CAMDEN FRINGE FESTIVAL 2023
My Body is not Your Country★★★Cockpit Theatre
MY BODY IS NOT YOUR COUNTRY at the Cockpit Theatre ★★★ “Bonito is an intense, captivating performer” My Body is Not Your Country is a piece that exists on the intersection between theatre and performance art. There are multi-media elements and there’s movement, song and spoken word. There are some
Kate-Lois Elliott: Gentrif*cked★★★Museum of Comedy
KATE-LOIS ELLIOTT: GENTRIF*CKED at the Museum of Comedy ★★★ “Leaning into her charms, rather than rebelling against them, will see this show develop from strength to strength” Kate-Lois Elliott wants us to know a secret about her. Something she’s only just discovered herself. Something punters may have guessed just
Theatresports★★★★Museum of Comedy
THEATRESPORTS at the Museum of Comedy ★★★★ “a slapdash and chaotic style which is mostly fun” Theatresports sees two teams of improvisers battle head-to-head in a series of short form improv games to challenge and flex their creativity and wit. The audience has the power to decide the points, with
End of the World FM★★★Cockpit Theatre
END OF THE WORLD FM at the Cockpit Theatre ★★★ “Kevin Martin Murphy is a sympathetic performer, and knows how to connect with an audience” Kevin Martin Murphy’s one man show End of the World FM is an appropriately apocalyptic musing on the state of a world that has
Dead Souls★★½Etcetera Theatre
DEAD SOULS at the Etcetera Theatre ★★½ “seventy minutes is simply not enough time to do Dead Souls justice” This production of Gogol’s Dead Souls, adapted for the stage by Mikhail Bulgakov, and newly translated into English by Illya Khodosh, does not serve the great inventor of the Russian novel
All That Glitters★★½Rosemary Branch Theatre
ALL THAT GLITTERS at the Rosemary Branch Theatre ★★½ “with some work it could be laugh out loud funny” All That Glitters – a comedy drama set in a popular burlesque club – is the debut show from Made You Look Productions. When seasoned dancer Lexi (Kate Coulson) takes
Invasion! An Alien Musical★★Camden People’s Theatre
INVASION! AN ALIEN MUSICAL at the Camden People’s Theatre ★★ “It is possible to see how, with more work, Invasion! can become something that audiences will enjoy” If Edinburgh is beyond your budget this year, you should definitely visit the varied performances now being offered as part of the
This Girl – The Cynthia Lennon Story★★Upstairs at the Gatehouse
THIS GIRL – THE CYNTHIA LENNON STORY at Upstairs at the Gatehouse ★★ “On paper, the show is well structured” It is 1957. We are on Hope Street where an eighteen-year-old John Lennon meets and falls for fellow teen, Cynthia Powell. Danny and the Juniors are topping the charts; we
Confused Chronicles Of Aleppo★Camden People’s Theatre
CONFUSED CHRONICLES OF ALEPPO at the Camden People’s Theatre ★ “The end result is indeed confused, and sad to say, lacking in drama” Confused Chronicles of Aleppo sounds promising from the description on the Camden People’s Theatre’s website, but the actual performance turns out to be something rather different.
How to Start Your Own Cult★★★The Bill Murray
HOW TO START YOUR OWN CULT at The Bill Murray ★★★ “each comedian individually has some very funny moments” Cults are a rich and potentially comic goldmine, so it was a slight surprise when it became quickly clear that this show has nothing to do with its title. How
Maybe I Do…?★★★★Hen and Chickens Theatre
MAYBE I DO…? at the Hen and Chickens Theatre ★★★★ “Camblor is a masterful and mad comic performer. She is definitely one to keep an eye out for” Maybe I Do …? is a wild and joyous whirlwind, taking us through the romantic disasters of a woman who can’t
Improv Death Match★★★★Aces and Eights
IMPROV DEATH MATCH at the Aces and Eights ★★★★ “The comradery both on and off stage is so wholesome that despite there officially being a winner at the end of the night, it doesn’t really make much odds” Death Match by name perhaps, but this is one of the
Flamenco: Origenes★★★★Etcetera Theatre
FLAMENCO: ORIGENES at the Etcetera Theatre ★★★★ “The costumes are dazzling and thoroughly authentic” It’s been a particularly wet and cool summer so far in London, and if you’ve not had a chance to escape the rain, let me suggest a trip to Flamenco/Orígenes. This show is currently playing
Improv the Dead★★★★Hen and Chickens Theatre
IMPROV THE DEAD at the Hen and Chickens Theatre ★★★★ “at one point the whole cast go down a water slide, which is a delightful moment of silliness” Improv, when it’s done well is a complete joy – the cast are having as much fun as the audience and
Glad to be Dead?★★Hen and Chickens Theatre
GLAD TO BE DEAD? at the Hen and Chickens Theatre ★★ “It’s an impressive feat to perform one monologue, let alone multiple” At the core of Glad to Be Dead? is a fascinating idea, but it is let down by a lack of cohesion, in theme, style and narrative.
Ashley Barnhill: Texas Titanium★★★★The Museum of Comedy
ASHLEY BARNHILL: TEXAS TITANIUM at The Museum of Comedy ★★★★ “How are we the only eight people to know about this gem of a gig?” No matter how funny the comedian, how well-versed and confident, playing to an audience of five (eventually bolstered by three more latecomers) is an unfair
Sarah Roberts : Do You Know Who I Am?★★★★The Bill Murray
SARAH ROBERTS : DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? at The Bill Murray ★★★★ “Roberts feels at home on the stage, performing with a laidback confidence that sees anecdotes flowing seamlessly together” According to Sarah Roberts, the only two things we should take away from her show are firstly,
Not Like Other Girls★★★★The Queer Comedy Club
NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS at The Queer Comedy Club ★★★★ “This is a strong premiere. With some refinement and more practise, Molly Martian will be a real force to be reckoned with.” Not Like Other Girls is Molly Martian’s first comedy set and (amusingly) explores her transgender identity, her
Dark Nature★★★Canal Café Theatre
DARK NATURE at the Canal Café Theatre ★★★ “But Betts, in a flowing, gothic black dress, is a striking presence” When looking back over our lives, many of us have a ‘before and after’ event lodged in our mind. Some sort of milestone which we use to place memories.
The Vagina Monologues★★★Canal Café Theatre
THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES at the Canal Café Theatre ★★★ “Aurore Padenou’s performance stands out in particular, delivering many of her lines as though she had just thought of them” The Vagina Monologues is so entirely engrained in the modern canon, even if you have no idea what it is,
Avocado Presents★★★Hen and Chickens Theatre
AVOCADO PRESENTS at the Hen and Chickens Theatre ★★★ “there’s a soulful melancholic undertone to many of the characters” Avocado Presents is a two-man improv sketch show, pulled entirely from thin air. The two performers, Hamza Mohsin and Jake Migicovsky, begin by pacing around the space, feeling one another’s
