Review: I Have Never at the Hen and Chickens Theatre

I Have Never 

Hen and Chickens Theatre

Reviewed by Joanne Hewes

★★★★

Never Have I Ever is a refreshing new play from up-and coming playwright Hugh Roberts. It comically illustrates the bizarre transition between the bubble of university and ‘real life. This play is about selection of interesting young people; their relationships constantly alter as the play goes on. 

Camden Fringe Review: Sexual Perversity in Chicago at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Sexual Perversity in Chicago

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Reviewed on Sunday 16th August 2015

★★★★

I was lucky enough to catch the final performance of David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago at Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Staged by the Prowl Theatre Company, the play begins on a very humorous level where the audience titter and shriek at the sex-mad 20-somethings in Chicago. 

EdFringe Review: Bump at the Gilded Balloon

Bump

Gilded Balloon (Venue 14) ​

11:00 / 50 minutes

★★★

Created by Buckle Up Theatre, Bump explores the relationship of two 20-somethings who accidentally bump into each other and get a little crazy. The piece is fast paced and high energy but, on occasion, feels a little forced.

EdFringe Review: Back to Blackbrick at the Pleasance Courtyard

Back to Blackbrick
Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) ​

15:30 / 1 hour

Reviewed on Monday 10th August 2015

★★★★

Patch of Blue's latest show is a beautifully hand-crafted piece for all the family. In Back to Blackbrick we meet a lovely Irish lad called Cosmo who's trying to manage at home with his granddad who has dementia. Cosmo takes the audience back in time and meets the younger more sprightly man his grandfather once was. 

EdFringe Review: The Sunset Five at the Pleasance Dome

The Sunset Five
Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) ​
17:40 / 1 hour

Reviewed on Monday 10th August 2015

★★★★

The Sunset Five is a show devised by DugOut Theatre. We meet an ordinary bunch of friends with their own individual quirks in an uninspiring seaside town in East Anglia. The group live for the quiz at the local boozer, but it doesn't take long for the story to escalate. Before you know it the piece has transformed into a full-scale casino heist! 

EdFringe Review: Jack Rooke - Good Grief at Underbelly, Cowgate

Jack Rooke: Good Grief

Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61) ​

16:00 / 1 hour

Reviewed on Sunday 9th August 2015

★★★★★

Having co-written the show with his grandmother, in Good Grief Jack Rooke invites his audience to understand the taboo world of bereavement. 

EdFringe Review: 501 Things I Do in My Bedroom at Just the Tonic at The Caves

501 Things I Do in My Bedroom

Just the Tonic at The Caves

13:00 / 50 minutes

Reviewed on Sunday 9th August 2015

★★★★

501 Things I Do in My Bedroom is a confessional one woman comedy written and performed by Nicola Wren. We are invited in to 20-something Miss M’s bedroom and watch her attempt to deal with heartbreak whilst questioning her purpose in life.

EdFringe Review: Laughing Stock at Underbelly, Cowgate

Laughing Stock
Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61) ​
14:40 / 1 hour
Reviewed on Friday 10th August 2015
★★★★

Laughing Stock is a fast paced selection of witty sketches which do not disappoint. As the show begins it is explained that one cast member is in a wheelchair following an accident, but the show must go on and this is used to their advantage (it provides lots of extra laughs). 

EdFringe Review: Wasted at the Gilded Balloon

Wasted
Gilded Balloon (Venue 14) ​

12:15 / 1 hour

Reviewed on Friday 7th August 2015

★★★

Wasted is an eye opening piece of new writing exploring the grey area of consensual sex.

Kicking off to an explosive start in a nightclub, the audience are ushered on to the stage where they come face to face with stellar young actors Will Merrick and Serena Jennings. Merrick struts around like a ‘Jack the lad’ with Jennings drunkenly stumbling after him. I thought this would be a classic ‘nightclub love-story’, leading up to a fumbling one-night stand and seedy walk of shame the following morning.

Review: Horrible Histories Barmy Britain - Part Three at the Garrick Theatre

Horrible Histories Barmy Britain - Part Three
Garrick Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 29th July 2015
★★★★

Who knew rhinos used to roam the fields of Britain? Who knew 600 people in Soho died of cholera by drinking water from one mangy tap? I certainly didn't!

Review: Scotch and Soda at London Wonderground

Scotch and Soda 

London Wonderground

Reviewed on Thursday 25th June 2015

★★★★★

London Wonderground's Spiegeltent takes you into a world of possibility and curiosity; the hustle and bustle of central London floats away and I was ready for an evening of wonder. Scotch and Soda does not disappoint and sits perfectly in the beautifully atmospheric venue.

Review: Man Of Steal at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Man Of Steal

Menier Chocolate Factory

Reviewed on Monday 13th April 2015

★★★★

Often described as "one of the world’s greatest pickpocket entertainers", James Freedman has brought his new show Man of Steal to the Menier Chocolate Factory for a limited run of just six performances.  Although everyone loves a hustler, I wasn't sure what to expect from Man of Steal. I sat nervously in the auditorium trusting no one, eagerly anticipating something spectacular.

Review: These Trees are Made of Blood at the Southwark Playhouse

These Trees are Made of Blood

Southwark Playhouse (The Little)

Reviewed on Friday 20th March 2015

★★★

After watching the publicity video for These Trees are Made of Blood by Amy Draper, Paul Jenkins and Darren Clarke, I was anticipating an evening of unusual and immersive theatre… and I was not disappointed. 

Review: My Lifelong Love at the Garrick Theatre

My Lifelong Love 

Garrick Theatre

Reviewed on Sunday 26th October 2014

★★★★

“Every good theatre song tells an individual story” said Georgia Stitt at the start of her My Lifelong Love concert, and this really did ring true throughout the whole evening. 

The audience developed a wonderful relationship throughout the course of the show with the incredibly talented singer, composer, lyricist and musician. Stitt opened the show with 'The Me Of The Moment', a song beautifully written about the reality of life. An informal chat followed from the slightly nervous yet playfully excited Stitt.