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The greatest show and other bromances: Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE Ball and Boe @sohotheatre

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Alfie Boe and Michael Ball seem to be a bit of a joke act anyway. Their endless interpretations of popular songs (also known as covers) and their double-act bromance make them quintessential crossover artists where popular music meets opera and Broadway. And a perilous choice for the discerning listener. It’s not that they aren’t talented musicians and performers in their own right. Still, their musical choices are always safe, predictable and less than their potential. But every country deserves to have a pair of self-described national treasures that can tour the local arenas and give people a good time for the bargain price of £175 a seat.  And so the concept of Adam Riches and John Kearns - two world-famous from the Edinburgh Fringe comedians taking on this bromance seems like a curious choice for a Christmas musical fare. One can only hope that over the fourteen nights, it is playing at the Soho Theatre that the show evolves into something more substantial than a series of po...

The elephant in the room: Elephant’s Graveyard @TheProdExch


Saturday is the last day to catch the live stream of Elephants Graveyard. It's a title that piqued my interest, assuming that it was about a bar where old people go and drink.

But it's not that. Instead, it's a combination of oral history, legend and direct to camera straight-faced explanation of the only known lynching of an elephant. Adapted well to the world of COVID with sharp cuts, circus-themed backdrops and the now-familiar multiple camera squares of video streams. 

It's not live theatre, but it's a welcome online diversion with an entertaining story that explores spectacle, violence, rumours and revenge. All the things that seem to be near and dear to our hearts at the moment. 

Written by George Brant, it is set in 1914 in a small forgotten town in Tennessee where people were bored. So a circus coming to town was a chance to escape boredom and have some fun. But during the parade and freak accident happens. Soon rumours are spreading that culminates in this strange form of retribution. 

The ensemble, speaking directly to the camera, brings a series of conflicting stories to life and gives you a sense of the time and place. But most of all it's great to see stories can continue to be told while theatres remain shut and the creative industries are struggling to survive.  

From the The Production Exchange. The Production Exchange is also a charity, which aims to support early-career practitioners through developing skills and access to resources. You can find more about the charity and donate on their website.

Directed by Colin Blumenau, Elephant's Graveyard concludes streaming today. 

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