Children's Shows Comedy Festivals Musicals Spoken Word Theatre ThisWeek In London

Three To See 5-11 Mar: Sprint, Funny Stuff, Young People Stuff, and more…

By | Published on Friday 1 March 2024

SPRINT FESTIVAL

Wall Of Babel | Camden People’s Theatre | 6 Mar (pictured)
Whoo hoo, the Sprint Festival starts over at Camden People’s Theatre shortly and we are naturally quite excited about it, because it features new and work in progress shows from up and coming artists. So, I thought we would celebrate by dedicating a full section to it. This first Sprint show is a multilingual piece that looks at identity, language and translation, and I think it looks fascinating. Find out more on the CPT website here.

Desperate Wee Gay Boy | Camden People’s Theatre | 9 Mar
“Ollie is all those things; desperate, wee and gay. From Scotland he finds himself flourishing in the freedom that London offers him when ghosts from his past creep up behind him. Just when he starts to figure out his identity, Rory – an old friend – comes into town slandering his name”. Poor Ollie, hope things work out for him, as he attempts to navigate queer life in London. See this page here for details.

Sad-Vents | Camden People’s Theatre | 10 Mar
“Memes, messages and music collide with a series of monologues so close to my actual life you could just be reading my diary. Obviously don’t actually read my diary though… boundaries, come on!” Eleanor Hill is the acclaimed talent behind this tragicomic exploration of mental health and trauma in the age of social media. Expect live streaming, projections, TikTok dancing and more. See this page here for info.

FUNNY STUFF

Adam Flood: Remoulded | Soho Theatre | 11-13 Mar
Yay, here we go with some upcoming funny stuff because I’m really in the mood for being gently encouraged to laugh my worries away. And my first choice is this chap Adam Flood, because this show – his 2023 edfringe debut show – was very well received. “A stand-up odyssey about reinvention with a few tricks up its sleeve, so get on Stoke-on-Trent’s premium cultural export”. Click here.

An Evening Of Unnecessary Detail | Cockpit Theatre | 11 Mar, 13 May, 8 Jul
This is a new material night from comedic maths/science trio Matt Parker, Steve Mould and Helen Arney, who are, of course, all TW favourites of long standing. They’re currently engaged in an every other month gig at the Cockpit and are joined for each event by special guests. Unfortunately the March event is already sold out, but I’m leaving this tip in, so you can get your May or July tickets sorted toot-sweet. Info here.

Daliso Chaponda: Feed This Black Man Again | ArtsDepot | 9 Mar (pictured)
It’s twenty years since Daliso Chaponda did his first show ‘Feed This Black Man’, which his blurb describes as “mediocre”. All these years later he’s done loads of great live shows, and been on the telly, and had a radio show and everything. ‘Feed This Black Man Again’ revisits the themes of that debut, but this time he’s a lot more experienced and better at his job. Head to the venue website here for more info and to book.

YOUNG PEOPLE STUFF

Kid Carpet And The Noisy Garden | ArtsDepot | 10 Mar
And now for some stuff that’s suitable for young people, because March can be a cruel month (not the cruellest, that’s April, obv) while they’re waiting to eat their Easter chocolate. Who better to get them through this than the excellent Kid Carpet and songs, puppetry and audience participation aimed at three to eight year olds? Find out more about the show and get your tickets booked on the venue website right about here.

Blue Badge Bunch | Park Theatre | 9 Mar
You know we find lots of what we like up at the Edinburgh Fringe and Blue Badge Bunch definitely fall into that category: when we caught them up in the Scottish Capital in 2022 we gave them a glowing four star review. An interactive and inclusive game show dubbed “the disability taskmaster”, it’s designed for grown-ups as well as older children aged seven and up. More info and a collection of highly complimentary review quotations here.

Camp Phoenix | The Albany | 7-8 Mar (pictured)
Another show for older children, aged nine and up this time, one that’s been developed in consultation with hundreds of young people to discover what advice teenagers wish they’d been given when they were kids. The action focuses on seventeen year old Zia who is at Camp Phoenix, a place that helps youngsters “emerge from the dust of their younger selves” just like the mythical phoenix. Find out more about it here.

