London With a Teenager

The LWAT Guide to University Open Days

Posted on July 19, 2026 by katese11

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in sandpits anymore. While this blog has been drifting further and further away from its toddler roots, there’s nothing that quite highlights the passage of time like taking the toddler on the university open day circuit. Tho, turns out there was a sandpit along the way.

Yes, Reuben is now in Year 12 and preparing to submit his UCAS form. So we’ve been to Bath, Cambridge, Cardiff and Reading in the last few weeks, looking for somewhere he might call home for three years. I’m trying not to cry about it too often.

But for those of you who are yet to go on the same treks, here are some handy pointers. Whether you’re looking around in Autumn 2026, Summer 2027 or Summer 2057, these might come in useful. We make mistakes so that you don’t have to.

Make sure the young person does the choosing and the booking

Self-explanatory really but this is a first step into adulthood. If your young person is planning on going to university, they need to at least be able to fill in an online booking form. I helped Roo narrow down his choices but he did all the admin of finding and booking the open days.

Plan the subject talks in advance

You can’t necessarily rely on being handed a brochure as soon as you step off the train, with everything you need to know about the open day. While some universities seemed to fall over themselves to make sure you had everything you needed, others were more….standoffish. So looking up the times and locations of the subject talks online can really help you put a plan together. And when I say “you”, I mean your young person again. Obvs.

Accept that you won’t be able to do everything

We seemed to be on the move pretty constantly and still never saw more than one subject and maybe one accommodation at each place. There are general talks all day on things like student finance and the UCAS process but campuses are huge and you need to factor in time for food, coffee and wandering around to see what the general vibe is. We were looking at two slightly different subject options and at one university – who shall not be named but I might have studied there – the talks for these similar subjects were at the same time but at different campuses. Another had the subject talk a 20 minute walk from the department, with a tour finishing 20 minutes before the talk started. It’s sometimes to fit it all in but I would recommend going to the subject department as a priority and checking out one of the student life talks if possible.

Make time for the Student Union information fair

There are usually information stands about the clubs and societies, which can be very useful for your young person if they’re starting to imagine what their life there might be like. Roo was pleased to meet the local DnDers at one stand and I was charmed to chat with the Hedgehog Society. The social aspect of university is so important and these are the bits which can help it feel less scary.

Take advantage of Student Union pricing

Lunch for two for £7? Why, thank you! It’s not going to be the best food you’ve ever had but it tastes like nostalgia. And no, the menu has not really changed in the last 25 years…cheesy chips FTW.

Make sure you look around the town or city as well

We had a lovely time seeing the sights of the places we visited, from the Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge to the site of Javert’s death in Bath and Dr Who locations to Cardiff. Again, finding familiar eateries and quirky games cafes might help your young person imagine what their life there might be like. Most open days finish around 4:30 so I booked trains back for 7ish, to give us time to have dinner and a look around the area.

Expect cancellations and delays

I don’t think we went a single trip without one of our trains being cancelled or delayed. In some cases – Reading – it required a slight timing shift. In others – Bath – it meant hiding from irate rugby fans in a cinema while booking beds in the only affordable place that was available. It was a youth hostel with terrible reviews so luckily we didn’t end up staying there as the trains started running again around 11pm…but it was a close run thing.

Consider staying somewhere close by the night before the open day

Most of these trips we did as day trips because they weren’t too far away but Cardiff felt like it justified an overnighter. I had to back in London for the Sunday so it made much more sense to stay somewhere the night before and be able to stroll into the city centre for brunch with the Welsh branch of the family before going to the open day. Much more chill than trying to cross the country before 9am.

Be prepared to walk

The most hardgoing open day was probably Cambridge because it was 36C and the colleges Roo wanted to visit are quite far apart from each other. So we relied on the local buses, which were sporadic and on diversion but honestly, we probably should have just walked it all. I so would have but did I mention it was 36C? Cardiff was a much more pleasant 26C so we were able to walk everywhere, even if following Google Maps did get us slightly lost and wandering through my brother’s old halls of residence.

Interact with the departments and students as much as possible

There is no better primary resource than the students who are currently doing the course. So remind your young person to ask questions, look at displays and take part in everything they can. In the civil engineering department in Bath, we found a tray of sand with an infra red camera to simulate land movements….and for a moment it was like we were back in the toddler days. Good times <3

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“Paddington” at the Savoy Theatre – 12/07/26

Posted on July 12, 2026 by katese11

This particular theatre trip has been a long time in the making. So long, in fact, that Roo and I have had three trips to Paddington station since booking the tickets. In fact, Roo and I have had three trips to Paddington station in the last month but that’s a whole other blog post in the making.

Still, got to meet this fella who has a clearly well-booped snoot:

I actually booked back in December for Nana’s Christmas present. She has been extremely patient to wait until July but it just shows what a popular show this is….if we’d held out for a Saturday instead of a Sunday it might have been Christmas again before we got to see it.

But was it worth the hype? That’s a good question and we’ll get there in a little bit, I promise.

First tho a sunny day wander from Waterloo to the Strand, via the giant mural of..well, yes him again:

In case you’re wondering why we’re all clutching tiny cans of Coke, the answer is that we got given them free outside the station. I know, I was impressed too!

It thankfully wasn’t quite as oppressively hot as it has been lately, otherwise we might not have attempted the walk. There was a bit of chaos around the Southbank Centre tho, as two separate lifts were both out of order and VK and I lost the rest of the group. Don’t worry tho, we eventually found them again at Embankment station.

From there it was an airy stroll through Victoria Embankment Gardens, where I leaned in towards the sprinkler for a light spritz and got a full-face blatto. It was actually quite refreshing.We cut up Carting Lane, along the side of the theatre and went for lunch at a frequent haunt of ours, Honest Burger Covent Garden. So frequent that it had been mere hours since VK and Nathan last visited. Luckily different staff were on shift, so no one was shaming them for ODing on Rosemary Fries.

We were very well placed for the theatre and would have had loads of time if it hadn’t been for the giant queue to get in, which stretched right round the corner. It moved quickly though, so we got in before too long. And we got to see the only street in the UK where traffic drives on the right:

We also spotted London’s last sewage lamp but I know that’s probably of *niche* interest:

So once we got through the queue, we had enough time to find our seats, buy a programme and lose VK’s phone before the show started. I had been worried about the restricted view and the climb to the Grand Circle but these were both unfounded as the stage is sunken so the Circles are more or less on street level. And the view was just fine:

Not my kid’s feet in this picture by the way. And yes, we did retrieve my kid’s phone.

Also just to note that I’m currently blogging from my phone as my laptop is in the laptop hospital. I have a 15 year streak for monthly blogs as of tomorrow and I’m not about to let a little tech fail stop me. But it probably means the images are all weirdly sized and unfiltered. I’ll go back and sort them out at some point, I promise.

Anyway, onto the show! You’ve probably heard already that it’s wondrous and whimsical and – spoiler – I’m not going to be saying anything very different to that. It was a very lovely show and surprisingly true to the original characters. There were parts where I could see there might have been a temptation to politicise the inclusivity message but they never went too far in that direction. The result was a heartwarming story about how everyone is welcome in London without shoehorning 2026 politics into it.

On that point tho, I did find it hard at first to place what era this was set in. The Browns’ house was very 70s in design and so were their clothes. But then there were references to the Multiverse of Madness and a picture of the Gherkin, so I assume it’s meant to be modern day but with a retro feel, which is about right for “Paddington”.

And what of the bear himself? Well, I’d seen the promotional pictures which reassured me that they’d made a very sweet version of him, rather than the nightmare fuel that comes with some reimaginings (Sonic the Hedgehog, anyone?). It’s a very clever idea, where there is a physical performer in the bear suit (Arti Shah) and then a second actor offstage providing the voice and remote controlling the facial expressions (James Hameed). It’s a magical combination that allows Paddington to move freely around the stage but also emote. This is such an important part to get right as, if they didn’t, the whole show would be dragged down. I’m pleased to say, though, the bear was spot on and every bit as adorable as his book version.

