Tezza's Theatre Place

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/195750/review-the-soul-of-wittgenstein-the-omnibus-theatre/ Wittgenstein: Richard Stemp and Ben Woodhall- Photographer Lidia Crisafulli When looking for a profound opening statement to a review, it’s not often I delve into the world of musical theatre. But this quote from  The King and I  immediately sprang to mind as being very appropriate to  The Soul of Wittgenstein  which has opened the Omnibus Theatre. The quote goes – “If you become a teacher, by your pupils you’ll be taught”, and it fits the bill perfectly. Late 1941 and a middle-aged man – real name Ludwig Wittgenstein (Richard Stemp) – is getting ready for work. He is unhurried in his preparations and meticulously irons each item of clothing before putting it on. We move now to Guys Hospital where, in a private room, a young man by the name of John Smith (Ben Woodhall) is lying in bed. He is joined by Ludwig dressed in a porter’s jacket and here to administer John’s ...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/173595/review-the-investigation-the-bread-and-roses-theatre/ You probably know that following the end of the Second World War, the victorious allies prosecuted senior members of the Nazi hierarchy in a series of trials at the Nazi Party’s spiritual home in Nuremberg. What you may not know is that in the 1960s there were more war crime trials – specifically around events that happened in Auschwitz – and these form the basis of Peter Weiss’ new play  The Investigation  which I saw at the Bread & Roses Theatre in Clapham. There didn’t appear to be a plot as such to this production and, I have to admit, I was a little sceptical of where it was going after the opening sequence. Whilst I do not necessarily think that Donald Trump and Theresa May are the best leaders of their respective country, I’m not sure that lumping them in with Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe, and Adolph Hitler was entirely appropriate or relevant. However, once this openin...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/171182/review-dirty-butterfly-bread-and-roses-theatre/ There was a period in construction where, probably in an effort to reduce costs and increase profit, builders seemed to put up the thinnest walls possible between buildings. This was great for them but not necessarily seen as a positive aspect of the build for the people living there. Normally the sound that permeated through the walls would be fairly low level, almost like a constant background hum, but sometimes the level of noise would become highly intrusive and it would be impossible not to know exactly was going on with them next door. Welcome to the world of Debbie Tucker Green’s  Dirty Butterfly  at the Bread & Roses Theatre, Clapham. Amelia (Rachel Clarke) and Jason (Andy Umerah) live either side of Jo (Rebecca Pryle) and her husband. Thanks to the thinness of the walls between the properties, Amelia and Jason can hear everything that occurs between Jo and her other ha...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/169127/spiral-free-rayne-artists-bread-and-roses-theatre/ Omar Khan and Stephanie Pezolano in REFUGE – Photo credit: Olivia Rose New writing always excites me and one of my favourite theatrical nights is when I am invited to see some new work which is either complete or being tested out. So, you can imagine I was happy to head back to the Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham to see the latest such night, Spiral presented by Free Rayne Artists. The evening started with  Baby Girl Productions  written by Colette Lewis and directed by Leanne Pettit. In a London office, a mother, Joe (Philippa Robson) is waiting nervously with her daughter Izzy (Stephanie Manton). They are there for Izzy’s audition in front of music svengali Nathan (Malcolm Jeffries) after Izzy was spotted in a talent competition in her home town of Hull. While Izzy is the talent – possibly as we never get to hear her sing – Nathan is more interested in her mother – a real M...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/154832/review-day-job-fanny-pack-theatre-bread-and-roses-theatre/ Day Job – Photo by Minglu Wang Most people have a secret ambition to be something other than who they are. In my own case, I would love to be a professional theatre reviewer, working for one of the great daily papers and getting paid lots of money to go and watch theatre every night. Until that happens, I still need to live and so, like lots of people I have a  Day Job  which coincidentally is the name of the latest production from Fanny Pack Theatre and which is currently playing at the Bread and Roses in Clapham. Day Job  is made up of a group of individuals with interlinked stories of women in their workplace. The linkage is provided by the fact that they all at some point get the same, rather crowded, bus and interact with the driver – someone everyone seems to underestimate dismissing her with the words “what do you know, you’re just a bus driver”. The stori...