Tezza's Theatre Place

King Charles III by Mike Bartlett Imagine that you have been waiting for something your entire life. That you knew, no matter what else happened in the world, your destiny was preordained and nothing could be done to change it. Then suddenly, you are catapulted into that position and you are in charge. That’s what happens to the main character in Mike Bartlett’s play  King Charles III  which has just opened at the Tower Theatre. The Queen is dead and, in accordance with tradition, the country has a new monarch in the shape of her eldest son King Charles III (Martin South). After a lifetime of waiting, the new king, supported by his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (Jo Nevin) is ready to take up the reins of monarchy and rule until it he is no more and the succession is handed on to the next generation in the shape of his eldest son Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (Dan Draper) and his popular wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Helen McGill). One of the first t...

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...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/158767/review-glockenspiel-tristan-bates-theatre/ Military life isn’t for everyone. Even in peacetime, it puts a lot of strain on not only the serviceman or woman but also their family and friends. In a time of conflict, that strain gets even more intense. This gets worse if the service man/woman doesn’t fully believe in the cause and justness of the action they are being ordered to take. However, possibly the most difficult part of military life is when it ends. After a lifetime of service, adjusting to civilian life can be traumatic, to say the least. All of these themes and more are examined in Steven Dykes  Glockenspiel  at Soho’s Tristan Bates Theatre. Glockenspiel tells the story of the funerals of three current and former members of the American armed forces. Whilst none of the deceased died on active service, they are all entitled to and receive a military funeral. At each, the Defence Department has supplied an Honour Gua...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/153624/this-house-garrick-theatre-review/ Ever thought about being an MP? I have to admit there have been times when I have. After all, the salary isn’t bad – nor is the pension – you get a nice office in central London, subsidised meals and bars, free travel to your constituency and back – first class naturally – and the work can’t be that hard can it? Well if you had been an honorable or right honourable member during the mid to late seventies, then you would have found the work very hard going indeed and nobody in parliament worked harder than the party Whips, who were trying to either prop up or destroy a government permanently on the edge of failure. Turbulent times which have been fantastically recreated in James Graham’s political drama  This House  which has just opened in the West End’s Garrick Theatre. Set in the turbulent political period between 1974 and 1979  This House  looks at the events of that time from the p...