Children's Shows Comedy Dance & Physical Spoken Word Theatre ThisWeek In London

Three To See 26 Sep-2 Oct: Camden People’s Theatre, Short Stops, Longer Runs, Theatre and more…

By | Published on Friday 22 September 2023

CAMDEN PT STUFF

One Way Mirror | Camden People’s Theatre | 29-30 Sep
Sometimes I just look at what a venue has on offer in one given week and think “wow, look at all this, we need to talk about this a lot”. And this happened when I glanced at CPTs listings recently, so here you go, a set of three shows all on at Camden People’s Theatre. We begin with ‘One Way Mirror’, an “interactive story about the art of people watching, built for extroverts, introverts and everyone in-between” where the audience decides the outcome of the show. Click here.

I Am Not Black | Camden People’s Theatre | 28-30 Sep (pictured)
Next up, a solo performance written and performed by Akin Wright exploring race and identity and what it means to be yourself: “Temz Thomas has been asked to give a speech at his old school about how his time there shaped him into the man he is today. While searching his old bedroom for his Blackberry from when he was in school, Temz goes on a nostalgic trip down memory lane”. For more information and to book head to the venue website here.

Bloody Medea | Camden People’s Theatre | 27-28 Sep
And on to the final CPT pick, obviously chosen in part because of that alluring title – appealing to the part of me that loves anything derived from the classical mythy Greek stuff, but also suggesting a degree of humour in its dealings with the source material. Judging by the official blurb, that is in fact what we can expect from this show by dancer, actress and Gaulier-trained clown April Small, which promises to be a “tour-de-force physical comedy”. More info here.

SHORT STOP

Do Not Look Away – The Story Of Medusa | Drayton Arms Theatre | 1-2 Oct
And talking of Greek mythy stuff, here’s some more Greek mythy stuff. What a pity there wasn’t one more show about Greek mythy stuff, then that could have been its own tip section. But let’s not dwell on the what-ifs, let’s dwell on the idea of going to see this promising storytelling performance by Lily Asch that draws on both Greek and Roman mythology as well as feminist theory, art history and contemporary discourse. Click here.

The Ugly Duckling | Jacksons Lane | 1 Oct
Yay, a show for the kids, probably quite welcome as it’s now well and truly autumnal and the rains might be coming and inside pursuits are, as a result, a good option. This one is suitable for children aged three and up, and tells a tale that’s probably familiar to all. Grethe Mangala Jensen’s adaptation is an interactive storytelling performance, featuring song and puppetry, and you can expect very good things. See the venue website here to book tickets.

Penguin | Omnibus Theatre | 30 Sep-1 Oct (pictured)
“Here’s what you need to know… I am Hamzeh. My favourite shisha flavour is double apple. I love dancing. Here’s what’s going to happen… There will be loud music. A wedding. My first time on a plane. A lot of moonlight. This is the story of my life (so far). People have a lot of questions. The answer is: Yes. I can do anything”. A moving and funny show by Hamzeh Al Hussien about the migrant/refugee experience. More info and tickets right about here.

LONGER RUN

The Bed | Little Angel Theatre | 30 Sep-4 Nov
Another show for little ones now, but this one is running for quite a long time (yes, that’s why it’s in the ‘longer runs’ section!), so you have more time to see it if you’re not able to get along to it this week. And I am saying ‘it’ but actually this is two shows really, because there are two versions: one is for toddlers aged eighteen months to three years, and the other is for babies aged six to eighteen months. You’ll find links to each version in the venue’s listings here.

These Demons | Theatre503 | 26 Sep-14 Oct (pictured)
“When an event puts her aunt Mirah in hospital, seventeen year old Leah takes it upon herself to find the perpetrator and exact revenge. But as she puts together her plan, the lines of reality become blurred. Her search for answers becomes a search for demons – metaphorical and… not”. An intriguing, dark comedy horror exploring family ties, sisterhood and Jewish demonology. See this page here to find out more.

Young, Gifted & Black 2023 | Theatre Peckham | 1 Oct-4 Nov
I suppose this isn’t strictly a run, in fact, because it’s a whole strand of events – and it’s possible that in the coming weeks we’ll tip some individual things from it – but this time we’re tipping the whole thing so that you can check your diary for the weeks ahead. Not the first time we’ve recommended Theatre Peckham’s Young, Gifted & Black strands, of course, and for good reason – there is loads of promising stuff to partake of. Take a look here.

MORE THEATRE

Oubliette | The Space | 28-30 Sep (pictured)
Yay, more theatre. You can never have too much theatre. Especially theatre with intriguing titles like ‘Oubliette’. If you know what an oubliette is, you may well be intrigued too, and if you don’t, well, I’ll tell you: it’s a tiny little tucked away dungeon that they used to imprison people in back in castle days, and the very thought of it makes me claustrophobic. But the sound of this play – a “fantastical tragedy-meets-farce” – makes me want to see it despite that. Click here.

Past Tents | Jack Studio | 26-30 Sep
Another title that won my favour. Honestly, why wouldn’t it? But what is it about…? Well, it’s a dark and moving comedy that starts like this: “When Alan’s car crashes in the middle of nowhere, he hopes his bad day can’t get any worse… and of course it does. After trudging through the muddy countryside, he comes across a campsite run by the rather eccentric Virgil. With no other options and no signal on his phone, he has no choice but to stay the night”. More here.

Ben Target: Lorenzo | Soho Theatre | 27 Sep-14 Oct
We here at TW Towers have been big fans of Ben Target since first seeing his work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe a really long time ago (we are talking a decade plus, I think), and so he’s always on our dance card, as it were. Very glad to see him headed to Soho Theatre with the show that we loved at the most recent edfringe and which our reviewer declared to be “memorable, perceptive and deeply moving”. Book tickets here.

MORE INTERESTING STUFF

The Best Of The Edinburgh Fringe | OSO Arts Centre | 26 Sep-1 Oct
And speaking of fabulous shows that were on at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, here are some more, for the OSO Arts Centre is running a short season of five performances of recent edfringe successes. As there are only five, I’m not sure the title ‘The Best Of’ works, because the Fringe is massive and therefore there are loads of best shows. But that doesn’t detract from the fact these are all very much worth your time. See them all in the venue listings here.

Lessons On Revolution | The Hope Theatre | 26 Sep-7 Oct
“1968. 3000 students occupy the London School Of Economics in the most significant act of protest in a generation. 2023. Two theatre-makers try to work out what radical change means today, searching through archives, photos, first-hand accounts. Everything’s connected: from the Prague Spring to MLK Jr’s murder, the Paris riots to the Nigerian Civil War, and it’s all converging here and now”. A fascinating sounding piece of documentary theatre, read more about it here.

Ian Smith: Crushing | Soho Theatre | 2-7 Oct (pictured)
Aaaaand finally for this week, a show by a comedian who has to be regarded as one of our all-time uber favourites, given the sheer number of glowing four and five star reviews he’s had from our writers working up at the Fringe over the last decade or so. He’s had some big nominations and awards for this, and if you’re not a massive fan, it’s only because you haven’t yet seen him in action, so please, see him in action ASAP, book your tickets here.

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