MY ILLNESS (Cambridge Junction)****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.junction.co.uk/my-illness

Available until: It might end on 16^th May 2021, at the end of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Warning: This short film has references to self-harm and suicide.

Recommended age guidance: 14+

My Illness is part of a project designed to raise awareness about mental health problems in young people. The video (which shows various images, but not the people speaking) features real young people talking about the feelings they’ve experienced, the help they received and their feelings of hope for the future.

EUGEN ONEGIN (Wiener Staatsoper)*****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/event/ee614b25-8435-479b-baab-21b887943915/play 

Available until: 10^th May at about 6pm

It is often said that the modern world is cruel and there is certainly a great deal of truth in that. But the world has always been cruel to people who are perceived as being unlike everyone else.

The difference now is that our lives are so public, it is harder even for the so-called normal people to hide the moments when they are less than perfect. Anyone can become the butt of the very next joke and many people seek out the relative safety of laughing along with the crowd.

PRELUDES (Southwark Playhouse)*****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show-homepage/preludes-in-concert

Available until: Livestreams on Saturday 8^th May at 3.15pm and 7.45pm. The show remains available for a couple of hours after broadcast.

Plays about composers have a habit of being exceptional. The first I recall was a production of the play Beethoven’s Tenth at the Watford Palace, at a time when I was much too young to appreciate the nuances of the work but old enough to believe the leading actor was the real Beethoven. Later, I saw brilliant productions of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the Old Vic and National Theatres, with two very different but excellent Mozarts in Michael Sheen and Adam Gillen, joined by two equally brilliant Salieris in David Suchet and Lucian Msamati. (I probably had entirely the opposite experience to most people in my delight at discovering that “Hercule Poirot is played by Salieri!” and am now very excited by Google’s suggestion that ‘the real Beethoven’ was played by another Poirot, Peter Ustinov, who also wrote Beethoven’s Tenth.)

A PERFECT FAMILY (Penny Dreadfuls/Moth Sanctuary Productions)*****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-dolKCPjo0

Available until: Unknown

A Perfect Family is yet another absolutely incredible story produced as a YouTube audio book by Moth Sanctuary Productions.

It tells the story of a doctor with a thriving practice who falls in love with a woman living in the area. She returns his feelings and the two are happy, deflecting the many questions about when they would have children, apparently feeling no need to conform to expectations.

ILLUSIONS OF LIBERTY (Applecart Arts/King's Head Theatre)****

 

By Sophie 

Link: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/illusions-of-liberty-2021 

Available until: 5^th May

Illusions of Liberty is about a cellist with a chronic incurable invisible illness. I didn’t write it myself, but I theoretically could have done because I am a cellist with a chronic incurable invisible illness. Bach’s first cello suite and The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals are two of my favourite cello pieces and they provide a gorgeous soundtrack for this important play.

MASKING THE TRUTH (Distanced Scenes/Two Bob Films/TwoFiveFour Productions)****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNeZYUoDj1U 

Available until: Unknown

Masking the Truth is about a daughter who speaks to her elderly mother on Zoom. Her mother is clearly becoming very confused. She forgets who people are and that her husband is dead. She becomes angry about things which have been done which were clearly intended as a kindness.

HYSTERICAL! A HILARIOUS HISTORY OF HYSTERIA (Theatre Royal Stratford East)****

  

By Sophie

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Tp1nYqSZw

With audio description: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBmv98RxZjc

With BSL interpretation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oE-MUHcGfo

With captions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pGJ0_ekH4 

Available until: Unknown

There are many ways in which Hysterical! A Hilarious History of Hysteria might be described. It could be described as ‘hilarious’ though it resonated so personally with my own emotional and physical pain, I personally didn’t find it amusing, though it is undeniably witty.

SHOWSTOPPER: THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL (27.3.21) (The Showstoppers)*****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/showstopper-the-improvised-musical-livestream-tickets-143134658617?aff=OC (There are two shows on the same page. If you only want to see this one, make sure you don’t rent the 26.2.21 edition by mistake. Both are worth seeing, but renting the wrong show can be one of the most annoying things ever. And I should know.) 

Available until: 3^rd April

The incredibly-talented Showstoppers return for their second show in two days and it’s definitely one of their best. Two ideas suggested by the audience at the start set the scene for this exciting and emotional musical, full of twists and turns with one or two tantrums as well.

BABE, THE SHEEP-PIG (Guildford School of Acting)*****

 

By Sophie 

Link: https://gsauk.org/events/babe-the-sheep-pig

Available until: Second livestream 26^th March at 6pm

There aren’t many children’s books about sheep. Lots about dogs, cats and horses, but sheep seem to appeal to few children in the way they have always appealed to me.

Of course, the star of this book is Babe the pig, but sheep still play an important role and through the book, the reader comes to understand that sheep aren’t stupid. They understand the instructions perfectly, but if they’re conveyed in a rude manner, they choose not to comply. These sheep are, of course, fictional, but research into the intelligence of sheep has concluded that they’re actually very bright animals. They also have the ability to recognise others so if a farmer kicks them or a dog bites, them, the chances are they won’t have forgotten it all by next week.

ONE WOMAN (Cambridge Junction)***

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.junction.co.uk/one-woman

Available until: 24^th March 2021

Content warning: 14+, mental health, mentions of suicide

I didn’t realise until after I paid that I was expected to have headphones.

To be fair, the play description does say it’s produced using binaural sound. But I’d never heard of binaural sound and I didn’t look it up because it sounded technical and therefore uninteresting. ‘Bi’ means two and ‘aural’ means listening and there was nothing in that to suggest I might need extra equipment.

