REVIEW: "Toyer"

Back in July, the Arts Theatre (of death!) was all but doomed to permanent closure: a costly and extensive string of flops, combined with urban redevelopment plans, meant the end of a long running and historic theatre. Fortunately the venue has been saved by new owners management, and with a renovated front of house (it’s nice and airy but has fewer places to sit), but what of the debut play itself?

Toyer, adapted by Gardner McKay from his original novel and directed by William Schoular, is a standard two-hander suspense thriller a la The Woman in Black or Dark Yellow. Maude, a psychiatrist, is deeply unnerved as she gets home after a long day of work: her job involves looking after the victims of the Toyer, a serial assaulter who drugs and lobotomises his female victims. She’s been the target of voyeurs and stalkers before, and combined with the current madman on the loose is on the edge, medicating herself through alcohol. After another frustrating day at work, she arrives home only to be interrupted by the slightly disturbing neighbour who offered to fix her car...

I’d go further into the story, but anything else from here would be a massive spoiler. I will, however, attempt to make a few spoiler-free general observations. First, there is a stage direction which gives up the game pretty early on. After the event in question occurs, I kept wondering if it would be undone or not, but as the play approached the end it became clear that my early hunch was right. Bad director. Bad.

Second, a major plot twist is undone if anybody checks their watches during the brief 80 minute runtime. As the seats at the Arts aren’t the most comfortable - they were NOT part of the renovations - I did twice. After that point it was waiting for each of the shoes to drop, as fans of the genre will be able to predict the remainder. Not literally, though plenty of other articles of clothing did. Stage nudity is always a plus.

Despite these issues (the first can be fixed, the second not so much), there are some genuinely frightening and suspenseful moments in the show. Alice Krige is very late 80’s cliche as Maude in a way which makes her one of those vulnerable ice queen types. Her acting’s not particularly deep, but it’s effective and when given the chance to monologue she shines. Al Weaver, on the other hand, is genuinely creepy. I can honestly say that I have no idea how either of them manage to perform this piece eight times a week, as my brain would be thoroughly and totally fucked by the end of each performance.

In short, it’s a good but not great return for the Arts, and London audiences dig this kind of play so we may actually see something at this great space actually finish a run that’s longer than a week. Or at least we can hope.

Where: Arts Theatre
When: Until 11 April. M-Sa @ 19:30, W/Sa @ 15:00
How Much: £22.50-£29.50
Concessions: £20 M-Th only. All seats £15 until 24 Feb.
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £15. It’s so short that a higher ticket price would feel like a rip-off.
RZ Other Notes: I found myself wondering how the furniture manages to stay in place on the hellishly raked stage, but otherwise liked the set quite a bit.

REVIEW: Every Good Boy Deserves Favour

Me: Doctor! There’s a play inside my head!

Doctor: Really? How extraordinary? Is it an examination of youth culture through a veil of historical parallels inspired by German pop music?

Me: Why yes, it is. But that’s not the play I’m talking about.

Doctor: It’s the one you’re usually talking about.

Me: Well, yes. But right now I’m thinking of a play with an orchestra.

Doctor: An orchestra? With a play?


Me: Yes.

Doctor: Well, my dear boy, that’s not a play. That’s a musical.

Me: But there aren’t any songs.

Doctor: Then what on Earth is the orchestra there for?

Me: Someone offered it to Tom Stoppard.

Doctor: So what’s it doing in your head?

Me: Well, the play inside my head is also by Tom Stoppard.

Doctor: Doesn’t that mean it’s inside Stoppard’s head?

Me: No, it’s at the National.

Doctor: So what the devil are you seeing me for?

Me: Well, it’s a play about mental illness. Or the perception of mental illness. And it has two men named Alexander Ivanov, and a boy played by a girl named Sacha Ivanov..

Doctor: The girl is named Sacha Ivanov?

Me: No, the boy she plays is named Sacha Ivanov.

Doctor: That’s an awful lot of Ivanovs. Perhaps Mr. Stoppard should be seeing me instead of you.

Me: Well, this play *does* officially kick off his mania for examining the Soviet government more thoroughly explored in The Coast of Utopia and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Doctor: But Rock ‘n’ Roll was set in Prague.

Me: Yes. Soviet Prague.

Doctor: ...I see. So tell me more about this bizarre idea for a play.

