THIS WEEK IN CULTURE + THE CULTURE BUSINESS
Three To See 29 Oct-4 Nov: Family Shows, Spooky Shows, theatre and more…
FAMILY SHOWS
Everything Has Changed | Polka Theatre | 30 Oct-3 Nov (pictured)
Hey everyone, how is half term going? I mean, I know we are only a couple of days in, but I bet you’re on the lookout for some interesting things to take your small people to, right? That’s why I’m putting these suggestions right at the top for you. First up, it’s a “joyful, kaleidoscopic” show for families about change, why it happens and how to deal with it, and it’s the work of the very excellent and award winning theatre co Rhum + Clay. More here.
The Greatest Robot Ever | Half Moon Theatre | 2 Nov
“Glitch the little Robot doesn’t feel special like all the other amazing robots living in the junk yard. With the help of their best friend Shift they go on a quest to find the pieces to make them stand out”. A new, rhyming story from Knotted Hawk Productions featuring projection, dance, storytelling and audience interaction that focuses on themes of resilience, friendship and wellbeing, which sounds lovely. And it’s about a robot! Find out more and book your tickets right about here.
Athena Kugblenu – History’s Most Epic Fibs: LIVE | The Albany | 1 Nov
I’m pretty sure most of you will be aware of excellent comedian, writer and podcaster Athena Kugblenu, but you may not be aware that she’s the author of a recently published book called ‘History’s Most Epic Fibs’, which is eminently suitable for your older kids and teens. Here, as the title suggests, she’ll be focusing on some of those fibs in a live setting, taking you on “a rip-roaring, setting-the-record straight ride”. Info here.
FESTIVAL SHOWS
Whisper Into My Good Ear | The Questors Theatre | 4-5 Nov
Woo hoo! It’s the return of the Voila Festival, and this year it’s bigger than it’s ever been before and on at lots of different venues. However, it starts at the very end of what I like to call our ‘tipping week’, so I’ve only got one pick for you this time. Oh, and in case you’re not sure what this festival is, it’s a multi-lingual programme of international work. All of which has left me no time to talk about the show I’ve picked, except to say it looks great and is performed in Farsi. Click here.
Dracula – (Un)dead Air | Old Red Lion Theatre | 28-29 Oct (pictured)
A final pick from the lovely, er, Grimfest, which comes to a close this week. There are a few shows to go – so please take a look at all the listings right here – but this is the one that I decided to pick, because it’s a semi immersive comedy set at a radio recording, which ticks a lot of my boxes, tbh. “Halloween Night. 1937. A star-studded, hotly anticipated live radio broadcast of ‘Dracula’. But the cast are indisposed, jobs are at ‘stake’ and the show must go on!” More here.
Cleopatra’s Antony | Theatre Peckham | 31 Oct-2 Nov
Week after week I’ve been putting the Young, Gifted And Black picks in the festival section, knowing full well that it’s technically a season, and now we’re at the last pick of said season and I’ve done it again. Anyway, this final show sounds intriguing, a retelling of Cleopatra’s story that focuses on “the many faces of Egypt/Cleopatra and her decolonizing of her lover’s heart and mind as he is split between duty, war and where his loyalties lie”. Info here.
SCARY STUFF
The Haunting Of Hoxton Hall | Hoxton Hall | 30 Oct-3 Nov
There are so many spooky, hallowe’eny shows on this week. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen such a bumper crop of shows tailored to this time of year. So, yes, I found it hard to choose between them all and only managed to narrow it down to six, so we have two sections of them. This one looks actually very chilling, as three friends try to find out the truth about another friend’s death in a show featuring ghostly tales, aerial circus, storytelling and physical theatre. Click here.
The Inbetween | Battersea Arts Centre | 30 Oct-2 Nov
“One night in 1986, a group of friends broke into Battersea Arts Centre in order to conduct an ill-fated séance. This did not end well. A paranormal investigation concluded there was a ghostly presence in the in-between, the spaces and moments in between in the building”. Interactive theatre specialists Coney are the team behind this spooky experience, at which you’ll be using your own smartphones, solving riddles and making choices. Details here.
