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Review Roundup: SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND at the Royal Court Theatre

Review Roundup: SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND at the Royal Court Theatre

Sound of the Underground brings together legends of the London Queer club scene until Saturday 25 February 2023 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.

Travis Alabanza's Sound of the Underground is now playing at The Royal Court Theatre. Spotlighting London's iconic underground club culture and questioning what it means to get your money's worth when it comes to art, Sound of the Underground brings together legends of the London Queer club scene through Saturday 25 February 2023 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.

The cast includes: CHIYO (he/they), Lilly SnatchDragon (she/her), Ms Sharon Le Grand (she/they), Mwice Kavindele as Sadie Sinner The Songbird (she/her), Rhys Hollis as Rhys's Pieces (he/they), Sue Gives A F*ck (she/they), Tammy Reynolds as Midgitte Bardot (they/them - as Midgitte Bardot she/her) and Wet Mess (they/them).

See what the critics are saying...


Matt Wolf, London Theatre: And so we have Travis Alabanza's play, co-created with its director, Debbie Hannan. Equal measures celebratory yet also cautionary, a full-on knees-up rooted in both the pleasure principle and identity politics, Sound of the Underground thrums with deliberate, delicious impertinence.

Anya Ryan, The Stage UK: This is not theatre as we know it; this is an evening of party, celebration and confession. "Here it is, our play," they roar. Alabanza warps the theatre space into something refreshingly expressive. To make the play, the cast discussed with Alabanza and director and co-creator Debbie Hannan their thoughts on their jobs and what broadly mattered to them. The result is a piece with some big messages. At first, it is a show-and-tell exercise about the realities of working in the club scene; then, a beautifully outrageous performance that proves the power of their art. But there is real pain and trauma here, too.

Claire Allfree, The Telegraph: Each cast member is superb at what they do, although most discomforting is Chiyo, a trans man whose routine embodies the complexity of his post-op body as an object of personal liberation, voyeuristic fascination and means of employment. I loved Midgett Bardot, and Ms Sharon le Grande too. A mess, then, but not necessarily a drag.

To read more reviews, click here!


Review: WASTED, Lyric Hammersmith Photo
Running at around 50 minutes, it’s snappy and positively Gen-Z in pace and subject. Fernandes crafts a script that wanders from deliciously colloquial to slightly expository, but remains solid throughout. Mundane conversations about parties and cleaning rotas act as the foundation for the pair’s bond, which is bound to be tested and tried once Jacob’s actions are revealed. At its core, it’s a story of friendship and loyalty camouflaged as a crime drama exploring the stigmatisation of sexual violence.

Photos: First Look At English National Operas THE DEAD CITY (DIE TOTE STADT) Photo
See production images for the English National Opera's The Dead City (Die tote Stadt), running 25 March - 8 April 2023.

Review: OF MICE AND MEN, Birmingham Rep Photo
John Steinbeck's 1937 novel, set in California during the Great Depression, may be a period piece, but the parallels with current life in the UK are unmistakable. Dealing with themes of poverty, displacement, prejudice and the desperation for independence, Of Mice and Men makes a timely return to the Birmingham Rep stage in this new production directed by Iqbal Khan.

SWEENEY TODD - THE VICTORIAN MELODRAMA Comes to Wiltons Music Hall Photo
The story of Sweeney Todd first appeared on the stage in London in 1847 at Britannia Theatre, Hoxton, in a melodrama, 'The String of Pearls', based on a popular “penny dreadful” serialised story.


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