Children's Shows Comedy Dance & Physical Festivals Musicals Opera Theatre ThisWeek In London

Three To See and Stream 23-29 Aug: Camden Fringe, Festival Stuff, Musical Stuff, Theatre

By TW Editorial | Published on Tuesday 23 August 2022

It’s the final week of the Edinburgh Festival – and if you are looking for things to see there, make sure you check out both our Three To See tips and all the latest reviews. But looking beyond Edinburgh, here are some shows to see in London and online in the week ahead…

CAMDEN FRINGE

Mixtape – Jason Patterson | 2Northdown | 27-28 Aug (pictured)
Hurrah, more Camden Fringe. Though, hang on! Oh no! The Camden Fringe comes to a close this week so these are our final picks from the excellent line up. But never mind. I suppose one could argue that the Camden Fringe ending means we are closer to Christmas and myriad stagings of ‘A Christmas Carol’, so there’s an upside to the passing of time, I guess. Anyway, one thing’s for sure: you should definitely make the most of Camden Fringe in this last week, and one way would be by heading over to 2Northdown for some comedic stuff from Jason Patterson, who will be delivering up funny stuff focused on topics like #MeToo, cancel culture, BLM, and more. Click here.

The Life That I Have | Hen & Chickens Theatre | 25-28 Aug
And now for something along more dramatic lines, and this production over at Hen & Chickens that we think looks extremely promising: “Estranged mother and daughter Ruth and Laura haven’t spoken in years. So long in fact, Ruth doesn’t know she’s about to become a grandmother. Suddenly forced back into each other’s lives after Ruth’s mother Joyce is taken to hospital, forgotten memories, old wounds and past tensions begin bubbling to the surface again”. And the question, of course, is can they put all that behind them and repair the mother-daughter bond? For more information and to book, see the Camden Fringe website here.

Berlin | Etcetera Theatre | 23-27 Aug
And finally, our final choice from the final week of the 2022 Camden Fringe (well, not quite final, in fact, see below!) is ‘Berlin’, an intriguing dark comedy about a once-prominent britpop band, which explores grief, toxic masculinity and betrayal, but also promises to be witty and suspenseful. “Four bandmates; James, Martin, Nick and Ben, reluctantly reunite at a studio in Berlin following the death of their lead singer, Harry. Three years have passed, and the effects of Harry’s sudden death and the circumstances surrounding it continue to divide the already fractured group”. What will happen? Head to this page here to book your tickets and find out.

FESTIVAL STUFF

Greenwich + Docklands International Festival | 26 Aug-11 Sep (pictured)
So now for some non-Camden Fringe, but very much still festival, stuff. For lo, this week the GDIF commences and it’s full of fabulous things for you to enjoy. And readers who are still up in Edinburgh enjoying that stuff needn’t worry, because this goes on for quite a while beyond August. There’s quite a range of cultural events on offer: installations like ‘Island Of Foam’ and ‘Unfurl’, theatrical pieces like ‘Peaceophobia’ and ‘The Sky Is Filled With Thunder’, physical/dance presentations like ‘Sleepwalker’ and ‘Black Victorians’, plus circus and street theatre events like ‘Barriere’ and ‘Feelplay!’ And, of course, it’s all outside, and loads of it is suitable for kids and young people. Read about everything that is going on right about here.

Big Dreams Festival | Polka Theatre | 24-28 Aug
And speaking of kids, here’s a whole (small but perfectly formed) festival just for them. It’s a biennial event showcasing and celebrating early years theatre created by leading companies from the UK and elsewhere. There are various workshops and talks for adults, and free activities (face painting, glitter tattoos, etc) for children, as well as the programme of theatrical shows. Of those, I’m most drawn to ‘Rothar’, I think, by Irish company Branar, a non-verbal production about two boys travelling the world on their bikes. Though I think Takeshi Matsumoto’s ‘Club Origami’ also looks great but, I am afraid, I am prejudiced because – despite trying very hard – I have never got good at origami. Anyway, take a look at the full line up of shows and workshops here and make up your own mind.

