The Awkward Years | The Other Room

Remember back in July when I said I was going to get back into blogging? Yeah, life got busy and that didn't happen. I managed to pick up a full time job (yay) but I work a lot of evening shifts (boo) so I just haven't had a chance to see much theatre sadly. This week however I found myself with a few days off and I knew exactly what I wanted to do - I bought myself a ticket for a new play by Matthew Bulgo, The Awkward Years, which was appearing for an almost two week run at The Other Room theatre.

Mnemonic | USW Theatre Through the Telescope

The second play from the Theatre Through the Telescope season was Mnemonic, a play originally created by Complicite (a British physical theatre company) in 1999 and that has been adapted by the company. While I am familiar with Complicite's style, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect and it's fair to say that this was a very interesting and unusual piece. It begins as a sort of lecture, with the cast describing memories of their own as well as explaining how the human memory works, and then flowed into two parallel stories that converge as the play goes on. Sound complicated? At first it was, but over the 1 hour 50 minute performance the links come together to make a surprisingly compelling production.

Silent Sky | USW Theatre Through the Telescope

This week I was lucky enough to be invited along to see a couple of plays from the University of South Wales Theatre Through the Telescope season, a selection of contemporary student theatre on the theme of science. First up, I saw Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, a play based on the true story of Henrietta Leavitt who was one of Harvard Observatory's early "computers" and her achievements in mapping distant stars and galaxies. The play was approximately 90 minutes long (with no interval) but managed to pack a lot of story into a short period of time.

The Cherry Orchard | Sherman Theatre

Rehearsal Image

Playwright Gary Owen has returned to the Sherman Theatre with a re-imagining of Chekhov's classic play, The Cherry Orchard (now set in Pembrokeshire in 1982). Before my visit, I knew of the original piece but was not particularly familiar with it so, to me, it was like a completely new play. Overall I found it to be a highly thought-provoking production about class, family and relationships that had a lot of heart at it's core.

Apologia | Trafalgar Studios

It feels like a very long time since I've written a review on this blog (a full one at least) and while I have been seeing some shows, Apologia at Trafalgar Studios is the first one this month that I really feel like writing about. First of all, I have to say a word about Trafalgar Studios as a space: I've now seen three very different plays here, all of which I've enjoyed and all of which have used the space in completely different ways. I know for certain that I'll see more productions here and that I'll continue to be impressed. Now, onto Apologia!

Twelfth Night | Grand Theatre

Twelfth Night is definitely one of my favourite Shakespeare plays (up there with As You Like It and A Comedy of Errors but that's a story for another post!) so when I saw that the Watermill Theatre were bringing a contemporary musical take of the play to my local theatre I couldn't resist picking myself up a ticket. Entering the auditorium, even before the performance has fully begun, I felt transported to a dusky jazz club with actors milling around the audience and serenading us with bluesy music. It created an intimate and relaxed atmosphere that set the scene for the rest of the performance.

Rotterdam | Arts Theatre

Where to start with Rotterdam? I don't usually struggle to find the words to talk about a piece of theatre (usually if I do it's because I didn't enjoy it) but I found this play to be so enjoyable and important that I'm not sure what I have to say will do it justice. In Rotterdam, Alice is about to come out to her parents when her girlfriend, Fiona, reveals she is actually a transgender man. Fiona becomes Adrian and the play is about the strain that this places on their relationship. It deals with issues about transitioning, gender and sexuality which are topics that some people have a lot of questions about in an age where trans people are slowly becoming more visible and accepted.

The Philanthropist | Trafalgar Studios

When they announced the casting for the revival of The Philanthropist at Trafalgar Studios, I squealed with joy and instantly texted my Mom saying "we need to see this!". We love a good TV comedy so the prospect of seeing Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners, Friday Night Dinner), Tom Rosenthal (Friday Night Dinner, Plebs), Charlotte Richie from Fresh Meat and Matt Berry from The IT Crowd - to name a few - all on one stage sounded like too good of an opportunity to miss. We managed to snap up a couple of tickets on the front row for a really reasonable price and it's fair to say that when I took my seat, I was thoroughly looking forward to the performance.

Playhouse Creatures | Network Theatre

The year is 1669 and women have just been granted permission to perform on the stage. Playhouse Creatures focuses on five women who work in a theatre and their precarious, and often comic, lives. The Network Theatre is a really great space in the heart of London's Waterloo (it's actually situated almost inside the station) and suited this play perfectly. I entered the theatre having no idea what the play was about so I had no expectations but I found the play very interesting and the overall production was very entertaining.

