exposing the rawness of human nature; involving friends, lovers…and possible manslaughter.
14 MAY - 1 JUN
7:45PM
TAKING A LOVE PILL AT THE END OF THE WORLD
£10 PREVIEWS/£13/£16
writer
SAM SMITHSON
director
SAM SMITHSON
company
NOT QUITE READY
There’s no future for Igg and Tom.
Couples therapy is going nowhere.
Environmental disaster is looming.
Is the only option to take a pill and fall in love?
‘I had this realisation that the world is about to end. That the fire is here to engulf us all. That our baby isn’t going to have a chance, that she never had a chance.’
Taking A Love Pill at the End of the World is a play about existing at the end. What would you do when faced with the destruction of everything? Is love the solution? It’s time for Igg and Tom to decide; take a pill prescribed by their therapist to fall in love, or separate and try to find happiness elsewhere.
There’s no time to have regrets.
Not Quite Ready’s new play is a snappy two-hander that promises live cooking and apocalyptic visions. The end of the world could be days away.
19 & 20 MAY
7:45PM
ABSOLUTE CRISIS
£13/£16
writer
BRI MALAIKA & ANNALENA LIPINSKI
company
MOON & SUN THEATRE
What box do I belong to? Do I need to put myself into a box? And who defines my box? And even if I put myself in a box, will others put me in the same one? This is an ABSOLUTE CRISIS!
Miya and Claire are two young adults in their early twenties, and they have just moved to London. Miya is confused about her sexual identity. Why is she always labelled heterosexual when she isn’t, or is she? Claire is confused about their gender identity. What if Claire is not a woman? What then? And what if people still call them a woman? Sounds like Miya and Claire are perfect flatmates!
Absolute Crisis was created by Moon & Sun Theatre (Bri Malaika and Annalena Lipinski) to explore queer identity struggles and the phenomenon of ‘box thinking’ through poetry, live music, movement and projections. The show includes interactive moments, inviting audiences to actively reflect upon box thinking.
Will Miya and Claire be able to see through this mess? And can they help each other?
4 - 8 JUN
7:45PM
RACHEL
£10 PREVIEW/£13/£16
writer
FRANÇOIS LOCKHART
director
FRANÇOIS LOCKHART
‘During my lunch break, I stay at my desk. The only thing I hate more than wasting my time is wasting time realising that I’ve wasted my time’
Meet Rachel, a career-driven force navigating the ruthless currents of the corporate world. Juggling roles, she excels at her job and ticks society’s boxes for success. Yet, beneath the polished exterior, Rachel grapples with the incongruities of her life. The pursuit of success, comfort, and validation unravels as Rachel confronts her own authenticity. The narrative unfolds against a backdrop of modern-day paradoxes, exploring themes of love, identity, and societal expectations.
Rachel is a comic, raunchy one-woman monologue that questions our choices in the face of social pressure and global challenges.
‘My work doesn’t necessarily make a positive impact on the planet but it pays for the Louboutin so what are you gonna do?’
Performed by LAMDA graduate Clara Courty-Zanca.
We are very proud to announce that LONDON PUB THEATRES MAGAZINE is now an OFFIE AWARD WINNING publication
A ONEOFF Special Award has been awarded to London Pub Theatres Magazine and Editor Heather Jeffery for providing a vital forum for highlighting the excellent work that happens in rooms in pubs, with sensitive editing, and an acute sense of the importance of tiny fringe venues to the health and development of British Theatre