Chris Omaweng

6 days ago | londontheatre1.com | Chris Omaweng

There came a point when the penny dropped: I was watching something written by, directed by and starring the same person. There was no mention of a dramaturg in the press release or in the show’s credits, and so I was reminded of a punchline from the late comedian Barry Humphries. Collecting an award for Best Solo Performance in 2014 for his show Eat Pray Laugh!, he noted that the best thing about winning that particular category was that, by definition, there was nobody else to thank.

1 week ago | londontheatre1.com | Chris Omaweng

The carers, it was drilled into me when I worked for a private social care provider during the pandemic, need to be cared for. And that was why there was an ongoing programme of training initiatives, staff socials (socially distanced, of course) and regular check-ins with ‘caregivers’. The nature of the job meant I was only dealing with one patient (or ‘client’) at a time – out in ‘the field’, so to speak, visiting elderly and/or disabled people in their own homes.

1 week ago | londontheatre1.com | Chris Omaweng

There aren’t very many stage shows that put sex workers at the centre of the narrative. Some might argue that is probably just as well, particularly for those who lean towards a ‘show don’t tell’ philosophy. This is a story that could be tightened and condensed into one of those ninety-minute no-interval shows.

1 week ago | londontheatre1.com | Chris Omaweng

Let’s just say there’s a reason certain shows aren’t revived as often as others – put simply, they’re not as good as those others. There’s a distinct 1970s feel to the front room where the entire play takes place, and you’d be forgiven if, on entering the theatre proper, you had reason to believe you were about to watch a production of Abigail’s Party. Indeed, the alcohol does flow fairly freely, regardless of the time of day.

1 week ago | londontheatre1.com | Chris Omaweng

Touches of absurdism and highly obvious irony permeate the narrative arc in Speed – not, alas, a stage adaptation of the 1994 thriller motion picture. Just as well, really, given the challenges of putting a film like that on stage, although a rapidly moving vehicle isn’t impossible to portray in the theatre these days, Back to the Future the Musical being a case in point.