My Month in Theatre: November 2024

A round-up of shows and performances seen in November 2024. I've been challenged by a friend to keep a better record of what shows I've seen. At the moment, most of them are just listed in my calendar app which is not great for managing an archive. So whilst I work out the best way to do this, I'm just going to blog about them.

Friday 1st November - A Little Piece of You at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The less said about this, the better. It was dreadful. Despite a stellar cast - Mica Paris, David Bedella, Dujonna Gift - nothing could save the dire material. I don't know if the book was rushed or just not well thought through, but it did not work. Some of Kjersti Long's songs were OK, but Kjersti's vocals could not match her co-stars and she ended up screeching the songs to get the volume needed. The concept of the play was poor. The female characters, because they were depressed, seemed to spend a lot of time in bed. This does not make for an interesting scenario to watch. David Bedella was not given a single note to sing. This was a vanity project and a half. Did impresario Dad have delusions of grandeur, I wonder? It was so bad, I had to take a week off going to the theatre to get over it! Note to Kjersti - don't stop making music and don't stop trying. But maybe walk before you run and get better advisors around you who are not afraid to critique your work so you can improve. 

Tuesday 12 November - La Clique at The Spiegeltent in Leicester Square. Lots of fun in a lovely venue in the heart of theatreland. It's a mix of magic, comedy, dance, trapeze and stunts. Recommended. Here's a review for a better flavour of what to expect. Booking now until 5 January 2025

Friday 15 November - The Elixir of Life by Donizetti at The London Coliseum. This ENO production was sumptuous and fun. They made full use of the stage with a gorgeous set and costumes. We had a full chorus too and glorious soloists. I liked that they had transposed the setting to the 20th Century as it made it more relatable and gave them scope to create some new effects which I hadn't seen before from the ENO. Here's a review from The Guardian for a more in-depth look at the piece. Booking until 5 December.

Saturday 16 November - Her Story: Mozart at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. This was a semi-staged concert version of a new musical about Nannerl Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus's older sister. I didn't even know he had a sister, or that she was also musical. It was fun to see a new story showcased in this way. It's still a work in progress but I hope it gets the resources and time to develop further. I really enjoyed it. I got all the feels with several of the songs. My body knows if the music is working way before my brain does!

Sunday 17 November - Club Life at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham. Oh my, this was wonderful. It's the story of Fred Deakin (club DJ and one half of Lemon Jelly now a designer and academic) as told through the music he listened to and the clubs and parties he created between around 1980 and 2000. It's an immersive experience in that Fred somehow manages to recreate the atmosphere and vibe of each club through music, visuals and some story telling. The audience is encouraged from the get go to get up and dance during each club sequence. The 2.5 hours flew by and I found myself dancing throughout and came out absolutely buzzing. In experiencing Fred Deakin's story, I was also reliving some of my own story (we're a similar age) and was remembering my nights out at various parties, clubs and festivals. Here's a friend's review.

Monday 18 November - The Glorious French Revolution (or why it sometimes takes a guillotine to get anything done). A very clever, energetic and original piece of work to give us the potted history of The French Revolutions (spoiler alert, there was more than one). If you've ever watched or listened to Les Miserables, this play will give you the backstory in a very entertaining and thought-provoking way. I loved it and would recommend it. Yes, it's absurdist and maybe a tad experimental, but I think it works. You can read my review here. Playing until 14 December. Tickets available here at just £22.

Tuesday 19 November - Club Life at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham. It was so good, I went twice and it was just as good the second time! 

Thursday 21 November - A Christmas Carol-ish at @SohoPlace Theatre. I was lucky enough to be invited to press night. This is Nick Mohammed's brainchild and is a transfer from 2023's version that ran at the Soho Theatre. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, we only got to see the first half (which was excellent, I might add). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to go again yet to see the full thing. The reviews from those who have seen it have been positive, such as this one. Booking until New Year's Eve. Tickets available here.

Friday 22 November - Wicked Part 1 - the movie at Vue Leicester Square. OK, so it's a movie not a live show, but I did go with a bunch of musical theatre enthusiasts who I've been hanging out with intermittently in a fabulous, but now defunct, musical theatre choir and piano bar karaoke night in Covent Garden. I'm not the biggest Wicked fan. I have seen the musical live, albeit 15 years ago. And yes it was fabulous. And this is a massive budget film so it's bound to be great, right? Well it is good, but I'm not sure it's mahoosive budget good. It's a fun movie and well worth seeing, even if you're not into musical theatre. Ariana Grande is excellent in it. I didn't know she could be so funny. Cynthia Erivo can really sing, but I didn't get that from the movie. The cinema was a bit chilly that night so it's possible I was distracted by not being wholly comfortable. I expected to get 'all the feels' but I didn't.  Maybe I need to see it again! Regardless, the songs 'Loathing' and 'Popular' have been constant earworms since so something's working with the film or its marketing! Here's a review of the film that I think is fair.

