Exclusive Interview: HBO’s I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu on his groundbreaking queer character “me & Michaela Coel wanted to create someone that felt real & truthful”

I May Destroy You, a co-production between HBO and the BBC, is fast becoming one of the most talked about television series of the year on both sides of the Atlantic. Centring authentic Black voices and exploring frank and nuanced questions around sexual consent and exploitation it is compelling and essential viewing. Written and created... Continue Reading →

July 9, 2020 2

Theatre Review: V&V (Vault Festival, London) ★★★1/2

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? When you go to see a play about the famed writer you really don't expect to be laughing at bad sexting and awkward nudes! V&V, an entertaining new two-hander currently playing at The Vaults in London, juxtaposes the literary love affair of Woolf and socialite Vita Sackville-West with the modern... Continue Reading →

March 5, 2020 0

Theatre Review: This Queer House (VAULT Festival 2020, London) ★★

The concept of award-winning poet Oakley Flanagan's debut play, produced by the female and LGBTQIA+ led OPIA Collective in partnership with Gendered Intelligence, This Queer House was intriguing. The press blurb tempted me in: "A young queer couple inherit a home. A joint renovation project begins. A restless house gathers strength." I immediately wondered about... Continue Reading →

March 1, 2020 0

Theatre Review: No Sweat (Pleasance Theatre, London) ★★★★

Created in collaboration with LGBTQ+ homeless or formerly homeless people (24% of the UK’s homeless youth population identifies as LGBTQ+), No Sweat unravels the experiences of three young Londoners. Written and directed by Vicky Moran, the enlightening and surprising, sometimes shocking play brings into sharp focus an issue that is largely hidden in our our... Continue Reading →

February 13, 2020 0

Theatre Review: Coming Clean (Trafalgar Studios, London) ★★★1/2

Kevin Elyot’s debut play, Coming Clean, is back as the King's Head Theatre’s production returns to London’s West End. In pre-AIDS 80s Thatcherite Britain a gay couple Tony (Lee Knight) and Greg (Stanton Plummer-Cambridge) feel out the boundaries of their long-term relationship. Enter a young, sexy cleaner named Robert (Jonah Rzeskiewicz) who puts things to... Continue Reading →

January 12, 2020 0

Teenage Dick (Donmar Warehouse, London) ★★★★

Reworking Shakespeare’s Richard III into American High School territory, Teenage Dick feels like a mash-up - take Netflix’s The Politician, mix in the social media of Dear Evan Hansen, a dash of Six’s feminine re-framing and serve nice and hot. Of course, most of these shows debuted after Teenage Dick first took to the stage... Continue Reading →

December 14, 2019 0

Theatre Review: The Boy Friend (Menier Chocolate Factory, London) ★★★1/2

If the onset of winter, the continuing saga of Brexit and a looming general election is getting you down, maybe stepping back in time to a completely charming musical is what you need? That’s what the Menier Chocolate Factory is betting on with this bright and relentlessly cheery revival of 1950s hit musical, The Boy... Continue Reading →

December 6, 2019 0

Theatre Review: & Juliet (Shaftsbury Theatre, London) ★★★★

British theatre is loving a bit of historical revision these days and & Juliet gives us re-written Shakespeare with liberal lashings of scandi-pop brilliance. I loathe jukebox musicals but & Juliet is just fantastic! What if star-crossed Juliet didn’t take her own life after Romeo died? What if instead, she woke up and got on... Continue Reading →

December 6, 2019 0

Theatre Review: My Brilliant Friend Parts 1 & 2 (National Theatre, London) ★★★1/2

April De Angelis’ two-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s beloved Neapolitan Novels has a lot of stories to tell you and this production ricochets from magical realism to mobster-camp with frequent stops at political-feminism-polemic to bring them to you. It’s a bit exhausting. How do you translate an epic, adored literary series to the stage without... Continue Reading →

November 30, 2019 0

Theatre Review: Dear Evan Hansen (Noël Coward Theatre, London) ★★★★ 1/2

Dear Evan Hansen is probably the most anticipated Broadway-to-London transfer since Hamilton, and it’s finally here with a fresh-faced lead actor who bowled over critics and fans alike. For this show, today is definitely going to be a good day! Teenager Evan Hansen suffers from severe social anxiety and writes encouraging letters to himself on... Continue Reading →

November 21, 2019 0