There is a huge cast and I’m typing on my phone so I’m not going to name them all but they work well as an ensemble and the Brown family especially blend beautifully when they sing, giving a real sense of family. A couple of standout turns are former Persephone Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as the “iconic but evil” Millicent Clyde and the legendary Bonnie Langford as “just plain iconic” Mrs Bird. The latter has a song in the second half which says “it’s never too late to steal the show” and she proceeds to do just that, showing off the high kicks that got her so far on The Masked Dancer.

I’m probably doing the rest of the cast a disservice by not naming them individually but honestly, there wasn’t a single misplaced performance among them. The Browns’ neighbours, Tony and Tanya (Timi Akinyosade and Brenda Edwards) brought a lot of warmth to the show, especially with the song “The Rhythm of London”. It was in stark contrast to the opening scenes, where Paddington is shouted at to get out of the way and I liked that they showed both sides of London – the hectic busyness and the camaraderie as they do genuinely exist side-by-side. I also enjoyed the announcements in the station scene, as someone who has been subject to many, many GWR delays in the last few weeks.

I should also say that the sets are magnificent and changes happen almost imperceptibly. One of my favourite backdrops was the Natural History Museum because of how accurate it was to real life. There was also a Windsor Gardens backdrop that had me staring for ages, trying to work out whether it was 3D or not. Yes gentle readers, I have been perplexed by perspective.

There’s also great use of video, with the screens at the sides being used to create a comic strip, a jungle and the London skyline. The stage design is just beautifully done.

A quick word on the age suitability of the show as there were many weeny ones around us. It’s very much a family show but it’s also a full length production and probably not something I would have attempted with a wriggly toddler. It’s probably fine for primary school age and upwards but it has some very real moments of peril, which had the teens tensing, so that might be worth considering if you have a sensitive child. Nana reminded us that a 5-year-old Reuben was terrified of the film version back in 2014 and I don’t think VK would have coped with the intensity of this until she was maybe 10ish. But yknow, she is the extreme end of the sensitive empathy scale so don’t take that as typical. There are also a few panto-style adult gags but they will go over the heads of littlies so I wouldn’t worry about those from a content POV.

None of that detracts from my main point tho, which is to say that this is an utterly charming and lovely show. The plot is simple, the songs are catchy and they made a whole marmalade sandwich costume just for a throwaway gag. That’s commitment to your entertainment.

I imagine it’s still booked up years in advance so if you do want to see it, don’t hang about. I promise you it’s worth the wait.

Posted in Reviewing the Situation | Tagged Central London, theatre | Leave a comment

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by ELSF – 06/06/26

Posted on June 7, 2026 by katese11

This is the fifth ELSF production I’ve reviewed and I’ve been gradually getting more and more biased. In 2024, VK had just started doing their youth theatre and so we knew the actors a little. Last year, VK got to do a monologue before the show and so was effectively part of the production. This year, she’s part of the community cast so I am full-on biased. This show will be amazing, just because my child is in it.

On the flip side though, I’m starting to write this review from a cold and rainy Higham Hill Hub, with my view partially obscured by a very large umbrella. Plus it’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, which I am very precious about ever since taking part in it at VK’s age. So I might be biased but with a dose of nitpicking and some very cold fingers. That’s what you call critical balance.

Oh and there is plenty to nitpick with MSND, isn’t there? Much as I love it, the whole thing makes no sense….if Hermia has until the next new moon to decide, how can the almanac say it’s a moonlit night on Theseus’ wedding day? Which was four days from the start of the play but also not.

Dang, I swear every time I review Shakespeare that I will not worry about the plotholes. And yet I still do…!

As you might have guessed, it was also not ideal weather for outdoor theatre. But worry not, despite some light rain in the first half, it wasn’t anything like the torrential rain we saw “Romeo and Juliet” in. I took my choir trolley and stocked it with a giant umbrella, a camping chair, a waterproof coat, a jumper and lots of snacks…that was me sorted, really. If you’re wondering why Roo and Nathan weren’t in attendance, wonder no more – they will be coming to the Lloyd Park show in a couple of weeks. I didn’t end up using the giant umbrella as there were people sitting behind me….but the snacks certainly got eaten and my aging back v much appreciated the camping chair.

VK’s part of this was essentially ensemble, with a group of teens popping up in Theseus’ court and as extra fairies. They also took part in some of the songs, including the opening number which I won’t spoiler here (as I imagine it might be quite the surprise for anyone not on the community cast group chat). It’s been a great experience for her, rehearsing with the professionals. After a tough couple of months, hanging out with her fellow Shakespeare geeks and learning lines and dances has been really good for her. She was part of the youth theatre for a few years and really enjoyed it too. So if you have a similarly dramatic and geeky teen (14+) you might want to consider it for next year’s production.

But enough about my kid – what was the rest of the production like? Well, the first thing to know is that there was a lot of multi-roleing. Community cast aside, there were seven principal actors, including apprentice actor Zora Duric-Speare (Egeus, The Fairy, Philostrate and Starveling). I haven’t counted how many parts there are in MSND in total but it’s definitely more than seven – in the first scene alone, there are the four lovers, Egeus and Theseus and Hippolayta. Excluding school productions, where you want as many parts as possible, there is nearly always an element of multi-roleing in MSND but seven is pretty lean. I’ve seen it done with a cast of four – in Broadgate Circle – but that was a distinctly un-serious production and I seem to remember Hermia was literally just a wig at one point. The ELSF take was a full version of the play but with some intense combining of roles. It’s quite usual for Theseus/Hippolyta to also be Oberon/Titania but this Theseus (Jack Bence) was Bottom as well as Oberon. Hippolyta (Miranda Braun) was not just Titania but also Puck. That is a lot of lines between the two of them. When I first saw the casting, I wondered how they’d pull off Puck/Titania as I could have sworn they were sometimes in the same scene. Turns out it’s only the one scene – Act 4, Scene 1 – but it was quite dizzying the speed at which Miranda changed both costume and character. Oberon and Bottom are also both in this scene but that was dealt with by some stage trickery.

The rest of the cast were just hardworking, covering the four lovers, the four fairies and most of the mechanicals between them. Kalifa Taylor played Hermia, Snout and Peaseblossom and Annabelle Blake was Helena, Snug and Cobweb. Benedict C Jones played Demetrius, Quince and Mustardseed and Kareem Alexander Yousri was Lysander, Flute and Moth. None of the actors were ever off stage for long and their energy was amazing, considering they’d done a show the previous night as well as the very soggy matinee that afternoon. Maybe it was the red wine that Bottom stole from an audience member that kept them going or maybe it’s just the love of the arts. I loved the little improvised moments, such as when Oberon commanded Puck to “overcast the night” and he glanced up at the dark grey clouds and muttered “that was quick”. ELSF do put little asides into the text, which was used to great effect by the community cast in the first scene, as they expressed which of Hermia’s beaus they preferred (spoiler: it wasn’t Demetrius).

It’s the little touches like this that make the text accessible to a wider audience, and the aim of ELSF is very much to put Shakespeare back into the community where it belongs. I’ve always said I’m a purist, but these productions are slowly converting me into someone who can appreciate the insertion of well-placed pop classic in the middle of the Bard’s words. Especially when it features my kid, obvs. The play lends itself well to physical comedy and ELSF excel at that, with Hermia banging both her lovers heads together during the fight scene. Puck leaps into Oberon’s arms at one point and the fairies roam the audience searching for dried peas to feed Bottom. There are a few “talking to the audience” segments, which is where Bottom consumed the wine, or rather spilt it down his lovely satin bedrobe. There was possibly too much audience participation in parts, as some kids near the front decided to heckle and occasionally repeat everything Bottom was saying. But that’s the risk you take with family-friendly Shakespeare – kids are unpredictable.

