Comedy Musicals Opera Spoken Word Theatre ThisWeek In London

Three To See 27 Aug-2 Sep: Shows At King’s Head Theatre, Musical Shows, Shows At Soho Theatre

By | Published on Friday 23 August 2019

THREE SHOWS AT KING’S HEAD THEATRE

Voldemort And The Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody | King’s Head Theatre | 29 Aug-21 Sep
I actually selected these three shows for inclusion in this week’s London tips without actually registering that they were on at the same venue, so it was just quite handy that they handily sorted them into a section like this. Anyway, this is a fab and funny show that’s won love and praise and oodles of fans when performed up at – yes, you guessed it – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The cast just completed a run at said world’s largest arts festival, yet seemingly because they are absolute troopers, they’re jumping straight into this short run in the capital. Info here.

World’s End | King’s Head Theatre | 27 Aug-21 Sep (pictured – photo by Kate Harding)
We’re staying at the King’s Head Theatre (yes, you knew that already) for this production of an intriguing sounding debut from James Corley. “It’s November 1998 on the World’s End Estate in Chelsea. Energetic single mum Viv has just moved in with her shy, troubled son Ben, eager to start afresh. Next door, single father and painter-cum-security guard Ylli and his confident, yet enigmatic son Besnik are also negotiating their horizons, against the televised backdrop of catastrophe in their native Kosovo. Each grappling with their own expectations, assumptions and responsibilities to family, neighbours and nation, emotions run high as Viv, Ben, Ylli and Besnik are thrown together”. Details here.

Stripped | King’s Head Theatre | 1-16 Sep
“Ollie is a self-proclaimed Beta Male. He’s into ultimate frisbee, vegan barbecues and playing the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat. When he volunteers to model nude for an artist, he’s hell bent on showing her just how woke he is. Lola doesn’t care if Ollie is a nice guy or not – she just wants to draw him. When he won’t let her get on with it, she decides to teach him a lesson. Soon, Ollie starts asking if he can have his clothes back but Lola is far from finished. ‘Stripped’ is a tense comic drama that asks whether those “nice guys” are really all that they seem”. Another intriguing sounding play from a great team, get your tickets booked here.


THREE MUSICAL SHOWS

Chiaroscuro | Bush Theatre | 31 Aug-5 Oct (pictured)
And these kinda sorted themselves into a musical section, too, it was really lucky. We must be having some sort of well-deserved post-Fringe serendipity thing going on. Anyway, let’s start the section with this, a fab sounding gig theatre re-imagining of Jackie Kay’s 1986 play. “Aisha, Yomi, Beth and Opal couldn’t be more different, but when Aisha hosts a dinner party, the friends soon discover that they’re all looking for an answer to the same question. Does it lie in Aisha’s childhood? Or in Beth and Opal’s new romance? Who will tell them who they really are?” More here.

HMS Pinafore | Wilton’s | 28-31 Aug
Although all the shows in this section are connected by music, this one couldn’t be more different than the first one, being, of course, a comic opera satirising the British class system. Well regarded operetta and comic musical theatre types Opera Della Luna present this acclaimed production in which a cast of eight become crew, chorus and principals to tell the tale of the captain of HMS Pinafore, whose marriage plans for his daughter go awry when she falls for a lower-class sailor instead of the First Lord of the Admiralty. See this page here for info and to book. Quickly, though because tickets are disappearing fast.

Hotspur / Pierrot Lunaire | Arcola Theatre | 29 Aug-1 Sep
And finally, we make what I predict will be our penultimate visit to Arcola’s Grimeborn for a fabulous operatic treat. It’s a double bill (you probably know that because of that slash in the title): firstly, ‘Hotspur’, with Music by Gillian Whitehead and libretto by Fleur Adcock, which follows Elizabeth, who in 14th-century Northumberland, waits on the fringes of civil war while her husband, Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy, leads a rebel force against the King. Secondly, well loved song cycle ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ by Arnold Schoenberg and Albert Giraud. Details here.


THREE SHOWS AT SOHO THEATRE

Aaron Chen: Piss Off (Just Kidding) | Soho Theatre | 28-31 Aug
This one, I will admit, came about because I was looking at the Soho Theatre website and thought “wow, there are loads of shows I’d like to see on at Soho Theatre in the coming week”, and so decided it would be fair to pick our three from my wishlist and talk about them. And this was the first pick. Don’t be put off just because he told you to piss off in the title of his show because a) he subsequently clarified that he was just kidding, and b) he is a multi award winning comedian and he is on at a venue near you. See this page here for more.

Aboriginal Comedy Allstars | Soho Theatre | 28-31 Aug (pictured)
This show was on at the Fringe this summer (actually, as I write this, it’s still on at the Fringe this summer) and I really wanted to go see it but you know how it is when you don’t actually get to see many Fringe shows any more because you are writing and editing a publication at the Fringe. Maybe I’ll manage to get along to Soho Theatre on one of these London dates. “From the oldest culture on earth comes the freshest, fiercest and funniest stand-up around. Cheeky, loud, black and proud, featuring the brightest stars in Australian comedy: Kevin Kropinyeri, Andy Saunders and Steph Tisdell”. Head this way for details.

Hotter | Soho Theatre | 2-7 Sep
“What is the sweatiest you’ve ever been? When was the hottest you’ve ever felt? How would you describe your orgasm? Hello, we’re Ell and Mary. We’re best friends and ex-girlfriends and we’re bored of playing it cool. So this is a show about what gets you hot”. Not one for those of you prone to blushing, possibly, because this is a fairly brutally unapologetically frank show, but if you can stand it, do give it a chance, because a number of our reviewers have seen it and they have all given it a resounding thumbs up. So, see this page here for info.



READ MORE ABOUT: | | | | |