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Wee liberties: Beauty and The Beast: A Horny Love Story at Charing Cross Theatre

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It may not be a tale as old as time, but it’s still the same old story, almost, with Beauty and the Beast: A Horny Love Story currently playing at the Charing Cross Theatre .  As the title suggests, this is not family holiday entertainment, but neither is it all gay gore. And a surprisingly large number of clever gags, a gorgeous-looking production, costumes, and an ensemble make for a classy night out with the occasional lashing of sluttiness.  It’s been a while since I have seen an adults-only panto. Like many things at the theatre—ticket prices, opening nights, age of social media influencers—things have changed. Happily, things have changed for the better here. The show focuses on assembling an excellent cast. Elaborate costumes by Robert Draper and David Shields’ set pieces help give this adult panto a touch of class. There are the usual lewd jokes and a quick flash of buttocks.   The setting of the story is in the northernmost village of Scotland, Lickmanochers. Not...

Petty theft and other austerity measures: Spine @SohoTheatre

Spine, which is playing at the Soho Theatre until 2 November is a fascinating piece that looks into  the importance of knowledge in the age of apathy.

Written by Clara Brennan, it takes you on an unexpected journey. What starts out as a story of (potentially predictable) rebellious and troubled teenager builds to make some wry observations about generational divides, the loss of political leadership in modern Britain and the apathy of people, particularly in London, over things that were once valued. 
Funny and bittersweet, it is a powerhouse performance by Rosie Wyatt. She brings together two very different characters - the troubled and petty criminal teenager, and the elderly widow - in an emotional and at times explosive performance.

Over the piece, the characters bond over stories of petty theft and a large collection of books that the old woman has amassed in her house in Willesden.

Wyatt's intense performance won her a Stage Award for Acting Excellence for her performance of the piece in Edinburgh and it is easy to see why.

Even when she broke away from the script to tell someone in the audience to "get off (their) fucking phone, love", you half expected that if that person didn't obey she was going to beat the living daylights out of the recalcitrant. In character. 

From production company, Foolscap was set up in 2014 by Francesca Moody, Bethany Pitts and Clara Brennan to craft politically conscious new work with storytelling at its heart.

Foolscap are about galvanising audiences, through a combination of grit, wit and great theatre. You will be rushing out to your local library (if it isn't already closed and boarded up) to renew your library membership after seeing it.

Don't miss it. And put your phone on silent and out of sight.

****

Photo credits: Edinburgh production by Richard Davenport

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