YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN CULTURE
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Children's Shows Comedy Festivals Music Spoken Word Theatre ThisWeek In London
30 May-5 Jun: Festival Stuff, Theatre, Family Shows and more…
By TW Editorial | Published on Monday 29 May 2023
FESTIVAL STUFF
Animal Noises | Roundhouse | 2 Jun
Yay, it’s summer, and with summer comes festivals. OK yes, I know there are festivals all year round but there are surely more in the warmer months. Anyway, this first event is on as part of Roundhouse’s The Last Word Festival – which is always excellent and worthy of your attention – and sees rapper and songwriter Dizraeli offering a “searingly honest exploration of the mess of human creation”. See the festival lineup here.
Sluts With Consoles | Camden People’s Theatre | 3 Jun (pictured)
Another festival that always draws our attention is the fabulously feminist Calm Down Dear at Camden People’s Theatre, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. The show we’ve picked from this week’s line up is inspired by the testimony of women working in the gaming industry and deals with the difficulty women face when they want to be part of the gaming community. More here.
Janine Harouni: Man’oushe | Pleasance Theatre | 2 Jun + 24 Jul
This one isn’t on at any festival at all, but what it is, in fact, is an edfringe preview, and that’s your festival connection! It’s our first edfringe preview recommendation of the year, and there may well, of course, be more to follow. But first up, it’s Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee Janine Harouni with her latest show, which gets into “her Arab roots, pregnancy and what happens when your mail order DNA test does not go to plan”. Click here.
SHORT STOPS
Amazing Bubble Man | Leicester Square Theatre | 1-4 Jun
And talking of edfringe, here’s a long term edfringe favourite of ours, the Amazing Bubble Man, who, well, does some amazing things with bubbles. And while I know there are adults out there rubbing their hands at the thought of some hot bubble action (I am) this show is really for kids, so make sure you remember to take yours along when you go. Head to the venue website here to book.
Beast Or God | Bread & Roses | 4-5 Jun
This one’s for a more grown up audience, a physical solo show about loneliness and motherhood from Finland-based performer and theatre director Erika Eva. It tells the story of a single mother having the evening to herself after putting her toddler to bed and, interestingly, has sound design by Xavier Velastin that uses the musical sounds created by Eva’s own small son. Read more here.
The Lost Feather | Greenwich Theatre | 2 Jun (pictured)
Another option for your small ones, which is good, because of the half term holiday, and this one, though designed for all children, has been made especially accessible for disabled children and their families. It’s by the excellent Oily Cart, and you can expect multi-sensory mayhem, colours, textures, live music and sensory play. For more information and to book see this page here.
LONGER RUNS
Es & Flo | Kiln Theatre | 5-24 Jun (pictured)
And from short runs to longer ones, promising stuff that you can either see right away or you can wait a bit. First up is ‘Es & Flo’, which, I am very pleased to report, celebrates the love of an older, lesbian couple. Having met and fallen in love in the 1980s against a backdrop of shared activism, they’ve been secretly together ever since. But with age and infirmity comes a threat to the life they’ve built together. Click here.
Yours Unfaithfully | Jermyn Street Theatre | 1 Jun-1 Jul
“Everyone knows Anne and Stephen are the happiest couple in the neighbourhood. Their secret? An open marriage. After all, it’s the 1930s – there’s no need to be old-fashioned”. Ah, a revival of a “rediscovered classic”, I love it when that happens. And have correspondingly high expectations of this un-romantic comedy by late actor/playwright/screenwriter Miles Malleson. More here.
Hot In Here (an energy-generating dance party) | Gate Theatre | 5-24 Jun
Finally in this section, a really interesting show tackling the topic of climate and featuring the first energy-harvesting dancefloor in live theatre. ‘Hot In Here’ uses storytelling, movement and real life testimony from young climate advocates to celebrate the power of collective action and to be a rallying cry for international climate justice. Find out more here.
MORE GREAT STUFF
A Critical Stage | Tabard Theatre | 31 May-17 Jun
And finally, another one of those final sections that I certainly can’t categorise by genre, but where I can definitely use words like ‘important’ and ‘intriguing’. This show promises to be both ‘amusing’ and ‘provocative’, and is based on real life events. James Agate, famous author and theatre critic, refuses to change his indiscreet lifestyle, and some bombshells are threatening to blow his world apart… More here.
The Tiger Lillies | Cadogan Hall | 3 Jun (pictured)
Next up, a performance by The Tiger Lillies, an act we have recommended before, and yes, we did first run in to them up at the old edfringe, before you even ask. But you surely already know all about them anyway, as they’re Olivier Award winners, internationally acclaimed, and renowned for their dark and deviant musical style. Why do you even need me to justify this tip? Book tickets here.
False Accounts: Exposing The Post Office Cover Up | OSO Arts Centre | 31 May-4 Jun
Quite glad to see this one, because – honestly – I don’t think we talk about this scandal enough: this is a satirical play about the shocking miscarriages of justice brought about by the UK Post Office’s use of bug-prone software from 1999 onwards, which led to hundreds of sub-postmasters being wrongly accused of fraud and theft. For more information and to book tickets, see this page here.
