Over the past 150 years, not that I remember them personally, there has been a lot of speculation over the authenticity of Shakespeare and his work. The latest piece of work that is in question is, All's Well That Ends Well.
A cult novel that still has as much relevance today as it did when it was first imagined in 1962, A Clockwork Orange has been adapted many times; most famously by Stanley Kubrick in the 1971 film. New Yorkers Ed DuRante (words) and Fred Carl (music) are the latest to embark on this endeavor, promising to return to the original source of Anthony Burgess’ book and most importantly, his last chapter of redemption and hope which was missing from the first editions of the novel and the famous film.
A cult novel that still has as much relevance today as it did when it was first imagined in 1962, A Clockwork Orange has been adapted many times; most famously by Stanley Kubrick in the 1971 film. New Yorkers Ed DuRante (words) and Fred Carl (music) are the latest to embark on this endeavor, promising to return to the original source of Anthony Burgess’ book and most importantly, his last chapter of redemption and hope which was missing from the first editions of the novel and the famous film.
The Stasti Theatre company present their ever pertinent new production Misidentity at the Lost Theatre in Vauxhall, South London; a play seeking to challenge the pervasively negative perceptions of teenagers, in particular those from less than ideal social backgrounds. ‘Behind every stereotype’ reads the tagline ‘is a person. Behind every person, is a story’. True, some stereotypes have a shred of veracity but even then, as Misidentity sets out to remind us, life is far more complicated than mere stereotypes can reveal.
Using a mix of prose and poetry, this multi-layered piece follows the beautifully entangled, if not exactly rosy, story of a group of school kids; most of them from the ‘wrong’ side of the tracks, all of them friends, enemies or lovers. They are bookish, bolshie, sensitive, foulmouthed, boy-crazy, independent, mindless followers, freethinkers...
The Stasti Theatre company present their ever pertinent new production Misidentity at the Lost Theatre in Vauxhall, South London; a play seeking to challenge the pervasively negative perceptions of teenagers, in particular those from less than ideal social backgrounds. ‘Behind every stereotype’ reads the tagline ‘is a person. Behind every person, is a story’. True, some stereotypes have a shred of veracity but even then, as Misidentity sets out to remind us, life is far more complicated than mere stereotypes can reveal.
Using a mix of prose and poetry, this multi-layered piece follows the beautifully entangled, if not exactly rosy, story of a group of school kids; most of them from the ‘wrong’ side of the tracks, all of them friends, enemies or lovers. They are bookish, bolshie, sensitive, foulmouthed, boy-crazy, independent, mindless followers, freethinkers...
The dreamscape bleeds freely into reality in Meat, playwright Matt Harris’ stage adaptation - or re-imagining - of Tennessee Williams’ short story Desire and the Black Masseur.
Directed by Vernon Douglas, this current production is moving to The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town from 22 November, after completing its run at the Albany, Deptford last week.
Meat follows the surreal experiences of Ashley Hicks (Nicholas Clarke), a well-meaning if weedy clerk for a repressive (nameless) organisation. Suffering from chronic narcolepsy Hicks grip on reality is never very firm and the line between dreamland and the real world is inscrutably smudged.
Ashley faces two formidable challenges at work; rebuffing the sexual advances of his boss Maggie (Virginia Byron) and her frighteningly officious tactics in upholding political correctness within the office environment.
The dreamscape bleeds freely into reality in Meat, playwright Matt Harris’ stage adaptation - or re-imagining - of Tennessee Williams’ short story Desire and the Black Masseur.
Directed by Vernon Douglas, this current production is moving to The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town from 22 November, after completing its run at the Albany, Deptford last week.
Meat follows the surreal experiences of Ashley Hicks (Nicholas Clarke), a well-meaning if weedy clerk for a repressive (nameless) organisation. Suffering from chronic narcolepsy Hicks grip on reality is never very firm and the line between dreamland and the real world is inscrutably smudged.
Ashley faces two formidable challenges at work; rebuffing the sexual advances of his boss Maggie (Virginia Byron) and her frighteningly officious tactics in upholding political correctness within the office environment.
John Steinbeck’s well-loved story of enduring companionship and shattered dreams Of Mice and Men has seen many a film and stage adaptation. South-East London’s Broadway Theatre is the latest to take on this staple of the UK’s GCSE syllabus.
George Milton (Arron Kelly) and Lennie Small (Thomas Renshaw) form an unlikely friendship during the Great Depression in late-1930’s America. They travel together from one job as a field-hand to the next. The two men couldn’t be more different in stature or temperament. Quick-witted George is slight, short-tempered and fiercely protective of his friend Lennie, a gentle-giant with severe learning difficulties and little understanding of his own considerable strength. With an obsession for soft material and cute furry animals, Lennie pets them so hard he often unwittingly crushes them under his might.
The victims of his fetish for softness are getting larger and George is concerned this could cause the two friends long-term problems especially at their new job where the boss’s pugnacious son, Curley suffers from a short-man complex and aims his ire at poor, unsuspecting Lennie.
Directed by Cameron Jack, the Broadway’s adaptation of Of Mice and Men is a minimalist affair with no elaborate props or costume changes. Perhaps this is to emphasise the men’s bereft existence or due to budgetary restrictions; one can’t really tell. In any case it seems most apt. It’s also a relief to discover how faithful the script stays to Steinbeck’s text; the violent scenes are staged particularly
John Steinbeck’s well-loved story of enduring companionship and shattered dreams Of Mice and Men has seen many a film and stage adaptation. South-East London’s Broadway Theatre is the latest to take on this staple of the UK’s GCSE syllabus.
George Milton (Arron Kelly) and Lennie Small (Thomas Renshaw) form an unlikely friendship during the Great Depression in late-1930’s America. They travel together from one job as a field-hand to the next. The two men couldn’t be more different in stature or temperament. Quick-witted George is slight, short-tempered and fiercely protective of his friend Lennie, a gentle-giant with severe learning difficulties and little understanding of his own considerable strength. With an obsession for soft material and cute furry animals, Lennie pets them so hard he often unwittingly crushes them under his might.
The victims of his fetish for softness are getting larger and George is concerned this could cause the two friends long-term problems especially at their new job where the boss’s pugnacious son, Curley suffers from a short-man complex and aims his ire at poor, unsuspecting Lennie.
Directed by Cameron Jack, the Broadway’s adaptation of Of Mice and Men is a minimalist affair with no elaborate props or costume changes. Perhaps this is to emphasise the men’s bereft existence or due to budgetary restrictions; one can’t really tell. In any case it seems most apt. It’s also a relief to discover how faithful the script stays to Steinbeck’s text; the violent scenes are staged particularly
Estate Walls @ Oval House Theatre, London (52 - 54 Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SW) 21st September - 9th October 2010 Written by Arinze Kene and directed by Ché Walker, Estate Walls is a set in "an inferior London estate" and follows the story of Obi, a young...