Me: Very well. Ivanov and Ivanov are cell mates, and Ivanov believes that he has an orchestra inside his head and, being obsessed with musicians, believes Ivanov is there to either join or sabotage his orchestra. At the same time, Ivanov is not there to join the orchestra but as a political prisoner who escaped the military prisons by going on hunger strike.

Doctor: Well he certainly beats to a different drummer.

Me: No, he’s quite clearly non-musical.

Doctor: Who, Ivanov? But he has an orchestra inside his head.

Me: No, the other Ivanov. Meanwhile little Ivanov is being told off for not being musical either, for failing to play in time, and for asserting his father’s innocence and sanity which simply will. not. do. We also get a fleeting revelation that Ivanov may be hiding behind his orchestra as a coping mechanism for his own unwelcomed political leanings.


Doctor: I’m beginning to see why this may make audiences mental.

Me: No, it’s actually quite brilliant - the fact that they all look nothing alike helps. Anyways, Ivanov tries to break free from his orchestra and fails while Ivanov asserts his sanity and refuses to lie that yes, he was mad (which he was for protesting) and therefore goes on another hunger strike which distresses the third Ivanov very much.

Doctor: So they all get shot then? That’s what normally happens in these circumstances.

Me: No, nobody gets shot, though a bassoonist gets beaten up rather badly and a few violinists go spinning. It’s quite an accomplishment that none of their plucking instruments got broken during the chaos. There’s also smart use of the Olivier’s revolve which never seems as tacky or dull as the one in Les Miz.

Doctor: Is anything as tacky or dull as Les Miz?

Me: Good point.

Doctor: But what of the actors? Surely there aren’t any actors running around in your head?

Me: No, I don’t allow actors into my head - load of good for nothings all of them. The same with musicians, which is why it’s frustrating to think of a play with an orchestra.

Doctor: Do they play all night?

Me: No, the play is a brief 65 minutes that feels like 90 but in a good way.

Doctor: In a good way?

Me: Well yes, it keeps me focused and entertained and it unfolds in a tense manner that neither flies by or plods and comes across as a well packed runtime.

Doctor: You’ve been cutting back on your theatre-going lately, haven’t you?

Me: Is it that obvious?

Doctor: Yes. Next thing you’ll tell me is that it’s worth spending two hours to go to Hammersmith or Wimbledon for a show because it’s a good experience.

Me: But you really SHOULD see Spring Awakening.

Doctor: And you’re delusional as well. So what’s left?

Me: Well, besides the question of who’s crazy, it’s a matter of knowing when it’s possible to game the system - or rather that in Soviet Russia, the system games you. Both Ivanovs attempt to subvert the system which in turn subverts their subversion and gets away scot-free, as do they.

Doctor: Really?

Me: Yes. Who’d have thought that somebody could leave a Soviet Mental Hospital without getting shot?

Doctor: So happy endings all around!

Me: Well, no. Ivanov’s second hunger strike does him in and he dies as Ivanov comes to take him home while Ivanov is off dancing in the streets to an orchestra that doesn’t exist. And the woman at the National’s box office was a total bitch who I’m glad to see replaced by a ticket dispensing machine.

Doctor: Get out of my office. How dare you imply that we should have silent, efficient ticket collection machines who won’t make snarky remarks about queues and pretending to lose your tickets like the glorious staff around the West End?

Where: National Theatre (Olivier)
When: In rep until 25 Feb., Check the NT website for times.
How Much: £10-30 (Travelex Season)
Concessions: £10-25 depending on who you are and when you buy. Day seats for £10, can be booked online and at the BO.
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £15 due to the short run time.
RZ Other Notes: It was tempting to go for a Stoppard double feature this week and take in “The Real Thing” at the Tabard, but time did not permit.

REVIEW: "Chav Scum Kills God"

So while The Teenage Theatre Critic is off at the opera and the Royal Ballet I’m reviewing a play called Chav Scum Kills God. Just a touch of a difference.

And between you and me? I think I may have made the right choice.

