Tag: Kings Head Theatre
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THEATRE REVIEW | F*cking Men
I was all set in my mind to hate this; I imagined it being hammy, awkward and amateur. It was, after all, a play about gay sex lives to be performed in the back of a pub. I had images in my mind of either uncomfortable soft-core porn or over-pretentious dramatics involving a man in clown makeup reading poetry and eating an apple.
The play follows the intertwining lives of 10 gay men, tackling the usual gay issues of fidelity, trust and sex. Yes, of course, there’s a character who’s an escort in there. It wouldn’t be gay theatre if there wasn’t.
The setting was simple, if amateurish, reminding me of the various performances we put on during A-level drama exam week. Although if the boys in my school looked ANYTHING like the cast I would never have left.
Which brings us on to the most important part, the cast. They were fantastic. Those who weren’t stunningly gorgeous were hilarious and heartfelt. In fact many were gorgeous and heartfelt, a combination you don’t actually see in real life… so maybe a bit of realism lost there. Some of the acting was a little laboured; feeling over the top and out of place for such a small and intimate setting. When there were fight scenes you heard the fake slap, and when there were screaming matches you got wet. And not in a good way.
The initial intimacy of the play can be a bit overwhelming, but the rhythm of the scene changes is consistently good and you’re easily moved from one character’s story to another. Some of the best characters aren’t introduced until towards the end, by that I mean both the funniest character and then arguably the hottest character. Despite its low budget, the show is still appealing to a wide audience, nothing too gay niche to prevent the characters from being relatable.
I am forced to wonder, however, if the play would have been as engrossing if the cast weren’t as beautiful as they were. The good thing is you don’t need to find out.
Entertaining and full of eye-candy. Go and see F*cking Men at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington before the end of it’s run in September (extended for another month due to popular demand).
Worth it even if you’re just looking for new entries in your spank bank.
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THEATRE REVIEW | The Clinic, Kings Head Theatre
What happens when you go to a clinic? Well, if you’ve been taking drugs and having lots of unsafe sex, then you might be more likely be HIV+. The new play “The Clinic” explores this scenario, and so much more.
Not so much a play but more of a health education lesson, “The Clinic” is produced by David Stuart, the Lead Substance Use Advisor at 56 Dean Street (a London sexual health clinic based in the heart of Soho), and written by Patrick Cash (writer for QX Magazine).
We are introduced to characters that we may recognize and identify with, portrayed by a cast of London scenesters. DJ Stewart Who plays a sexual health advisor at the clinic; he used to be a drug addicted party animal but now he dispenses HIV advice and results to men much younger than him.
Then there’s the wealthy businessman (Matthew Hodson) who enjoys sex with young men and thinks that he can buy them his love and affection. He’s also in HIV denial.
Zacharian Fletcher is the confused young man, an extreme party boy who likes to go clubbing and take drugs, not necessarily in that order. He’s also into chillouts (orgies). And he’s got HIV. He meets (via Grinder) Damien Killen’s character, a young respectable guy who seems to have a good head on his shoulders, is handsome with a good body, who came to London only to somehow become HIV+. He feels like he’s no longer desired but now damaged.
Then there’s Shirley (Pretty Miss Cairo). She runs a Vauxhall beauty clinic which acts as a sanctuary for the drugged out boys when the clubs close.
These characters may not be real people, but they are composites of characters that Cash met and interviewed after 56 Dean Street commissioned him to write this play. He interviewed not just the people who work at the clinic but some of the patients as well.
It’s a bare bones production, played in the very warm King’s Head Theatre in Angel (take a bottle of water with you, and a hand fan). And the cast should be admired for taking part in this play. It’s difficult at times to hear some of the dialogue (Stewart Who seems to be muttering his words while Fletcher is so soft-spoken I could hardly hear him at all), but Hodson (who is perfect as the villian), Miss Cairo and Killeen more than make up for the play’s faults.
