Simon Ward reviews BOOT at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre We open in an all too realistically-rendered anonymous hotel conference facility. Exactly the kind of place where school reunions and other excruciatingly awkward social events are held. The blandness of the furnishings and the harsh lighting do nothing […]
Simon Ward reviews Alarms and Excursions at Greenwich Theatre During rehearsals for this production of Michael Frayn’s collection of short plays and sketches, the playwright apparently wrote to the director to query whether the various technological devices which conspire to confound and torment his characters were now too […]
Simon Ward reviews Indecent Proposal at Southwark Playhouse Jack Engelhard’s bestselling novel was published 33 years ago. The movie version came out 28 years ago. So it is a curious decision to return to the notorious moral dilemma at the heart of this piece now, in 2021, in […]
Simon Ward reviews Snowflakes at The Old Red Lion Theatre The fashion over the last few years has been for plays to run for 90 minutes or so with no interval. There is a certain intensity gained by knowing that the full plot will unfurl without a break. […]
Simon Ward reviews Tomorrow May Be My Last at The Union Theatre This show – described as a ‘music-driven play’ – is not for the faint-hearted. It is a loud, sweaty romp though the all-too-brief life of its inspiration and its star – Janis Joplin – lovingly brought […]
Simon Ward reviews I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical now streaming on Kings Head TV It is over a year since I last wrote a review for The Peg and although I have really missed doing it, the idea of reviewing a streaming version of a […]
Harry Bignell reviews The Time Machine at The London Library. This interactive adaptation by Jonathan Holloway of HG Well’s classic The Time Machine is a wonderful excuse to prowl the isle and smell the stacks of hardbacks at one of London’s leading literary institutions. Tucked away in the […]
Simon Ward reviews Shoe Lady at the Royal Court Theatre There were high hopes for this – playwright E V Crowe‘s short career has been much lauded, and Katherine Parkinson has recently triumphed at the National in Home I’m Darling. All the resources of the Royal Court are […]
Harry Bignell reviews Zoo at Vault Festival 2020. A touching tale of two socially-awkward animal-enthusiasts crossing geographical boundaries and cultural chasms to be socially-awkward and enthusiastic about animals together; Zoo is a delight from bizarre beginning to emotional end. The play opens with Miami based zoo keeper Bonnie, played […]
Simon Ward reviews Undetectable at The King’s Head Theatre As we enter the room our two protagonists are already ensconced under a frankly hideous purple duvet beneath a colour-changing globe light and a thumping soundtrack. This makes the regular, and of course very worthy, funding pitch from the King’s […]