Sunday 24th November - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at The London Palladium. OMG. This was absolutely fantastic! This semi-staged concert version, based on the movie of the same name, starred Ramin Karimloo (move over Jonathan Bailey, Ramin just took your place as No 1 in my hit parade!), Hadley Fraser, Janie Dee, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Rufus Hound and Lauren Drew. It was so funny and so brilliantly sung and acted. I couldn't have wished for anything better. I was even sat in the Grand Circle (which I don't often do because I like to see the detail), but even from there, the atmosphere was electric. I would love to see a fully-staged version of this. A weekend of this was not enough!

Monday 25th November - The Happiest Man on Earth at Southwark Playhouse. I've been lucky enough to see a couple of other plays recently that cover holocaust experiences, namely Rose (starring Maureen Lipman) at The Ambassador's Theatre and The White Factory at Marylebone Theatre. Both were incredibly moving. This one-man play in the studio theatre is right up there with its West End cousins. 

It's a quite fantastical tale of one Jewish man's experience before, during and after World War II. It's based on the autobiography of Eddie Jaku. It starts with Eddie finding out he's no longer welcome at school, soon followed by the deadly and infamous Kristallnacht and then a spell in Buchenwald, escape and spells in Auschwitz. Add in the physical abuse received from the Nazis, losing friends and family in the most appalling ways and a near-death experience due to cholera and typhoid; it's a miracle that Eddie survived at all, let alone live to 100 and share his story. Kenneth Tigar stars in what's described as a Tour de Force performance. And it really is. Kenneth is no spring chicken at 82 but is a seasoned and very talented actor. I found his performance tender yet gripping and funny yet moving. Booking now until 14 December. Highly recommended.

Tuesday 26th November - Flo & Joan, The One Man Musical at Soho Theatre. This is one of the funniest things I've seen all year! It's a repeat of their Edinburgh Fringe success transferred to The Soho Theatre for just a week. I got lucky with a last minute ticket. Flo & Joan are extremely talented writers, musicians and comedians. Although on stage, they are not the stars of the show. The star of this one-man musical about the main man of musicals is Andrew Lloyd Webber as played by George Fouracres. He plays him as pompous, posh and pugnacious and is an absolute delight. The musical numbers draw on familiar themes from ALW's most famous musicals. The low budget aspect of the piece just adds to the hilarity. We also hear about ALW's, um, various wives and how and when they got together, his relationship with Tim Rice as well as some of the rumours and stories about him. It's terrific fun, musically very clever and very tongue in cheek. I loved it! It was even better sharing the evening with fellow musical theatre enthusiasts to be able to laugh at some of the more obscure references together. There's a much better review than mine here. The show is returning to London at Underbelly Boulevard Soho 16 Jan to 2 March with tickets from £20 available here. 

Thursday 28 November - The Simple Life & Death at The Pleasance Theatre. My first visit to The Pleasance Theatre, but definitely not my last. This was a fun parody of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's The Simple Life. ShayShay plays Paris and Fizz Sinclair plays everyone else. Things quickly turn for the worse when the pair reunite for the 20th Anniversary Special Edition of the show. They have invited guests ready to interview but just as they're about to go live, there's a murder. Can Paris solve the mystery? Are the celebrity guests to blame? It's very silly, very funny and very camp. Sinclair's impressions are spot on and they both have the noughties vibe down to a T. Recommended for a light-hearted, fun night out in a super venue with a great bar and a great atmosphere. Booking now until 7 December.

Saturday 30 November - Alice in Wonderland at Brixton House Theatre. This one was nearer home and another really lovely venue. This is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, set in modern day Brixton where Alice and her Mum are having a row during a tube journey. The tube train becomes the rabbit hole and we follow Alice on her journey through Wonderland - in this case, a never-ending tube ride - and we meet some of the other travellers on the same train. The play loosely follows the book and we see versions of the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter (Chatter), Cheshire Cat (a virtual entity), Mock Turtle (now a tortoise) and the Dormouse (a rat in our tale) and of course, the wicked Queen. It's quite a complicated story but the children in the audience the night I went all seemed to be really into it and engaged with what was going on. If you're looking for something a bit different, this might just fit the bill. The small cast worked really well together to carry off the range of characters they played as well as the increasingly frenetic tube ride that they're on. The sound effects were of particular note and they were very effective. There were enough puns and London references to keep the grown ups happy too and the rap style music was a fresh addition to the proceedings. This is definitely a play rather than a panto, although there is a little bit of audience participation in the second half. Recommended. Booking now until 4 January 2025.

