YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN CULTURE
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Art & Events Comedy Theatre ThisWeek In London
28 Apr-4 May: Comical Shows To View Online, Talky Things To Take In, Theatrical Works To Stream
By TW Editorial | Published on Friday 24 April 2020
With London’s venues in temporary shutdown as efforts continue to restrict and delay the spread of COVID-19, for the next few weeks we’ll be putting the spotlight on great comedy, theatre and other Fringe-style entertainment that is available online – both streaming live and on-demand.
Many of these online shows are free to access, though often there are ways that you can make donations if you enjoy what you see. Given most of the venues, companies and performers behind all this entertainment are facing significant financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown, any contributions you can afford will really help.
THREE COMICAL SHOWS TO VIEW ONLINE
Alice Fraser – Savage | Amazon Prime
Argh, I meant to mention this a wee while ago – basically at the time it first became available – but I somehow lost the note I made to myself about it amongst all the other things. Anyway, if you have not yet stumbled across it, here’s a great comedy special for you to take in from a genuine, bona-fide TW favourite. Find it right about here.
Boothby Graffoe – Live At The King’s Head | YouTube (pictured)
Another TW favourite now, of very, very long standing! The always excellent Boothby Graffoe has released on YouTube a recording of a show performed back in Nov 2019 (so, not actually that long ago, though – admittedly – last November does aleady feel like about five years ago). Head to this page here to “pay what you want” and to YouTube here to watch it.
Mr Swallow: Houdini | Soho Theatre On Demand | 29 Apr-20 May
And yes, another favourite, an act that’s won much praise from our reviewers at edfringes past. Nick Mohammed’s Mr Swallow is joined by trusty assistants Mr Goldsworth (David Elms) and Jonathan (Kieran Hodgson) for this interpretation of the life of Houdini. See the Soho Theatre On Demand site here as of 29 Apr to watch, and make sure you do it before 20 May.
THREE TALKY THINGS TO TAKE IN
Murdoch – The Man Who Owns The Media | Conway Hall | 3 May
If you’ve been intently reading our tips for online culture in recent weeks you’ll know that Conway Hall are doing some of the events they would have been hosting this month (if COVID hadn’t got in the way) via the internet. Here’s another one we are rather interested in: author Tom Roberts traces the life of the Murdochs, how Rupert Murdoch’s view of the world was formed, and assesses its impact on the media that influences our politics today. See this page here for more.
Riverside Charity Quiz Night | Riverside Studios | 29 Apr, 13 + 17 May
Riverside Studios are staging three charity quiz nights via the app of the moment, Zoom, which sounds like something fun that you could get a whole household involved in, with questions covering general knowledge, music, theatre, cinema, comedy, art and food and drink, and Riverside. This week’s quiz is to be hosted by Gyles Brandreth, while those in May will be helmed by Stephen Fry and Jo Brand. See the venue website here for info.
Stories To Tell When You Stay At Home (pictured – image by Graeme Braidwood)
Podcasty entertainment for you now with this offering from theatre artist Francesca Millican-Slater: a lock down inspired offshoot of her hit Edinburgh Fringe show turned podcast ‘Stories To Tell In The Middle Of The Night’, from which you can expect to hear tales very much reflecting our current situation. Search for them via the usual podcast places or listen on the website here.
THREE THEATRICAL WORKS TO STREAM
Crips Without Constraints | Graeae Theatre (pictured)
The brilliant Graeae Theatre, champions of the inclusion of D/deaf and disabled people in the arts, are – like many companies – running a number of online events for the lockdown period, including a series of eleven monologues to be released via YouTube on a weekly basis. There’s one up already, with more to follow. See the website here for more info.
Here Not There | Grimm & Co | 2 May
Yorkshire-based children’s literacy charity Grimm & Co are set to hold a virtual gala showcasing the work of young writers, written during their free writing workshops. A number of big names will be performing in the online event, which will take place on the afternoon of 2 May. Find more about the digital gala here and watch it here.
A Separate Peace | The Remote Read | 2 May
Another posse of big names are on board for this virtual reading of Stoppard’s ‘A Separate Peace’, developed remotely by a team of creatives who’ve adjusted their usual roles of director, stage manager, etc, to the interweb medium. You need to buy a ticket for this one, with proceeds going to charitable causes. You can find more information and book your tickets here.
