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The brown word: Death on the Throne @gatehouselondon

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We’re warned at the start of the show with an upbeat number that this is not the usual sort of musical. And it turns out to be just that. But with boundless enthusiasm and energy from its two leads, who deploy a range of voices and breathtaking energy to create a series of voices for puppet characters, a bedtime story becomes a silly oddball tale about four souls stuck in purgatory. With puppets. And various toilet humour references. It’s currently playing at Upstairs At The Gatehouse . The piece starts as a bedtime story. Daddy (Mark Underwood) is about to read a bedtime story for Louise (Sarah Louise Hughes). But her stomach felt funny, and soon, she went to the bathroom. Then, for reasons that seem to only make sense in the confines of the show, they start telling the story of four people who died in unfortunate circumstances in the bathroom. Depicted as puppets, they’re stuck in purgatory as St Peter doesn’t have enough space for each of them in the afterlife. And so begins a puppe...

Brief recollections: Throwback @jacksons_lane @SilverLiningCo_


You leave Throwback by circus troupe Silver Lining thinking, hmm they're a frisky lot. Some circus acts want to show sexy. Others want to show brawn. These young men and women seem to just want to play... And show off a little...

But that's ok. They do incredible acrobatic work - hanging, flying, spinning while also managing to sing, act and tell stories. 


Arriving at the theatre, there is a piece of paper on every seat for the audience to fill out, naming a good party song. Then Tom and the gang will sing a few of them. 

The piece borrows from #throwbackthursday. That weekly hastage where people get nostalgic about something for a brief moment. Here the focus is on memories of childhood. Sammy Dineen recalls how his mother got him piano lessons as a child. Which leads to a recital of nursery rhymes. While standing on one hand...


Ulrike Storch's songs from growing up leads to some evocative foot juggling. 

Another by Kalyn 'LJ' Marles about watching Michael Jackson perform growing up leads to a dance performance on straps.

It's a well-timed piece that doesn't let up with its enthusiasm, warmth, fuzziness and playfulness for life... 

It's concluded its brief run at Jackson's Lane but hopefully we get to see these incredibly talented (and frisky) guys and girls around more this year. 

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎


Photo credit: Production photos by David P Scott and Mark Robson

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