The Glorious French Revolution (or: Why Sometimes it Takes a Guillotine to Get Anything Done) - a review

If history lessons had been more like this when I was growing up, I might just have paid a bit more attention to history that was older than The Great War. And I’m ashamed to say that even though I know Les Mis pretty well, can happily sing One More Day at the top of my lungs at my favourite piano bar in Soho, and was taught French from the age of 6 by my French next door neighbour, Mimi, and even my first boyfriend was a young Parisian (and oh so French), I know almost nothing about that period of history. I guess famine, death, a spendthrift king and queen, and a reign of terror don’t make for the best conversation.

If you’re expecting a BBC or ITV style period drama, this isn’t it. If you like your histories more Horrible than History Channel, but definitely for grown-ups, this one is for you. It is an experimental piece with more than a nod to absurdist theatre, but the cast of 5 know what they’re doing, and you’re in safe hands. Their high energy and absolute commitment to all the roles they play (and there are a lot and they interchange with each other seamlessly) coupled with innovative use of the small stage, interesting, if (deliberately) makeshift, props, great sound effects and lighting make for a  90-minute rollercoaster journey of the who, what, how and why of the French Revolutions (spoiler, there wasn’t just one). 

This production, brought to the stage by YESYESNONO was bonkers, fast-paced and fun, yet hard-hitting and thought-provoking. If you’re looking for something a bit different in an intimate setting, then you will enjoy this show. It’s not perfect; the last section didn’t quite land for me as well as it might (I had to read up on that bit of it), but, overall, the piece is brilliantly inventive, and it’ll give you something to tell your friends about afterwards and certainly something to ponder on your way home. Was it theatre, performance art or something else entirely? And why don't we know more about this history from our nearest neighbours. And if you've ever seen Les Mis on the stage or screen, then you really need to fill in the gaps in your knowledge with this play.

Tickets are a bargain £22. (See, theatre doesn't need to cost you an arm and a leg, even in Central London). Playing until 14 December at the New Diorama (near Warren St tube). There’s also a charming cafe bar there. Tickets are available now from the New Diorama website.

[Tickets gifted to me with no expectation of a review.]

Rodelinda - a tale of obsession

I was fortunate to go to the opera last night to see Rodelinda by Handel at The Coliseum.

As I've previously mentioned, I'm no opera buff which is partly why I'm drawn to going to the opera so I can learn more about it and why and how it stands the test of time. It's certainly out of my comfort zone. I don't enjoy it in the same way I enjoy a musical like School of Rock or a play like Ink (I've seen both recently and both are excellent by the way and well worth seeing). But I do get enjoyment from opera most of the time. And this was one of those times.

I've never heard of Rodelinda and I had no idea that Handel even wrote any operas which shows you where my level of knowledge is. I'm familiar with The Messiah and Zadok the Priest but not much else by Handel. I don't even know very much about Handel as a composer so I was intrigued as to what I would be watching. At the very least I knew it would be good as it's the ENO, but whether I would like it is another matter.I needn't have worried. This production is very enjoyable indeed with beautiful singing, stunning set and great acting.

Director Richard Jones has brought the story of Rodelinda forward to Fascist Italy and brings attention to the obsessional element of the story. The King of Milan, Bertarido, is deposed and sends word that he has died with a view to returning in disguise to save his wife, Rodelinda, and son, Flavio. Meanwhile Grimoaldo has seized the thrown and has designs on Roselinda for his wife. Garibaldo, one of Grimoaldo's allies, has designs on the throne himself and plots with Eduige to do so. Eduige complies as she's furious with Grimoaldo for making a play for Roselinda when he's already betrothed to her. Unulfo is working for Grimoaldo but secretly helping Bertarido.

The common theme that I took from the opera is that of obsession. Grimoaldo is obsessed by Roselinda. In this production he has secret cameras set up to follow her every move whilst she is imprisoned. He spends his days lusting after her and working out ways to win her for himself. Eduige is obsessed by Grimoaldo. She wants him for herself because she wants the power he already has and the power he has taken in usurping the throne. Bertarido's obsession is his wife, and to a lesser extent, his son. Garibaldo is obsessed with power. He will go to any lengths to get it, including violence. Unulfo is secretly obsessed by Bertarido which means he's happy to double cross his boss, Grimoaldo. Roselinda is tormented by her grief at losing her husband, Bertarido.

