THR has watched After All These Years at The Jermyn Street Theatre. The play, written by Giles Cole, won the Outstanding Theatre Award at The Brighton Fringe. All These Years is a play divided into three acts and tells the story of relationships between two couples, now residing in a seaside town, as they reminisce over their lives and friendships over the years. Moreover, starring four seasoned actors, Jeffery Holland (best known from TV’s ‘Hi-De-Hi’), Judy Buxton, Carol Ball, and Graham Poutney (who also directs), all at the top of their games and very much at home on stage. Throughout the play, the characters had known each other for quite some time and were all in show business at one point. Act 1 reflects on the two male friends, Alfred and Charlie, in a local pub and shows a fantastic bond between them as they banter about their lives and the woes of getting older. Then the following acts play out with the two women, taking place in one of their homes after a swift se

  The THR has watched Love is Blue playing at The Drayton Arms Theatre from July 20th-22nd, just before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe. This two-hander, part of four plays produced by LAMBCO Productions, is about an unlikely encounter between a slick city trader and a young man who is homeless and he helps out by inviting him back to his loft apartment for a shower and some food. The two leads are very engaging as they explore their new-found understanding of each other’s pasts; Olly is an older man who is quite a drinker as he is grieving for his late boyfriend. The more introspective and somewhat naive younger man reveals his childhood trauma of being abandoned at six months old and adopted by a religious family. Furthermore, the director Prav MJ follows a stylish direction as it takes us on an emotional roller coaster journey. The characters live out their attraction to each other and reveal, more and more, a respective pain blossoming into a friendship. At the same time, the songs

  "So...you knew?" The THR watched at the Barons Court Theatre "So...you knew?" written by Bart Bartolini and directed by Maria Cristina Petitti. During a week of mixed weather, it was very apt to see a solo show dealing with the climate change crisis that was told in such a powerfully uplifting way. The performer Bart Bartolini is terrific as he takes us on an energetic, funny and thought-provoking journey from the early eighties to the present day and beyond into the future, playing various characters with great confidence and charisma. Primarily Willie, a former scientist who uncovers the truth about carbon dioxide emissions while working at Essen Mobil and balancing life with his wife and child. Moreover, using a backdrop projector adds a very engaging multidimensional aspect to the show, whilst the lighting and overall design, at times overwhelming, keep the audience intrigued and mesmerised. At the same time, the director Maria Cristina Petitti uses some inter

The Hidden Review has watched "Bubu Killer King" at Babolin Theatre, online theatre is odd, but, when executed well, it can be used to great effect. The challenge of an unknown medium poses a lot of opportunities, and Babolin Theatre takes this to the extreme in an exciting way. Bubu Killer King is ludicrous, absurd and comical, but much like a lot of Babolin's work, underneath this is a sharp satire, witty political commentary and a strong creative force. Bubu Killer King is essentially an unconventional interpretation of the Alfred Jarry classic 'Ubu Roi', and the banal absurdism of Jarry lends itself to a deconstructed theatre performance. At its core, it is a parody of Macbeth, which goes off the rails fairly quickly. The show is performed in solo performances which allow you to stumble your own way through the already confusing narrative of Ubu. While this presented an opportunity for differing perspectives and subplots, the story became hard to follow and co

“One day. Six cities. A thousand stories” The Hidden Review has watched Barber Shop Chronicles, written by Inua Ellams and performed at the Round House London, shown on National Theatre at Home. Inua Ellams is sharp, snappy and engaging as ever in his smash hit new play that throws us into barbershops across two continents. The vibrant environment of a barbershop is brought to life excellently by Ellams' and is used excellently to provoke questions, introduce themes and explore ideas, of language, cultural tension and boundaries. This is a snapshot into an atmosphere distinct atmosphere, that holds a special place in the black men's culture, and everything that comes with it. Ellams' use of the Brechtian approach gives him the space to move quickly through the piece, employ comedic archetypes and stereotypes and get straight to the point. We follow experiences in barbershops that appear to be unconnected; however, Ellams subtle writing begins to weave this together to great

"There is always the possibility to choose in life, but is difficult to go back." The THR has been a guest at the 23rd edition of the Napoli Film Festival 2022, hosted by Mario Violini and Giuseppe Borrone. We watched the screening and the Q&A with Marco D'Amore for the Feature Film "L'immortale" (The Immortal), directed by the same Marco D'Amore, who also portrays the lead character in the movie. Ciro Di Marzio, whose nickname is “L'immortale”, is a fictional character born and introduced as a lead. Besides, other lead characters such as Genny Savastano, played by Salvatore Esposito in the fortunate Tv series "Gomorra - La Serie" produced by HBO, Cattleya, and many more. However, the movie follows from the end of the 3rd season about "Gomorra - La Serie" from where left off. As Mr D'Amore explains, the movie is not a prequel or sequel to the series. Therefore, it is a crossover meaning that the events happen alongside wha

The THR has been a guest at the 23rd edition of Napoli Film Festival 2022 presented by Mario Violini in collaboration with Giuseppe Borrone, and we watched the documentary "A window overlooking the Sea" (Una vetrina che guarda il madre), directed by Massimiliano Gallo. Starring Massimiliano Gallo, Nunzia Schiano, Shalana Santana, Beppe Barra, Gennaro Di Biase, Alessandro Marinella, and Maurizio Marinella. This documentary is about a family business, the Marinella family business producing their tie product whose history starts in Naples around 107 years ago, so over a century. The cinematographic event showcases throughout the story different aspects of worldwide historical events and how it has reflected the story and each POV of the characters. Besides, they are all connected on the building and creative side of the tie products branded by the Marinella family that have spread its ties based in the United Kingdom. One of the characters introduced was the legendary figure th