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Searching undeterred: The Gift @ParkTheatre

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I recently had a few parcels go missing from where I live. The first parcel disappeared without a trace. The second parcel's contents were removed, and the box was left alone in the lobby. It's one of the things that you have to put up with living in central London. Apart from complaining to the delivery company and filing a police report, it crossed my mind to think about what would happen if I sent myself something rather unpleasant for a future parcel thief to open up. Well, Dave Florez's new work, The Gift, is in this line of thinking, except that the lead receives an anonymous gift of a turd in the mail rather than sending it to himself. It is lovingly gift-wrapped in a cake box from a posh north London bakery. It's a fascinating and hilarious three-hander currently playing at Park Theatre .  Colin (Nicholas Burns) is a little obsessive at the best of times. He doesn't let things drop quickly and is obsessed with the details behind anything and everythi...

Christmas in Hull: FCUK’D @BunkertheatreUK

FCUK’D at The Bunker is a an alternative Christmas theatre experience about life on the margins of British life.

A teenage boy kidnaps his little brother and they run away. Escaping their grim council flat, daily run-ins with the authorities and in search of something better than this in the lead up to Christmas.

Estimates put it at around 100,000 children run away from home every year. This piece unpacks some of the reasons why. Dad is gone. Mum is either drinking or comatose. Nobody cares about them and so they’re going to have some fun. They steal crisps from the supermarket. They steal a car. And then they burn it for warmth.

Written and directed by Niall Ransome, the story is told in verse. Ransome took inspiration from his experiences growing up in Hull.



It’s delivered convincingly by Will Mytum as the troubled youth. He engages you through it’s short duration. Pacing about the stage, eyeing the audience, brining to life this tale about never getting a break.

The stage is a square of astroturf that resembles some neglected games area on a council estate. Leaves are piled in corners and a faulty street lamp partially lights the way. The perfect setting for trouble to emerge from the shadows.

Running at under an hour its a compelling alternative Christmas tale about the great British divide. Or

FCUK’D concludes at The Bunker from 27 to 30 December

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos by Andrea Lambis

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