The set was quite simple, as you’d expect from a production that is touring a mind-boggling number of venues. It represented both the court and the wood, with vertical grassy banks for the lovers to rest their heads on and a platform that served as Titania’s bower. The costuming was very important, with so many different roles, and my favourite look was probably the mechanicals, who all had either fleeces or hi-vis jackets on, printed with “Athens Woodland Trust”. The Pyramus breastplate and the Wall representation were also highlights but, again, no spoilers here.

The fairies were adorned in multi-coloured cords and intricate headpieces, which contrasted with the “Business Week on Project Runway” look that the lovers and the court had. I’m not sure how best to describe it but there were a lot of ties involved. The accents also varied between character, with Miranda using an American accent for Hippolyta, a cheery Cockney accent for Puck and something close to her actual accent for Titania. Similarly, Benedict Jones uses a soft Scottish accent for Quince, which suits the character well and distinguishes his likeable-but-frustrated Quince from his snarling Demetrius. I think Cobweb may have been French. I don’t quite remember.

The characterisation was also important and kudos here especially to Kalifa Taylor, who switches between amiable Snout to heartbroken rageful Hermia and back again with graceful ease. I enjoyed Kareem Yousri’s portrayal of a very self-conscious and reluctant Flute, alongside his charming but shallow Lysander. Annabelle Blake displays great range as Helena, going from naive and trusting to wretched….and also does some great roaring as the Lion. Zora Duric-Speare juggles her multiple parts with ease and confidence. I imagine she has even more work to do when the community cast aren’t involved but she had plenty to learn, even with their help on some of the Fairy lines. I believe she was previously part of the community cast herself so it’s great to see the progression that ELSF champions.

In some ways, the pairing of Miranda Braun and Jack Bence was central to this production and they had some great dramatic chemistry. The way the roles were split meant that they portrayed not just the traditional two different couples but also the Puck/Oberon duo and the Bottom/Titania odd couple. The rapid costume changes and the accent shifts helped ease these transitions but it is really credit to them both that they managed to imbue each of these relationships with a different dynamic. In some ways, Puck and Oberon were the most friendly although the glare Puck received after they “mistook” on the lovers front was a sharp reminder that this was very much a monarch/servant relationship. Miranda is sharing this mega-role with ELSF Founder Ursula Early and I’d be interested to see how she handles all these different aspects of the characters. I imagine that we will catch Ursula’s portrayal somewhere along the way as we’re due to see the show at least once more and possibly twice. There are a lot of shows this year, alright?

The weather may have tried it best to dampen our spirits but truly, it was still a magical evening. The show was two hours in all, with an interval in the middle but it zipped quickly, even in the cold. If you’d like to witness this madcap magic for yourself, then there are opportunities all over London and Kent this year. Click here for tickets and more info.

Disclaimer: I paid for these tickets but, as discussed, I’m pretty biased and ELSF have entertained my kids for the last few weekends so I kinda owe them. All opinions are still honest and my own though.

Posted in Reviewing the Situation, Uncategorized | Tagged East London, theatre | Leave a comment

Eighty Three Degrees in Leigh-on-Sea – 25/05/26

Posted on May 26, 2026 by katese11

That’s 83 Degrees Fahrenheit, before anyone accuses me of being overdramatic. 28 Degrees Celsius just didn’t rhyme as well. At times, though, I probably would have believed you if you told me the air was near boiling point. It was hottt.

Like most Londoners, we’re always slightly baffled at what to do with really hot weather. Much as I love London, it is a bit lacking in access to the seaside. There are various outdoor swimming options but they get booked up incredibly fast on a sunny bank holiday Monday. I had managed to nab a spot at London Fields on Saturday evening but it wasn’t exactly chill, despite the cold water….it was “Swim for Fitness” and anyone who paused at the end of a lane to rest got hastily moved on. I swam for 8 lengths (it’s a 50m pool) and then got out, refreshed but not desperate to return with a non-swimmer in tow.

So, I decided to take the family out to Essex for some cooling down action. Along with most of the residents of the capital, as you can imagine. We have been to Southend on a sunny day before and knew how crowded it got, so I decided to aim for somewhere marginally closer and potentially less hectic – Leigh on Sea.

Spoiler: It was still hectic. There’s a photo later on that makes it look empty but that’s because I used Google Magic Eraser to remove all the kids in swimwear. You’ll know which photo I mean when you get there.

First tho, a bit of a drive. We had just turned on to the North Circular when we realised a trip to the coast might require some petrol. Which meant turning back off, after a very quick Google and some rapido lane changing. Then a wrong turn at a roundabout, a three point turn in a residential street, back to the roundabout, sharp right across two lanes of traffic and…result! A petrol station with a nice view of Redbridge tube:

That’s not me being sarcastic by the way…I love a Charles Holden tube building.

Finally, we were on our way and powering down the A13 with the “Ballad Lines” soundtrack on. The banks next to the road were filled with what looked like heather, so listening to the Celtic ballads it felt almost like we were in bonny Scotland instead of not-quite-so-bonny Dagenham. Pretty tho!:

There was another wrong turn at what was, to be fair to me, a very confusing roundabout, so we swung past the flagpoles of Canvey Island before getting back on track. I’d set the course for a small car park right next to the beach but spotted some other car parks along the way. The first one we tried – Belton Bridge car park – was tiny and full so we did some awkward manoeuvring before escaping back over the bridge towards Leigh-on-Sea station car park. I’ve been brought up to believe that station car parks are the most expensive places on Earth, so I was a little reluctant but it turned out to be very reasonable and there were loads of spaces. I paid by phone – as in, actually dialling a number and putting in my debit cards details, early 2000s style – and it was only a fiver for the day. On a non-bank-holiday weekday I think it might be £12 for the day but still, it’s cheaper than our initial plan, which was to get a hotel the night before. That proved fruitless due to half term demand, but it meant that whatever we paid for beach antics seemed reasonable in comparison.

Still, it was a 15 minute walk to the actual sandy bit. I might have been losing hope on the paddling front when we saw how far away the Estuary was:

But worry not! We eventually found some water. And some mud. A lot of mud. We walked through the car park we’d driven around and that brought us out at the end of the High Street., although for a moment I thought we were still in Walthamstow:

From there it was a relatively short wander to the bit where the coast bends round and somehow produces a tiny sandy beach at low tide. This is where you might detect a touch of the ol’ Artifical Intelligence in safeguarding this photo:

Trust me, it was not that empty. But it gives you a rough idea of how it looked – a small paddling pool formed next to the sand and then, further away, a kind of river running down to the sea. We got there around 11:50 and low tide was at half twoish so there was a lot of sand but also a lot of mud between the sand and the river. I wasn’t convinced but both kids charged down there and I figured I might as well join them. It was up to Roo’s waist at this point, which was decently deep but not quite deep enough to properly swim in:

We hung out there for 45 minutes or so while the water gradually got shallower and shallower. We could see the time on a church clock in the distance and figured this was probably our best chance at a cool down for the day so might as well enjoy it while we could. High tide was 8pm, which I think means the whole beach is covered but it seemed unlike we’d still be around by then. I know at some point the river would have filled back up again but I am very cautious with tides and it’s one thing to be out on mud flats when the tide is going out but quite another when there’s the possibility of getting stuck.

And yes, VK and I did sing a bit of “Benjamin Button” while we were out there.

Seriously though, if you make a similar trip to this please do be very aware of the tides. There’s a massive amount of mud the water needs to cover in a relatively short space of time and it would be easy to go too far out and not be able to get back in time. The mud is soft and sludgy and not reliable underfoot. I know my generation are always paranoid when it comes to quicksand but yknow, with good reason.

Anyway with my customary sea safety announcement out of the way, it’s back to the beach and digging a hole:

We hadn’t packed any lunch, just some Pringles and Squashies and some rapidly warming bottles of drink. So Nathan and I abandoned the kids and went in search for chips.

