FESTIVAL STUFF 

Otto & Astrid: The Stages Tour | Jacksons Lane | 2 Jul  (pictured)
Ooof, we’re getting quickly through these summer days now, aren’t we? And there’s so much sun and heat. Next you’ll be saying that I am never happy. Well, I am, especially when I have festivals to talk about. First up this week is the fabulous London Clown Festival and a TW fave act of long standing, Otto & Astrid. Click here for more. 

Lighting The Fuse | Camden People’s Theatre | 4 Jul  
Over now to Camden People’s Theatre for a show from the venue’s Every Body Festival, a disabled-led performance celebration. Our pick from the upcoming line-up is a one night only showcase of new work from a deaf artist commissioned by Fuse Theatre, so it’s a chance to see a new piece of BSL-led theatre in its early stages. Info here. 

Ivories | The Old Red Lion Theatre | 1-26 Jul  
As is often the case in one of our so-called ‘festival sections’, this last pick is not remotely on at a festival, but is in fact here because we know that it’s been successful at the old edfringe. Expect a tragicomic haunted house thriller that offers a “bisexual spin on the golden age of horror”. Head to the venue website here to find out more. 

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SHORT STOPS 

Never Get To Heaven In An Empty Shell | The Glitch | 2-6 Jul 
And talking of shows with Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs behind them… here’s another one! This tale of grief and supernatural longing is the work of Claudia Fielding, and this staging is a reimagined version of her debut solo show. It’s about an encounter with a ghost, and being forced to accept grief and mortality. Details here. 

House Of Life | Brixton House | 2-4 Jul (pictured)
This acclaimed show returns to London promising to be “wild, a little wacky, and exactly what your serotonin levels ordered”, so don’t say you weren’t warned. Part rebirth, part rave, it’s a genre-defying night of music, movement and communal healing. More here.

To See Ourselves | The White Bear Theatre | 1-12 Jul
I love to see a revival of something from a long time ago, especially when it’s a show that was really highly rated at the time. This one, a play from the 1930s, is the work of Twentieth Century writer EM Delafield. Expect an exploration of love, relationships, gender and politics that is witty, thought provoking and entertaining. Info here. 

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LONGER RUNS

Can’t Kill The Spirit | Waterloo East Theatre | 2-13 Jul   
Right, just going to point out before you do that this show is on for the same number of days as the previous one and yet gets categorised as a ‘longer’ run. But I am not going to apologise. This is an intriguing one, a play about a former Greenham Common protester caught up in a climate protest that leads to life-changing consequences. More about that here. 

Run Sister Run | Arcola Theatre | 2-26 Jul  (pictured)
A London premiere for this play by award-winning playwright Chloë Moss that explores family bonds, resilience and survival in a story that spans four decades. It’s about sisters Connie and Ursula, and traces “the forces that bind them together and threaten to tear them apart”. Find out more on the venue website here. 

The Unkillable Mike Molloy | The Bridge House Theatre | 8-26 Jul   
“The Great Depression has hit hard, and three down-on-their-luck businessmen hatch a chillingly clever plan: take out life insurance policies on a homeless Irish drunk named Mike Malloy… and then help fate along. The problem? Mike won’t die”. Eeek, this sounds interesting – part dark comedy, part true crime caper. Details here.