And as you enter the theatre before the play starts, you are given a glossary of terms referred to in the play. There were several words in the glossary that I had never heard of before, so I did learn something new by going to see the play ‘The Clinic.’
It’s a perfect setting for a gay play, a place where we’ve all been to.
‘The Clinic’ is now playing at the Kings Head Theatre in London until August 29th.
To buy tickets, please click here:
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THEATRE REVIEW | Between, Kings Head Theatre
★★★ | Between, Kings Head Theatre
Like the majority of plays featuring gay men – this one too has nudity… SURPRISED?
BETWEEN opened recently at the King Head Theatre Pub and can be seen as a 55-minute monologue adapted to fit the six characters that are played by two male actors. Loosely directed however vividly acted BETWEEN invites us to experience snippets from the portrayed lives of two childhood friends (exploring sexual activity), a couple in a relationship (suffering from sexual dysfunction) and an actor and tutor (where the actor falls for his tutor).
The three stories are relevant to each other and it’s not that difficult to figure out the outcomes, especially when it feels as though some of the stories have not been fleshed out or evenly concentrated on.
This short play has a few twinkling moments that these committed actors shine in nicely and I fear that these moments are not being received with the attention it deserves (as I look around the space and see the first three rows of men beaming at the boy’s semi-naked bodies).
Constant transformations into the different characters demand the actors to change and take their shirts on and off and not tautly done this can be quite distracting; however, it has to be done as the director chose this manoeuvre. To make this play more gripping and to compliment the small performance space perhaps the capable actors should have been allowed to show an emotional change in each character rather than displayed through a physical item (t-shirt).
May not be off the hook funny, emotional, surprising or unique but intelligence made an appearance when the impressive sonnets did – definitely a highlight and something to look out for.
I had to go and see BETWEEN after reading the rave reviews and feel this play has so much going for it that you never stop hoping that it will get better.BETWEEN
Directed by: Geoffrey Hyland
Performed by: Nicholas Campbell and Oskar Brown
Kings Head Theatre
until 14th March 2015
http://www.kingsheadtheatre.com -
THEATRE REVIEW | Hello Norma Jeane, Kings Head Theatre, Islington
★★★★ | Hello Norma Jeane, Kings Head Theatre, Islington
The year is 2003. Joe has jetted off to Los Angeles to find and bring back to England his 76 year old grandmother, Lynne, who has escaped from the home she was living in and holed herself up in a motel in Hollywood.
When he finds her, she tells him that she is there, because the world is in dire need of some good news, and that news is that she is about to reveal that she is in fact Marilyn Monroe, that she faked her own death, and that she has been living in obscurity in Essex ever since. Is she really Marilyn or is she just fantasising? Will Joe believe here? Will we? And does it really matter one way or the other?
Dylan Costello’s amusing and often very touching play cleverly keeps us guessing. As he adds layer upon layer of detail to his tale, we are buffered one way and the other, one minute believing Lynne really is Marilyn, and the next absolutely sure that she isn’t, and we are kept guessing till the end. Ultimately though the play is not about guessing games, but about the nature of love, unconditional love; the genuine love between Joe and his grandmother, contrasted with that of Joe and his abusive, cheating boyfriend back in London. And maybe when Lynne jets off to Hollywood, she does so in the hope of making Joe see sense, of Joe finding his true self instead of living in the shadow of his boyfriend.
At the play’s centre is a performance of warmth and humour from Vicki Michelle, known worldwide for the role of Yvette in the TV sitcom Allo Allo. But this is no star turn; Michelle is one part of a talented team. Her relationship with Jamie Hutchins’s sweet, rather gauche Joe is beautifully charted, as their scenes together veer from high comedy to touching drama. Farrell Hegarty differentiates nicely between the superstar Marilyn and the young Norma Jeane, and has a great comic turn as TV hostess Carla Carlyle. Handsome Arron Blake completes an excellent cast as budding actor Bobby and Matthew Gould’s direction is unobtrusively right from beginning to end.
