A celebration of the enduring friendship between the brilliant and tragic composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and Marion Scott, writer and trailblazer of women musicians, written a…
Are you a poser? Eddie French thinks that they might be.
In a frenetic on-stage exorcism, actor and filmmaker Nick Cohen relives his rollercoaster journey from South London to Sunset Boulevard.
A statement from Dawn French “This show is so-named because unfortunately, it’s horribly accurate.
A song recital of music by British and French composers – Reynaldo Hahn and Roger Quilter.
Fresh from Vietnam, a past colony of France for more than 100 years, comes an expat Parisian to give you a better perspective on the global epidemic: French Bashing.
Life With Oscar is Nicholas Cohen's brutally honest first person (and occasionally third person) account, detailing his own personal heroes journey from Lewisham, South-east Lo…
There are very few downsides to attending a steampunk musical based on Oscar Wilde’s life, unless you’re a reviewer trying to take discreet notes in the back of the room.
As seen on ITV2 and BBC, French Kiss Tunnel (WIP) will be the first outing of the beginnings of Vidura B.R.’s new hour. It’s about love. He does songs now.
What do you do when Ms Alzheimer’s – a hideous and befanged monster – comes to live with you? Local author and journalist, Susan Elkin, talks about her new book, …
What if your favourite characters didn’t quite like the way they were written? What if they decided enough was enough? When an unnamed author is found dead, his characters are br…
Extraordinary concert of French airs de cour and their baroque admirers – Lully, Lambert, Tessier, Purcell, Handel.
“D’ou vient tu?” C’est la question que se pose l’humoriste franco-anglaise Tatty Macleod.
“D’ou vient tu?” C’est la question que se pose l’humoriste franco-anglaise Tatty Macleod.
Occasionally humorous, this is a well-formed exploration of Wilde’s life, loves and works.
Laura de Ryver’s hilarious one-woman show, French 101, reclaims the dreaded French lesson of your youth and turns it into a fun, furious and slightly unhinged journey through lov…
Laura de Ryver’s hilarious one-woman show, French 101, reclaims the dreaded French lesson of your youth and turns it into a fun, furious and slightly unhinged journey through lov…
Ivor B Gurney and Marion M Scott had a very special friendship.
A celebration of the friendship between the First World War poet and composer, Ivor Gurney, and violinist, musicologist and champion of women musicians, Marion Scott.
Romancero Books with the support of the Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Spanish Embassy in London presents the Festival of Queer Spanish Literature in London…
Bienvenue to Chansons, the musical intercultural cabaret.
This Anglo-French musical extravaganza follows the life of Nicholas Lanier, a French lutenist who fled to England escaping religious persecution and went on to gain the title ‘Mast…
This Anglo-French musical extravaganza follows the life of Nicholas Lanier, a French lutenist who fled to England escaping religious persecution and went on to gain the title ‘Mast…
Metropolis Music Presents: Gad Elmaleh J’ai choisi le Leicester Square Theatre pour improviser autour des thèmes de mon prochain spectacle#workinprogress Pl…
French-born Marianne has spent most of her adult life in the UK.
The Tales of Kieran Hodgson: Part One.
Hopefully, you know the kind of show you’re in for, with a deliciously meaningless title like this, and crafted surrealism is exactly what is in store.
What’s happening on the French live music scene Right Now? Come and check out a selection of fine French bands playing a rich mix of originals and covers.
Michael McEvoys’s tight re-telling of the story of the fierce young heroine Antigone weaves together all three of Sophocles’s Theban plays into an intimate and impactful solo p…
Ivan has done everything he was meant to do.
Court rooms can often make for high drama, but unfortunately in this case the transcript of ‘the trial of the century, proves to be less than gripping.
This month Jon Davies presents the latest film by Marselle-based Robert Guédugyuabm The House By The Sea, and looks at how French cinema has celebrated France&apo…
Jon Davis will explore th work of one of France's most gifted and multi-talented artists Jean Cocteau.
