In BLACK WOMEN DATING WHITE MEN, Somebody Jones offers insights into the world of love, dating and marriage through the eyes of five Black women interviewed about their experiences of being in long term relationships with white men. Beginning with a specific recent experience and then developing tangential discussion from there, the piece is engaging... Continue Reading →
Just in the nick of time, I’m marking the last few hours of Pride Month with a look at of some of the best theatre productions I’ve seen which celebrate and explore LGBTQ+ stories, characters, history and culture. From accosting social commentary to joyous sequin-clad drag queens to moving takes on body dysmorphia and transgender... Continue Reading →
Friday 6th March 2020 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Alone in Berlin comes to the stage as Alistair Beaton’s translation and adaptation of Hans Fallada’s 1947 novel Every Man Dies Alone. Set in wartime Berlin as the Gestapo roam the streets with menace, the story is one which builds on details of the life and... Continue Reading →
Saturday 22nd February 2020 at the National Theatre, London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Welkin is a fantastic example of past and present colliding. Lucy Kirkwood’s new play offers harsh realities, intelligent light relief and dramatic revelations to leave craters in the stage. Educating and entertaining as much as it interrogates and grips, we are presented with shifting... Continue Reading →
Monday 23rd February 2020 at Leeds Playhouse (Bramall Rock Void). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Evelyn (Judith Jacob) is lighting candles on a Birthday cake when a ring of the doorbell brings Jackie (Penny Layden) out from the cold and into the fire as it were, placing her centre stage in a living room which periodically doubles as courtroom. ... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 11th February 2020 at Harrogate Theatre (Studio). ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Doubt and shadows do indeed pervade this interesting piece from Gill Mcvey who writes, directs and stars as the daughter of a mother lost to dementia and a husband lost to an abrupt, unexpected end. Now living with her father and greeted daily by a warmly... Continue Reading →
Thursday 21st November 2019 at Leeds Playhouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘... this is the story of how a woman took revenge through her art to become one of the most successful painters of her generation.’ It’s True, It’s True, It’s True tells a tale of old in a dynamic, brilliantly modern production, balancing uncomfortable truths with comic... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 20th November 2019 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Laura Ann Price’s set design for Hello and Goodbye gives us a crystal clear vision of what’s to come as soon as seats are taken - our first glimpse of Athol Fugard’s world is ramshackle and void. Walls are incomplete with jagged edges. Colour is muted.... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 19th November 2019 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Toast is a coming of age tale with plenty of heart and...food. If the old adage about food being the key to many a heart is true, then this play shows us that process - and not just the positives either. Nigel Slater’s tale of growing... Continue Reading →
Saturday 2nd November 2019 at the National Theatre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys is a pretty excellent creation. It’s fascinating in its approach to plucking the rotten fruit of history and placing it before us while simultaneously providing us with a very recognisable and relatable dynamic. In this instance however, the rather... Continue Reading →