Hello Norma Jeane was one of five winners in Chicago based Pride Films and Plays’ Great Play Contest in 2011, and it is to be hoped that it will have a life beyond its present short season at the Kings Head in Islington.
At the moment it is playing Sundays only at 3.15 and 7.15 until November 2nd at the Kings Head Theatre, Islington.
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THEATRE REVIEW | Autobahn, The King’s Head Theatre, London
★★★★★ | Autobahn, The King’s Head Theatre, London
Regarded as one of the most celebrated American playwrights, Neil LaBute has enthralled audiences all over the world with his layered characters, sharp dialogue and subtle social commentaries. Savio(u)r return to the King’s Head Theatre after the success of 2013’s Our Town with the London premiere of LaBute’s play, Autobahn, directed by Off-West End Award nominee Tim Sullivan.
This short-play cycle follows colourful, complicated people making their way across America’s highways and their stops, starts, and stalls along the way. The London cast includes Sharon Maughan (Holby City, The Bank Job, She’s Out of My League), Henry Everett (Michael Grandage’s (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Tom Slatter (Robot Overloards), and Zoe Swenson-Graham (Our Town).
This cycle of seven short pieces stretching over 2 hours 10 minutes (with an interval to catch your breath) consists of scenes of people in cars. The stark set is a disembodied half of a car with a background scene projected on the wall and the 4 actors take various roles in the vignettes. Some of the pieces are total or almost total monologues with little interchange between characters whereas others are sharply written well-performed two handers.
The concept of two people talking as they sit in a car might not fill you with excitement but the skill of the writing and the intensity of the dialogue soon drags you in. These are nasty stories at times with LaBute’s characters having only a thin veneer covering their insecurities, betrayals and crimes. Unfaithful wives, psychotic girlfriends, unrepentant addicts and willing abductees abound in the dark world that is depicted, yet at times the plays are also painfully funny.
The cast are excellent and really bring life to the disparate and often desperate characters. This is a really unique theatre experience. The last outing for a LaBute play (Bash Latterday Plays at The Old Red Lion) ended up transferring to the West End. Catch this stellar production while you can. It deserves a wide audience.
Autobahn runs until the 20th of September 2014
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Show That Explores Animal Sexuality Accused Of Gay Bestiality Propaganda
A show which compares human sexuality and that of animals has been accused of being ‘Gay Bestiality Propaganda’
The petition, which was created by George Gilbert, has been signed by over 1000 people who are against a play that is currently showing at The Kings Head theatre in London.
The show aims to compare human’s sexuality with that of animals.
The opening statement of the petition reads, ‘As the name of the play ‘Sex with animals’ suggests, it is absolutely horrifying and disgusting that the play of this name has been staged in the name of exploration of animal sexuality. By signing this petition we oppose abuse and sexual exploitation of animals suggested by this play which is already implied in the name of the play. We also oppose all propaganda suggesting or encouraging abuse and sexual exploitation of animals by this play, otherwise termed as bestiality or zoophilia.’
Gilbert is asking petitioners to agree with the following statement: ‘Therefore this group of men with homosexual and bestiality tendencies needs to be identified and along with dramaturg, producer, director, and all the creative cast should be publicly challenged and hold accountable for:
1. Staging a play with potential for suggesting animal abuse – bestiality propaganda (Direct/indirect message is there, if some others entirely subliminal.)
2. Thematic consequences of the play.
3. Getting credits and blame for what the play does and does not.
4. The name of the play which may distorts the nature of the play, if this is the case.
5. Rationality of the play and expected implications in a viewer’s life. (Provide a scientific evidence on which the play is based).
Further we are asking all responsible for the play to:
6. Present shared belief on abuse and sexual exploitation of the animals – from dramaturg, producer and playwright of the play especially, to all the creative cast.
