Tezza's Theatre Place

Vulvarine (c) Lidia Crisafulli I’m not really much of a comic book fan. Having said that, I do know many of the characters that inhabit the Marvel and DC worlds. In fact, I could probably put together an alphabet of superheroes from Captain America, through to Professor X. But, how many on that list would be female? Probably not a lot. There is definitely a higher ratio of male to female superheroes in the comic book universe. However, that ratio has now changed thanks to Fat Rascal Theatre and their creation  Vulvarine , who has flown into the King’s Head Theatre this week. High Wycombe is a boring town where nothing ever happens. This is particularly true for tax clerk Bryony Buckle (Allie Munro) who, after saying goodbye to her cat, Elton, spends her working day at the desk she shares with her best friend Poppy (Katie Wells) thinking about lunch and dreaming about her co-worker Orson Bloom (Jamie Mawson). Then two events happen to change Bryony’s life. First, Orson asks her...

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Brexit – photo by Steve Ullathorne Back in 2016, the then Prime Minister thought it would be a good idea to ask the British public the following question “ Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? ” After a hard fought battle, 52% (of the electorate that voted) voted to leave the EU and this has dominated everyone’s life ever since. I have seen a couple of plays about the effects of the referendum, and most of them are very slanted in one particular way. So, when I was asked to go and see Robert Khan and Tom Salinsk’s  Brexit  at the King’s Head, I set off prepared for a seventy-five-minute ear bashing on how the UK was going to hell in a handcart because of the referendum. It’s been six years since the referendum and the country is still in the Brexit transition period. The conservative government have jettisoned their leader and Adam Masters (Timothy Bentinck) is the new Prime Minister charged with completing the EU wi...

The Unbuilt City: Sandra Dickinson (Claudia) and Jonathan Chambers (Jonah) – Photo by PND Photography People keep secrets. They keep things from their nearest and dearest, their friends, random members of the public. They also have a tendency to keep things. When my grandmother died and we were clearing the house, we found every utility bill she had ever received kept in a folder in her desk. I mention this because the idea of keeping secrets and things is at the heart of Keith Bunin’s one-act play,  The Unbuilt City  which is getting its European premiere at the King’s Head Theatre The story takes place in the Brooklyn Heights townhouse of Claudia (Sandra Dickinson), a reclusive socialite. It’s a cold February and she is welcoming a visitor in the shape of Jonah (Jonathan Chambers) a young man on a mission, He has two things on his mind. One finding out if Claudia has certain, almost mythical, item in her possession and two, if she has it, convincing her to part with it....

Left to Right: Eleri Jones, Isaura Barbé-Brown The concept of robots has been around for thousands of years. Basically, since humans first learned how to work, they started thinking about ways of getting out of it by having some device do the work for them. Since then, technology has moved on and these days, either directly or indirectly, robots are a part of our lives. Already, there is a hotel in Japan staffed with robots and how long will it be before we get our automated friends to do everything that we would rather not? A question that is examined in Nessah Muthy’s one-act play  Sex With Robots and Other Devices , part of the Sex Season at the King’s Head Theatre. The show – performed by Isaura Barbé-Brown, Deshaye Gale and Eleri Jones – sees a future where ordering a totally realistic sex robot is as easy as getting a takeaway delivered. Each scene shows the interaction of human or humans with their own personal robot, and we get an idea as to why they have decided to go ...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/197480/review-ballistic-kings-head-theatre/ Ballistic: Jack – Photo by Tom Packer Did you know, in the first 60 days of 2018, there have been 18 gun-related incidents in American High Schools? Now that’s a lot. Every year, someone goes on the rampage in a school, a park, at their work or out of a hotel window. It’s become so commonplace now that, whilst we are shocked by the images on the news, we still watch them as part of our evening’s viewing. Afterwards, the politicians and pressure groups come out with their standard cliches and the perpetrator joins the long list of such people – normally described as a loner with a love of porn and video games – who we sort of forget, unless their name comes up in a pub quiz. The reality is we never entirely know the person themselves or their motivation for doing what they did. The same cannot be said of the vengeful lad in Alex Packer’s show  Ballistic  at the King’s Head Theatre. Him, we get t...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/191300/review-fat-rascal-theatres-beauty-the-beast-kings-head-theatre/ Beauty and the Beast It has often been thought that in a play, boys will be boys and girls will be girls. There are male roles and female roles. The truth is of course that the theatre is full of gender-swapping roles and often to great effect – Tamzin Greig (Malvolio) in Twelfth Night? But, what happens when you take a much-loved show and swap every role, so the men are now women and the women are now men? Well, if you want to find out, then nippety-pop to the King’s Head Theatre where Fat Rascal Theatre are presenting  Beauty and the Beast . In a castle out in the woods, a beautiful but imperious princess (Robyn Grant) spurns an old beggar man seeking assistance. Upset by this, the beggar reveals himself to be an enchanter and curses the princess and all within her palace. The castle inhabitants (Aaron Dart, Allie Munro and Katie Wells) become furniture and crockery...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/190167/king-tut-a-pyramid-panto-kings-head-theatre/ Walk like Egyptian. Photo William Knight Have you ever tried to explain to someone that isn’t from the UK what a pantomime is and why it is such a part of the Christmas celebration? Obviously, if you are talking to an American, it’s fairly easy. Point at the White House and they will get the concept of pantomime very quickly. Given a conversation I had recently, it’s not that easy to get the concept over. So, my advice is to forget trying to explain and take your interlocutor to the King’s Head where Charles Court opera are putting on their Christmas pantomime  King Tut . Egypt 1922 and explorer Howard Carter (Matt R J Ward) is looking for the tomb of Tutankhamun. His party consists of Lord Conniving (John Savournin/Matthew Kellett) who is financing the expedition, and is attending along with his ward Evelyn (Francesca Fenech). There are also a couple of locals in the shape a Porter (Phili...