The New Year starts with a highly recommended film from Laurent Cantet.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is 200 years old and yet the universality of the novel’s core message keeps her creation in the very centre of popular culture.
Celebrating the friendship between composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and musician and first woman music critic, Marion Scott; written and performed by Jan Carey.
On paper – cartographical paper by preference – this is the sort of show that is the heart of fringe theatre.
As guilty pleasures go, a dose of Austen is probably as guilt free as they come.
There comes an awkward point in some friendships when going to the pub is no longer quite enough entertainment.
Constance Lloyd is rarely remembered in literary history.
When choosing the most appropriate art form to explain statistical significance, Dan Attfield settled on hip-hop as having the most educational value.
to know how to recognise the occult in your child? How to be vigilant for signs of Satan? Hoping for practical tips to drive the Devil out? This is the educational lecture for you.
Some people might think that setting the Battle of Stalingrad to Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time is somewhat trivialising the matter.
Fandango, the Kids with Beards allege, means party.
In this exhilarating, disturbing exploration of the human mind, there is a cornucopia of theatrical styles, from the visually spectacular, breathtaking use of puppetry, to the slic…
Constance Lloyd is rarely remembered in literary history.
‘Where are we going Admiral Ox?’ asks the starry eyed, young space farmer who is really the secret son of an evil galactic overlord with special powers.
Brighton’s Storyland Press is a place where the story comes first, regardless of genre or where it sits on the commercial/literary spectrum.
Taking a much loved pop culture reference point is always a sure fire way to fill seats.
Have you been more naughty or more nice this year? Are you sure?A company of gentlemanly vagabonds introduce themselves with a reminder to relax before the “Art” starts.
Sometimes you stumble on a stand-up so freshly funny that you remember why you started liking unknown comedy shows in the first place.
The latest production by Embolon Theatre, All In is such a hybrid of genres that I am unsure on whether to refer to it as a play, a stand-up comedy show, or a mind-bendin…
Set in the near future, Hang imagines a world where the death penalty has returned and, with a sinister game-show-like feel to it, the victim determines the fate of the offender.
Forget lovable rogues and artful dodgers, this uncomfortable monologue tells the true story of a London awash with criminal gangs in the interwar years.
“The average person will speak 123,205,750 words in a lifetime”.
There is going to be a lot of trouble for everyone when the Swan Liberation Army finally achieve emancipation and turn the United Kingdom into an totalitarian Swan state.
“Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
Before World War One most immigrants to Brighton were French and German speakers from the Continent.
“You gotta live for yourself in this life.
Imperial China, with its exotic riches and intrigues, remains as compelling to audiences today as it did in the early part of the 20th century, when the Princess Der Ling toured he…
Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic tale of the infamous Count Dracula is one that has been retold countless times, but don’t be fooled - this high-octane production by Let Them Cal…
Four friends, two couples, an elaborate secret history between them, and a lot of wine - what could possibly go wrong? With a strong script by Susanne Crosby (who also directs), an…
Being read to by another person is one of life’s great pleasures, doubly so when it is the author doing the reading.
The Fringe debut of new Edinburgh-based father and son French horn duo James and David Goodenough.
Sometimes a little simplicity can go a long way in the theatre, and in this case, the title of this piece about the life of composer and performer Ivor Novello is very apt, as it r…
A late night with the soothing French romantics Debussy, Sancan and Renié, performed by the Tasman Duo, Juliana Mysolov (harp), Jonty Coy (flute) and Ian Tindale (piano).
Join us for this interactive tale about a brave girl and her cat.
Quite why Mawaan Rizwan describes himself as a Gender Neutral Concubine Pirate remains a bit of a mystery throughout the show.
Being bustled and barged out of the way on entering the theatre was a novel experience as a bucket hat, backpack and zip up hoody darted past the queue to desperately claim his …
Playful pink lighting, red velvet drapes, glittery fixtures and wooden circus seats - entering the Brighton Spiegeltent screams ‘Showtime!’ Come Fly With Me is a charming, c…
Bubbling with energy and wit, Athena Kugblenu shares with us her opinions and musings on just about every topic you might need to navigate life as a British millennial.