All this obsession results in circular thinking, plots and subterfuge and violence and threat of violence and unintended consequences. It shows the audience how skewed we become when consumed by obsession of any kind. The story is more gripping than I was expecting - much enabled by the set and 1940s setting and the intense atmosphere it portrayed.

What was surprising was how the very old but beautiful style of music was juxtaposed with the modern setting but still worked really well. The orchestra were using instruments of the day and that even included recorders (who knew that the recorder could sound so beautiful!). The singing is also of its day. The good guys (Bertarido and Ufulfo) are countertenors and are hitting high notes as high as the female singers. And it was very beautiful and full of emotion and was definitely masculine despite the high register. What also worked well was the repetition of phrases in the singing. This added to the intensity of the scenes and accentuated each one's obsession. What I also loved about the production was the wit in both the translation of the libretto and the acting in some of the scenes. There were some laugh out loud moments which balances out the darker themes in the opera.

I won't tell you any more of the story here. Rather, you can google for a more detailed synopsis, or better still, go and see the opera for yourself. It's running until 15 November at The Coliseum. You can book tickets here.

Tonight, I went to a talk about the future of blogging and communications in a world of AI. I'll write about that tomorrow and revisit some of the work I did on that a couple of years ago.

Also, Day 2 of NaBloPoMo done! Thanks for reading.

My year in London theatre - a round-up of 2016

I’m very lucky. Not only do I have a love for theatre, I have friends who work in the theatre sector which means I can sometimes score a free or heavily subsidised ticket for a show. Other times, I get day seats (well worth a shot if you’re in Central London – check out Theatre Monkey for info), or reduced price tickets at the Leicester Square Ticket booth and I’m also on a couple of last-minute theatre ticket mailing lists offering heavily discounted seats. That means I can truly indulge and not worry about the how I’m going to afford the high ticket prices. 2016 has been a particularly good year in that I’ve attended more than 30 different shows ranging from pub and fringe theatre to play readings and improv to West End marvels. And I can honestly say, I enjoyed pretty much all of them. This is my round-up of the year.

There have most definitely been some highlights:

Discovering the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at The Globe
My goodness what a treat of a theatre this is. It’s the smaller, intimate, indoor space at The Globe and is laid out as an indoor theatre in Shakespeare’s time would have been laid out – bench seating on three levels, galleried stage and all candlelit. I think you’d be hard-pressed not to be completely captivated by the setting. It’s now one of my favourite theatre spaces of all time. I saw three shows there this year – The Inn at Lydda (a thought-provoking fictional tale of when Caesar meets Jesus), Comus (by John Milton and beautifully retold in a historical setting) and The Little Match Girl (A very clever integration of puppetry and actors). If you get a chance to visit, go! I defy you not to love it wherever you’re sitting.

New work: The Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer
I’ve seen a number of revivals this year but not very much at all that’s completely new writing. One new piece I did see and one of my highlights of the year was The Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer at The National (Dorfman – their smaller space). It clearly wasn’t to everyone’s taste as the reviews were mixed. But I found it moving, powerful and entertaining (if a musical about cancer can be entertaining). It was an important piece of theatre in that it approaches a difficult, emotive topic we don’t really want to talk, or even think about much but in approaching it, gives us much-needed permission to do just that. The musical was in the verbatim style – that means that the playwright and the actors talked to real cancer patients and recorded what they said and then used their words exactly as they were said. This means there’s a raw honesty about the dialogue which works for me as an audience member. (This is a technique the National is known for. Rufus Norris used this technique to great acclaim with the musical and the film of London Road.)

Revisiting Shakespeare – a surprise highlight
I can’t say I’m much of a Shakespeare fan. I studied The Tempest and Macbeth at school and didn’t enjoy it much. I found the language hard-going as it’s not the English we use today in either style or vocabulary. To try and combat that I took a role in Julius Caesar with The South London Players a few years ago. Although I enjoyed being in the play, I can’t say that it ignited any particular love for The Bard.

