Written in the early 1920s this, I believe, was the first of Coward’s plays to tackle serious issues and must have been quite a shock for audiences used to his slightly flippant, brittle and frivolous style. It was also a shock to the Lord Chamberlain who wanted it banned as it was too unpleasant, dealing,… Continue reading The Vortex
Month: May 2023
Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize
The 2023 Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize is open for submissions. Local and international members of MMD are eligible to apply with up to two songs from a new musical or musicals from any genre of musical theatre. George Stiles and Anthony Drewe are part of the judging panel which provides feedback to… Continue reading Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize
August in England
August in England is an indictment of the ”hostile environment” policy introduced by Theresa May which saw thousands of people who had arrived in the UK as part of the Windrush generation, who then automatically had British citizenship, deported or threatened with deportation because they didn’t have passports or the “right” documentation. It not only wrecked… Continue reading August in England
Sensory Symposium marks 10 years of Frozen Light
UK company for adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities Frozen Light is marking its tenth year and celebrating its appointment as an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation with a special symposium. Taking place later this month in Norwich, the Sensory Symposium aims to share knowledge and practice in this growing sector and is open to theatre-makers, programmers, academics,… Continue reading Sensory Symposium marks 10 years of Frozen Light
L’Orfeo
Abandon hope, all ye that enter the Staatsoper Hannover to see Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, directed by Silvia Costa. The legend of Orpheus and Eurydice has inspired so many poets, musicians, painters, sculptors, film directors, choreographers. Gluck, Offenbach, Cocteau, Camus, Rubens, Poussin, Corot, Anouilh, Tennessee Williams, Balanchine, Stravinsky, Poynter, Stanhope, Watts etc, etc. There have been over… Continue reading L’Orfeo
Blanket Ban
It is a particular contradiction that the nation of Malta has gay and transgender rights that rank as some of the most progressive in Europe, whilst its approach to female equality and women’s reproductive rights is so archaic as to be barbaric. Blanket Ban is a semi-documentary piece of theatre using verbatim testimony in its… Continue reading Blanket Ban
The Odyssey – The Island of The Sun
The National Theatre celebrates two anniversaries this year: the 60th of it’s founding by Laurence Olivier and the fifth of a national community initiative participatory theatre programme set up by the NT, Public Acts. The director, Emily Lim, and her colleagues wanted to produce an epic, episodic story “of endurance, resilience… finding a way of keeping… Continue reading The Odyssey – The Island of The Sun
Vortex
Tao, tai chi and torsion might succinctly describe Russell Maliphant’s signature style. If you need to wind down, this is the show for you: mindfulness and mesmerising motion—it’s like meditating on a candle flame. Now at the beginning of his sixth decade (hard to believe), Maliphant brings much skill, study and profound knowledge of the… Continue reading Vortex
Jules and Jim
Based on the novel that was also the source for Francois Truffaut’s nouvelle vague film, Jules and Jim presents a bohemian trio of poet and novelist Jules, Austrian and Jewish French translator Jim who gets involved in theatre and Kath, a German young woman who follows her feelings. Jules and Jim meet in Paris some… Continue reading Jules and Jim
Supernova
Half of award-winning comedy double act Stiff & Kitsch, Rhiannon Neads, has added another string to her bow by writing her first play, Supernova. It is now getting a run at Clapham’s Omnibus Theatre having played just three days at this year’s VAULT Festival where it got a lot of well-deserved attention and picked up… Continue reading Supernova