‘Flat 2’ at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe Review: An acute and nuanced study of the awkwardness and humour of the grief experience

‘Flat 2’ asks a wonderfully morbid and unique question – if two couples move in together, and after forty-eight hours one half of each couple dies, what do you do? Lucy Foley’s debut play premiered in London last year, and then moved to Edinburgh Fringe. I caught the show at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival,Continue reading “‘Flat 2’ at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe Review: An acute and nuanced study of the awkwardness and humour of the grief experience”

‘Miss Myrtle’s Garden’ at the Bush Theatre Review: A moving piece of theatre that takes time to examine love, loss and memory

I was lucky enough to be back at the Bush Theatre this week to see their latest offering ‘Miss Myrtle’s Garden.’ Written by Danny James King and directed by Taio Lawson, the show follows the eponymous Miss Myrtle as she, and the characters around her tend to her garden, and contend with the past. TheContinue reading “‘Miss Myrtle’s Garden’ at the Bush Theatre Review: A moving piece of theatre that takes time to examine love, loss and memory”

‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ at the Manchester Opera House Review: A colourful, joyous adaptation of the Bollywood classic that is easy to fall in love with

East meets west in ‘Come Fall in Love – the DDLJ Musical’ which is playing at the Manchester Opera House. Based on Aditya Chopra’s 1995 classic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ the story follows British Indian born Simran (Jena Pandya) and Roger (formerly Raj, played by Ashley Day) as they embark on a trip around EuropeContinue reading “‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ at the Manchester Opera House Review: A colourful, joyous adaptation of the Bollywood classic that is easy to fall in love with”

‘Permission’ at the Tara Theatre Review: A nuanced and thought-provoking take on the Muslim woman’s fight for liberation

The Tara Theatre in Earlsfield is known for crafting compelling work that explores the world through a South Asian lens. It’s latest production, ‘Permission,’ written Hunia Chawla and directed by Neetu Singh, follows the friendship of Hanna and Minza, two young women from Karachi whose lives take them in different directions. Anisa Butt’s Hanna travelsContinue reading “‘Permission’ at the Tara Theatre Review: A nuanced and thought-provoking take on the Muslim woman’s fight for liberation”

‘The Great Gatsby’ at the London Coliseum Review: A star-studded spectacle that infuses the American classic with a newfound vitality

The West End’s latest offering, ‘The Great Gatsby,’ officially launched last Thursday with what has been described as the press night to end all press nights. I was lucky enough to attend and can safely say that this statement is pretty bang on. Based on the successful Broadway show, which itself is based on F.Continue reading “‘The Great Gatsby’ at the London Coliseum Review: A star-studded spectacle that infuses the American classic with a newfound vitality”

‘Ghosts’ at the Lyric Hammersmith Review – a gripping reimagining that digs deeper into the heart of Ibsen’s scandalous classic

Countless students have pored over Henrik Ibsen’s stories and characters, myself included. Whilst his works were shocking and scandalous at the time of publication, ‘Ghosts’ was first performed in 1882, restaging Ibsen’s plays today runs the risk of losing the original shock factor. This is where Gary Owen and Rachel O’Riordan’s reimagining of the sourceContinue reading “‘Ghosts’ at the Lyric Hammersmith Review – a gripping reimagining that digs deeper into the heart of Ibsen’s scandalous classic”

‘Speed’ at the Bush Theatre Review and Analysis: A Portrait of South Asian Rage, Trauma and Identity

The Bush Theatre’s newest show, written and directed by Mohamed Zain-Dada and Milli Bhatia respectively, follows four British Asians whose paths cross at a speed awareness course, set in the basement of a Birmingham-based hotel. A play with an all-Asian cast, writer and director slots well into the Bush Theatre’s rich history of giving aContinue reading “‘Speed’ at the Bush Theatre Review and Analysis: A Portrait of South Asian Rage, Trauma and Identity”

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ 1910: The Phantom, Raoul and Christine – A Toxic Love Triangle

Happy (early) Valentines Day! What better day to break down one of literatures most famous love triangles? Gaston Leroux’s novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ has charmed, and haunted, the world long before Andrew Lloyd Webber took to his keyboard. Despite the books success though, it was Webber’s words that immortalised the story and lovesContinue reading “‘The Phantom of the Opera’ 1910: The Phantom, Raoul and Christine – A Toxic Love Triangle”

‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ at the Southbank Centre: An Analysis

Pravesh Kumar’s ‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ is currently playing at the Southbank Centre and has just celebrated it’s one hundredth show. The billion-colour musical is true to its name and follows eponymous heroine Frankie on her journey to Bollywood stardom. It is a classic, fish out of water story, and one of self-discovery, set inContinue reading “‘Frankie Goes to Bollywood’ at the Southbank Centre: An Analysis”

‘Wuthering Heights’ at the National Theatre: An Analysis

Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ is famously hard to adapt, in part because of the non-linear narrative and the nature of the protagonists. While the book has legions of fans, including myself, it is not difficult to understand why people would find Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff irritating, and why readers would find the narrative, and thereforeContinue reading “‘Wuthering Heights’ at the National Theatre: An Analysis”