7. Publicly clarify their own sexual preferences since they appear to advocate what seems to be ‘sex with animals’ – gay bestiality propaganda
Lastly, we are calling on launching an investigation into whether any animals in their personal care are in danger of abuse or sexual exploitation.’ -
THEATRE REVIEW | Foreplay, King’s Head Theatre, London
★★★ | Foreplay, King’s Head Theatre, London
Some of the greatest minds of the post-War central European generation, Theodore Adorno and his wife Gretel, Hannah Arendt and Walter Benjamin became caught up in a heady mix of sexual and intellectual intrigue, infidelity, rivalry and mutual obsession. Years later, with Benjamin dead and Adorno established as one of the leading thinkers of his time Theodore, Gretel and Hannah are invited to a meal by a mysterious young woman. When their host reveals that she has access to documents that could change their lives for ever, all three are forced to face the lies, jealousies and sexual proclivities that they have hidden for decades, as their loyalty to each other is tested to the utmost.
A psycho-sexual thriller of betrayal and revenge, Foreplay takes us into the lives of some of the greatest intellectuals of the 20th century, exposing the chasm between the public and private, what is erotic and what is pornographic, and the uneasy relationship between genius and hypocrisy in us all.
This is the world premiere of Carl Djerassi’s new play at the King’s Head Theatre and the staging of the production, the skill of the actors and the intimacy of the space would certainly do justice to the piece. The claustrophobic nature of the play is conveyed to perfection and there isn’t a weak link in the cast with some very strong performances, my favourite being Judi Scott as the fearsome Hannah Arendt.
The problem for me was the play itself. In spite of a fascinating premise, some well placed humour and pacey dialogue, it felt less like a meditation on intellectual versus physical foreplay and infidelity but more like a virtual reality recreation of a particularly long and dry menopause. I suspect that had I known more about German 20th Century philosophers, political theorists and sociologists then I might have found the play more compelling. As it was, I found it mostly quite dull in content and even the intriguing human elements failed to hold my interest fully for long as the intellectual debates and parrying quickly took the sparkle away from any of the merits of the excellent production.
In spite of this, it’s well worth seeing just for the clever set and the highly accomplished acting. The brief moments of humour are well placed and timed to perfection.
The play runs until the 31st of May
Buy tickets here: http://www.kingsheadtheatre.com/main.html
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THEATRE REVIEW | Californian Lives
Issues surrounding love and trust are often explored in a variety of ways, but this powerful and original production written by Martin Foreman and directed by Emma King-Farlow has brought something entirely new to the table. A series of three monologues, Californian Liveslooks at what it really means to three very different characters living three very different lives.
In the first piece, Los Feliz, performed intensely but very well by Robin Holden, a young man falls in love with a beautiful woman and concocts an entirely fictional life in order to get close to her. As he weaves his tale, the initially unlikeable character reveals his insecurities and gradually draws the audience closer to him. Holden commands the stage extremely well and holds the audience’s attention throughout; something that is inherently difficult in a monologue.
Ben and Joe’s is a look into the lives of a group of mostly middle-aged men who while away their afternoons in a San Fernando Valley bar, united in their lust for the young barman who flirts expertly with each of them. A new arrival, Christopher, shakes their easy existence and causes a rift between the men as each of them is forced to confront their own prejudices. This difficult subject is delivered expertly by John Vernon who held the audience captivated throughout his performance.
Finally, the evergreen treat that is Carolyn Listerbrought an instant warmth and dose of humour to Sunset with her portrayal of a grandmother reminiscing to her husband on the long life they have shared together, with its succession of highs and lows. On the surface, her story is one of a very traditional marriage, but this is soon revealed to be a somewhat thin veneer as this apparently timid character reveals a strength and resilience initially unseen.
Californian Lives is no light-hearted feel-good piece, and not one for the faint-hearted. It is, however, exactly the kind of emotionally-charged and thought-provoking theatre that we need to see more of in this age of Disney-esque expectations.
Californian Lives plays at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington on Sundays and Mondays until 26 May. Tickets £11.50 – £20 from the King’s Head website.