Venue: St James Theatre Starring: Tamsin Outhwaite, Angela Griffin, Jemima Rooper, Nicholas Burns By: Written by Ben Ockrent, Directed by Tamara Harvey Run: to 4th October, daily 7.30pm matinees, Thursday & Saturday Tickets: From £15. From the Box Office Rating
"Express Yourself" says Jimmy, the lone male in this female tour-de-force comedy, as the story explores contemporary expressions of family and love in the 21st Century that celebrates the lengths family will go to, to "do for family". Bringing together wit, farce, musical comedy, a nostalgia for Swedish covers of 80s pop classics (and an Ikea showroom style set), Ockrent's Breeders excels as an exemplar of new writing in all elements - theme, characterisation and dialogue that exposes the true awkwardness that can find itself in moments of intimate or familial relationships.
With well-rounded characters reflecting a multiplicity of modern identities, from the DINK lesbian high flyers, recently married, perfect on the surface, missing just one final piece of their puzzle, to the younger long term girlfriend-boyfriend combo struggling to exist financially in the economic climate, to the off-stage characters of the cancer-suffering mother and the much-reminisced spectre of a perfect father, an urban drama unfolds.
Family, expressed in all its glory and raw detail, and the process to parenthood are deconstructed through a scientific, anthropological and comedic lens. The reality of reproduction when "naturally" is not an option is examined, through authentic situations, tensions and reactions.
While Andi (Tamsin Outhwaite), the academic delves into all the research and talks gleely of all the leaky mess that might somehow makes a baby. Caro (Angela Griffin) the lawyer wants to put a legal contract in place to preserve the agreed family arrangement. Sharon (Jemima Rooper) brings a strong representation of the "other" - the antagonist to parenthood but certainly not the villain and what can be often excluded in a supposed "joint decision" as moments of doubt affect each character at different, inappropriate points of the journey. A surprisingly effective interlude strategy cleverly cuts through the tension and brings the dramatic peaks back to comedy, with the highlight of Rooper's Total Eclipse of the Heart incorporating full blown mood lighting, wind machine effect. Ultimately the conceit boils down to whether the drivers for decision making - our emotional baggage, our nurturing, our situations - have more of an influence than "Que Sera Sera".
Breeders is playing at St James Theatre as part of the their One Stage season, until 4th October. With outstanding performances and excellent writing, it is a MUST SEE. Read our interview with Jemima Rooper here. By Katie Bennett-Hall
Venue: Bar Titania Date: Last Friday of the month Tickets: £2 on the door (special launch event price)
Hot on the heels of its North London success, the monthly DownGirls event has found a new home in bar far a more Central locations and continues right where it left off... bringing a huge dose of its trademark #mingetwinge to Bar Titania on the last Friday of the month.
As our previous review recounts, with Missy DownGirl at the helm you can expect a fun night full of entertainment and mayhem at this event.
With the change of venue came a lower door fee, just £2 as a special launch night entry fee, made this night an absolute bargain. The event has changed the earlier time of 7pm for the social hour which included balloon modelling and candy bras, and then the party gets started 8pm to midnight. Given the low door fee you would be forgiven for thinking this would be a pretty standard LBQ club night with just the usual DJ and perhaps an act early on. You would be mistaken!
Instead you got a whole host of entertainment including a live performance by Miri accompanied by Izzy Trixx on the guitar; housewife magic and burlesque from Loretta Von Dini, an extra special vampire burlesque performance from Ruby Fortune who gave a one-off performance, dedicated to Saffron from Republica, to Drop Dead Gorgeous; MOBO award winning Jai Amore (@jaiamoresinger) and Larissa Eddie (@eddiemusicuk) singing a duet with D-Rhymez (@DRhymez). The music was themed with styles such as Iggy Azalea hour and was expertly provided by DJ Chillz. What was also interesting was the demographic of this night. It was clear that the choice of location, DJ and acts meant that you got quite a diverse range of women packing out the venue. This was no ordinary Bar Titania night and was quite refreshing if you were hoping to meet someone new outside of your standard social circle.
And good news, Missy has promised that the next night on September 26th will
be even better, including another exciting performance from Loretta Von Dini, a full set from Larissa Eddie, and DJ Chillz on the decks, sure to be one of the hottest nights for women in Soho.
