MONOLOGUE MONDAY 2 (Thornhill Theatre Space)****

 

By Louise

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

Available until: Unknown

Monologue Monday 2 of Thornhill Theatre Space's #TTSFringe2 features five monologues which are all very different.

Slow Dating by Adam Szdrich is a really incredible monologue about an elderly lady who tries speed-dating. The monologue is short, but it has humour, it has warmth and it has so much emotion. I really like the way it has been filmed too. Mr Szudrich and Katie Burson are both credited as directors and the cinematographer is Remy Fowler. I like the fact we are mostly at a distance because it’s like being at the theatre, but whenever there’s a really important emotional moment, we see the character’s face in close-up. I think this is a great way of using the best parts of theatre and film to create a great performance.

MONOLOGUE MONDAY PART 1 (Thornhill Theatre Space)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8fJX4VI7U0

Available until: Unknown

Thornhill Theatre Space’s second virtual fringe festival, #TTSFringe2, opened on 2^nd August with three brilliant and thought-provoking monologues. The festival will run throughout August with new work uploaded most days and we have very kindly been asked to be a Digital Sponsor, supporting the festival with reviews of and tweets about as much of their work as possible.

To find out what will happen as part of the Festival in the future (though some videos are probably already available), check out the Kick-Off Event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIoaVrxuKlc

Monologue Monday Part 1 gives the Festival a very strong start. After eighteen months of monologues, there are still so many new stories to be told about new characters and the three monologues featured here are great and varied examples of the way a monologue can be used and the diverse range of subjects.

OUT WEST (Lyric Theatre Hammersmith)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://lyric.co.uk/shows/out-west-online

Available until: Livestreams available until 17^th July 2021. 24 hour access.

I read an article a short while ago that suggested monologues had run their course and could not be taken any further; that they were useful when it came to keeping actors away from other actors, but they had no long-term future.

ORGANISED CHAOS (Coronavirus Theatre Club)***

  

By Dave

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG7hk-U9daY

Available until: Unknown

Organised Chaos is one of those plays you’d probably class as a comedy because it does make you laugh but underneath it has some very serious points to make.

I JUST CALLED TO SAY (The Covid-19 Monologues/Elysium Theatre Company)*****

 

By Emma

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sng2hPgYvE&t=4s  

Available until: Unknown

I Just Called to Say is a really emotional monologue and it only gets more emotional as you slowly work out what the situation is and what it means.

THE STATEMENT (Actor Monologues by Philip Pugh)****

 

By Jack

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emHS99RaRlg

Available until: Unknown

The Statement is a bit dark but I like it!

A student has died and the Head has to prepare a statement to say how sad she and the whole school are to learn of this girl’s untimely passing.

SACRAMENT (Minerva Productions/Plays on Film/King’s Head Theatre)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/sacrament

Available until: 12^th May

Trigger Warning: This production contains scenes of sexual violence.

Sacrament is quite a grown-up play in some ways. I hope it wasn’t wrong for me to watch it. I couldn’t find an age rating, but I’m fifteen so I’m old enough to watch some grown-up things. I think this is a really lovely play about finding out who you are.

BELFAST BLUES (Irish Repertory Theatre/Stream Theatre)*****

 

 By Cal

Link: https://www.stream.theatre/season/102 

Available until: 16^th May

There are some things in life which don’t really belong in the medium of comedy. These include, but are not restricted to, bombs, guns and childbirth. Bombs and guns can intentionally cause death; in childbirth, death is unintentional but no less tragic. In order to make these things funny, you would need an extraordinarily gifted writer and performer who can find the humour in these situations but deliver it with compassion and respect.

MAIN-MAIN ENGINE ROOM TAKEOVER (Rumah Khai/Omnibus Theatre)*****

 

By Dave

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfptpSM5Iw

Available until: Unknown

Main-Main is a word from the Malay language and it means ‘playing’. The idea behind it is to encourage the artists to play in whatever way they want to. To explore their creativity and share it with us. The result is very interesting, original and thought-provoking.

SCHOOL’S OUT (Virus Free Monologues)*****

 

By Emma

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

Available until: Unknown

School’s Out is such a clever monologue. I really like plays that surprise me and don’t go where I’m expecting it to go. “School’s out” is a really well known phrase so I went into this with expectations of what it would be about and I was wrong. I love being wrong about things like this!

OH BY THE WAY, I HATE MYSELF (Elysium Theatre Company)***

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddOcAMgO8TY

Available until: Unknown

Oh By the Way, I Hate Myself is a really brave monologue. Brave for the writer and the actor. It goes against social conventions and I can imagine that some people might be upset by it. But I’m not. Although I’ll never be in this situation myself, I think it’s very real and honest – more real and honest than many people are in this character’s situation – and I think quite a lot of people would identify with it, even if they don’t feel able to admit to it.