https://www.lastminutetheatretickets.com/londonwestend/review-boys-in-the-buff-the-concert-kings-head-theatre/ Boys in the Buff – The Concert Sit back, relax and take a moment to imagine the perfect body. How it looks in daylight, at night time, in various different sets of clothes and, of course, undressed. Now, open your eyes and compare your fantasy with your own body. Unless your name is Narcissus, the chances are there will be some differences between dream body and real body. All of us get upset with our bodies about something. Too short, too tall, too slim, too fat, etc and this is the message that is at the heart of  Boys in the Buff – The Concert  which is enjoying a limited run at the King’s Head Theatre. Boys in the Buff – The Concert  isn’t a play or anything sensible like that. Instead , it is a really fun evening of entertainment, song, dance and jokes all hosted by the wonderful Miss Diana Diamonte (Shani Cantor) who, with the help of her boys – Phil ...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/180877/review-outlaws-to-in-laws-kings-head-theatre/ Outlaws to In-Laws 70 years is, according the bible, the amount of time that a person has on earth – Psalm 90, verse 10: “ The days of our years are three score and ten. ” Of course, in reality, people often live much longer. But, over the course of seven decades its amazing how much the world in which we live can change and this is the central message of  Outlaws to In-Laws  which is part of the centrepiece of the King’s Head Theatre’s Queer Festival 17. Outlaws to In-Laws  is not a single play but is an evening comprising of seven plays by individual authors, each taking place in a separate decade between the 1950s and 2010s. The first,  Happy and Glorious  by Philip Meeks take place on the day of the Queen’s coronation in 1953. In a ‘gentleman’s club’ overlooking Westminster Abbey, Edward (Alex Marlow) and Peter (Elliot Balchin) are welcoming a new member in the shap...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/178769/review-of-coming-clean-at-the-kings-head-theatre/ Jason Nwoga, Elliot Hadley & Lee Knight in COMING CLEAN. Credit Paul Nicholas Dyke Relationships used to be so easy. Two people met, fell in love, moved in together and remained faithful to each other through the rest of their lives. Of course, this is utter balderdash and in reality, relationships can be quite complicated with monogamous, open, polyamorous to name but three. The important thing in maintaining a relationship is, so we are told, to be honest and communicate with each other. But, is it really? The subject is explored in Kevin Elyot’s play  Coming Clean , a 35th-year-anniversary revival, as the headline of the Queer Season at the King’s Head Theatre. It’s 1982 and in a flat in Kentish Town two friends are comparing their previous night. William (Elliot Hadley) is recounting his exploits after he left best friend Tony (Lee Knight) to go off with some ‘trade’ he had pic...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/170476/review-2-become-1-kings-head-theatre/ 2 Become 1 (c) The Other Richard Everyone has their favourite musical age. For me, as a child of the sixties and being a bit of a late starter, popular music reached its zenith in 1984 and has been going downhill ever since. For the newer generation then the nineties were where the music happened and, if you fancy learning about love, girl power and the music of the nineties then I would heartily recommend you get yourself along to the King’s Head Theatre and see  2 Becomes 1 Jess (Natasha Granger) is in her old dressing gown and crying like there is no tomorrow. In fact, for Jess, it feels like there really will be no tomorrow as she has just split from her boyfriend. Luckily, rather like Bridget Jones, Jess has a strong support network round her and after leaving countless supportive messages on her answerphone, the gang decide it’s time to do something about her situation. Jess’ friends make a...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/169539/the-chemsex-monologues-the-kings-head-theatre-review/ The Chemsex Monologues at the King’s Head Theatre. Photo by Mark Douet Some of you may have heard of an app called Grindr. It is a social app for gay men that enables them to chat and arrange to meet up. Okay, it may be a bit more than that but once again I must remember my mother reads these things. Anyway, if I was to download it and switch it on now, two things would become apparent very quickly. The first is that a lot of people take really bad photographs which seem to cut off their heads and the second is that the world is divided into those that say ‘chems OK’ and those that say ‘No Chems’. Being firmly on the ‘No Chems’ side, it is interesting to delve, if only briefly, on the other. Such an opportunity is available as Patrick Cash’s play  The Chemsex Monologues  makes a welcome return to the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. As the title suggests,  The Chemsex M...