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Three To See 2-8 May: Soho Stuff, Funny Stuff, Lots of Theatre…

By | Published on Friday 28 April 2023

SOHO STUFF

The Dark Room | Soho Theatre | 5 May, 16 Jun, 14 Jul
I’ve called this ‘Soho Stuff’ because they are all shows on at the Soho Theatre, obv. However, the reason I chose them is because they are all shows and/or people to which we’ve given fabulous reviews in the past up at the old edfringe. And we’re kicking things off with long-term TW favourite and TW Editors’ Award winner John Robertson and his fabulous and acclaimed interactive adventure game ‘The Dark Room’. Book tickets here immediately.

Frankie Thompson: CAttS | Soho Theatre | 2-6 May (pictured)
Next up is someone we met rather more recently, for we saw Frankie Thompson’s show ‘CAtts’ at the most recent Edinburgh Festival Fringe. And, of course, we thought it was rather good. “CAttS is a lip-sync ballet through the distractions and obsessions that help us cope with an increasingly dystopian reality. Because after all, wouldn’t we rather think about cats?” For all the info and to sort out tickets see this page here.

Séayoncé: Res-Erection (The Second Cumming) | Soho Theatre | 2-6 May
And finally for this section, another act that we first saw in action in the Scottish capital, a first for us last summer I think, though creator Dan Wye has been at the Fringe before I believe. Anyway, “ghost whisperer” Séayoncé is back to raise spirits in more ways than one, which I suppose is exactly what you’d expect from “the baddest bitch in the spirit world”. Find out more and get your tickets booked here.

FUNNY STUFF

Absurdocles: An Improvised Greek Tragedy | Woolwich Works | 4 May, 1 Jun, 6 Jul, 3 Aug
Now, obviously you can expect the previous trio of shows to provide you with a more than acceptable degree of hilarity, but here we have three more that are each offering a good helping of the funny stuff. And this show is just the show for me, honestly, but I reckon you will like it too, because who doesn’t love Greek tragedy and improv comedy, and therefore, by extension, a marriage of the two? Details here.

Dracula – The Bloody Truth | Greenwich Theatre | 2-6 May (pictured)
We’ve been following the work of Le Navet Bete, the company behind ‘Dracula – The Bloody Truth’, since their first show at the Edinburgh Fringe back in 2008, I think, and they were a recipient of one of our TW Editors’ Awards in 2009. Anyway, what saying all that amounts to is this: you shouldn’t miss opportunities to see their stuff, including this acclaimed and highly hilarious take on the Dracula story. Click here.

So… / Beautiful People | Jacksons Lane | 3 May / 4 May
Another amazing company that we first discovered up at edfringe. I feel as though I have been writing similar sentences a lot lately, so I am starting to get sick of the sound of myself saying this but – you know – it’s true. The very excellent Ridiculusmus – renowned for their seriously funny / funny and serious theatre since the early nineties – are doing performances of two different shows at Jacksons Lane this week, so see them both. Listings here.

MORE AMUSING STUFF

Five Short Plays Loosely Linked By The Theme Of Crime | Drayton Arms Theatre | 2-6 May
Yes, you read that right, we have yet more amusing stuff in this section, all of it theatre. This one is a collection of short plays, and I guess some might be more amusing than others, but they are all by the same writer – Charles Edward Pipe – and together they promise to showcase “his offbeat sense of humour”. Expect incompetent mobsters, nervy bank robbers and pension-aged smugglers. More here.

Hayfever | Arcola Theatre | 8-13 May (pictured)
“Tomato Soup. A Jenga game. A passionate love story born in a bohemian style bedroom on top of a Notting Hill tower. How could it all go wrong? An accidental murder in a supermarket? Or on a train platform?” An interactive dark comedy exploring how “living by different cultural rules can alienate you from a country which you thought you were part of”. Head to the venue website here to find out more and book tickets.

The Brink | White Bear Theatre | 2-6 May
A staging of Brad Birch’s critically acclaimed 2016 play which, honestly, doesn’t sound like it would be funny when you read the synopsis – it’s about a history teacher who is haunted by dreams of a bomb exploding under the school he works at – but it absolutely definitely is. “Is he depressed? Is he stressed? Or is there a far more sinister explanation for his violent visions?” See the venue website here for more.

MORE THEATRICAL STUFF

BODY 115 | The Hope Theatre | 5-13 May
Yay, more theatrical stuff, and this one’s a poetry-theatre blend, written and performed by acclaimed poet Jan Noble, adapted and directed by another acclaimed creative, Justin Butcher. Described as “a voyage of discovery and recovery, embracing decay and gentrification, a sense of place and the need to escape”, it takes its name from Body 115, a victim of the 1987 King’s Cross Fire that remained unidentified for many years. Info here.

The Talent | Battersea Arts Centre | 3-20 May (pictured)
“On stage is a small sound booth; inside it sits a woman, alone. She is a voice-over artist. Off stage, in a space never seen but only heard, two disembodied voices ask her to conjure different voices. Is she the powerful protagonist in her own narrative, literally building her own reality – and ours too – or is her voice being used to construct something more complicated?” Most intrigued by this one. Read more about it here.

Bluebeard III | King’s Head Theatre | 8 May
Not sure that everyone knows about Bluebeard – it feels to me like younger generations may be less familiar than mine with the folk tale of the nobleman wife-killer – so if that’s you, maybe read up before you see this. Originally a cautionary fable for women, this version by Gemskii offers a “queer reimagining” that explores self discovery and the complexity of the human psyche. For more info and to book head to this page here.

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