The first full length play from Drew Davies, Chav Scum follows...well...a chav named Robert (Bradley Benjamin) as he wakes up in Hell, which resembles an empty waiting room. Greeted by the Other (Michael Lindall), a cross between a psych ward assistant and Kryten from Red Dwarf, Robert is informed that he died in a car crash while choking on his KFC. Fortunately, Hell is what you make of it: the only people put through severe torture are those who feel they deserve it. Likewise, there are chances to climb Hell’s social ladder as revealed by Robert’s father (Des Brittain) who is sleeping his way to the middle class via the great dictators. It all ends up with Robert proclaimed as the chosen one, destined to wear a time bomb necklace into Heaven and kill God in a blow for equality - after all, people in Heaven get better moisturiser.

Sound horrible? Amazingly it’s not, but I’m not claiming that it’s brilliant either.

The problems with the show lie with Robert and his father: the characters are utterly dull though Benjamin and Lindall work their best with what they’ve got. Likewise Sarah Alborn makes the most out of her one scene as Kathy (details involve plenty of spoilers) but she too falls into the “chav stereotypes are so 2006” category, and the ending may make its point but it’s dramatically unsatisfying.

Where Chav Scum shines (besides its brevity - the runtime is 90 min. including an interval of questionable value) is with the two characters running interference: the aforementioned Other has two incarnations - one for Hell and Heaven - and Lindall fills his time onstage with subtle movements gestures which are not only good for laughs but also enhance rather than detract from points where the Other is not the focus - think of Penny’s role in Hairspray during “I Can Hear The Bells” and the Madison sequence for a comparison.

The other character whom I dearly adored was Jonathan Hansler’s Lou, aka Satan as interpreted by George Carlin. It’s easy to see why people would follow this devil, as he oozes charm and straight talk while manipulating his surroundings.

To sum it up: Fun time, worth popping in, and short enough that if you like it you can leave after 40 minutes at the interval or stay for the whole time and still make it to the pub for multiple rounds after.

Where: Courtyard
When: Until 30 Nov., Tu-Su @ 19:30
How Much: £12.50
Concessions: £10, local residents with proof of address can get £5 tickets until the 16th
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £10. Cheaper than a film at Leicester Square, but not quite good enough to justify the full price.
RZ Other Notes: This production is in the Courtyard’s studio which is a) warm, b) unreserved seating and c) not raked. Complicating matters is a concurrent run of Measure for Measure in the main house which, the night I went, looked to be loaded with school groups that crowd the limited waiting area. Fortunately Chav Scum lets out before Measure can even reach its interval.

CATCHING UP: The Common Pursuit, GWTW+LotR Revisited

(Classwork, laziness, and more have kept updates from regularity. However, since the RZ is going to a new musical tonight, it means getting old reviews out of the way.)

First off, the first time visit. The RZ had an opportunity to catch The Common Pursuit last week at the Menier Chocolate Factory, and found himself straddled on the critical fence the general spectrum of professional reviewers ended up creating. On the one hand, this is a traditional, well meaning play about what it means to hold to your ideals in the face of financial necessity, but on the other it’s very...well...upper-class, academic, and English. Telling the story of six Cambridge friends who form a literary magazine before going their separate yet linked ways in adulthood, The Common Pursuit hits the ideas of selling out and the decline of heroism, and is packed with excellent actors...but the RZ found himself wondering, despite his enjoyment, why it needed a second hour - short of the third act plot twist (itself outside the major themes) it’s blatant where everything is going by the interval.

Second, the long awaited commentary and space to potentially eat one’s words. The RZ was offered some free tickets to revisit Gone With The Wind a couple weeks ago, and took his source (not working on the production) up on the offer. So how is the show after all the cuts have been made?

Still pretty disappointing, but . The most painful bits are gone, and the runtime is almost comfortable, though a few embarrassing lines remain (see the first preview report re: soldiers and sex.) Madeleine Worrall’s Melanie is still shrill and annoying, and the cast still don’t have anything resembling realistic accents. On the upside, the music is better the second time around, though the RZ remains hard pressed to remember most of it, and the burning of Atlanta finally has a half-decent effect. In the end, though, the second act still dragged and the RZ left with a headache which means he doesn’t feel good enough about the fixed edition to actually recommend anybody except die hard chick-flick fans go and see it.

Last, the RZ went with a group of friends to take in Lord of the Rings one more time before it closes in July. Despite being a few minutes late thanks to Lastminute.com’s overly tight dinner+show reservation times, his group found themselves comfortably seated in the rear stalls (not a bad upgrade from upper circle). Visually, LotR is still one of the best things in the West End, a lush parade of mechanics and lights the likes of which won’t be seen again for years. Unfortunately, the show didn’t seem as tight the second time, and the RZ felt detached from the story and characters. Perhaps it was distraction from the late arrival or the general half-empty atmosphere of the theatre, but things just didn’t click on a return visit. That said, fans of visual theatre would be wise to get tickets before Middle Earth vanishes next month.

