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A Man For All Seasons: Seagull True Story - Marylebone Theatre

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It's not often that you see a play that tells you not so much a story but gives you a sense of how it feels to be in a situation, how it feels to be silenced, how it feels to be marginalised, how the dead hand of consensus stifles your creativity. However, in Seagull True Story, created and directed by Alexander Molochnikov and based on his own experiences fleeing Russia and trying to establish himself in New York, we have a chance to look beyond the headlines and understand how the war in Ukraine impacted a a group of ordinary creatives in Russia. And how the gradual smothering of freedom and freedom of expression becomes impossible to resist, except for the brave or the suicidal. Against the backdrop of Chekhov's The Seagull, which explores love and other forms of disappointment, it presents a gripping and enthralling depiction of freedom of expression in the face of adversity. After playing earlier this year in New York, it plays a limited run at the Marylebone Theatre . Fro...
Theatre: Tick Tick Boom!

Caught the show Tick Tick Boom at the Menier Chocolate Factory on Thursday night. It is a soft rock chamber musical (to give it some sort of category) telling the story of a struggling musical theatre writer who is just about to turn thirty and is wondering what he is doing with his life. Now that's something I can almost relate to, and probably explained why I was happy to overlook the shaggy story at times which veered into the standard issue story of relationships, life lessons and so and and so on.

It also helped that that the production was fantastic. It looked and sounded great. The icing on the cake was the three leads as well. Neil Patrick Harris (who once found fame as Doogie Howser MD), Cassidy Janson and Tee Jaye were the cast and made the show work so well.
Neil Patrick Harris has an amazing sublime voice and Cassidy Janson and Tee Jaye were just as good.

The show was written by Jonathan Larson prior to writing "Rent" who died just before the latter show opened and went on to fame and fortune. While it wasn't the most engaging story (or at times very good music) this production certainly brought out the best of the material and was just terrific. Scott Schwartz (son of composer Stephen) directed.

The reviews have been good so hopefully it will get the punters down to London Bridge to this great venue. The theatre is very large but it is a good size for this sort of show and well worth the hike out of theatreland...

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Play ball: Damn Yankees @LandorTheatre

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