It took a long time. That’s pretty much all I’m gonna say. Oh and they didn’t have ketchup or 7UP or battered halloumi. I know I shouldn’t expect battered halloumi everywhere we go but I’m not just being London-pretentious, honestly. They advertised it but were sold out. Ah well.

At some point, I also made the error of leaving my giant sunhat in the cubicle overflowing toilet. Don’t do that. It is now rinsed off but pity poor Reuben having to retrieve it for me cause I had eaten too many chips and cba to get it myself.

Overflowing toilets and long chip waits aside, it was a mostly pleasant day. After lunch, VK returned to the river, which was now very shallow indeed, and just kinda lay down. I think she was becoming one with the primordial sludge once again. We did also walk a little way across the mudflats but I didn’t let them go too far, even at such a low tide, because of the aforementioned paranoia.

All was going well until some little twats decided to throw mud at us. Excuse my language Mother, but they really were. They weren’t little kids either – they were around VK’s age but any teenager who sees someone sitting in a river with a walking stick and decides to throw clumps of mud at them deserves to get a Mama Bear shouting at them.

Und I diiiiiid.

It was pretty much time to go anyway, so we rinsed off the worst of the mud (from the attack but also from the primordial sludge wallowing) and walked back through the High Street for an ice cream.

We sat in the shade for a while, with cold drinks and icy treats and that took the edge off the walk back to the station. I decided to use the loos at the station rather than chance the overflowing ones again but, although they were close to the car as the crow flies, this particular crow did not intend to fly over any live rails so it was a challenging 5-minutes walk back up the hill to get there. And being a bit peopled out by this point, I decided not to ask anyone whether I could use them and instead just bought a ticket to Chalkwell (£2.10) in case I needed to get through any ticket gates. What a terribly British way to get out of having to ask someone a favour. I’m happy to report they were overflowing slightly less than the beach ones though.

I realise I sound quite negative about our day but honestly, it went pretty well by our standards. We all got pretty burnt (don’t ask about the suncream story), a few chips got dropped and eaten by the seagulls but we had a dip in some saltwater, saw some sun and dug a hole. What more do you want during a heatwave?

Posted in Creating precious childhood memories or something (days out) | Tagged beach, ice cream, outside London, seaside | Leave a comment

“Into the Woods” at Bridge Theatre – 16/05/26

Posted on May 17, 2026 by katese11

Do you dare to go into the woods? As a general rule, no I don’t…though we used to take a very steep forest short cut when I walked Roo to swimming from school. I’m not a big fan of getting lost in nature and prefer my nature to be suitably contained and a short from the Jubilee Line. So this production of “Into the Woods” in the shadow of Tower Bridge seemed like something I could cope with.

Also, it had a ton of actors that VK and I are fans of (the wonderful Melanie La Barrie for one) so that was a big selling point.

First though, finding our way to the woods! As often happens, I had left way too much time to get there – there was a whole complicated thing with VK and the school uniform shop – so we got to London Bridge tube with over two hours before the show started. We got some Popeyes at the station and then walked very slowly through the light drizzle towards Tower Bridge. Along the way, we cut through Hay’s Galleria and found this, which VK described as “sick”:

She then requested a picture with HMS Belfast because “boats are cool”. I can’t argue with that.

Not a good sign when the battleship is the same colour as the sky though. We really needed to find the theatre and get inside but the problem was that I’d never been there before and it wasn’t quite where I expected. City Hall now being a skeleton was slightly disorientating too:

I knew I was looking for something very near Tower Bridge but standing on the side near the river, we just couldn’t find it and it didn’t appear to be on the handy map sign at the edge of the green space. So I checked on Google Maps and realised the red neon I’d thought was Vapiano was, in fact, our target. There was a tree in front, which slightly obscured the sign.

“Looks like we can’t see “Into the Woods” for the trees” I quipped, in what I thought was a very witty manner.

Tumbleweed. Honestly, these teenagers are a tough crowd. I felt sorry for the people who would be hoping to entertain them for the next two and a half hours or so.

We still had some time to kill so we hung out in this very pretty foyer:

Nathan had a beer and VK had a pink lemonade. They both had to finish their drinks before they went in as there was a sign saying that no drinks were allowed in Gallery 1 or 2. I wasn’t sure why that was but it became clear once we sat down – the gallery seats were high off the floor, with only a small bar to lean on and nowhere sensible to put an open drink without dropping it on the stalls below. There was also a bar at foot level so our feet weren’t dangling, Nemesis-style. We had one row in front of us and I was a bit paranoid that we might accidentally kick them in the head but luckily it all seemed designed to stop that happening.

So, onto the actual show. My knowledge of it before we went was sketchy at best, and based on half-remembered bits from the 2014 film. I’m not exactly a Sondheim loyalist (where do I hand in my theatre kid licence?) but I’d heard good things about this production and the cast was stacked with names that sold it to us. Melanie La Barrie as The Witch was the one that first drew my eye – VK has seen her twice in “Hadestown” and met her at a signing. We saw “The Book Thief” primarily because she was in it and she didn’t disappoint. And it was the same here – although the witch is evil, she is still somehow likeable in La Barrie’s pointy-fingered hands. I was also excited to see Rachel Tucker (The Baker’s Wife) again – another “Hadestown” graduate but also someone we’d seen as Myrtle in “The Great Gatsby” along with John Owen-Jones who is most famous for his Valjean but appeared as Wolfsheim in Gatsby and here played the Narrator/Mysterious Old Man. Add in yet another “Hadestown” alum – Bella Brown as Rapunzel – and you can see why this show is attracting scores of fans who like a bit of dark but timeless storytelling.

Not that these names were the only strengths in the cast, of course. I loved Chomisa Dornford-May as Cinderella, who does quite a lot of the narrative lifting in Act 2, as well as singing in a soprano befitting a Disney princess. Hughie O’Donnell as The Baker matches Rachel Tucker well as they sing powerfully of their longing for a child. Gracie McGonigal pulls off the tricky balance as Red Riding Hood, who starts off as a stereotypical annoying child but ends up as a hero. It would be easy to lean too far into the Act 1 persona of Riding Hood and not be able to be sympathetic as the Act 2 Wolf Hood (spoilers!) but they gave a nuanced performance that covered both of these sides to the Hood character.

And so many characters besides! This show is head-spinning in the number of different fairytales it packs in to the first act – it covers the full plots of “Cinderella”, “Rapunzel”, “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Red Riding Hood” as well as the framing device of the baker, his wife and the witch. All of this plot is delivered in typical fast-paced Sondheim style, which is almost patter-song-like in parts and has multiple sections overlapping and clashing. Luckily everyone is pretty familiar with the stories so you can very quickly grasp what’s going on.

On the music front, I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. Some of the harmonies were unexpected but they weren’t discordant and the songs were more hummable than I expected. Again, I know I am committing heresy by even doubting the genius of Sondheim but yknow, I was brought up on Rodgers & Hammerstein. I like a predictable melody. But seeing all this musical spikiness come together on stage with such amazing singers was a thrilling experience and much more enjoyable than watching the film version.

Also, I have to give a massive shout out to the set design by Tom Scutt. I don’t think I’m giving too much away to say that it’s an incredible rendering of “the woods” and the depth is unlike anything I’ve seen on stage before. When the show starts, it’s a very basic black backdrop and a table representing both the baker’s house and Jack’s house. Then the backdrop parts to show the full stage and it creates what I believe is called a theatrical Moment. It is really quite special.

At the end of Act 1, the fairytales were all tied up neatly and none of us quite knew what to expect from Act 2. Luckily there was a caption onstage to say “To Be Continued” otherwise the audience might not come back from the interval. The three people sitting on VK’s other side didn’t come back but I’m not sure if that was why. I felt like Act 2 was slightly slower-paced than Act 1, mainly because there was just one plot thread rather than several. The characters from Act 1 all came together to face a new threat and while they went in different directions, it was the same plot arc. I mentioned earlier that there were a lot of characters and I think I counted around 16 actors at one point – so that’s a lot of people to recognise and care about when they’re all in the same place. But don’t worry, they get killed off quite rapidly in Act 2 so we end up with a core of just a few.

