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Six, Vaudeville Theatre
A true home-grown sensation, Six has gone from strength to strength, with a Broadway run and Australian tour currently playing. Having started at the Edinburgh Fringe, its word of mouth success has led it to it reigning supreme at the Vaudeville Theatre. Six tells the story of the wives of Henry VIII – nowadays most…
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Witness for the Prosecution, County Hall
Lucy Bailey’s site-specific production of Christie’s courtroom drama has returned to London County Hall, after a lengthy, if unplanned adjournment, and remains one of the most effective theatrical settings in London. Transforming the council chambers into the Old Bailey sees the audience sat in a horseshoe configuration around a central stage, as a the trial…
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Joan of Leeds, New Diorama Theatre
Earlier this year, the University of York uncovered the story of a 14th Century nun who tired of the convent life and dramatically faked her own death to escape. The story has been seized upon by Breach Theatre, who have form with unearthing and presenting unusual and noteworthy true stories from history. The show Joan…
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& Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre
I’ll admit I wasn’t optimistic about this one. The signs weren’t what you’d call “good”. A jukebox musical? By a prolific songwriter? Who’s written for a number of artists including Celine Dion? With an out-of-town tryout in Manchester? Bat Out Of Hell’s corpse is barely cold. I needn’t have worried. Directed by Luke Sheppard, &…
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The Life I Lead, Wyndham’s Theatre
Following a run at the Park Theatre and a nationwide tour, The Life I Lead, a one-man biopic show about beloved British actor David Tomlinson, comes for a flying visit to Wyndham’s Theatre. Despite being a prolific film and stage actor appearing in over 50 films, he indisputably achieved his immortality with his role as…
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Class, Bush Theatre
With a sold-out run at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and a Fringe First award under its belt, Irish play Class arrives at the Bush Theatre and lives up to expectations. A sharp three-hander, Class tells the story of a parent-teacher meeting where tensions run high, when a well-meaning teacher must break the news of one of…
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Hoopla Festival, Hoopla Impro
The UK’s first improvisational comedy theatre, Hoopla have been established for 12 years with a dedicated venue near London Bridge. I caught the Saturday of their annual two-day improv festival, for a marathon performance from improv acts up and down the country, as well as taking in a 2-hour taster class on the fundamentals of…
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Austentatious, Fortune Theatre
A fixture in London and the Edinburgh Fringe, Austentatious is an eight-strong troupe of comic improvisers. Creating a fully improvised story at each performance in the style of Jane Austen based solely on a title suggestion from the audience, they are now embarking on a Monday night residency in the Fortune Theatre (described at last…
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Come From Away, Phoenix Theatre
Operation Yellow Ribbon was the name given to the organised effort to divert civilian planes in the immediate wake of the September 11th attacks in the US in 2001. Thousands of passengers were housed in Canadian towns, most notably the town of Gander, Newfoundland, which saw its population double overnight. The story has repeatedly captured…
View from the Cheap Seat 