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Brief awakenings: White Rose The Musical @MaryleboneTHLDN

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A fascinating and daring act of defiance in Nazi Germany by a group of university students in Munich is given a slightly perplexing rock musical treatment in White Rose, the musical. Something seems amiss in this earnest and occasionally tuneful show. It lags more than it inspires, which is surprising given the tragic and compelling history of the real-life characters the show depicts. Given that young people are increasingly likely to vote for far-right parties across Europe, it’s an opportunity to look at a time when they had a different perspective on the future. Perhaps something has been lost in the translation or the larger space of the Marylebone Theatre where it plays.  The White Rose were a group of university students in Munich who sought to undermine the Third Reich through publication of a series of pamphlets urging passive resistance to the Nazi regime. Over a brief period between June 1942 and February 1943, they distributed their pamphlets across campus using ...

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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