Anthony Walker-Cook - Page 4

As someone who has never quite realised the appeal of going clubbing, imagine my fear as I walked into the auditorium of the Young Vic, where a central island was occupied by audience members dancing. Memories of my first night of Freshers at university sprung to mind, where I awkwardly stood in the corner of a club with a cider tightly clutched in my hands. However, in stark contrast to such reminiscences, and following a run at the Manchester International Festival, Tree is a heart-pounding 90 minutes of history that tells the story of a young man's search into his South African heritage and, in turn, the history of that land itself.

BroadwayWorld UK speaks with Lia about Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana, which opens tonight at the Noel Coward Theatre

The Second World War is about to break out, but the inhabitants of the Greek island Cephelonia, the 'bridge between the human and the eternal', think themselves too far from the war. Despite this sense of impending doom, young Pelagia (Madison Clare) still dreams of becoming a doctor and has fallen in love with a young man in her village.

Did you know that songs by Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse sound great when performed in a French accent and with an accordion? I certainly didn't, and so imagine my surprise when I walked into the theatre at the Mill at Sonning to find Celia Cruwys-Finnigan doing just that. To say it was an unexpected introduction to a production of Noel Coward's Private Lives would be an understatement.

Nadia and Daniel are beginning a life together. They have lives with their own families, too, but this relationship is different: meeting in the evening at their new studio flat, they follow the 11 commandments, 'one better than God', which have been printed, are in bold and underlined in Times New Roman font. Clearly, this is special.

At about half an hour into Michael Dennis' debut play Dark Sublime, the uncomfortable thought occurred to me that there was still two hours left to go. The piece had opened strongly with numerous jokes directed at the arts industry, but already it felt as if it had played its hand. Sadly, my fears were correct, and what followed was an uninteresting exploration of a woman haunted by the past.

At a quieter moment of Lynn Nottage's Sweat, Jessie (Leanne Best) stands with a cake celebrating her 43rd birthday in Mike's Tavern. If not for the bartender Stan (Stuart McQuarrie) and his assistant Oscar (Sebastian Capitan Viveros), Jessie would be alone. Dressed in white cowgirl boots, Jessie whispers how she 'just wants to be kissed'.

Premiering at the Kiln Theatre, Samuel Adamson's 'Wife' is a retelling of Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' that focuses on four generations of lovers.

For all its bravado and comedy, Roy Williams' The Firm is a potent piece about masculinity. Set in an attractive south London pub, four friends have gathered to celebrate the release of their friend Shaun, who has spent the past 12 years in prison. But as the evening continues, an unexpected guest and copious amounts of alcohol prompt revelations about all of those gathered.