But seeing as he is the father of our modern theatre, and having friends who do have a love for Shakespeare, I’ve given it another go this year and have been (mostly) pleasantly surprised. I’ve taken in an Australian Aborigine version of King Lear called The Shadow King (replete with didgeridoos, sand and body paint), a modern version of Cymbeline (it’s a kind of mash-up of several of Shakespeare’s previous plays) (both at The Barbican), Edwardian versions of Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing from the RSC at Theatre Royal Haymarket and the piece de resistance, Glenda Jackson as King Lear at The Old Vic. She was utterly magnificent. Probably the best performance by any actor I have ever seen on stage or screen. It inspired the thinking behind my blog post about work and aging here.

Low point: Closure of Croydon’s Fairfield Halls & Ashcroft Theatre
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing and I’m still cross and frustrated about this. One of my favourite venues, and an unsung hero in theatrical circles was Croydon’s Ashcroft Theatre and Fairfield Halls. I’ve seen some fantastic shows and performances there over the years including Under Milk Wood, The Accrington Pals, Teechers (woefully under-marketed but such a brilliant show) and Morecambe. The venue was a great place for touring shows, amongst other things.

This year, I managed to catch a few shows. My favourites were Lotty’s War, about the Nazi occupation of Jersey and Shadowlands which is about the author CS Lewis. Both very moving in their own ways. And what a treat to be able to see something local to me rather than having to go into the West End every time. But no more. The Fairfield Halls closed down in the summer and is set to be part of a regeneration project in that part of Croydon with a view to reopening in 2018. We’ll have to see if that happens or not. In the current fiscal climate, I’d say chances of that happening are getting slimmer by the day, unfortunately. I hope to be proven wrong.

The reviews
My list of shows seen (not in date order) with a brief review. Current shows listed first.

Once In A Lifetime – Young Vic; A comic tale about the early days of Hollywood starring Kevin Bishop and Harry Enfield. This was great fun and if you were watching carefully, there were some very clever touches to highlight the darker side of the business of Hollywood. Currently playing until 14th January 2017. Information and booking here.

Another Night Before Christmas - The Bridge House Theatre, Penge; A bit of Christmas cheer in this two-hander musical in a pub in South London. Highly recommend. Last performance is on Friday 23 December. Book NOW if you want to go!

Mary Stuart – The Almeida; Lia Williams and Juliet Stevenson alternate the roles of Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart based on a coin toss at the beginning of the show in this modern translation of Schiller’s play. It would be a challenge to learn one of the leading roles, but to have to learn both is an extraordinary feat. The actors were all in modern dress and there was an bare set which allowed you to focus on the words, the characters’ development and the dynamics between them. This made for an intense performance which will linger with me for a long time. Currently playing until 21 January 2017. Information and booking here (I sat at the back of the Circle and the sight lines were great). Day seats available at the theatre box office daily from 10am at £10 & £20.

Love's Labour's Lost – Theatre Royal, Haymarket; and

Much Ado About Nothing – Theatre Royal Haymarket; RSC at their finest – showing alternately. Currently playing on a 14 week run until 18 March 2017. Information and booking here.

The Little Match Girl - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; Traditional fairy tales for Christmas told by incorporating puppetry into the acting. Very cleverly done and all the more mesmerising for it. A Christmas treat. Now on and playing until 22 January 2017. Information and booking here.

Sunny Afternoon - Harold Pinter Theatre; I loved this! I’m a fan of The Kinks anyway and I’ve seen Ray Davis play a couple of times live. It was an honest retelling of the Kinks story (as written by Ray Davis), their music and the 1960s London they hailed from. A tale of dreams, luck, love, drugs, loneliness and dodgy managers. Uplifting and great fun. Currently on tour around the UK and booking now.

All or Nothing - The Vaults Theatre; A new musical about the Small Faces now on tour across the UK. Although I knew quite a bit of The Small Faces music, I didn’t know their story of drugs, alcohol, sex and being completely ripped off by their management. Despite the sad ending, the musical itself was great fun with a bit more to it than some of the jukebox musicals doing the rounds. This show is touring in 2017. Information and booking here.

In The Heights - Kings Cross Theatre; - A fabulous musical set in New York's Latino district of Washington Heights. A very different take on a musical with inventive staging (bearing in mind the layout of this temporary theatre), a great storyline and fantastic singing and dancing and music styles ranging from hiphop and salsa to merengue and soul. A must see musical. Closes in London on 8 January 2017. Information and booking here.

1984 – The Playhouse Theatre; Powerful performances with innovative stage techniques to enhance the oppressive atmosphere of the play.

King Lear – The Old Vic; Glenda Jackson was magnificent as King Lear. Strong supporting actors included Jane Horrocks, Celia Imrie and Ryhs Ifans. Stark set, modern dress, clever lighting all added to the intensity of the play. The best thing I’ve seen in a very long time.