THE COMMON PURSUIT:
Where: Menier Chocolate Factory
When: Until 20 July. Tu-Sa @ 20:00, Sa/Su @ 15:30
How Much: £22.50 general admission
Concessions: £18, limited availability
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £18. The RZ liked it, but didn’t love it.
RZ Other Notes: The staging is rather innovative, involving a sliding set that makes the Menier auditorium feel like the TARDIS. On the other hand, it means seats on the extreme right are obstructed as a wide portion of the stage is draped off.

GONE WITH THE WIND
Where: New London Theatre
When: Until 14 June. M @ 19:00, Tu-Sa @ 19:30, W/Sa @ 14:30
How Much: £27.50-£60
Concessions: None officially, but word is that top price seats can be purchased on the day for £25 at the box office.
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £10 if you love the book/film/Jill Paice/Darius Danesh’s hairy chest
RZ Other Notes: The producers wised up and pulled the plug on this one. Had the show the RZ saw in June been the first preview, he’d have probably been more sympathetic, as would the critics as the show now is in a state where it can be turned into something adequate vs. being dreadful.

LORD OF THE RINGS
**No changes since the RZ’s full review. He does suggest, however, that those looking to go on the cheap book early in the week and buy in the balcony or upper circle - you are all but guaranteed a bump down to the first circle or stalls.**

REVIEW: "Dickens Unplugged"

After bringing Shakespeare, Star Wars, and American History to minimalist and humorous states of redux, Adam Long, co-founder of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, is back in London with a new work using the same old formula: this time abridging the works of Charles Dickens in the music hall inspired Dickens Unplugged.

The setup, for those unfamiliar with the concept, is simple: a group of five performers (in this case a Californian Dickens cover band) perform highly edited versions of the author’s works, ranging from one-song quickies (The Old Curiosity Shop) to multi-scene epics (David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol) interspersed with commentary on Dickens’s life. Were it not for the occasional use of post-watershed language, the RZ would gladly recommend this as a family show to introduce the aforementioned classic novels to younger punters, though to the show’s credit, the few instances of profanity are used appropriately and sparingly to emphasise major events or conflicts.

The effect is achieved by changing Jemima Penny’s costumes faster than Evening Standard headlines, and there is cross-dressing a-plenty as the all-male cast take dame it up to play a host of wives, including both of Dickens’s own. Needless to say, timing is everything and the cast were on when the RZ attended, even though (he suspects) it was understudy Ben Heathcoate’s first time on during this run.

And the songs (this being a musical)? They’re well harmonised late-Victorian inspired pieces for guitar and drum with a few notes played on a piano. The lyrics are sometimes too clever (or fast) for their own good, but Gareth Owen’s sound design refrains from bludgeoning the audience with volume, even those up front. Lez Brotherston’s set maintains the grimness of lower class Victorian living, but at the same time seems more appropriate for Sweeney Todd than the light-hearted fluff it contains (including two easy to spot theatre parodies)

On the whole, Dickens Unplugged is amusing in the same way as The 39 Steps, but doesn’t quite come together in a way that’s hard to put one’s finger on, perhaps because Mr. Long is simply caught in a rut after doing the same gig time and again, or the cast were holding back on a two show day. Either way, it doesn’t stop Dickens from being solid matinee fare capable of passing a rainy afternoon or providing a rest when running around the West End, and if you find you don’t like it, each act is approximately 45 minutes so you don’t have to suffer long before you flee.

Where: Comedy Theatre
When: M/W/Th/Fr/Sa @ 19:30, Th/Sa @ 15:00, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £16-46
Concessions: Seniors can advance book M-F performances for £21, disabled patrons can book all shows for £21, student rush 1 hr before curtain for the same.
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £21. It’s fun but not that fun and offers are abundant.
RZ Other Notes: Dickens Unplugged may not do overly well in the West End (the RZ could swear the upper two levels were closed yesterday) but it will undoubtedly do well on tour and in regional/community productions.

