Simon Ward reviews Monster at the Seven Dials Playhouse Abigail Hood’s play, Monster, is set over a twenty year period in Glasgow. It centres on the lives of two girls, teenagers when we first meet them, Kayleigh Grey (played by Hood herself) and Zoe Douglas (Lauren Downie). They […]
Simon Ward reviews The Pitch at Theatre503 Philip Catherwood’s new play, directed by Thea Mayeux, is not the first to investigate the thorny issue of land and its use on the island of Ireland, but his approach is refreshingly free of the weight of history which normally surrounds […]
Simon Ward reviews A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Southwark Playhouse Borough Since the turn of the millennium, Southwark Playhouse has been re-imagining the great works of the Shakespearean canon to create versions which can engage younger audiences, with the aim of bewitching them with the power of […]
Simon Ward reviews Lorna Rose Treen: 24 Hour Diner People at the Soho Theatre As the autumnal gloom envelops tube strike-ridden London, it is an absolute delight to escape into the garish world of Lorna Rose Treen’s Blue Tit Diner. The upbeat soundtrack as the audience gathers sets […]
Simon Ward reviews TWO at the Greenwich Theatre For this revival of Jim Cartwright’s 1989 play, the Greenwich Theatre has been transformed into a pub of that era, The Clock and Compass, with nostalgic soundtrack to match. This doubles as the theatre’s own bar before the show and […]
Simon Ward reviews Improv The Dead at The Bridewell Theatre One of the joys of a Fringe festival is, of course, to move out of one’s comfort zone and try out something a bit different. I confess that the danger element of improvisational theatre has often left me […]
Simon Ward reviews Fickle Eulogy at the Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, London N1 1RL Debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, Nikol Kollars’s devastating solo show, directed by Javier Galitó-Cava, is now running at The Hope under the aegis of the Camden Fringe. It is clearly a […]
Simon Ward reviews TURTLE: A Story About Christ, Cancer, Kinks, and Christmas at the Aces & Eights Theatre Although the bread-and-butter review circuit consists of rooms above pubs, there are a few venues where things are not quite that simple. Aces & Eights is one such example. It […]
Simon Ward reviews in defence of adventurous mothers at The Glitch As we descend into the underground world of the Glitch we find ourselves in a climbing centre – two large pillars with the tell-tale brightly coloured mouldings on which the intrepid can make their ascent. This is […]
Simon Ward reviews Brixton Calling at the Southwark Playhouse Borough Just over ten years ago, Simon Parkes wrote his memoir Live At The Brixton Academy describing the incredible true story of how he acquired the lease on the building that would become the Brixton Academy for £1, before […]