Pulling up a stool in front of the intimate, softly lit stage down in the basement of Komedia, reminiscent of so many NYC music venues, the audience and I settled in to enjoy the…
Although you may well have some early misgivings, Helen is a show to persevere with.
Written when he was nearly 70 years old, Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass, had been in his mind’s development ever since his marriage to Marilyn Monroe ended shortly before her deat…
Gathering the audience in the street and lining them up against a wall may be a slightly alarming start, but Jolie Booth proceeds to weave a visualisation so utterly convincing, …
Wake is an original new work written and directed by Kevin Wilson who has brought his company over from the Isle of Wight for their first ever Fringe and indeed first foray off t…
‘Brighton looks like a town helping the police with their enquiries’ quotes our white-coated guide at the top of the stairs in Brighton Town hall and raises a laugh as she intro…
Ascending the back stairs of the Marlborough to be greeted by the towering and magnificently coiffed Dr Sharon Husbands, doesn’t quite give an accurate taste of what follows.
Stamp is a ridiculous, riotous ripping up of the rule book for examining gender binaries.
This live re-staging of The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios is a monumentally ambitious endeavor and musically, it achieves magnificently.
Postlethwaite is a likeable stage presence whose manifestation of five deliciously dark women creates some very funny moments.
Any production of The Perfect Murder, Peter James’ bestselling novella set in Brighton, was always going to generate interest in its hometown.
Mike Bartlett’s beautifully worded imagining of a constitutional crisis without a constitution invites us to witness the starkness of the Royal Family stripped bare whilst presen…
It’s impossible to dislike the persona we think of when we think of Dawn French - her clownlike, down-to-earth warmth and sense of approachable ‘ordinariness’ make us feel that w…
A showcase of the creme de la creme of the Paris scene! Be prepared for world-class English stand-up comedy in from comics based in Paris! With stories about metro systems, languag…
Lovers of Romantic piano.
A hilarious adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s short story about Lord Arthur Savile, who has his fortune told - and learns that it is his destiny to murder his beloved fiance, Sibyl! But…
Natasha Rothwell, Alison Rich, Meredith Scardino, Claire Mulaney and Katie Rich — all writers at “Saturday Night Live” — host this Academy Awards-themed imp…
This is not for everyone.
Ivor Novello: glamorous stage and screen star, author and matinee idol is mostly known today as a glorious melodic theatrical composer.
Just Deserts is Durham’s favourite cult sketch comedy group.
In 2003 a US led coalition went to war with Iraq and Kieran Hodgson spent 10 days living with a very nice French family.
You can sense when an audience is tense even without turning around.
Thomas Pocket presents: Me (Oscar Jenkyn-Jones) is the debut solo show from exciting young absurdist Oscar Jenkyn-Jones.
Meet Oscar and Constance Wilde in our costumed dramatised reading highlighting their love story and featuring friends real and fictitious like Bosie, Robbie Ross, Lady Bracknell…
Ellie and Oscar want to show you themselves this year.
The plethora of shows promising a ‘fresh take’ on a much lauded classic has reached fever pitch and it wouldn’t be surprising if a new Adaptation category was inserted into t…
One of the delights of the Fringe is that it can throw up the unexpected; so, for example, the first time I hear a delightfully bad-taste joke about a recent double suicide in one …
In a new adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s disturbing masterpiece, Cambridge ADC chop, change and miss the point entirely.
It’s bordering on trite to make the ‘performance is like marmite’ analogy, but there is no better way to describe the slick, surreal and wonderfully unique sketch show that i…
A fiercely talented quintet of dancers slide easily through an electrifying hour of physical prowess combined with the live accompaniment of 65DAYSOFSTATIC.
Much like the villages that Andrew Bird has made the subject of his latest stand up offering, not much of note happens during Global Village Fete.
The Fringe cliché about performing to an audience of two men and a dog is every company’s nightmare.
On the strength of All My Friends, Danny O’Brien’s first solo show at the fringe, the Irish born comedian is not one for those who like their comedy witty or sophisticated.