Tuesday Night Sleeping Club | ZOOTV/hello!earth | 23-26 Aug
And finally in the festivals section we are kind of heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, albeit by digital means. For yes, there is plenty of that sort of stuff to get your teeth into and there’s a week left to do so. This is a really interesting participatory thing. “An immersive experience in your home inviting you to explore sleeping and dreaming as a space of interconnectedness, intuitive time and as an invisible political presence. Tune into the live-streamed radio channel… and off you go. Small rituals prepare for entering sleeping and dreaming in an extra-sensitive state, and a specially composed sound blanket tucks us in. At seven in the morning, the livestream collects the nightly events and sends everybody into the day at eight!” Cool, huh? Click here. Oh, and if you’d like to peruse other online edfringe stuff, click here.

MUSICALS AND OPERA

Frydays | Camden People’s Theatre | 24-27 Aug
Right, well, this is your afore-hinted at bonus Camden Fringe show, but as well as being a Camden Fringe show it’s also a musical, so it fits neatly into this section of, well, musicals. And opera. Anyway, this sounds rather fun and a great place (plaice?) to start, for this show appears to be set in a chippy: “Wacky, wonderful and weird, ‘Frydays’ is an absurd musical comedy about family, friendship and fish and chips. With the evil Fryers Union hot on their toes, can this pair of wide eyed twins find the will to reopen their father’s shop and live up to his legacy?” Head to the Camden Fringe website here to find out more.

Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience | Wilton’s Music Hall | 24-26 Aug (pictured)
Oooh, and now for a show from a real TW fave company, Charles Court Opera, who’re staging their acclaimed production of this (possibly less well known) Gilbert & Sullivan piece. “Gilbert’s pen was rarely sharper than when he wrote this delicious satire on artistic movements, hero-worship and meaningless fads. ‘Patience’ brims with biting humour, over the top characters, and music that is by turns toe-tapping and sumptuous. It is a satire of the aesthetic movement that gained the support of Oscar Wilde, which CCO brings into the 21st Century in this inventive reimagining”. For more information and to book your tickets head to the venue website here.

Sin The Musical | Arcola Theatre | 25 Aug
Well, would you look at that, here’s another festival/musicals crossover for – yes indeed – we’re headed over to the Arcola Theatre for the latest show in their high quality Grimeborn Festival line up. It’s called ‘Sin The Musical’ and it’s a world premiere that blends jazz and pop and drops you into 1920s New York. “When an unexpected inheritance injects wealth into a group of working-class friends, it’s only a matter of time before opportunity corrupts the minds of those who encounter it. Watch a turbulent two years unfold into devastation. With money, alcohol, and jazz, how long will it be before people show their true colours? It has to start somewhere”. Head to this page here to find out more.

THEATRICAL STUFF

London Zoo | Bread & Roses Theatre | 23 Aug-3 Sep
Aaaaaand finally for this week we have some theatrical treats. We begin over at the Bread & Roses Theatre with ‘London Zoo’, a new production of an already acclaimed play. “It’s the dawn of the new millennium; print newspapers, which have remained comfortably profitable for centuries, are now in crisis as the world falls in love with, and adopts, electronic media. In a romp through this newly changing environment, the characters clutch at their established skills to maintain control, resulting in a choppy mutability. The wild final act sees them having a stab at changing the status quo and redefining loyalty, as we learn pain is not always felt at the site of the wound”. Book your tickets here.

Flumps | Barons Court Theatre | 24-28 Aug (pictured)
“Our hysterical yet heroic siblings, Harvey (thirteen) and Felicity (eight), find themselves spending an extraordinary, Tracy Beaker-like summer of freedom after their mum’s disappearance. Will our comedic duo find satisfaction in a life of cushioned fantasy or will their ill-obtained furry friends lead them into catastrophic calamity?” Yes, another rather intriguing sounding play this one, that boasts “an extravaganza of noughties beats, dark comedy and a hint of problematic puppetry”. Go on, admit it, you want to know more, don’t you? Go on then, head right this way.

Much Ado About Nothing | Jack Studio | 23-27 Aug
Aaaaaaand actually genuinely really finally for this week, for lo this is the very finalest of the tips, we have an absolutely barnstorming classic of a Shakespeare play, one with a blooming fabulous woman character in it, and one that contains some really brilliant rom-com style sparring. Yes, step up Beatrice and Benedict, everyone’s (well, a lot of people’s – I daresay there might be those out there for whom Macbeth and his laydee are relationship goals) favourite Shakespearean couple. And this production is in the hands of a talented and award nominated troupe, Bear In The Air Productions. Don’t delay, head this way to book your tickets.