149 stories by "Jessica Handscomb"
With absolutely no set, a solitary prop being a mug of tea, and on the dark stage of the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Stephanie (Elaine Fellows) takes us on a journey known as Decibels. A rathe…
Arthur Pita, creator of the awarding-winning 2011 adaptation of The Metamorphosis, is back with another stomach-churning production. His new piece, Stepmothers/Stepfathers takes us to the da…
If the world as we know it were to end tomorrow, what would you do? Would you smartly ration and scrape by, rarely washing in tattered clothes? Or, given the opportunity, would you carry on …
Deep in the bowels of Shoreditch Town Hall, Jamie Lloyd’s production of Philip Ridley’s first ever play, The Pitchfork Disney, is staged. In the long, dimly lit room known as The…
Vault Festival, sometimes described as London’s answer to the Edinburgh Fringe, is once again upon us. Amongst a wide variety of shows being presented is Crocodile. Joyous Gard’s…
In most brilliant ‘will they, won’t they?’ stories, we kind of know that they will. But that doesn’t in any way soothe the special kind of aching frustration that bre…
Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road, written by and starring Keith Stevenson as the loveable redneck JD, has delighted audiences for years at LA’s Pacific Resident Theatre on Venice Bou…
In case you didn’t know, Joan of Arc was born in 1412 in a small village in rural France. As she grew up, she claimed to experience visions of Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, and the …
Originally published in 1844 by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen is ultimately a tale of good versus evil. It’s traditionally told in seven parts, but in this prod…
An Act of Kindness, written by Helena Westerman, is a two-hander with Westerman herself playing 22-year-old bohemian free-spirit Leila, and Robert Hayes as businessman and alpha male Martin.…
The premise of Mocketh the Weak is promising – a faux game show featuring Shakespeare’s most famous fools, competing in a battle of wits and sharp tongues. It received some posit…
Hold it! Flash, bang, wallop, what a show! After a run that received rave reviews at the Chichester Festival Theatre, the foot-stomping Half a Sixpence has 'blown right in' to London's West …
In the Spiegeltent at Leicester Square lies a small circular stage surrounded by an audience of buzzing spectators. We’re told to 'leave our troubles at the door' and are promised a ma…
The Worst Was This tells the story of three sisters running a tavern in an imagined post-apocalyptic universe in which Will Shakespeare (Ben Clifford) is a struggling young playwright who ca…
Charles Hamilton Sorley died in the Battle of Loos in 1915 during the First World War. He was just 20 years old. Now, over a hundred years after his death, Neil McPherson has written It Is E…
Imagine for a moment, that you are ill. You experience muscle weakness, seizures, paralysis, blackouts and other symptoms. You know you are ill, but you're continuously told there's nothing …
Waiting in the lobby to see Merryville we are offered the option of ear plugs, in case the music is too loud. I take a pair, just in case, and ten minutes in am glad I did. Its creators desc…
After reading rave reviews for Beach Comets Vampire Hospital Waiting Room, I expected great things from their second B-musical – Apocalypse Cruise Ship Love Affair, which also swept up…
Based on the memoir of Arnhild Lauveng, Tomorrow I Was Always A Lion gives a unique and honest perspective on the mind of a girl who is suffering from schizophrenia. It is simultaneously mes…
The Autumn Garden was written by Lillian Hellman and first staged in 1951, and you can certainly tell. Set in the Deep South in 1949, the play follows a group of middle-aged adults over the …
John Wilmot, the 2nd Earl of Rochester, was the licentious libertine who embodied the spirit of the Restoration era. After King Charles II returned to the throne in 1660, most of the country…
Written in 1695 by a woman simply known as 'Ariadne', She Ventures and He Wins was one of six plays showcased at The Rose Playhouse as part of 'A Festival Celebrating Pioneering Women Playwr…
 On the stage sits two chairs, a desk, and a curtain. All composed of or smothered in shredded paper. Washed over with a blue light, it looks cold and uninviting. Written by Simon Paris, …
Broken Strings is a snapshot of domestic life, tainted with the aftermath of the death of a loved one. Joe Wenborne's story is inspired by his own experience of caring for and living with hi…