With such a large cast though, it’s inevitable that some get less attention than others. For example, I thought that Bella Brown was slightly underused, as Rapunzel seems to be something of a side character and this is an actress who was singing to Argyll Street just a few months ago. Still, we hear Rapunzel more than we see her and so she sang quite a lot during the show, just not necessarily onstage. Also John Owen-Jones only sings right at the end, which made me think that he was going to go the whole show without singing at all. Which would be criminal for a musical theatre actor of his pedigree. I guess it’s testament to the sheer volume of talent gathered here that they can have great actors and use them sparingly – there certainly was no lack of great vocals at any point.

The show was also funnier than I expected, with some real laugh-out-loud moments. My favourites were the princes (Rhys Whitfield and Taite Elliott-Drew) as they sing yearningly about their love for Rapunzel and Cinderella…but shift allegiance to Sleeping Beauty and Snow White by the start of the second act. Oh the “Agony” of toxic masculinity. As one of them notes “I was raised to be charming, not sincere”. Although there were some dark moments in the show, it all skipped along at a fairly merry pace which makes a welcome change from the Nazi-themed shows we’ve seen recently. We re-watched “Cabaret” two weeks ago so, along with “Copenhagen”, ““The Boy at the Back of the Class” and “The Wrong They Knew”, it’s all been quite racism/antisemitism/hate speech themed of late. I was very ready to see something fluffier and less…..errr….prescient. Not that the other shows aren’t important and worth seeing but sometimes you just need a fairytale ending.

In case you were wondering, I had a vegan coconut ice cream during the interval and they had fresh bread, which I got for VK. I think it’s on theme for the baker and his wife because the cocktails and other snacks were also themed (e.g. white/red/gold/yellow chocolate and cocktails such as “The Last Midnight” and “Milky White Russian”.

After the show, we did hang around at Stage Door a bit but no one was signing so we wandered off to get the 47, which has always proved itself to be a most unreliable bus. I completely understand the actors not signing when they’re in a show as exhausting as this. I’m guessing they might just need a lie down afterwards. Still, we got a lovely view of Tower Bridge at night:

If you fancy a bit of fairytale escapism, this is the show for you. Don’t worry too much about the logic of it all, just enjoy the magic.

For tickets and more info, click here

Posted in Reviewing the Situation | Tagged Central London, South London, theatre | Leave a comment

“Copenhagen” at Hampstead Theatre – 09/04/26

Posted on April 25, 2026 by katese11

It’s taken me a while to review this show not for any one reason but just because we went to Winchester the day afterwards for Passover and then it was the start of term and it’s rushed by ever since. I booked this ages ago and didn’t really think through the logistics of being out late on a work night on the other side of North London with a slightly broken teen. But it turned out that VK got a better offer – a sleepover with Bunny – and abandoned us anyway. Which made the travelling for Roo and I a lot easier.

So easy in fact that we were at Swiss Cottage around an hour and a half before the show started. We went a bit of a long way round – Vic line to Green Park and then Jubilee back up – but it was quick. Nathan was coming directly from the office so we found a Subway on Finchley Road for dinner and hung out there as long as we could.

Handily, it had a way of finding your teenager if they start blending into the background:

By the way, I already mentioned how beautiful Swiss Cottage tube was in The LWAT Best-Dressed List so I won’t harp on about it again…but it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.

And the Hampstead Theatre is also striking looking – it’s very modern, with a giant metal capsule in the middle that forms the audience seating:

There were two main reasons for booking this show and neither was enough to tempt VK from her sleepover. But the first reason is that Roo is doing A Level Physics and so a play about two physicists seemed like just his kind of thing. The second reason was that Roo is on a long term mission to see Dr Who actors in theatre and this one starred Alex Kingston, AKA River Song. So he could add to his total, having seen Ncuti Gatwa in “Born With Teeth” and David Tennant in “Macbeth” ….as I mentioned in the “Oh Mary!” review, he may soon be able to add Catherine Tate to that list. But I’m waiting read the reviews before booking….

The draw for me was seeing Richard Schiff, who was just marvellous as Toby in “The West Wing”. When Trump took over and we were watching in horror at the comms coming out of the White House, our constant refrain was “Toby would never have let that go out”. So the combination of two great names was enough to make me book as soon as I could, even if I was pretty sure that it would be a bit highbrow for my tastes. At least Roo would be able to follow the Physics chat.

The set was very simple – a round stage with a revolving part on the outside, and trays of water on either side. There was no curtain and the actors entered or left the stage by an invisible door at the back. I’m not sure whether this is the permanent stage set up but it was very striking with the lightbulbs on warped mirrors forming a backdrop as well as changing to reflect the mood.

I was right about it being quite highbrow – this is a distinct shift of mood compared to the frivolous musicals we often watch. The whole show is a three-hander – Richard Schiff is physicist Niels Bohr, Alex Kingston is his wife Margrethe and Damien Molony is Bohr’s protégé Heisenberg. The plot revolves around Heisenberg’s visit to Bohr in 1941, when Denmark was under occupation and Germans wouldn’t necessarily have been welcomed in Copenhagen.

I feel like we’ve watched a fair few WW2 era shows lately so I feel relatively well versed in the era and, of course, the rising tide of IRL attacks against Jews so close to where we were sitting added an extra edge to the tension. In the opening scene, Heisenberg attempts to defuse that tension with some light-hearted queries about leisure activities – forgetting that sailing in wartime was a risky business and skiing would require international travel. “Perhaps Margrethe would be so kind as to sew a yellow star onto my ski jacket” Bohr observes dryly. There are moments of humour like this but it’s of the socially awkward kind, which does nothing to relax either the characters or the audience. As the key question is posed – “Why did Heisenberg come to Copenhagen?” – the background is filled in. As colleagues in the 1920s, the two scientists delved deep into the inner workings of the atom and in 1941 they both found themselves wondering whether their discoveries could put an end to the war or possibly escalate it to mutual destruction.

If that sounds intense, it is a bit. The play is 2 hours 45 including an interval and there is quite complex dialogue all the way through. It requires a bit of concentration, which is why I probably shouldn’t have booked it for a day when I was working and had to work the next day. It wasn’t the most chill theatrical experience ever.

But it was enjoyable – the three actors spark off each other and there is a sense of deep relational foundations rocked by a new mistrust. The narrative flits between the main setting of 1941, their shared past in the 20s and 30s and occasionally forward to their next meeting in 1947. It covers issues of national identity and patriotism, moral dilemmas and yes, a fair dollop of antisemitism. The questions asked felt very relevant, given the conflict between Iran and America…the potential for one side of a war to wipe out the other was not just a theoretical posed by actors. It was and is a very real worry. Physics did indeed change the course of WW2 but that put a burden on the shoulders of just a few individuals, who were the only ones with the knowledge to create the nuclear reaction….so that meant that they also had to make the decision on whether to use and share that knowledge with either the Allies or the Nazis. Bohr and Heisenberg stood on either side of that decision making process in 1941 and the play feeds off that nervous energy throughout.

Along the way, we also learn more of Bohr’s backstory, including the drowning death of his son Christian – which is where the water off the sides of the stage comes into its own. Having been to Copenhagen, it is very much built around the water and there is a sense that the sea is a constant reminder for the Bohrs of what they lost. And the physical trays of water in the space, along with occasional dry ice, represent that reminder that must always be on the edge of their minds. Feeling responsible for the loss of one life while contemplating being responsible for so many others places a gravity on Bohr that Richard Schiff is well placed to play. His “West Wing” character always had the weight of the world on his shoulders and there’s a similar feel here.