Downgirls would like to thank @aboutapp who helped to sponsor Missy's #mingetwinge for #DowngirlsWC2.
Name one other place where you will find birthday cake, spin the bottle, strip poker, 7 minutes of heaven, a constant stream of live acts, and innuendo... no, well thankfully Boi Box had just that.
Starting a year ago at the now historical Candy Bar (gasp, yes I said it out loud), and then graduating to middle school at SHE Soho, Boi Box is definitely excelling in all classes and is heading for Head Boi of Senior School with honours.
What I loved was that they still have their acts that have been with them since the beginning. |Juan Kerr is literally the drag love child of Apple and Adam, but is a child no more, having refined their act into something unique.
Stunning Wheat Free cake from MICA
The same was for Sam Dee and Alice who are also a reincarnation from a former 'turn up and have a go' drag duo who returned as a very credible, unique and mesmerising duo complete with harmonica.
Add to that dancing from a well rehearsed Romeo de la Cruz and what more could a girl want?The night didn't stop until the bar closed; showing that although only 1 year old, this night has grown into something quite spectacular.
At only £2 entry, this night is a total bargain, and well worth the night out. I recommend arriving early to get a good seat and starting your night of with a £19.50 bottle of prosecco after a fabulous dinner with friends at Labels.
Kate's Party are a four-piece from Dublin who played their first acoustic gig in the deep, dark She cave at wine o'clock on a rainy evening last week.
We met half the team: Sarah - eyeliner and Sinead O'Connor yelps; and Niamh - guitar riffs and sideways glances. The remaining two will join the fun in future gigs (plugged in).
Kate's Party played a handful of songs from their album 'Hollow' at She. Starting loud and mellowing later, it was a pleasant backdrop to the boisterous banter in the bar. The auditory experience was far superior to the visual and a touch more mood from the band would have improved the connection to the audience.
That said, it was a welcome addition to the varied delights that SHE currently offers and all in all an enjoyable gig.
Othello is arguably one of Shakepeare's most poetic plays, with some beautiful lines and the themes of light/dark, war/peace, honesty/lies running through.
At the heart of the play is the underlying human frailty that suffers in the hands of discrimination and personal insecurity.
So what if Othello, a most tragic hero, was in a modern world. Where discrimination was not just about race and power, but about gender and sexuality as well?
This is explored very poignantly in SJ Brady's adaptation.
Holding tight to the original text, but adjusting for a modern sensitivity, setting and re-arrangement of some gender roles, this Othello takes the play in an unexpected, yet familiar, direction.
At its strongest when drawing directly from the original, the poetry of the dialogue is as pertinent today as 500 years ago, a tour de force ensemble performance brings this play right up to the 21st century and shows how relevant Shakespeare continues to be.
Particularly excellent performances from Kate Hunter as Desdemona, and Richard de Lisle as Iago complemented the well portrayed breakdown of Othello's psyche by Rachel Hawkes, culminating in a climatic death scene (sorry if that's a plot spoiler) which cleverly marks the fine line between love, life and death.
With the sunniest and warmest weather I've seen at a pride so far this year, we packed our bags and headed down to Brighton to enjoy one of the largest pride events in the UK. Following a lovely brunch with new friends, we headed over to London Road to find a good viewing spot. The parade, disco-ing from the Marine Parade to Preston Park, was a massive improvement from last year. With plenty of community groups marching and the big corporates going very day to create a pride effort.
We wandered up to Preston Park, and managed to avoid an long queue to get in - with a much improved gating service this year, including on the day ticket sales via a mobile app for those last minute purchases. We were guests at the first ever Alternative Stage for Brighton Pride, the Q Alternative, brought together and hosted by the fabulous Mel Sanson from local band Kenelis. Mel curated a fantastic line up bringing together the best of the non mainstream from hip hop to folk to heavy rock and including headline acts Lucy Spraggan and Republica. CN Lester and the LC collective got the stage off to a fantastic start and a growing crowd. MC Angel & Serene from the LC collective said that the group were looking to performing, having previously played on the urban stage. Their favourite moment of the parade was all the "gay families, who looked fabulous, it was enlightening, and heart warming." CN Lester said that their performance felt "fantastic" with a "chilled out" audience. They were looking forward to visiting all the community stalls later in the day.