The Go-Between – Apollo Theatre; Michael Crawford as you’ve never seen him before in an understated role as the elderly version of the protagonist. A beautiful production with music in a supporting role rather than a leading role. Left me feeling thoughtful and wistful about life.

Threepenny Opera – National Theatre; This play is challenging even before you get to the massive stage at The National but the team pulled it off with a vibrant, pacy rendition of the story of Mack the Knife and his antics. I never knew Haydn Gwynne could sing but she has a mighty find pair of lungs! Enjoyable but not may favourite show of the year.

George Fenton - Lady in the Van – Festival Hall; What a treat to have Alan Bennett read from his diaries whilst being accompanied by George Fenton’s fantastic music. It felt like I was witnessing a historical moment. Fab!

Things I know to be True – Lyric Hammersmith; This was from Frantic Assembly who specialist in integrating physical theatre into a play. It was very effective in this instance and not what I was expecting. This is a sad tale of a family whose individual truths are challenged and, it turns out, that none of them are true and they were all hiding something. Quite challenging but beautifully done.

Comus - A Masque in Honour Of Chastity - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; A thoroughly enjoyable version of Milton’s Comus set in its original historical setting.

A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer - National Theatre (Dorfman); A really important piece of new musical theatre in verbatim style. Thought provoking, moving and cathartic. This is my favourite show of the year, I think. (Last year it was Golem at The Trafalgar Studios, the year before it was Orpheus at Battersea Arts Centre).

Cymbeline - Barbican Centre – this was good, but not great. I don’t think it was the failing of the performance, rather it’s not one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays to begin with. The set and costumes were great and I loved some of the special effects. But the storyline didn’t work for me.

Airswimming - The Vaults Theatre – This play was written by Charlotte Jones who was in the year below me at school so I was curious to see it. It’s about two women who are institutionalised at a young age for being ‘moral imbeciles’. In reality, they’d done nothing wrong, but had gone against the norms of the day which set them apart and led to them being incarcerated. Even when they were set free, their mindset meant that their incarceration was life-long. Very sad and thought-provoking revival. This deserved a bigger audience than it achieved.

Body and Blood and Importance of Being - The Colour House Theatre; These two short plays were performed by an Irish Theatre Group and were both new pieces of writing about the Irish diaspora. With shoestring budgets and a tiny stage, they pulled off two interesting pieces of theatre. They both felt like they were still works in progress rather than finished pieces, but I think both stories would lend themselves to being adapted for TV or radio.

The Libertine - Theatre Royal Haymarket; Dominic Cooper was great in this as he flounced and charmed his way around the stage in the more-or-less true story of John Wilmott, Second Earl of Rochester – a writer, a philanderer, a drunkard, a rake and dead by the age of 33. Good fun and a snapshot into the theatrical world of Restoration London.

Shopping and F***ing - Lyric Theatre Hammersmith; Another revival, this time of a play from the 90s about the 90s. My friend and I ended up sitting in the ‘VIP’ seats on the stage sipping perry and seeing the action very close-up. Despite the bright lights, loud music and general bawdiness of the piece, it’s actually a dark story of a group of young people struggling to make their way into adulthood and how sex, drugs, money and shopping (consumerism) takes hold of them. Brilliantly done and thought provoking in relation to consumerism today. There’s even more of it than there was when the play was first produced.

Tosca – ENO, London Coliseum; Utterly sumptuous set and costumes, fabulous voices and orchestra (as you would expect from the ENO) played out with both the humour and pathos required for this tragic tale. Thoroughly enjoyed it despite not being an opera buff!

The Inn at Lydda - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; This is the tale of a fictitious meeting between Caesar and Jesus. If you can imagine a mash-up of Carry On films, Frankie Howerd in A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum and Up Pompeii with a bit of Shakespeare for authenticity, and you’ve pretty much got the gist of this. The humour of the piece kept it pacy and fun yet the more serious elements also had their place. I watched this from The Pit and loved the way they lit the stage with candles and used the whole of the theatre as their stage.

The Plough and the Stars - National Theatre (Lyttelton); It’s a hundred years since the Easter Rising in Dublin and there have been a fair few Irish plays doing the circuit including this Sean O’Casey play at The National. A stunning production and a heart-breaking tale of how the Easter Rising impacted those involved, mainly the poor and working class, at the time.