THE TEXT (Actor Monologues by Philip Pugh)****

 

 by Dave

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR_sDH2QaZw

Available until: Unknown

Another great monologue from Philip Pugh in his Actor Monologues series. Very different in style and character from the first one but that just shows how versatile a writer he is.

Patrick has had some bad news at the worst possible time. I won’t go into details, he can tell you that much better himself but he has good reason not to be thrilled about it.

THE HELPLINE (Coronavirus Theatre Club)***

  

By Dave

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdYJpVM3Grg

Available until: Unknown

I can’t say what makes The Helpline a clever monologue because that would give the whole game away. But take it from me, it’s clever.

A man is calling what seems to be some sort of sex line. His wife doesn’t know. He’s even got a new phone so it won’t show up on the phone bill. There’s a girl working there called Roxy and he really likes her a lot. No other girl will do. He’s getting desperate now. It seems almost like an obsession.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT (Actor Monologues by Philip Pugh)****

 

By Emma

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUZ0XJnQ17s

Available until: Unknown

Content warning: (not a real spoiler, it’s in the video description) mentions of suicide

We have been retweeting Philip Pugh’s Actor Monologues for a while but this is the first time we are reviewing one. It won’t be the last. This is really good and I hope we’ll review them all eventually.

Amanda is talking about something terrible she witnessed when she was at a train station. Quite a bit of time has passed since then but it’s still affecting her. She thinks about it every day and it has changed her. It’s changed her feelings, her thoughts and her behaviour. Amanda was probably always a caring person but this incident has opened her eyes to how much some people really do suffer.

TARANTULA (Aria Entertainment/Southwark Playhouse)****

By Cal

Link: https://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show-homepage/tarantula

Available until: Livestreams on 3.15pm and 7.45pm on Saturday 1^st May. Although advertised as livestreams, they are available for a few hours after the event. A lot of Southwark Playhouse shows are made available on demand after the event so if you do read this after Saturday, it might be worth checking the Southwark Playhouse and Stream Theatre sites to see if it has been made available, but don’t just assume that will be the case – grab the opportunity to see it now if you can.

Philip Ridley has kept us all brilliantly-entertained throughout lockdown, first with his The Beast Will Rise series and then with The Poltergeist, which was so good, I watched it twice – and there isn’t a lot of room in my online theatre schedule to watch things twice. Not forgetting the small matter of university taking up my time.

THE JAR (The New Theatre Dublin/Scenesaver)***

 

By Aashiq

Link: https://www.scenesaver.co.uk/production/the-jar 

Available until:

Content warning: Language, 15+

You know, this is such a good idea? It almost makes me want my husband to cheat on me so I can do it to him. I really don’t think he’d like it. But he hasn’t done anything to deserve it yet. He did get a bit moody about where I left my hairspray (how was I meant to know he was going to trip over it? I mean, it was right in the middle of the floor, it could hardly have been more visible), but this method of revenge needs a much more serious crime.

SUGAR (Covid-19 Monologues/Elysium Theatre Company)*****

 

By Dave

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T3Cu18dqK4

Available until: Unknown

The final monologue in Elysium Theatre’s first series of Covid-19 Monologues is the longest of the four. But it’s well worth listening to every word.

It’s 1721 and we’re in Bristol. The Reverend Harcourt is asleep but he hears a knocking on his door. It won’t go away. His wife still seems to be asleep and Harcourt probably wishes he was too but when you’re a reverend there are obligations.

ALONE TIME (Coronavirus Theatre Club)*****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4l55jy6r_Q 

Available until: Unknown

Content warning: There’s no official warning, but this play does include what you might call ‘adult themes’, even though they’re not exclusive to adults.

Alone Time is really sad. In all sorts of ways.

It’s sad because the main character hasn’t had the support he needs from his parents. He was actually planning on moving out now he had a job, but the pandemic came along and the job disappeared. His parents aren’t happy with the person he is and that hurts him. Of course it does.

UNMATERNAL INSTINCT (Coronavirus Theatre Club)***

 

By Emma

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfZWH3QJfMg

Available until: Unknown

Not everyone wants to be a mum and that’s completely okay. They should never be pressured or guilt-tripped into it. They should be allowed to live their own life.

FAKE (Elysium Theatre Company)***

   

By Emma

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVWP265YLvA 

Available until: Forever

There are a lot of conspiracy theories going around at the moment. I think there always have been. It’s probably not just recently that people have been saying the moon landings are fake. But now it’s got a bit more dangerous. Some people don’t believe the coronavirus is real and that means they’re risking people’s lives.