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Scenes from a marriage: Jab @parktheatre

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Jab takes us back to five years ago when no theatres were open. Instead, it was staying at home watching endless television, clapping for the NHS, mask-wearing and hand washing. Against this backdrop, isolation from a married couple of 29 years slowly drives them apart and to the brink. But while it captures the period well, you want to know more about this couple on the edge. It's currently playing at Park Theatre after its premiere run at the Finborough Theatre last year.  James McDermott's play is loosely based on his parent's lives during the pandemic. It opens with Ann (Kacey Ainsworth) and Don (Liam Tobin) watching the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson inform the nation they need to stay at home. She is an NHS worker, and he runs a vintage shop. As she is an essential worker, she has work to do, but he is forced to stay at home while his shop is closed. There's also another source of tension in that Anne brings in all the income in the household. And so we watch ...

Fancy footwork: Floyd Collins @WiltonMusicHall


A cave man searching for fame and fortune - and finds it after he gets trapped in one - is the basis of the musical Floyd Collins, currently playing at Wilton's Music Hall.

Based on the true story of Kentucky cave explorer Collins. After getting his foot trapped he becomes a media sensation when a cub reporter (who is thin and small enough to enter the cave) interviews him. His subsequent story becomes syndicated across America.




Written by Adam Guettel with a book by Tina Landau, it was hailed at the time as a new landmark in musical theatre with its bluegrass-infused score. Perhaps some of the music is an acquired taste, but the piece still seems as powerful and as moving.

It's helped with a slick production and delivered a cast of fine singers and performers, headed up by Ashley Robinson as the caver Floyd.

Directed by Jonathan Butterell, it's a simple yet effective production. It makes the most of the cavernous space of Wilton's Music Hall and like a sand cave, it's a rare find. Floyd Collins runs until 15 October.


Photo credit: evocative production images by Hannah Barton

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