The League Of Youth - Theatre N16, The Bedford, Balham; A modern retelling of Ibsen’s classic set in an office in the 1990s. It opens with a dodgy office Christmas party and people are pairing up in ways they really shouldn’t be. Office politics is the name of the game with greed and power as the underlying themes. We’ve all seen this in our various work environments at some stage and the cast got their characterisations spot on from the bubbly receptionist to the slightly nerdy support guy.  This may be one of the smallest theatre spaces in London, but the cast and production team managed to create something much bigger than the space they were confined to.

The Truth - Wyndham's Theatre; A new translation of a modern French farce. Two couples, two affairs and the lies and subterfuge that that entails. The translation made the script a little clunky in places for me but good performances throughout.

The Shadow King - Barbican Centre; A retelling of King Lear set in modern Aboriginal Australia replete with didgeridoos, sand and body paint. I thought this was an interesting adaptation of the play as seen through the lens of a completely different culture. It took me a while to tune into the accents (the cast were mainly Australian), the vernacular and the slightly chaotic style but I did enjoy it.

Blue/Orange – Young Vic Theatre; A powerful play (another revival) and very well done, but my goodness, it was bleak, I mean, really, desperately, utterly bleak. It’s a thoroughly depressing insight into the mental health system, how it works and how people are treated and leaves you questioning what is madness and who is mad – the therapist or the patient? Not one for the faint-hearted.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?… Live - London Palladium; A faithful live version of the popular TV show using regulars from both the UK and the US version of the show. Josie Lawrence was *amazing*. I’ve seen her perform on TV but seeing her perform improv live was a whole different level. Just brilliant. A fun night out!

Hobson's Choice - Vaudeville Theatre; A tale of a widowed, drunken, shoemaker and his daughters in 1880s Salford. The set, costumes and performances transported you back to Victorian Salford in a Cinderella meets King Lear storyline. A lovely leading performance from Martin Shaw and strong performances throughout from the whole cast and the kind of quality you expect from a West End theatre experience. Another enjoyable night out.

Guys and Dolls - Phoenix Theatre; This was glorious! So joyful, such energy and such a great musical score. I’d defy anyone not to have their toes tapping along to this one. We may have been sitting at the back of the circle, but the energy from the stage permeated the whole audience. Loved it!

Wifi Wars - Udderbelly Festival at Southbank Centre; If you every played Pong, Space Invaders or Pacman back in the day and are at all geeky, then this is for you. We were all hooked up to a private wifi network so that as an audience, we could play each other in this romp through the history of digital games. Great fun! This is the show that led to Dara O’Briain’s (relatively) new show on Dava called 8-bit and they’re still doing the show live. They were on tour in the UK recently and got rave reviews up in Edinburgh. Highly recommend if you get a chance to catch it. More about them here.

How The Other Half Loves - Theatre Royal Haymarket; A 1960s Alan Ayckbourn farce of matrimonial mishap. Three couples, one affair, and the shenanigans that go on to hide the affair between the boss’s wife and one of the firm’s staff. There were strong performances from the whole cast and plenty of laughs but the play felt a bit dated for me. I found aspects of the relationship between William and Mary Featherstone a bit troubling – the way he bullies her and tries to dominate her (even though he’s not a dominant man). Let’s just say it’s of its time and if you enjoy a good old-fashioned farce, you’d have enjoyed this.

Jackie the Musical – Wimbledon Theatre; I have to say, I did not have high hopes at all for this musical but thought I’d give it a go. It’s the story of a Jackie magazine reader who’s now grown up and going through a sort of mid-life crisis. It turned out that it was rather enjoyable. Lots of hits from the 1970s to keep the audience happy, Cathy & Claire made an appearance and there was a half-decent storyline too. All in all, a fun show and a great night out. More about the show and Jackie Magazine here.

Lotty’s War – Fairfield Halls, Croydon; A moving tale of Nazi occupied Jersey and an illicit love affair between a local and a Nazi officer. This was very thought-provoking and poignant.

Shadowlands – Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon; The story of CS Lewis and the female fan he ends up marrying. Very moving performances from both lead actors in this tale of love unexpectedly found in later life only to be cruelly taken away.

A Christmas Carol – Noel Coward Theatre; Jim Broadbent was born to play Ebenezer Scrooge in this fantastic retelling of the familiar Dickens story. A top notch production and a lovely post-Christmas treat.

So that’s my round-up of my year in theatre. January and February are usually quiet times for me theatre-wise. Not least because I’m preparing for Swedish Beers and my other events in Barcelona the week of Mobile World Congress so I need to keep my head down. But come Spring, I hope to be back in the saddle and enjoying theatre and performance of all sorts in 2017.

