Tezza's Theatre Place

Simon Lipkin as Martin, Laurence operated by Hugh Purves and Charlie Brooks as Tamora in All in a Row. Photograph: Nick Rutter It’s not often a play causes so much controversy – even an online petition to have it pulled – before it even opens. But this has been the case with Alex Oates’ production  All in a Row  which has received its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse. This is the story of Tam (Charlie Brooks), Martin (Simon Lipkin) and their eleven-year-old son Laurence (Hugh Purves (Puppeteer). Laurence is severely autistic. His autism is so bad that he can only communicate in a series of grunts and a form of sign language and, in addition to his parents, needs the assistance of a paid carer, Gary (Michael Fox). The parents love their son and cope with his condition in their own way. Tam is a high flying entrepreneur and motivational speaker who likes to relax with a glass of wine at the end of the day, while Martin is a stay-at-home dad who allows his mind to ...

Bad Girls – Photographer Lidia Crisafulli Ever thought about going to prison? I have to admit that there are times when the idea has quite appealed to me. No real worries, three meals a day, do an OU degree/Masters for free and get fit in the gym. Of course, that is not the reality for many and prison is often a dark, frightening and violent place best avoided at all costs. Still, there’s a fascination with the idea of prison life. Look at the various films and TV shows set in one of the world’s jails. Not to be outdone, musical theatre has its own salute to life inside in the shape of  Bad Girls: The Musical  which I have just seen at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate Village. HM Prison, Larkhill is welcoming a new inmate today. Rachel Hicks (Megan Jobling) is young, terrified and totally unsure of what is going on as she goes through prison induction under the brusque and impersonal eye of Senior Officer Sylvia “BodyBag” Hollamby (Carol Sharp) to whom, Rachel is jus...

2018 Bleach – Paris Fringe The Vault Festival continues to amaze and entertain with a whole range of shows and productions that cover every taste and interest. Virtually everything I have seen in the years I have been covering the Vault Festival has been somewhere between good and awesome – in fact, only one show comes to mind that I really didn’t like. However, occasionally there is a production that totally takes your breath away and leaves you with a profound sense of seeing – and maybe participating in – something exceptionally special. A case in point is Dan Ireland-Reeves’  Bleach  which runs at the festival until the 10th February. Tyler Everett is a lad who has a degree under his belt and has, like so many others, come to London to make his fortune. Unfortunately for Tyler, his life is not like Dick Whittington’s and he is currently living in a small – or compact and bijou in estate agent speak – bedsit. His initial entry into the employment world sees him startin...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/197698/review-fckinglifemate-bread-and-roses-theatre/ Is one’s life plan pre-ordained? It’s true that for certain people it pretty much seems to be. For example, Prince Charles, will one day be king and his son will follow him and so on. Although as Edward VIII proved, it is possible for even the Royals to get away from their allotted life. So, if the monarchy can carve a new future for themselves, maybe everyone can. Let’s hope that true for the characters in Scott James’ new play  F*ckingLifeMate  at the Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham. Told as a first-person monologue interspersed with acted scenes,  F*ckingLifeMate  is the story of Kirsty (Kelsey Short) a fifteen-year-old girl growing up on a traditional rough council estate in Thamesmead, South East London. Life is not good for the residents of this estate and the most that the majority of them have to look forward to is repeating the cycle of their parents’ lives – ...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/197345/harold-and-maude-charing-cross-theatre-review/ Harold and Maude – Bill Milner and Sheila Hancock PHOTO by Darren Bell What exactly is the relevance of age? I’m in my fifties but have good friends ranging from twenty-five to sixty. Yes, we all have different experiences of life but it is our interests that unite us. Ultimately, age is just a number and if you find a spark with someone older or younger than yourself then you should give that a chance and see what happens. Who knows, it might even change your life. This then is the basic principle behind Colin Higgins’ play  Harold and Maude  enjoying a limited run at the Charing Cross Theatre. Set in New York in the 1970s  Harold and Maude  tells the story of two very different people. Harold (Bill Milner) is a nineteen-year-old boy with a peculiar outlook on life. Whilst most teenagers are interested in sex, drugs, alcohol, rock & roll, or at least some combination ...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/178599/the-secret-diary-of-adrian-mole-aged-13-%C2%BE-the-musical/ Adrian Mole. Kelly Price (Pauline), Asha Banks (Pandora), Amir Wilson (Nigel), Benjamin Lewis (Adrian) & Dean Chisnall (George). Credit – Alastair Muir The world in the early 1980s was a really different place. There was a female Prime Minister, The Tories were tearing themselves apart over Europe. There were massive inequalities in wealth.The Labour party looked unelectable and there was a nutter in the White House threatening other countries with terrible weapons. See, nothing like today at all. There was one big difference though. If you wanted to record your everyday activities and thoughts, then there were no online video logs or laptops with built in webcams. Oh no, you had to use a book and a pen to chronicle your life for future generations. And, unlike today where you pray people will view your blog, in the 1980s your diary was kept a secret from all but your closest f...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/177561/review-of-yank-at-charing-cross-theatre/ The company of YANK! at Charing Cross Theatre, credit Claire Bilyard 50 years ago, in 1967, homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England. In 2000 it became legal to be gay and a member of the UK armed forces. In the USA, the ban on gay folk serving wasn’t fully lifted until 2011. Why do I tell you this, you may ask. Well, the reason is that during WWII it was illegal to be gay in the armed forces and, despite the desperate need for men and women to serve, LGB personnel were persecuted by the military police for being who they were. Yet, when general conscription has been announced and the military machine is desperate for manpower, it’s inconceivable that the odd gayer didn’t slip past and serve their country. Their stories were never told until now as Joseph and David Zellnik’s musical  Yank!  opens at the Charing Cross Theatre. It’s 1942 and the USA has finally noticed that E...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/174379/interview-with-adam-wollerton-lovestuck-musical/ People go to university for many reasons. Some to get an education, some to escape from their town and/or family, and some to just expand their horizons. Whatever the reason, going to university is a life changing experience for everyone. There is so much that happens in a university that it is really time for a new musical about life for a new student.  Luckily, writer Adam Wollerton, has taken up the challenge and his new show  LoveStuck  opens at the Cockpit Theatre in July.  Recently I managed to catch up with Adam and find out more about the show Terry: So, Adam, tell me a little bit about LoveStuck Adam:  LoveStuck is a new musical written by myself, with lyrics by PJ Neilsen and music by PJ Nielsen and Jake Few. It’s a musical truly about finding your LoveStuck – that one thing you can’t live without, however big or small this might be. Everyone has a Love...