Damien Molony, as the junior partner in the relationship, has a different feel. He is more naïve, energetic and optimistic and seems almost surprised to have such a responsibility thrust upon him. His well-meaning questions about skiing and sailing illustrate his ignorance of what life is like for Jewish people under occupation and he enjoys a certain amount of privilege by working for the Reich. His dialogue is very technical and rapid – chatting to him briefly afterwards, he said that he never really studied Physics so had to learn all of the detail from the script and sound convincing saying it. Reuben was certainly convinced.

Alex Kingston is really the warmth and heart of the show. Cutting through some of the social awkwardness, she shows an obvious affection for the nervy Heisenberg while also being extremely guarded. It’s a delicate balance and she gives a very nuanced performance. We did get to meet her briefly afterwards as well, which greatly delighted Roo, and she signed our programme. One word on that though – the Hampstead theatre doesn’t appear to have a Stage Door and the actors come out through the foyer. We only learnt that after a very chilly 20 minutes staring at a door that turned out to be a bin cupboard. Don’t be like us.

So, an intense and thought provoking piece which sticks with you long after you leave. There is a quite literally brilliant moment of lighting design towards the end which shifts the tone and makes for a memorable ending. I won’t say too much more than that for fear of spoilers but it was dazzling in many ways. No, not a Mincemeat-style glitzy finale but a spiritual cousin maybe.

It helps to be really interested in Physics, as Roo is and Nathan is to a lesser extent. But an interest in philosophy (another one of Roo’s A-Levels) and history will also help you to keep pace with what’s going on. I definitely didn’t follow all the technical detail but I kept up with the plot apart from that, which was an achievement in the middle of a busy week. Roo thought it was brilliant, which is good seeing as he’s the one I booked it for. Next week we’re going to see “Cabaret” again for VK’s birthday, so more antisemitism on the cards… maybe we’ll also go see something a touch lighter at some point….

“Copenhagen” is on until 2nd May – for tickets and more info, click here

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The LWAT Best-Dressed List

Posted on April 24, 2026 by katese11

I feel like there has been a lot of theatre on the blog recently. I’m not sure I’ve blogged about anything non-theatre related this year and for that, I kinda apologise. It’s almost like I have a part-broken teen who will happily leave the house for theatre and not much else. So there have not been a lot of blogging opportunities. I do have a post I need to write about our Christmas mini-break to Bournemouth but that was like *hours* before the breaking occurred so it’s a bit challenging to think too much about. I also have another theatre review to write but that can continue to wait while I present you with….something slightly different.

Yes, it’s the London With a Teenager Best Dressed List! I don’t think I’ve ever forayed into style blogging before but there’s a first time for everything so here we goes. I’m not going to rank my best-dressed picks because they are all beautiful in different ways but here we go….

First up, Swiss Cottage. This one may or may not be related to the blog post I haven’t yet written but I was pleasantly surprised by how well dressed this little Jubilee Line stunner was. I’m a complete sucker for a bonus roundel so having both “Way Out” and “To Trains” roundels is A-game accessorising. And look at this tiling! If only the “G” was a bit more centred, it would be perfection.

Let’s go for something a little more modern next and this is not a tube station I would ever have put on any style lists a few years back. But the Elizabeth Line has given Paddington a real nifty facelift and I’m always wowed by the results:

Not to everyone’s tastes – I get that. But oh so airy and industrial at the same time. And this underground bit is giving “Jetsons” vibez:

From one extreme to the other and this is what I love about these stations – there is something for everyone. So let’s take a moment to drink in the cottagecore of tiny little Roding Valley, all the way up in the elbow of the Hainault loop:

It’s like the place that time forgot and you might feel like you’ve been forgotten if you ever try to catch a train there. But vintage chic never goes out of fashion, right?

And now to the opposite corner of London for another vintage-style treat. This one makes the list for that timepiece alone. But where Roding Valley is rural, Richmond is posh suburban. If RV was Cath Kidston, Richmond would be Coco Chanel. I think I took this photo when we stopped to use the loos on the way down to Winchester so that explains why I only have the one:

Let’s go just round the corner for our next style guru and this is one I thought I’d hallucinated until I checked back. Palm trees have an interesting relationship with fashion and most of the time, Hawaiian shirts are not an indicator of style…but Kew Garden somehow pulls it off:

I think it’s the cocktail umbrella accessory that really pulls the outfit together on this one and makes it pop.

Time for something a bit more sombre? Well, just around the corner from Parliament I give you the sombre businesswear of St James Park:

I don’t know why I loved this one. I caught a train there for the first time last year and the Art Deco solidness of the lines caught my eye. St James is not a party person but he has style.

A little more light wouldn’t go astray in this outfit but he certainly knows how to make a statement.

Another guy with a gloomy but classically styled outlook is Baker Street. Having not been there since we first moved to London, I’ve found myself there several times over the last few weeks. I regret not getting a picture of Baker’s signature print – the tiny Sherlock Holmeses – but there’s something I love about this accessory:

It doesn’t serve any function but it’s got that classic Johnston Sans font and a short list of random destinations. Much like those “I Love NY” t-shirts that were in vogue in the early 2000s.

While we’re in Central London, it’s probably worth nipping round the Met, Circle or Hammersmith and City Lines to Liverpool Street, which has had such a Lizzy Line glow up of late. I’m not keen on his choice of perfume – ngl, that musty smell is an unusual choice – but the polka dot detail throughout the outfit make for a stunning effect:

I feel like I’ve sung this guy’s praises before but wow, I am amazed every single time I pass through.

Back up the Central line for a candidate that’s much more subtle than you’d expect from the land of TOWIE. It’s her delicate lacy bridge that does it for me – such a pretty touch and really compliments the rose-pink brickwork. It was a toss up between Epping and Amersham cause their outfits are similar but Amersham has let her bridge get a bit tattered so Epping had the upper hand.

Quite a contrast to our next model, who comes from gritty South London. Another Lizzy Line addition and more bold looks to be found in Woolwich:

While the bottom half of the outfit is undoubtedly gorge, there’s a bit more of a “don’t know why I like it but I do” with the top half. Striking yes, but this look will not suit everyone:

So it’s just about time to come in to land on this couture runway. And anyone who’s read the blog for a while will be totally unsurprised by who I’ve picked to wrap this up. She’s classy, she’s cosmic, she’s famed for her looks. It can only be Southgate:

Everything about this look is just so on point, from the tiny hat to the retro roundel. And who can forget these beautiful escalator accessories:

Oh yes, it’s Find the Snap all the way home for this gal!

Posted in Facts! And facts are important! | Tagged beauty, Central London, East London, fashion, North London, South London, style, tube, West London | 1 Comment

“The Boy at the Back of the Class” at Queen Elizabeth Hall – 07/04/26

Posted on April 7, 2026 by katese11

Welp, it’s been quite a news day hasn’t it? I was sitting perilously close to the news channels at work and all day, the gruesome twosome of Don and Ye were in my peripheral vision, with headlines that bounced between extremism and apocalypse (again). So what better to restore my faith in humanity than a piece of theatre about children accepting and helping a refugee boy? Roo had read the book in primary school but couldn’t quite remember what happened and I’d never read it so was going in with totally fresh eyes. Still, the 7+ age rating made me confident that it would probably land on the life-affirming side of theatre, rather than feeding into the “we’re all doomed” narrative of the BBC today.

I wasn’t sure we’d ever been to the Queen Elizabeth Hall before and definitely not for a show. A quick flick back through the blog suggests that Roo and I visited on a soggy day in April 2012 when the Royal Festival Hall was booked out for a corporate event. Weirdly enough, Roo doesn’t remember that day and the blog post from back then makes it sound like I was a bit grouchy (which I probably was, given I was overdue with VK and it was raining). So def time to give this building another chance. It’s a nice, sun-filled foyer space and a pretty big auditorium:

Plus really comfortable seats, which I appreciate after some not-so-comfy shows recently.