REVIEW: "Marguerite"

There’s something satisfying about watching the greats fall from grace, be it in fiction or the news. After giving us two of the biggest hits in West End history (Les Miserables and Miss Saigon), Boubil and Schönberg began their decline with Martin Guerre before falling flat on their faces with last year’s Broadway bomb The Pirate Queen. While Marguerite, which they contributed the book and lyrics to, is far from being a top notch work, it shows that this legendary duo are working their way back up.

Marguerite resets Alexander Dumas’s novel Le Dame Aux Camèlias in the second world war. The title character is a high end prostitute turned singer turned prostitute who’s shacking up with a Nazi general in occupied France, while her society associates take advantage of her position for rations and to raise their own standing in what is viewed as the new pecking order. The show opens at the end of the story, as the populace turn against Marguerite (Ruthie Henshall) before we flash back to her birthday party some time earlier. As the British bomb Paris, our protagonist has a brief encounter with pianist Armand (Julian Ovenden) playing the event. As the two fall in love, we follow a parallel storyline as Armand’s sister (Annalene Beechey) works for the resistance with Jewish lover Lucienne. While the concept is a good idea, it’s not without flaw and at times feels like an exercise in expressing national guilt over the natives' actions under the Vichy government.

Unfortunately, there’s just no real reason to care about Marguerite the character. It’s shown from the beginning that she doesn’t love Otto (Alexander Hanson), but is merely using him. While she talks of the great risks of meeting (and sleeping) with Armand, we are given no real sense of danger until the second act, and never any emotional ties to this woman. When Otto dies during the second act and Marguerite finds herself without friends or finance, she sings a “How did this happen to me?” song. The answer, of course, is pretty simple: she fucked the man for his money and the gravy train got derailed when her lover shot him. There’s no subtext to the character, just a self-pitying opportunist who finds herself playing romance Tetris like in any other romance novel or women’s manga.

Michel Legrand’s score is beautifully orchestrated traditional musical theatre with a clear period influence, but it’s not especially memorable, and there’s not a song that immediately grabs your ear and demands repeating on your iPod. Herbert Kretzmer’s translation of Alain Boubil’s original French lyrics is simplistic. The rhymes are functional and suit the piece, they’re also uninspired, and there’s no subtext or greater intelligence to them. While not every musical demands a “Color and Light” or even a “My Psychopharmacologist and I”, some greater depth in the words (including the book which claims three authors) would go a long way towards making the title character sympathetic,.

Not that Ruthie Henshall doesn’t try. Utilising a classical soprano for most of her songs, Ms. Henshall sings in fine form, though her emotions are forced or outright lacking during scenes such as the opening party and when she begs Otto to spare Armand. Likewise, Mr. Hanson’s Otto is an archetype and not a character, flat until Marguerite angers him, and we don’t see any of the love he professes - the two are together for convenience. Mr. Ovenden’s Armand fares better, but Ms. Beechey steals the show as conflicted resistance fighter Annette.

The real star, however, is Paul Brown’s glamourous set, evocative of the era’s films combined with Mark Henderson’s sepia toned lighting. While the RZ found himself groaning when he first saw a turntable in use, the designs reminded him more of Rebecca than Les Miz. And yes, the much discussed explosion at the end of the second scene is truly impressive.

Overall, Marguerite is a misplaced love story where the side characters prove more engaging than the principals. There are certainly worse things running in London, and Legrand’s score justifies the cost of tickets. However, the piece isn’t ready for a West End run. Had the RZ seen it in Cardiff or Manchester as an out of town tryout, he’d have said that some focused rewrites could shape things up, but he saw it four days before the London press night. There’s no word on if revisions will continue after the official opening, but Marguerite needs work should there be plans to transfer. As it stands, the show is only OK.

Where: Theatre Royal, Haymarket
When: M-Sa @ 19:30, W/Sa @ 14:30 until November.
How Much: £25-£60
Concessions: £20 day seats when the BO opens. Seniors can advance book W Matinees for £25, disabled seats are £25 advance bookable. Students £20 stalls/£12.50 upper circle on the day.
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £32.50. Treat it like a concert with sets and costumes, it’s just not “there” enough to pay full price, but one can justify half.
RZ Other Notes: The RZ recommends the creative team go across the street to see Brief Encounter as a reminder of how less than ideal characters can be emotionally engaging before going back to revise this show. Couples looking for an evening at something romantic would be encouraged to do the same.