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Royal Opera)*****

By Sophie 

Link: https://stream.roh.org.uk/packages/the-marriage-of-figaro-2015/videos/the-marriage-of-figaro-2015 

Available until: 4^th April 2021

Le nozze di Figaro can be very difficult to classify as an opera. It’s not a tragedy, though some of the characters feel that way at times. It’s certainly romantic as there is at least one happy couple at the end (I’m not admitting to any more than that, but I’m not ruling it out). Many would call it a comedy, though it is possible to put on a production of Figaro that focuses on the more serious elements and although it’s compelling as both a romantic and a dramatic piece, it’s not necessarily always overwhelmingly funny.

ONE HAND TIED BEHIND US: BETSY (Old Vic)***

 

By Sophie 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Bsf_PcLKs 

Available until: 31^st March 2021

Monologues don’t have to be about nice people. A monologue from an awful person can be really compelling, especially if it’s well-acted, and this certainly doesn’t apply only to monologues. We’re transfixed by Macbeth and it’s not till the end when Macduff and Malcolm realise the true situation and start fighting back that we really have someone to support and care about. Until then, we’re happy to watch the Macbeths cracking under the strain of their own actions, as Lady Macbeth slowly deteriorates and Macbeth murders one person after another in an effort to secure his continued presence on the throne. This could be enough to class Macbeth as a problem play, but instead, it’s seen as one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies. We don’t need to like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. All we need to do is watch and admire.

VALENTINE’S SKETCH SHOW (Northern Comedy)****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://northerncomedytheatre.com/valentines-sketch-show

Available until: Shows at 2pm, 5pm, 7pm and 9pm on 14^th February, followed by shows at various times on 13^th, 14^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th 18^th and 19^th February.

Northern Comedy’s Valentine’s Sketch Show consists of a number of sketches based around the theme of love. COVID restrictions mean that all the interactions must take place on Zoom, but Northern Comedy have managed to think of numerous stories to tell in which proximity is not only inessential but an important part of the scene.

DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL (Wiener Staatsoper)****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/event/16483d02-b762-475b-9871-27552e6373f5/play

Available until: Probably until the evening of 15^th February. There might also be future broadcasts.

Die Entführung aus dem Serail wasn’t strictly my first opera. That was Lulu and I think if you can sit through something through that strange and still want to come back for more, you probably are going to end up being an opera fan. But finding the music shop next to English National Opera’s Coliseum and buying the wonderful recording of Die Entführung by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants probably did help a lot in the matter of ensuring I went back the following week.

LOVE DOWN THE LINE (New Perspectives)*****

  

By Sophie

Link: https://www.newperspectives.co.uk/?idno=1168&s=87

Available until: Sadly, this is sold out but as the run has proved so popular, perhaps it might be extended. Especially now all the good reviews are coming out.

Love Down the Line is a special Valentine’s Day experience devised by New Perspectives. Everyone who books a play receives a phone call from one of the two actors involved in the project, Sophia Hatfield and Ollie Smith. 

WE ASK THESE QUESTIONS OF EVERYBODY (Mahogany Opera Group)***

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lcG-12FCW8&t=171s

Available until: 28^th February 2021

When the Conservatives came into power and the world began to fall apart, they decided to restructure the benefit process. At that stage, people with disabilities were claiming a benefit called Disability Living Allowance. The Government planned to scrap this and replace it with something called Personal Independence Payment. Both benefits give financial support to people with physical and mental health problems and disabilities.

FROM THE STONE AGE (Place Prints/New Perspectives)****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.newperspectives.co.uk/?idno=1168&s=82

Available until: Unknown

This Place Print is in two parts. Part 1 is called Cave Girl and Part 2 is From the Stone Age. The stories feature the same characters, but they are separate. Part 1 was reviewed yesterday.

After her Stone Age experiences in the last episode, Kerry finds herself once more in a difficult and potentially supernatural situation. She’s out with Sharon, Gary and Dean again, driving through the Sussex countryside. It’s a bit too late to get home before dark, but if they can get home before daylight, that would suit them rather well.

CAVE GIRL (Place Prints/New Perspectives)*****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.newperspectives.co.uk/?idno=1168&s=82

Available until: Unknown

Content warning: This episode contains some use of strong language.

This Place Print is in two parts. Part 1 is called Cave Girl and Part 2 is From the Stone Age. The stories feature the same characters, but they are separate. Part 2 will be reviewed tomorrow.

The fourth episode in the Place Prints is about a group of four students. They’re supposed to be filming for their media studies course and one of them, Kerry, thinks a castle will be the perfect location.

Her enthusiasm is not matched by her friends’. Gary and Dean seem more interested in messing around, teasing Kerry for her interest in the castle. Sharon feels the ground is wholly unsuitable for her shoes. But the four of them continue… and Kerry is overtaken by a strange sensation.

PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE (BBC Shakespeare)****

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pericles-Prince-Tyre-Shakespeare-Collection/dp/B000KPCBNE/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Pericles&qid=1611435798&s=dvd&sr=1-1

Available until: Until Amazon sells out!

This production marks the end of my attempt to see every Shakespeare play at least three times. This does not include the Two Noble Kinsmen, Edward III or Sir Thomas More (which are not often performed) but does include the best-known thirty-seven. My next goal will be to see all the Shakespeare plays at least four times. It’s fair to say I’m looking forward to some more than others.

BLOOD SUGAR***

 

By Sophie

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgJovsjjBdM&t=1s

Available until: Unknown

Content warning: There’s no content warning on the video and if I told you, it would give away everything. But there are things in this story which are very wrong. Definitely more a play for adults and only then if you’re feeling strong.