If, like me, you’re not familiar with the plot, here’s the basics – a new boy called Ahmet joins a class of 9-year-olds and they slowly discover his story as a Syrian refugee. It’s told through the eyes of Alexa, Ahmet’s classmate, and takes in the usual classroom archetypes – the bully, the jock, the nerd and how they each interact with this newcomer.

It’s a simple enough concept but gosh darn, did it pull at the heartstrings. I wasn’t the only one dabbing my eyes at the end and I’m sure if VK had been there, she would have joined me in the weeping. Even Roo described it as “emotional”. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First, a word for the set. It seems very simple – a standard-issue piece of PE apparatus – but it transforms into everything from a double decker bus to Buckingham Palace. There’s great use of lighting to accentuate the changes in scene, with the palace lit in red, white and blue and red lighting to signify intensity or danger.

Photo by Manuel Harlan (@manuelharlanphotography)

The costumes are mainly school uniforms but they’re effective to turn the (I assume) adult cast into small children. All the child characters have costume details to make them stand out from each other tho – an abundance of hairbows for the spoilt Clarissa or trainers, knee socks and a plaster for the sporty Josie. There are also some impressive Queen’s Guards outfits later on.

Alexa is played by Sasha Desouza-Willock, who brings pathos to the role of a child struggling with loss and trying to find meaning by helping a friend. Ahmet is played by Serkan Avlik, who is of Kurdish heritage and so delivers the Kurdish lines with authenticity. He’s described by Alexa as having eyes like a lion and you can kind of see what she means….but his eyes are also haunted by what he’s been through. I can see why these roles were not played by actual 9-year-olds – it must be harrowing to relive Ahmet’s story every night and it needs a certain maturity to be able to deal with that.

Rounding off the gang are Abdul-Malik Janneh as Michael, Petra Joan-Athene as Josie and Jonny Warr as Tom. It’s kudos to all these actors that they can effectively play children and get that balance of being kids-at-the-edge-of-growing-up just right. When Alexa and Tom are exploring London without their parents, a cab driver raises his eyebrows slightly at them being unaccompanied but they’re not so childlike that it would be outrageous and that’s a fine distinction to pull off. I remember Roo at that age being involved in a piece of theatre at Stratford East called, simply, “Nine” and that looked at what a pivotal age the end of primary school was….when you’re starting to walk home alone but are still very much a child.

And the lead actors reflect this well – all five of them have the energy of 9-year-olds – running around the stage to the “Mission Impossible” music – but are also starting to question what’s truly important in life and reflecting on their different levels of privilege. It has a lot of depth for a piece of children’s theatre.

Where this play truly packs a punch is dealing with the issue of immigration and small boats. The book was published in 2018 – when Reuben was, in fact nine, and I think it’s probably set around then as well, given a reference to the Queen being 92. So the era directly after the Brexit referendum, with talk of a “hostile environment” and “stopping the boats”. I think the timeline is slightly fictionalised as there’s a hard deadline at the end of the month where the borders will be closed and this provides the momentum for the second half of the play. But the sentiment is very familiar, and remains so today. Brendan the Bully and his father (both played by Max Jordan) give voice to the aggressive nationalism – calling Ahmet “filthy” and “smelly”. At times, this is visceral and shocking, especially when a scene turns from joy to violence so quickly. It’s a powerful statement to make when the political landscape is more divided than ever and it’s just a pity that the people who watch this piece will largely be the ones who already embrace diversity and inclusion. But hopefully it will sow a few seeds of hope in a pretty bleak looking landscape.

While there are adults in this play who voice the aggression, there is also a lot of counterpoint, particularly in the warm hearted portrayal by Natasha Lewis of both the teacher Mrs Khan and Alexa’s mum. Her compassion and patience towards Ahmet is truly transformative and even bully Brendan is thawing by the end. Eleanor Patel, Evie Weldon and Fedrat Sadat round out the cast as Alexa’s classmates and other characters she encounters through the story, such as the magical Mr Musa and the aforementioned Clarissa.

The age rating I would say is about right – it’s definitely not one for tiny children as there are some really quite intense emotional moments and it’s two hours long, including the interval. But for children who are that little bit older, it’s a relatable tale of friendship and wild ideas (“Let’s visit the Queen!”). My giant child enjoyed it and, even though he’s already made his mind up on all things political, I think he enjoyed the thought-provoking nature of the piece. There are a lot of laughs alongside the more sombre moments and a great deal of heart. If you’re anything like me, you will leave the theatre misty-eyed but that’s more of a recommendation than anything. Just remember to pack some tissues…

“The Boy at the Back of the Class” runs until 12th April at the Southbank Centre and then resumes touring. For tickets and more info, click here.

Disclaimer: I received Press tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own.

Posted in Reviewing the Situation | Tagged South London, theatre | Leave a comment

“Oh Mary!” at Trafalgar Theatre – 30/03/26

Posted on April 3, 2026 by katese11

You may recall that we’ve been to see a play about Mary Todd Lincoln recently and it wasn’t this one. I’m not quite sure which strings MTL posthumously pulled to get herself a West End double bill but I feel like the “Oh Mary!” version of her would be delighted. After all, her dream is to be a cabaret star.

If you think that sounds frivolous for a play about a woman whose main characteristic is “grieving” then you’d be right….this is indeed frivolous. But the weird thing is that, in some ways, it is every bit as intense as “Mrs President”. Neither play about MTL is a relaxing experience.

And they’re similar in some ways – both near Charing Cross, both one act plays with no interval, both with a small cast and very little in the way of scenery changes. That’s probably where the similarities end though.

I’ll get into a bit more detail about the actual play in a moment but first, for anyone who is confused – the Trafalgar Theatre is a proper theatre auditorium on the same footprint as the Trafalgar Studios where I saw “Julie Madly Deeply” all those years ago. I don’t know what I was thinking when I booked the tickets but even when we arrived at the theatre, I somehow thought it was still a studio set up….so I was quite surprised to be in a full-on auditorium. Apparently it was refurbished in 2020 but hey, that was not a great theatre year for us.

I was also surprised when we stopped at the Trafalgar Square Waterstones on the way. I’ve only ever been to the ground floor and cafe and thought it was tiny…but VK found a lift down to the basement and it’s huge.

Of course VK went straight to the GCSE revision guides and was very scornful of the cover of “Lord of the Flies”. Teens know how to have fun, hey? She also wanted to buy yet another copy of Les Mis to celebrate its birthday but we negotiated and I was pleased to get away with only buying a small amount of art supplies. No one wants to take an unnecessary Victor Hugo novel to the theatre, do they?

So, onto the show itself! The main pull of this production for us was seeing Mason Alexander Park in a lead role after their supporting-but-scene-stealing turns in “The Tempest” and “Much Ado About Nothing”. With Catherine Tate taking over the role soon, time was ticking so I booked as soon into the Easter holidays as I could, just for VK and I. Roo is on a bit of a mission to see Doctor Who actors in theatre, so he and Nathan may well go and see the show once she takes over. Mason is a total star, with a phenomenal singing voice but I wonder just what they could do with a character that is a bit more likeable than this version of MTL. It was a stellar performance, don’t get me wrong, but a friend described this show as “weird” and she wasn’t entirely wrong.

The story is set in the last days of “her husband”‘s life. Mary is a drunk and a thorn in the side of all around her. Her bubbly companion Louise (Kate O’Donnell) is keeping her distance after being pushed down the stairs and the husband (Scott Karim) is busy lusting after his assistant (Oliver Stockley). Meanwhile, John Wilkes Booth (Dino Fetscher) is swinging by to give Mary acting lessons. Chaos ensues.

I mentioned already that this show is intense and it is, albeit in a more upbeat way than “Mrs President”. Lines are shouted, there’s a lot of physical humour and more than a little gross-out comedy. Mary is a livewire whose next move is highly unpredictable and so the characters and audience are both constantly on edge. There’s a distinct panto feel to the whole thing, though I think the inspiration is Victorian melodramas – the blackout at the end of each film feels like the gaps in a silent film. And despite some of the more uncomfortable moments – the bucket scene, for example – each of those gaps was filled with rapturous applause.

