Tezza's Theatre Place

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/171243/review-no-finer-life-pleasance-theatre/ Those of us that live in London or one of the other cities in the UK often have very little knowledge of the countryside. For many people, it’s the green bit either side of the motorway as we travel from A to B. Or it’s that picture postcard place where we take a holiday to get so far away from things that the nearest Waitrose is half an hour away. Of course, the countryside is so much more than either of these things. It is the home and working place of millions of people and supplies around 60% of all the food consumed in the UK. If you would like a chance to really appreciate the countryside then I would heartily recommend Graham Harvey’s  No Finer Life  which I caught at the Pleasance Theatre the other night. No Finer Life  follows the story of Elizabeth (Roberta Bellekom) a Land Army Girl who falls in love with farmer George Henderson was the author of ‘The Farming Ladder’ – pub...

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/170789/review-she-wears-scented-rose-camdens-theatro-technis/ She Wears Scented Rose Writing a review is not always as easy as some believe it to be. There are many things to be taken into account when looking at a production including the writing, directing, acting, set and costume design, lighting, sound etc. And, no matter how dispassionate one tries to be, some shows will strike a chord while others may not. This means that sometimes there can be wildly differing reviews of the same show – I’ve recently seen a show given a 1 star rating by one reviewer and 4 by another. Ultimately then, reviews are the subjective thoughts of the person writing them. Keep that in mind as I take you to Camden’s Theatro Technis where Razor Sharp Productions are currently performing Yasir Senna’s  She Wears Scented Rose . Late one night in a street in the Wimbledon area of London, Mark (Craig Karpel) is dragging himself along a road bleeding profusely. He m...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/170523/review-shit-faced-shakespeare-much-ado-about-nothing/ Shit-faced Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing Alcohol and the theatre have always gone together. Normally, its some member of the audience having one too many pre-show drinks then being a nuisance during the show – or even worse, falling asleep and snoring sat next to you. However, it is always assumed that though a first night and a last night cast party may get a bit raucous, the actors themselves tend to be sober for the duration of the performance. Now imagine a scenario where a group of highly trained actors sit around before curtain up and deliberately get one of their number drunk, then send them out to perform one of The Bard’s Classics. Welcome to Shit-faced Shakespeare’s presentation of  Much Ado About Nothing  at the Leicester Square Theatre. Now, normally in a review, I would write an opening paragraph like the one above then this paragraph would give you a synop...

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/170222/review-the-elephant-girls-draper-hall/ The Elephant Girls (Credit Andrew Alexander) Given the size and diversity of life in London, there has always been a lot of crime in the old city. In fact, in the early years of the twentieth century, you could draw a map of London showing how it was split up into different fiefdoms among the various gangs who operated there. As with pretty much all commercial activity at the time, the gangs were all made up of men. Well nearly all. In fact, down in SE1, there was an all-female gang running amok, and it is their story that forms the basis of Margo Macdonald’s one-woman show  The Elephant Girls  at Draper Hall. In a nondescript public house a couple of years before the start of WWII, a flashy man enters. Everything about his attire is perfect. From his three-piece suit, matching tie and handkerchief in the top pocket, to his trilby hat, this chap is immaculately dressed and out to be notice...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/170188/review-expensive-shit-soho-theatre/ Expensive Shit 2017 Photo credit Eoin Carey Ever look at the title of a show and wonder not only what it means but also why those particular words had been chosen? For example, ‘Urinetown’ is such a bad title for a musical that it’s even referred to in the opening number. Another show with an intriguing title is Adura Onashile’s  Expensive Shit  which has just opened at the Soho Theatre. The play tells the story of Tolu (Kiza Deen) and revolves around two toilets. The first is in ‘The Shrine’ nightclub, Lagos 1974 and the second is an unnamed club in Glasgow in 2013. In Lagos, Tolu and her female friends (Veronica Lewis, Jamie Marie Leary, and Maria Yarjah) practice their dancing, then they practice again. Tolu is relentless in getting them to practice dancing to Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat music. The reason for all this practicing? Like many of their contemporaries, the girls want to get noticed a...