Christmas Turkey – the perfect performance?

‘Baby, it’s cold outside.’ Sang Dean Martin. But in the song the winter chill and falling snowflakes were all part of the Christmas magic. That’s not the same for everyone. For many there’s no delight in snow, no opportunity to warm up with mulled wine, no open fire around which to sing, and no family

Happiness is a Cup of Tea

Written and performed by Annie McKenzie and directed by Michael Tonkin-Jones Judging a book by its cover, or a play by its name, is a risky thing. Happiness is a Cup of Tea, a one-woman play written and performed by Annie McKenzie is not a whimsical look at the little things in life, but centred

Shakespeare – in reverse: Challenging gender stereotypes

It’s difficult to describe the concept of The Reversed Shakespeare Company’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that doesn’t sound like a Blur song. A play about the relationship between a boy and a girl, written by a boy, played by a company of boys originally, but now with a more gender balanced cast

My Beautiful Black Dog

It’s running late, and if we don’t start soon, I’ll have to miss it.The packed line up at the Southbank’s Changing Minds festival means I’ve booked events back to back and delays are screwing my schedule. A one woman musical soirée about depression – I get where this is going, it’s fine. But I am aware it

Book Slam, Bethnal Green

We are gathered in York Hall, Bethnal Green, to be ‘KO’d by the power of words’ as the booming voice of compere Doc Brown tells us, the echo resonating around the school gym style room. Filled with tables of chattering people, munching and drinking whilst they soak up the literary genius of performers, the night