AFTER YOU (Tonight at the Coliseum/Stream Theatre)****

 

By Emma

Link: https://www.stream.theatre/home/shows/204 £18 + booking fee

Available until: One more performance at 7.30pm tonight

I have seen a few different new musicals since lockdown. I’ve enjoyed all of them but none of them made me feel like I’d just seen a great new musical. But I really love After You. I do think there are things that could be developed more but I do think this is the best of the new musicals. It was really emotional to watch and I got so into it as soon as the music started!

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (The Wet Mariners at the Willow Globe)*****

 

By Megan

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmda4XfjOHU

Available until: Unknown

I hadn’t heard of The Wet Mariners until a few months ago but they did a production of A Midsummer Night’s ‘Stream’ on Zoom and that was so good and so funny, I was really excited when I heard about The Comedy of Errors. Especially when I found out it was staged with an audience. I love Zoom productions, but staged productions really rare and special at the moment, even when I’m watching online.

THE THEATRE CHANNEL EPISODE 1 (Theatre Café)*****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.thetheatrecafe.co.uk/episodes/theatre-channel-episode-1/ £12

Available until: 9^th October 2020

The Theatre Café have made such a big contributions to lockdown performances. They organised over seventy Leave a Light On concerts, each featuring a West End musical theatre star. After that came another series of concerts and workshops called The Interval Act, and they’ve recently started a new series called A Nightcap with… which is a combination of a concert and an interview. There have also been Zoom quizzes, which always sold out.

FOR US (Future Voices/Southwark Playhouse)

 

By Aashiq

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaV2TOAyeog&feature=emb_logo

Available until: Unknown

These students are so talented! I could almost have a fit of jealousy and refuse not to review anymore, but I’m trying to be more mature and I don’t think that would really qualify.

For Us is written by Funke Telefusi. It’s the story of a sixteen year old girl called Elizabeth. Elizabeth lives with her mother, who is dealing with her very difficult past (which I’m not going to tell you about – you’ll have to watch it and see!). Elizabeth feels unhappy and uncomfortable and unable to cope. So she reaches out for help.

TIMON OF ATHENS (The Show Must Go Online)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1A2gDSD9XA

Available until: Indefinitely

When you’re learning Shakespeare at school (or at home as I was), there’s a lot of talk about fatal flaws. Macbeth’s is ambition (as we’ll all see next week), Othello’s was jealousy (as we saw absolutely phenomenally a couple of weeks ago). These fatal flaws are seen as negative. Jealousy doesn’t make anyone happy and although there’s a place for a certain amount of ambition, it’s fair to say Macbeth… takes it a bit far.

A PERMANENT SCAR (Coronavirus Theatre Club)***

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-RS0j_bh0&t=18s

Available until: Unknown.

A Permanent Scar by Rachel Flynn draws you in instantly. An unnamed man, played by Sean Cernow, is talking about a girl he’d liked for a long time. This really is the story of ‘the one who got away’ because he’s speaking in the past tense. I was wondering straight away if she’s just not part of his life anymore or if her departure from his life is as permanent as the scar mentioned in the title (a quote from the song Drops of Jupiter by Train).

HENRY VIII (Shakespeare Happy Hours)****

 

By Alan

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNeM7RF90bk

Available until: Indefinitely

Henry VIII isn’t performed very often. A lot of big Shakespeare fans have never seen or read it and they’re surprised when they do. Henry VIII is known for having six wives but in this play he only has two wives. Katharine (of Aragon) who he is married to at the start and Anne Bullen (names in Shakespeare’s time had lots of different spellings) who he marries after he has divorced Katharine.

There are a lot of things about the play that aren’t accurate. Anne is written as a gentle, kind character. The real Anne was very well spoken but she did cause a lot of trouble by saying things she shouldn’t have said.