Tezza's Theatre Place

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/167339/twelfth-night-the-national-theatre-review/ Twelfth Night –  image by Marc Brenner Directors love playing around with Shakespeare. There is something in the stories he wrote and the language he used which gives so many of his plays the flexibility to be staged in weird and wonderful ways. I’ve seen Othello set in the world of corporate banking,  Romeo and Juliet , played out amid the background of the miners’ strike and  A Midsummer Night’s Dream  moved to a voodoo influenced New Orleans. So, when I was offered the chance to see the new production of  Twelfth Night  at the National, I leapt at it. Off the coast of ancient Illyria a boat is floundering. Aboard the ship are fraternal twins Viola (Tamara Lawrance) and Sebastian (Daniel Ezra) who, get separated as the ship goes down. Each is rescued by a member of the crew, Viola by the Captain (James Wallace) and Sebastian by Antonio (Adam Best). Separately, they...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/167288/sorry-i-killed-your-cat-lost-fragments-productions-review/ There are two things in theatre that are very difficult to get right. The first is farce, defined as a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations. And the second is acting drunk which is full of pitfalls for the young actor. If you would like to see an example of both of these done extremely well then get yourself down to the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton to see Lost Fragments new production  Sorry, I Killed Your Cat . In a fairly nice apartment on the fifteenth floor of a North London tower block, James (Tré Curran) is chilling out on the sofa. The apartment is nicely furnished but there is one slightly incongruous part of the decoration, a plethora of post-its on virtually every surface. James’ peach is rudely interrupted by the loud arrival of his partner Charlotte (Katherine Harts...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/167236/the-wild-party-the-other-palace-review/ Ever thrown or been to a party where things have got a little out of hand? Yep, me too. In fact, there was a certain party where……. Well, I can’t say any more because my mother sometimes reads these reviews. However, no matter what has happened at your party, it pales into insignificance compared to the shenanigans at Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe’s The Wild Party which has re-launched The Other Palace (formerly the St James Theatre) in Victoria. 1920s New York and Vaudeville performer Queenie (Frances Ruffelle) is getting bored with her relationship with fellow performer Burrs (John Owen-Jones). In an effort to calm her after one particularly nasty fight threatens to get out of hand, Burrs suggests they throw a party and invite all their old friends. This is destined to be some party and Queenie is planning to really enjoy herself and...

http://www.carnstheatrepassion.com/review-thats-jewish-entertainment/ Did you know, in the early 1940’s all the major movie studios – bar one – had one thing in common, any idea what that was? They were all headed up by a Jewish man. Now you may wonder how this came about. If you do, then get yourself along to Upstairs at the Gatehouse where Aria Entertainments are staging That’s Jewish Entertainment. This lovely revue show takes its audience on a journey spanning over a hundred years. From the mass migration of Jews in the 19th Century, from the shtetl or Eastern Europe. Onto a new dawn in the United States of America. As they travelled, the jews took their culture with them. That culture has always been steeped in music and drama. For many of the dispossessed jews arriving in the USA, entertainment became more than just a cultural thing – It became a career. From the stages of Vaudeville they exported their skill in entertainment. Fully embracing the commercial side of show busi...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/167017/a-clockwork-orange-park-theatre-review/ Did you know that as at the time of me writing this, there are over 88,000 people languishing in one of Her Majesty’s jails in the United Kingdom. According to the Home Office, the cost of keeping one prisoner in jail is just over £33,000 per year. Multiply the first figure by the second and that’s a lot of money that could be spent on other things. It’s no wonder that rehabilitation is one of the main purposes of the penal system. So, if you are, for example, Minister of the Interior and a doctor comes to you with a bold new treatment that is guaranteed to reform any prison inmate and within two weeks make them a safe, member of society, able to be released once more into the world then you would give it a try wouldn’t you? This is the backbone of Action the Word’s award-winning production of  A Clockwork Orange  which has just opened at The Park Theatre. Based on Anthony Burgess’ novel of...

http://www.carnstheatrepassion.com/south-afreakins/ In most patriarchal societies, it is taken as fact that the men rule the proverbial roost. Of course, the truth is totally different. The reality is that in most heterosexual couples, whilst the main believes he holds the power, the woman knows that she does. For example, when a chap retires, he may think he is going to potter about, a bit of gardening, some golf, a few jars with his mates. But many a wife will have made plans for his retirement well in advance of the day it actually happens. If you don’t believe me, then go check out Robyn Paterson’s one woman show  The South Afreakins  at the Vault Festival. Gordon and Helene are having a problem. All the lights in their house seem to have gone off at once. Helene is agitated whilst Gordon seems quite calm and in control. Eventually, they manage to get some illumination working and the two of them settle down. Gordon to read his paper and enjoy his first day of retirem...