The cast are excellent and the lines are delivered with a zing, which helps move the show along at a pace. None of the main characters are exactly likeable, especially Mary herself, but somehow they become almost sympathetic by the end. The husband is an especially nasty piece of work but yknow, he had the weight of the free world on his shoulders whereas Mary doesn’t seem to care about the war (“the South of what?” she says repeatedly). There are some great set pieces, like Mary trying to lever open the desk drawer to find whisky or the bit where she’s spinning atop the walnut desk. I also enjoyed the lengthy “Tempest” interlude, given Mason’s previous performance. And although it’s right at the end, we do eventually get to hear their singing voice through one of Mary’s “Madcap Medleys”.

Was it enjoyable overall though? I think so and VK certainly did, judging by her guaffawing. It was often uncomfortable watching and my nerves were jangled quite a lot….but there were a lot of laughs along the way. It was certainly jauntier than the other MTL play but it was not the most soothing of productions. In Mason Alexander Park, there is a true talent but I feel like I’ve yet to see them in the perfect role. Maybe someone will do a “Hedwig” revival in the West End…

Posted in Reviewing the Situation | Tagged Central London, theatre | Leave a comment

“The Wrong They Knew” at Chickenshed – 06/03/26

Posted on March 7, 2026 by katese11

In the midst of a crazy busy choir week, it’s good to escape to another time and place for a while and let someone else worry about providing the entertainment. So taking in a brand new show at Chickenshed seemed just the thing to take my mind off my responsibilities for a while.

The weather was not exactly on our side and neither were the Chase Side buses. So VK and I hopped in an uber for the last mile or so, which might be my Chickenshed hack going forward. VK is still on crutches but seems to be a bit more motivated when theatre is involved. As she proudly told me, she’s been to the theatre four times since breaking her ankle. I thought we’d had a slow theatre year so far but when you say it like that, it’s not so bad. This was the fifth time. More theatre trips than French lessons apparently.

Quelle histoire!

She’s also been thinking about 1950s racism this week, thanks to an unexpected word usage from her favourite character in “Lord of the Flies”. I had no idea that word was in that book and it turned out that it had been censored in the edition she’s reading…but it sparked a discussion about historical context, which chimed with the disclaimer for this show. It’s about racial tensions between the black and white communities of the 50s and the trigger warning mentions that the play uses attitudes of the time. It also gives a few spoilers for the plot so yknow, don’t study it closely.

The world of the play is an almost-historical one. It’s set in Forest Hills, which may bear some resemblance to Notting Hill, and there’s a character called Osmos Floozeley…you can guess who that’s based on. So it’s not strictly based on a true story, like “The Washing Line” was but it is based on some things that might have happened within that context.

There is quite a complex set of characters to get to know but all the threads come together nicely in the second half. There are the kids (Zeeko and Romy, tonight played by Kayla James and Karl Leyens), the teens and their parents. Then there are the nationalists, led by Rob Awol (Jimmy Adamou) who abuses black people in public and beats his daughter Madeline (Tilly Morton) in private. As you can tell, there are some intense themes in this play but there is plenty of lightness too – out of the tension, creativity flourishes and Carnival is born. Using the children and their artwork as a framing device works well to give the situation an air of innocence. They are tasked to collect stories and scenes from the neighbourhood, so act almost as narrators and comic-book style illustrations appear on the screens throughout the piece, showing key scenes as they’re happening. The two child leads did a great job of juggling their spoken and sung lines as well as being on the stage for a large part of the action.

The teens represent the bridge between different groups, with white Jackson (Felix Figgis) and black Theo Junior (Ajani Onaolapo) trying to rearrange their classroom seating plan so they can sit together, along with support from their mixed-race friend Diello (Kailee Fisher). However, this is the 1950s and Theo is forced to sit at the back and Jackson at the front. It’s a stark illustration of what life was like for those trying to overcome divisions. That scene also had one of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments where the “Our School is English” song referenced Jesus being turned away for not having a British passport. VK certainly laughed out loud anyway.

The teens are also responsible for a teaching moment where they are lectured on respect by Jackson’s father Isaac (Jonny Morton) after harassing a shy disabled man. These teens might be groundbreaking in their racial equality but they still represent the idiocy that teens occasionally get up to.

The grown ups mainly focus around solicitor Isaac and his colleague Iris (Cara McInanny) as they strive for “Justice for All” as well as organising the carnival. At one point, Isaac is accused of being a “white saviour” which might be a bit of a modern concept but I’m sure the idea was there in the 50s, even if the exact phrase wasn’t. It is strange to see Jonny Morton playing a nice guy, after some notable villain stints, but he is very convincing in the role. Cara McInanny is a Chickenshed stalwart and her motherly role on stage probably reflects her mentoring role behind the scenes. She also wrote some of the songs I believe. Her voice is always impressive and she’s given a real chance to shine in the final song – “The Wrong They Knew”.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s plenty that happens before that point. The first half of the play introduces the characters and the police oppression they live under (“Routine Check”) before moving on to the school scene and then Isaac and Iris setting up a Legal Aid stall. It’s interspersed with vintage newsreels as well as bits of narration from the children. There’s a lot going on but by the end of Act 1, the main conflict is being set up as the nationalist leader’s daughter Madeline develops an obsession with Theo’s dad (Theo Senior, played by Shiloh Maersk). As tensions grow, the company sing a sinister version of “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”. There are a few moments during the piece where nursery rhymes and folk songs are used as incidental music and this is the most striking example, taking a simple children’s rhyme and turning it into something much more threatening. Act 1 finishes on a cliffhanger, which threatens to destroy even the fragile peace that the residents of Forest Hills know.

Then we went for ice cream (Strawberry for VK, Mango and Passionfruit sorbet for me) and chatted about how we thought things might play out in Act 2. From the content warning, I was guessing it wouldn’t be great for Theo Senior.

Act 2 was intense but VK and I agreed it was even stronger than Act 1, which is unusual in theatre (cough Hamilton, cough). The tensions grew and boiled over into racist riots, with the nationalists trying to smoke black families out of their homes. This led to one of my favourite moments, which was the song “Weaponised”. The two groups are dancing on either side of the stage – the nationalists are doing rock n roll style moves on the right, while the black families and their friends are dancing to a more reggae-infused tune on the left. The song cuts between each group until they finally clash in the middle. This being Chickenshed, the dancing is top notch and although there are 200 people on stage at times, everyone knows where they’re meant to be and how their part contributes to the whole. It’s not surprising, after we’ve seen so many brilliant productions, but the effect is always dazzling. There’s always a lot of energy in these routines but increasingly sophistication too, with precision partner work and tricky lifts being held in place. The backflips from the nationalists were particularly impressive – I might not like their attitudes but gosh, they’ve got some good moves.

A quick word about the set too, which was also impressive. Some large wooden slatted pieces on either side of the stage convert to a courtroom, a classroom, a street scene and so much more. The walls are daubed with racist graffiti and there are so many little details that give it an authentic 50s feel. The costumes too are very authentic – all stiff petticoats and immaculate police uniforms. It really helps to immerse the audience in the world of Forest Hills.

I won’t give any spoilers about how the story turns out but I can say that it’s bittersweet. Although progress is made, and dances are danced at Carnival, there is loss and pain along the way and a feeling that this will never quite be resolved.

Well yes, look at the political landscape today and the rise of Reform. If we ever stopped worrying about this, it’s time to start worrying again.

So a timely, powerful piece with something important things to say about race and prejudice but also with a lot of joy and heart. It will make you think, it may make you cry but it will stay with you. At the end, VK was the first one her feet clapping and she said it was brilliant. What more recommendation do you need?

“The Wrong They Knew” is on at Chickenshed until 28th March. Click here for tickets and more info.

Disclaimer: I received press tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own

Posted in Reviewing the Situation | Tagged North London, theatre | Leave a comment