Godfather Death: A Grimms Musical | Greenwich Theatre | 29-31 Oct (pictured)
Greenwich Theatre have quite a few shows on this week that fall into the spooky category, so if you’re a fan of this kind of stuff it’s definitely worth having a look at all the listings here. I picked this show from amongst them, though, because it’s a musical – a “gleefully macabre” one at that – and I thought it might be nice for all you musical lovers. Anyway, it’s about a lesser known Grimm tale in which a boy is given the power to tell whether someone will live or die. Info here.
MORE SCARY STUFF
Redwater | OSO Arts Centre | 31 Oct-2 Nov
Now, all these shows do have spooky themes, but a perhaps more important theme connecting these three is that they all depict stuff happening to teenage girls. This is a “Lovecraftian horror” about seventeen year old Eliza, who is sent to a coastal town during WWII to stay with distant relatives and finds herself spiralling into paranoia when she becomes convinced that someone – or something – was in her room late one night. More here.
Nine Moons | Lion & Unicorn Theatre | 29-31 Oct
Three teenage girls, living on the edges of Romney Marshes, are struggling with secrets and the testing facets of adolescence in this traditional tale of lycanthropy reinterpreted through a feminist lens. The show promises to mix teenage angst, gothic horror and magical realism to tell a supernatural coming of age story exploring self-acceptance and female solidarity. For more info and to book tickets head to the venue website here.
Birdwatching | Etcetera Theatre | 28 Oct-1 Nov (pictured)
“School friends Amelia, Poppy and Lauren are wild camping in the Northumberland forest. As the woods darken around them and tensions flare, a watchful presence takes hold over the camp. A perfect boiling pot of paranoia, superstition and adolescent insecurity ensues that hangs on a chilling question: who is watching who?” A folk horror about the female experience that includes female, queer and neurodivergent perspectives. More here.
SHORT STOPS
16 Postcodes | Pleasance Theatre | 29-31 Oct
Right, let’s leave all that chilling stuff behind us now (not least because I know that there are plenty of you out there who aren’t into being scared) and focus on some fabulously good short runs. This one is part of the Pleasance’s Best Of Edinburgh season and is the debut storytelling show from Jessica Regan, who enlists help from her audiences who “will play their part in her odyssey as she moves North, South, East and West, finding out which is best”. Details here.
The Mountaintop | Stratford East | 29 Oct-2 Nov
“After making his history-altering ‘I’ve been to the mountaintop’ speech, Dr Martin Luther King Jr retires to Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. As he reflects on another day spent with Memphis’ public servants in their fight for equality and fair pay, room service arrives in the form of Camae – a sweet motel maid with some big, unexpected news”. A production of US playwright Katori Hall’s acclaimed 2009 play set on the eve of Dr King’s assassination. More here.
Shown And Told | The Place | 31 Oct-2 Nov (pictured)
I often feel like I am not doing enough for all you fans of dance and physical theatre and suchlike, so here’s a lovely show from acclaimed and influential choreographer Meg Stuart, and writer and performance maker Tim Etchells, that explores the relationship between movement, image and performing bodies. Expect something “tough, touching and comical by turns”. Find more info and book your tickets right about here.
LONGER RUNS
Fast | Upstairs At The Gatehouse | 29 Oct-17 Nov
Aaaand finally, some longer runs for you, with mostly serious themes, I think. This is a psychological thriller about Linda Hazzard, a ‘doctor’ from Minnesota who, back in the early Twentieth Century, promoted a radical fasting cure to rid the body of toxins and ended up causing a tragedy that divided a nation. Definitely some contemporary parallels here. But in any case, this looks very compelling, head to the venue website here for more.
Burnt Up Love | Finborough Theatre | 29 Oct-23 Nov
“After decades in jail, Mac is looking for the daughter he has never known. But she is on a collision course with her ex lover’s family after her explosive temper gets the better of her. Her new lover JayJayJay is trying to stay out of trouble, but this is one family that’s addicted to chaos”. A world premiere of a new play about family conflict and the struggle for freedom by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Ché Walker, find out more about it here.
Slave: A Question Of Freedom | Riverside Studios | 30 Oct-9 Nov (pictured)
One last play for you, and it’s an acclaimed and award winning one, adapted from the 2007 autobiography ‘Slave’, by Mende Nazer and former war reporter Damien Lewis. It is set in Sudan and London and tells the story of Nazer’s early life and childhood, and her enslavement after being abducted by the Mujahidin. A sad tale, but it celebrates its subject’s indomitable spirit, and the beauty of the ancient Nuba culture, through storytelling, music and dance. Click here.