Adam All compered and intertwined with a few drag numbers to help continue the proceedings. Adam and on stage girlfriend Apple said that "the atmosphere was wonderful and the crowd were really warm, and they enjoyed introducing some very amazing bands".
We popped along to the main stage for a cheeky visit to watch Heather Peace, who was performing at Brighton Pride for the first time, her "adopted home town" after 14 years in residence. Not unexpectedly, she played to a huge crowd of fans.
Back over the Q Alternative stage, for some interviews, (check out Republica and Lucy Spraggan) and some more killer performances including Joan ov Arc and Battle of You.
A fantastic set from Lucy Spraggan followed, who said that "Brighton Pride crowd was her favourite of the summer so far" and even managed a little fancy footwork alongside the super strumming guitar. She certainly drew in a a large crowd to the stage. Very generously, Lucy did a signing with fans after performing. Kenelis brought the hardcore to the stage with a popular set and some serious messages about why we were there. And then came the highly anticipated Republica, as dusk was falling, sending goosebumps all over our skin. A set filled with high energy, classic hits and new tunes, Republica had the audience bouncing and singing along with real charisma and presence. What a way to close the park.
Sunday was a bit more chilled. A few drinks and pool at The Marlborough, then into the pedestrianised street party of St James Street and surrounding roads. We popped into Pout and experienced some fantastic performances from Misty Vine and stealing the show, LoUis CYfer. By Katie
What's a little rain to a thousand lesbians? Do you think it would really get in the way of one of the most smashing weekends on the annual calendar?
We merrily drove up to Uttoxeter in sweltering heat, put up our tent (adorned with a Planet London banner) to create a green house, unloaded the car and enjoyed a wicked first night sunset.
Then the heavens opened and the storms began! But, rain did not stop play. Proceedings commenced on the Friday night with an active solo social meet and greet for all whowanted to make new friends and play Jenga and Twister. A competitive frenzy took place at people Bingo and one successful woman took home a Planet London goody bag from the prize draw.
The competition took an enthusiastic turn in our now infamous Spinning Planets game that saw plenty of spot prizes, guessing numbers, and strange team poses.
Then onto speed dating, also popular with the single solos, and over the course of the weekend creating several matches that turned into dates! Everyone comes together on Friday night for the fantastic entertainment from the Here Come The Girls cabaret show, including comedy from the likes of Madge Hooks and the Short and Girlie troupe, acoustic performances from Beth Prior and Charlie Rundell, sexy burlesque from a bewitching Lauren Karl and saxophony Alice Frick, and even some very clever magic from Faye Presto. Compered with panache by Nicky Mitchell and Lara A King. Chick Habit then indie-rocked the night away into the storms, while the more laid back took to the fire pit to sing-a-long while the embers burned. After a night on thunder and heavy rain, a drenched set of campers woke up to face a grey drizzly day and much of the L Fest activity moved inside. With an excellent film programme schedule courtesy of My Lesbian Radio host Denise Warner-Gregory, including Australian-lez-feature Submerge and Q&A with filmmaker Kat Holmes, two Tello webseries gems and Q&A from Tello Founder Christin Mell and writer/actress Caitlin Bergh plus much much more, no one needed to complain. Peccadillo also supplied prizes for our Planet Central media quiz that gave the added twist of mingling while quizzing. A wider range of workshops than previous years, from furious writing with VG Lee to becoming a Drag King, to life coaching and arts and crafts - something to entertain everyone, provided enough to keep dry and happy. The author panels featured a strong range of Independently published writers, celebrating the growth in lesbian fiction content in the past year. The main stage was forced to move inside for Saturday afternoon but that didn't stop the musicians rocking the crowd something special.
And of course there was always the Retreat to unwind any air bed aches and pains. Planet Central became host to more early evening social antics, with a second, larger round of speed dating, and our legendary drinking games to get everyone right in the mood for a Saturday night groovy party. Sunday is always the more mellow day where chilling is the priority for many. Planet Central hosted a mobile amateur open mic that toured the race course and performed the likes of erotic poetry, guitar playing and story telling. Some healthy Planeteer bubble football:
A fantastic live music line up for Sunday as the sun finally came out, gave us Miri, Me and Deboe and Grey Matter to name a few lesbian favourites. Sunday night is comedy night, and Hazel O'Keefe's laughing cows did just that, with new and old faces giving us a final cheer and an impressive crowd surf before lights out. Full photo set on Flickr