Killology | Sherman Theatre

Killology, a new play written by Gary Owen, tells the story of a controversial new gaming experience where players are rewarded for killing their victims in the most original and gruesome ways. While the creator of the game, Paul, harbours the philosophy that "it's just a game", Davey and Alan's experiences make us think differently. There has been such a big build up to this production - it is transferring to the Royal Court Theatre in London later this year - so I decided to check it out while it's being performed just minutes from my door here in Cardiff.

Seanmhair | The Other Room

I was really thrilled to be invited to the premiere of the new play Seanmhair (Gaelic for 'grandmother', pronouced 'shen-a-var') written by Hywel John, especially as it also involved me discovering a new venue here in Cardiff! It astonishes me that I've lived here for over 18 months and I'm still discovering new performance spaces but it also made the whole experience particularly exciting and intriguing for me. The play is performed by three women, who represent three stages of Jenny's life, telling the story of Jenny and Tommy's dark and ill-fated romance.

Zero for the Young Dudes! | Sherman Theatre

I was really excited to be invited along to see a play put on by the Sherman Youth Theatre as part of the National Theatre Connections festival. The idea behind National Theatre Connections is to give young people interested in theatre the chance to perform in front of a large audience with the opportunity to perform at the National Theatre in London if selected. I saw one performance last year and was really impressed so I was excited to see what the Sherman Youth's had to offer. The premise behind the play is a camp to discipline young people in the midst of a country in revolution. It was a very intense and chilling production and I was so pleased to see how much talent these young people have.

The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon | Sherman Theatre

After over a year of living in Cardiff I finally got around to paying a visit to the Sherman Theatre and bought myself a ticket to see The Belfast Ensemble's production of The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon. I would describe the show as a cross between a one woman play and a song cycle as it features only one actress, Abigail McGibbon, as Catherine accompanied by a small piano and string ensemble but rather than singing, McGibbon performs spoken word. I went in with very few ideas and expectations and was really impressed by what I saw.

A Tale of Two Cities | Royal and Derngate Theatre | Guest Post

Today I've got a review for you written by my lovely mother, Liz Bolas. Liz is just as interested and involved with theatre as I am and has recently become an ambassador for the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. This involves her previewing touring productions that will be visiting the Grand Theatre in the future and we thought it would be great to share her review of the show to give you an idea of what to expect before you book your tickets. This will hopefully become a regular feature so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

My experience of Charles Dickens was tainted at school in 6th form by his novel Domby and Son so when I was invited to got to The Royal & Derngate theatres in Northampton to preview A Tale of Two Cities, before it comes to Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre, it was with trepidation that I accepted. I am happy to report that my view of Dickens has been totally turned around by this stunning production from the Touring Consortium Theatre Company.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare, Improvabunga, Guru Dudu | #EdFringe2016 Round Up

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Edinburgh last week for the beginning of the 2016 Fringe Festival. It was purely coincidental that I was there at that time but it meant that I was able to take in a couple of shows while enjoying the lively atmosphere. It’s likely that many of you will be heading there at some point this month so I thought I’d share a couple of mini reviews and recommendations with you!

Unreachable | Royal Court Theatre

On Monday I took my first trip to the Royal Court theatre in London to see Matt Smith and co in Unreachable, a new play written and directed by Anthony Neilson about a film director searching for the perfect light. I'd read some very interesting reviews and articles about the production process (the script was apparently not written until very late in the rehearsal process) and had really heard very little with regards to the plot so as I took my seat I really had no idea what to expect. Luckily I was in fits of laughter throughout and had a very interesting night at the theatre.

The Maids | Trafalgar Studios

The West End is saturated with musicals but when it comes to plays there really isn't a lot to choose from so when I read about The Maids back in November I knew it was something I wanted to see. It's a cast of three women, all of who are famous names: Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat, Not Safe for Work), Uzo Aduba best known for OITNB, although I saw an understudy who I'll mention later, and Laura Carmichael who was in Downton Abbey. In the run up to seeing the show I'd read a few reviews but overall I wasn't sure what to expect and honestly I was blown away- it's gone straight to the top of my list as the best play I've seen!

Great Expectations | The Crescent Theatre Birmingham

The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham is one of my favourite theatre venues- the range of productions they put on is amazing and the fact that they have their own in-house company that act in and direct the shows as well as run front of house really impresses me. On Saturday night I went to see Great Expectations. Admittedly it's not a play I would have chosen to see but one of my close friends was in it and I really wanted to support her and give it a go. Despite it being a classic piece of literature I didn't know the story so I really had no expectations (prepare yourself for a lot of puns) but it's fair to say I was pleasantly surprised.