SHORT STOPS

Adaptation: Enough Already | Jacksons Lane | 7 Mar (pictured)
Enough young stuff, time for a shedload of fabulous and theatrical grown-up treats. We’re starting with short stops and yet another show we heard about at the Fringe. Inspired by the work of Dr Gabor Maté, Nkem Ndefo and others, it promises an “interactive and experiential understanding of gender constructs that keep both women and men limited to certain roles and scripts in their work and home lives”. Click here.

Window To The Spirits | Omnibus Theatre | 10 Mar/14 Apr
Well, actually, I said theatrical, but this isn’t theatre. Though it’s an open mic night of spoken word poetry, which – as you all know – is pretty theatrical. It’s a monthly thing at the Omnibus Theatre, following its debut at the Wembley and Croydon branches of Boxpark, and the March event features jodY and Sana El Wakili. Find out more on the venue website here.

Slush Pile | Etcetera Theatre | 11-13 Mar
“When the prestigious Piccadilly Press opens to unsolicited submissions, three interns are tasked with sorting through these unrepresented novels and finding one which is worth publishing. To their surprise, the so-called slush pile is, in fact, filled with thousands of great works of literature”. More actual theatre and a new comedy, and one with an intriguing premise, I think you will agree. More here.

LONGER RUNS

Casserole | Arcola Theatre | 5-30 Mar
OK, on to the longer runs now and, as ever, you can take your time a bit with these ones. Though, you know, you might want to get there ASAP actually, because they are all so good. ‘Casserole’ is a funny and emotional one act play about grief, developed through improvisation by London acting studio Actors East. It focuses on Kate, who is convinced that her dead mother is sending her signs. Details here.

London Zoo | Southwark Playhouse Borough | 7-30 Mar
“It’s the dawn of the new millennium. With the newspaper industry in crisis, a group of media moguls are plotting a new acquisition. As the dusty status quo is blown apart, the layers of unspoken interracial racism and sexism against strong women by weak men begin to reveal themselves”. This acclaimed and award winning comedy returns for a limited period, head to the venue website here to book your tickets.

Hide And Seek | Park Theatre | 12-30 Mar (pictured)
Righty then, over to Park Theatre for ‘Hide And Seek’ by Italian playwright Tobia Rossi, a critically acclaimed work focusing on bullying, homophobia and the power of social media. “Gio, who has never felt accepted by anyone – not by parents, teachers or peers – decides to disappear and hide out in a secluded cave. When his popular classmate Mirko discovers him, Gio enlists him as an accomplice”. Click here.

MORE GREAT STUFF

Oedipus Electronica | Brixton House | 6-9 Mar
Aaand finally, some more stuff that falls into the category of being rather good. There are also some classic themes going on with some of these shows, as you may have divined from that ‘Oedipus’ in the title of this first one. This is Pecho Mama’s critically adored “radical reinvention” of the time honoured myth, in which Jocasta is a playwright struggling with a deadline, and which features live electronic music. Details here.

Macbeth (An Undoing) | Rose Theatre | 8-23 Mar (pictured)
Here’s the other classic giving this section its vague theme, and yet another show that’s won oodles of breathless praise during its run at Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre. It’s a feminist retelling of the Scottish Play that appropriately puts Lady Macbeth at the centre of the story. “Ruthless and driven, unstoppable in her pursuit of power, yet she quickly descends into madness and despair. By putting her front and centre, it begs the question – have we really heard the whole story?” Click here.

Squirrel | The Space | 5-9 Mar
Yes, OK, this doesn’t fit into the ‘classics’ theme, but it falls into the ‘great’ theme, as this is a very promising show. “Join Cassie as she struggles to clear out her squirrel-themed childhood bedroom and avoids calls from her estranged mum. Cassie hates squirrels and now her dad’s making her go to therapy. About her mum. Not the squirrels”. Intriguing, huh? Plus you can see this one online if you so wish, info here.

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