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Three To See 25-31 Jul: Camden Fringe, Edfringe Previews, Other Festival Stuff, and More…

By TW Editorial | Published on Friday 21 July 2023

CAMDEN FRINGE

You’re Alright | Camden People’s Theatre | 31 Jul-3 Aug (pictured)
Whoop whoop, so much festivally, fringy shenanigans we have for you this week, and I’m ever so pleased it’s so. Edfringe is on the horizon and Camden Fringe begins soon too. The latter kicks off right at the end of our tipping timeframe for this week, but that’s OK: we still have three possible options for you, starting with this comedy dance show from award winning choreographer Sam Burkett. More here.

Phil Green: Four Weddings And A Breakdown | Aces And Eights | 31 Jul-1 Aug
You might remember that we recently ran a Q&A with comedian Phil Green, on account of the fact that he’s taking his latest show to Edinburgh next month. Well, it turns out that he is also doing a few dates at Camden Fringe, which is fab, especially for those of you who read the aforementioned Q&A and thought “Ooh, I would like to see that, but sadly I am not going to Edinburgh this summer”. Click here.

Glad To Be Dead? | Hen & Chickens Theatre | 31 Jul-3 Aug
“Join us as we hear from historical figures, fictional icons, victims and murderers. Listen as they recount their loves, lives, regrets and mistakes. Existing in a dimension not too dissimilar to limbo, we learn with them and see what their lives signified”. Our last Camden Fringe pick for this week is a piece of new writing promising philosophy and dark humour from mother/daughter team Donna and Jade Flack. Info here.

EDFRINGE PREVIEWS

Mr & Mrs Love | Drayton Arms Theatre | 26 Jul
There are many, many fab-sounding Edinburgh Fringe-bound shows previewing in London this week, so obviously it would seem rude not to talk about them as much as possible. First up is ‘Mr & Mrs Love’, a new musical romcom by James Doughty and Stephanie Marion, directed by Guy Retallack, that promises to be an “emotional rollercoaster”, as well as delivering music, laughter and tears… More here.

Hysterical | Camden People’s Theatre | 28 Jul (pictured)
Next up, ‘Hysterical’ at CPT, which tackles themes that interest me a lot: women are often characterised as too emotional to be believed or taken seriously when it comes to their own experiences, and this piece by internationally acclaimed performance poets Carrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall confronts that narrative along with body politics and systemic sexism. Read more about it here.

Blood On The Clocktower: Live | Old Red Lion Theatre | 26 Jul
Finally for this section, we’re headed to the Old Red Lion for this live comedy show based on award winning social deduction game ‘Blood On The Clocktower’, and I don’t think it needs any more selling than that (click here). So I’ll use the space left to point out that all three venues mentioned in this section have more than one edfringe preview this week, so do check all their listings for more.

MANY MORE EDFRINGE PREVIEWS

Unforgettable Girl/Beasts (Why Girls Shouldn’t Fear The Dark | Omnibus Theatre | 28-29 Jul/29-30 Jul
And because I really just can’t leave them alone, this bit features six more edfringe previews squeezed into three tips. At Omnibus Theatre we have Elisabeth Gunawan’s ‘Unforgettable Girl’, an “irreverent, no-holds-barred, bouffonesque myth about the violence our culture inflicts on bodies of colour”; and ‘Beasts’, written and performed by Mandi Chivasa, a “lyrical dark comedy about one woman’s experience of street harassment and the power she’ll harness to protect herself”.

It’s A Motherf**king Pleasure/One Way Out | New Diorama Theatre | 26-27 Jul/28-29 Jul (pictured)
Next, it’s over to New Diorama Theatre for ‘It’s A Motherf**king Pleasure’, a “scathing satire on the monetisation of identity politics” from multi award-winning, disability-led theatre company FlawBored; and ‘One Way Out’ by Theatre Peckham’s first resident company NO TABLE Productions, which explores young British Caribbeans’ experiences of the Windrush crisis.

Grubby Little Mitts: Hello, Hi / Nail Polish | Greenwich Theatre | 25-27 Jul/25 Jul
Lastly, we’re heading to Greenwich Theatre for a rendez-vous with Grubby Little Mitts, who return triumphant to the Fringe this year after winning the Amused Moose Comedy Award 2022 for Top Debut Sketch Show; and to also see ‘Nail Polish’, a comical love story that “delves into the lives and real experiences queer people go through every day”.

FESTIVAL STUFF

Children’s Festival Of Fun | Chickenshed Theatre | 30 Jul-13 Aug
I bet you thought I’d be all festivalled out after all that, didn’t you? Well, no, frankly, I’m not, and I have more festival stuff for you, beginning with Chickenshed Theatre’s big series of summer fun for young ones. It’s a collection of lots of different events going on well into August and includes lots of Chickenshed favourite show formats, like ‘Tales From The Shed’ and ‘Planet Play’. See the venue listings here.

Festival14 | Canary Wharf | 26-30 Jul (pictured)
There’s so much brilliant stuff going on at Canary Wharf’s Festival14 this week I’m not sure I can do it justice here at all: many genres of music and loads of great comedians, theatre, dance, workshops and lots of stuff that’s suitable for kids. Plus, a significant amount of it (most of it?) is entirely free. You really just need to head to this page here, download the programme and spend a few minutes deciding what to take in.

No For An Answer | Arcola Theatre | 26-29 Jul
Now I am going to depart from the tradition (within this tip section) of recommending whole festivals and recommend just one show from Arcola Theatre’s excellent Grimeborn Opera Festival line up. It’s a European premiere for ‘No For An Answer’ by late American composer Marc Blitzstein, and it’s set in a Greek-American social club at times of austerity and unemployment. Read more about it here.

MORE GREAT STUFF

Plays From Across A Divided Europe | Omnibus Theatre | 25-30 Jul
And now, the only non-festival section for this week. Though we start with something that actually feels a little bit like a festival, because it’s a season of thematically connected staged readings. The plays are translated from Ukrainian, Italian, French, Greek and German, reflect the diverse cultural heritages of their home nations, and tackle some important contemporary political and social questions. Read more about it here.

End Of The World FM | The Space | 25-29 Jul
This is a bit intriguing, a dark comedy set on the fifteen year anniversary of “the apocalypse” that promises to tackle themes of isolation, late stage capitalism and purpose. “The world is becoming increasingly absurd. War, political tensions and crisis after crisis are never ending. This piece is here to remind us that there is always hope if we rebel against this absurdity”. Info here.

Kabaret Nusantara | Wilton’s Music Hall | 27 Jul (pictured)
One for dance fans, this, and it sounds fantastic, offering “a rare chance to see world-class traditional Indonesian dance centre-stage performed by master dancers” – and a show that takes those traditional dance forms and blends them with the style and humour of contemporary dance theatre and burlesque. Presented by Lila Bhawa and Saksi Bisou, see the venue website here to find out more.