REVIEW: "Eurobeat Almost Eurovision (Sarajevo)"

Tacky costumes, trashy visuals, Terry Wogan, and pop songs that you hate yourself for loving. Yes, the Eurovision song contest has set upon us again both in real life next month (May 20/22/24 in Belgrade) but on the touring stage before settling in the West End this September. That’s right, some clever Australians took that most beloved (and belittled) of European institutions to give us Eurobeat Almost Eurovision.

The current UK touring version, set in Sarajevo, features everything the real Eurovision is known for: low end local celebrities making awful jokes (this time with lots of double entendre) and stereotyped nationalities attempting to out-flare and out-pop each other. From the holdouts (Hungarian folk heavy) to the sellouts (the Brits provided the worst and blandest song as always) and the fallouts (Postmodern Germans and a Björk-esque Icelander), our hosts (Les Dennis as children’s TV star Sergei and Mel Giedroyc as ex-pole vaulter Boyka) take us across this lovely continent full of “beautiful people, except France” and insure that none of the represented nations reach the end unscathed, but it rarely goes past the “nudge/wink” type humour that lets us all be in on the joke, although some jokes (“Leave it to the Irish to teach us about World Peace”) hit closer to home than others.

And just how are these mockeries of cultural pride and punishment? Some of them (Greece, Italy, Ireland, Russia) are surprisingly catchy and worthy of being on many an iPod and go beyond their novelty setting. Others exist for the sake of being intentionally bad and perhaps lack tunefulness as a result, but still work in the context of the show. Had the RZ a spare tenner on the night he went, he would have bought the CD without blinking on his way out of the theatre.

Of course, it’s not Eurovision without a winner, and the end of the first act provides the audience the opportunity to vote via text message. Needless to say, the second act lacks the pure entertainment value of the first as a great deal of time is dedicated to reporting the results, but the voting is accurate and the winner does change on a nightly basis (it’s even reported the next day on the website).

The one downside to this production is the continuing trend to eliminate live music. On the other hand, the Eurovision contest itself has been free of a live orchestra for years, and touring prices reflect the lower expenses. Whether live music will be implemented for the West End is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain: it’s hard to care when you’re laughing so hard.

Where: Touring
When: Check the show website.
How Much: Varies by venue, £9-£25 in most venues
Concessions: Varies by venue
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £20. £5 penalty for no live band. This show is damn funny and if you can see it at touring prices you’ll totally get your money’s worth (plus it clocks in just at 2 hrs. - someone gets to keep it short!)
RZ Other Notes: The theatre was frighteningly empty the night the RZ went, with over half the stalls and most of the first circle empty and the upper circle closed. While word of mouth is certain to build as the tour reaches its conclusion, the high camp factor (bordering on postmodern mockery at times) may have trouble attracting the wider audiences necessary to sustain an extended run in one of the West End’s major venues - then again, if Gone With The Wind closes as soon as everybody hopes, the New London would be a wonderful and not too large location with plenty of intimacy (though most of the touring venues are owned by the Ambassadors, so speculate for yourself where this'll end up). Either way, Eurobeat’s producers aren’t hedging their bets in the UK: productions in Asia, Australia, and Europe are in the works for the rest of 2008 and 2009, including an alternative version set in Amsterdam for some locations.

THOUGHTS: Moths Ate My Dr Who Scarf

(A very short catch-up before running out to Hackney Empire...)

The anoraks have landed at the Arts Theatre as comedian Toby Hadoke brings his tale of childhood woe, social discomfort, and unabashed fandom to London. Drawing heavily on personal experience and an in-depth knowledge of the title programme to the forefront, Moths looks at what it means to be the outsider, to have an audiovisual security blanket, and how perceptions change the way we view ourselves and our cultural heritage. While non-Who fans will be able to follow what’s going on, many of the jokes will (obviously) be lost - ditto for those who aren’t familiar with local celebs and TV in general (e.g. a hilarious bit comparing Star Wars to Eastenders). Pleasantly short, Moths is a lovely way to start an evening in the West End.

Where: Arts Theatre
When: Until 19 Apr @ 19:30
How Much: £12.50-£15
Concessions: None
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12.50. Lots of fun, but very specialised humour.
RZ Other Notes: A version of this show was produced for BBC Radio 7 and is available on CD.