Wearables–The Sony Smartband–Part 1

I don’t normally get round to doing reviews, but I’m going to make an exception today as I think it will give some insight into product and service development and how important it is to be thinking about your consumer.

I spoke recently at an event at LBi in London. As a thank you, I was given a Sony Smartband, one of these. I’m not one for gadgets. This is my first so-called wearable. A wearable fitness band wasn’t even on my wish list, but since I’d been given it as a gift, I thought I’d give it a go. I was also given this just before heading off to Glastonbury Festival so I thought it might be interesting to know about how much walking I actually do there (it’s a lot!) and compare that with my normal life.

It’s one of the less expensive wearables. It uses a normal micro usb port to charge it up so I can use one of the myriad chargers I have and it’s light and relatively comfortable to wear. It does look odd though as it’s just a black band. I’d like it better if it also had a watch face on it – digital or analogue, I don’t mind. But something that would give it a more regular purpose than simply being on my wrist would be helpful.
Allegedly, this band uses NFC as one of the mechanisms to update the proprietary software – Lifelog. Despite having a lovely Google Nexus 7 tablet, I couldn’t get it to work consistently so I use the low-powered Bluetooth instead. It’s not perfect, it takes a little while to update and a few refreshes, but it gets there eventually. It also means I don’t have to actually have the two devices touching in order to get them to sync up. The touching thing is not terribly convenient when one is in a wristband and the other is in a hard case.

Because the device doesn’t have a screen, I’m sure I don’t use all the functionality correctly. I sync it, I charge it up and that’s about it. I don’t have the patience to be fiddling with the button presses – press once for this, press twice for that – and remembering what that actually means. So I have it on the same mode all the time and I have it on automatic nightmode. I really wanted it to just, you know, work. Is that too much to ask?

I’m still wearing the device, although I’m not entirely sure why as I don’t love it. Here’s why I don’t love it…
The alarm is really annoying. The idea is that the band will wake you up between a certain time interval at the point where you are sleeping the most lightly so it doesn’t come as a shock to the system. Except that the buzzing alert feels like a small electric shock to me and it’s so horrid, that I switch it off as quickly as possible and go straight back to sleep! Something that started more gently and rose in intensity would be much better. The vibration thing is just a bit too harsh. That was disappointing. I had high hopes of being woken up gently and feeling refreshed! Tis not to be.

I don’t know when the battery is running down. I think it’s supposed to emit a light, but if/when it does, I haven’t noticed it. So the device has run down its battery on a few occasions which means I’ve skipped some meaningful days of data when I actually was doing a lot of walking or exercise or whatever. Maybe a visual alert on my tablet would be more useful. Or, you know, if it was also a watch (even a really simple one), it could show me something there.

The nightmode is weird. I’ve managed to switch it on at times when it’s not night (I don’t know what I did) and other times, it hasn’t kicked in. Your sleep is only measured when it’s in nightmode so if you’ve had a very late night, and you’re still dancing in your nightmode hours, those steps aren’t being counted. And then when you sleep your day away, your sleep pattern isn’t measured. I’m sure there is a way to switch it on and off but I haven’t worked out or remembered how to do that.

The Lifelog app is a bit rubbish. Yes, I can see some nice graphs of how many steps I’ve taken by day, week or month, but there’s no context to it. I can’t annotate the data, e.g. adding a location – Glastonbury Festival, or my Mum’s house. And I can’t extract the data either. And it doesn’t link in with any other apps such as myfitnesspal, which  I might use more if they synched with each other. And I can’t keep the lifelog app on for any length of time as it’s a massive battery drain so I only monitor activity on the smartband (you can also monitor your online activity).

There’s also no real meaning… what does it mean if I’ve done 5000 steps or not. Should I be doing more? If I do less, what’s the consequence? How does this compare with other women of my same build, height, weight and age?

The good thing is that I now know what 5000 steps looks like (it’s basically a walk to my local supermarket and back). I also know that I spend a large proportion of my time sat at my desk. And my sleep isn’t as good quality as I thought it was.

So maybe it has its uses. And I am still wearing it, so at some level, I must be getting something out of it otherwise I wouldn’t bother at all. But would I pay £70 or so for it, nope. And why would you when the new Xiaomi Mi Band is just £8 for more or less the same functionality and a 30-day battery life? Oh, and it’s prettier than the Sony Smartband too.

Read Wearables Part 2 - What about the data?