TW: Sexual assault In a month of firsts, I ticked off another one yesterday by visiting Arcola Theatre for the press night of Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940. The show follows a group of German Jewish women detained in Camp Gurs, a detention camp in France, following the outbreak of the Second WorldContinue reading “‘The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940’ at Arcola Theatre 2026 Review”
Author Archives: harpalkhambay
‘Blood of my Blood’ at Royal Court 2026 Review
Joy Nesbitt’s Royal Court debut play Blood of my Blood has an intriguing premise – Talulah (Jodie Campbell) travels to Bullock Creek, South Carolina, a former plantation turned Airbnb, in an attempt to communicate with her ancestor Ginnie Good, (Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ) a former slave who worked on the plantation. Set in 1862, on the eveContinue reading “‘Blood of my Blood’ at Royal Court 2026 Review”
‘The Hungry Ghost’ at Bush Theatre 2026 Review
Bush Theatre kicked off spooky season with a bang last night, officially opening Mei Leng Yew’s debut play The Hungry Ghost. Part rom-com, part horror the play tells the story of Girl (Mei Mac) as she prepares to leave her family and move in with her girlfriend, leaving a void that a hungry ghost (IsabelleContinue reading “‘The Hungry Ghost’ at Bush Theatre 2026 Review”
‘The Urmetazoan’ at Hampstead Theatre 2026 Review
I visited the Hampstead Theatre for the first time this week to see Alex Rugman’s debut play, The Urmetazoan. Referencing a last hypothetical common ancestor of all animals, the play follows the reconnection of two sisters, Abigail (Meghan Treadway) and Alice (Dorothea Myer-Bennett) as the latter is preparing to leave earth forever. While Rugman’s centralContinue reading “‘The Urmetazoan’ at Hampstead Theatre 2026 Review”
‘Darkling’ at Bush Theatre 2026 Review
This week Linnea Berthelsen’s one-woman play, Darkling, officially opened at the Bush Theatre. Focusing on the Bhopal disaster of 1984, which is widely considered the world’s worst industrial disaster, the show follows the life of Berthelsen’s ‘She’ from birth through to Bhopal and its aftermath. Through staging, language, lighting and Berthelsen’s intensely committed performance, theContinue reading “‘Darkling’ at Bush Theatre 2026 Review”
‘Frankenstein’ at the Greenwich Theatre 2026 Review
Yesterday the British Youth Music Theatre successfully reanimated Frankenstein, a musical adaptation of Shelley’s novel first staged at Theatre Royal Plymouth in 2006. Although the first half has a habit of telling not showing, and does not quite settle on what it wants to be, juggling gothic horror, musical theatre and at times, melodrama, theContinue reading “‘Frankenstein’ at the Greenwich Theatre 2026 Review”
‘Before We Forget’ at the Bush Theatre 2026 Review
The Bush Theatre is renowned for its commitment to nurturing the next generation of creative talent, and this week I caught the latest piece of work created and developed by the 18-25 Young Company. Written by Amber Ruby, Before We Forget is about a fictional, futuristic company named ‘Recall,’ which has the power to erase,Continue reading “‘Before We Forget’ at the Bush Theatre 2026 Review”
‘Nail Bar’ at the National Youth Theatre 2026 Review
The National Youth Theatre’s annual celebration of new writers and talent, StoryFest, is in full swing, and yesterday I caught Nail Bar, written by Afsaneh Grey and Kelly Jones. The show is set in a disused high street shop, which the team at NYT have impressively transformed into a recognisable nail salon in the spaceContinue reading “‘Nail Bar’ at the National Youth Theatre 2026 Review”
‘Tender’ at the Bush Theatre 2026 Review
Eleanor Tindall’s queer rom-com Tender has returned to the Bush Theatre, moving to their main space, following its initial staging in the Studio in 2024. Directed by Emily Aboud, the show follows the burgeoning connection between Ivy (Nadi Kemp-Sayfi) and Ash (Francesca Amewudah-Rivers). As well as a raw and intimate meditation on queer love andContinue reading “‘Tender’ at the Bush Theatre 2026 Review”
Gone Girls and Cool Girls: Holly Golightly and Amy Elliott Dunne
Now, I doubt many people would put Holly Golightly and Amy Elliott Dunne together – and I’ll admit, I came across the idea totally by chance. I recently read Gillian Flynn’s 2012 thriller Gone Girl, and afterwards chance upon Truman Capote’s 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Gone Girl tells the story of Nick’s search forContinue reading “Gone Girls and Cool Girls: Holly Golightly and Amy Elliott Dunne”