If you are looking for a highly skilled, innovative performance, look no further than Liv Lorent and balletLORENTs newest work.
‘There’s something for everyone,’ insists Homespun Theatre of their children’s yarn, East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Staging a children’s entertainment show with an educational bent is often something of a risk.
An hour long performance constructed out of the colourful and controversial life, ambitions and writings of Oscar Wilde was always going to be an evening well spent.
Angus and Cameron have clearly worked hard putting this sketch show together but the results are far from entertaining.
A warning to all of you out there who want to try your hand at story-telling comedy: please have a story.
Sweet ECA plays host to one of several new immersive theatre shows - Parents Evening invites us to join the staff of Aultyme Time High on their special parents night the…
The Two Worlds of Charlie F is a rare example of a play in which fiction and reality collide to create something very special indeed.
This is a piece of theatre that any actor or director will love; the sheer innovation and inventiveness of the company had me split between complete admiration and a terrible sense…
The most remarkable thing about Alistair Barrie’s latest stand up set, Urban Fogey, is just how unremarkable it is.
Jumping aboard Superbard’s storytelling train is a bit like riding shotgun in Doc’s Deloreon; you’re going to suspend your disbelief and hope he doesn’t crash.
Fancy seeing a French version of Hamlet? How about a badly translated French version of Hamlet with worse translations back into English flickering intermittently on the back wall?…
An author, two actors and an audience member discuss Tim Crouchs last play, an unnamed and violence-filled two-person production whose effects on the actors and writer are slowly…
If you are interested Eugene Ionesco was born Romanian in 1909 and grew up in France.
When Sergei Prokofiev first composed Petya and the Wolf, the intent was to cultivate ‘musical tastes in children from the first years of school.
This novel by Irvine Welsh was adapted by John Hodge into a film in 1996 directed by Danny Boyle.
Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883, after his death fourty years later his novels have become some of the most influential and extensive work of the 20th century.
The blistering cold of the Arctic is a suitably atmospheric setting for Thin Ice, the latest offering from scribe Jonathan Young.
Cape Academy of Performing Arts presents a showcase of their students that more than holds its own against many of the professional companies at the Festival.
If you’ve been scouring the festival fringe for sheer, unadulterated fun, then make sure you catch the fantastic Once Upon A.
The Big Project’s children’s choir returns for its third year at the Fringe, and if you’ve got children who love nothing more than to sing-a-long to chart toppers this is the…
Leaving the production, two men were overheard saying ‘Well that was a bit mad, wasn’t it?’ winning them the prize for understatement of the year.
I attended this production as possibly the only person who was not a blood relative or class mate of someone connected to the show.
This is one of those shows that just shouldnt work.
With a two year break from the Festival and multiple sell-out shows across the country and globe, one can only get a little excited about the limited run announced by Topping & But…
Reviewing Flea Circus Open Slam is rendered problematic by the ever fluctuating line up of performers; each night sees five fresh poets do lexical battle for a spot in August the f…
It’s apparent from the opening moments of Wrecked that you’re watching a show unlikely to do anything startlingly original, or even interesting.
Somewhere in this show there is a turning point.
When Franz Kafka first published his novella in 1916 I doubt he imagined his story of Gregor Samsa a hard working, likable chap who wakes up one morning with the slight probl…
After watching I Predicted a Riot, the debut show from policeman turned comic Alfie Moore, the conclusion must be that whilst he’s funny, perhaps it isn’t time to quit the day …
The obvious, but often overlooked difficulty with one act plays is their length.
Everything’s absurdist these days.
Norwegian funnyman Daniel Simonsen is one of several Scandinavian comics making waves at this year’s festival fringe.
In this show, Stephen Swanson and David Gompper present a classical recital of 25 songs from a fine selection of composers and lyricists, including Gompper himself.
Collisions Dance Company treats us to an hour of dance that, at points, left me breathless.
This all-female cast often talk of their men, the ones who knocked them up or cast them out, and yet not much depends on them and no responsibility is placed at their feet.