Latest news with #BushTheatre
Time Out
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Not Your Superwoman
The Bush Theatre under the reign of outgoing artistic director Lynette Linton has rarely been about celebrity names – on the whole she's tended to deal with them seperately in her busy freelance career. But with her time in west London coming to an end, she can afford to allow herself something a little fancy. Not Your Superwoman is a new play by Emma Dennis-Edwards – created by her and Linton – and it will star Letitia Wright – aka Black Panther herself – as Erica, daughter to Golda Rosheuvel's Joyce. In the aftermath of the death of Joyce's mother, the two find themselves paralysed about what to do with their lives next.
The Guardian
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Miss Myrtle's Garden review – immersion into a mindscape of sharp quips and memory slips
In Danny James King's Miss Myrtle's Garden, life and death coexist. Acid-tongued Myrtle spends her days in her overgrown yard with her husband, Melrose, grandson, Rudy, and Rudy's 'close friend' Jason. But around the patch of grass, memories seep into the present through ghosts and flickering flashes, in a jumble of certainty and doubt. That's because, at 82, Myrtle has begun to lose her grip on reality. Taio Lawson's inaugural production as the Bush theatre's incoming artistic director is a full immersion into this disorienting, fragile mindscape. One moment, a scene unfolds as a naturalistic conversation; the next, the auditorium is plunged into pitch darkness, pierced by an eerie, rumbling soundscape. It's a striking way for Lawson to make a creative entrance; but with so much happening onstage, the production tips into becoming overblown and chaotic. At its centre is a tour-de-force performance by Diveen Henry as Miss Myrtle. Her sardonic put-downs ('being difficult is better than being easy') paint her as a pillar of blunt-force resilience. Her sharp quips are crisply drawn, showing King's gift for writing rich comedy. But as the scenes roll forward, it becomes heartbreakingly clear that Myrtle's memory is faltering and she needs help. Rudy faces a complicated future: what to do with Myrtle, and how to extract the information she guards about his dead father before time runs out. But Rudy also is keeping a secret of his own: Jason is actually his partner. Shame about who he is presses heavily on Rudy's shoulders. Their chemistry, wonderfully encapsulated by the gentle, side-glancing performances of Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Rudy and Elander Moore as Jason, is left to play out in the shadows. When both men move into Myrtle's house, the weight of their unspoken love only deepens. Designer Khadija Raza builds a neat circle of grass, decorated with real flowers and soil for the action to play out on. Here, Rudy battles Myrtle for shards of the past while willing her not to vanish into the depths of dementia. Even as the script meanders, their relationship is charged with unspoken pain, sure to pull at your heartstrings. At Bush theatre until 12 July
Time Out
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Millennium Girls
Photo: Brixton House Sophia Leonie's debut play is an all-female '90s coming-of-age drama with a banging UK garage soundtrack. It's directed by Jade Lewis, whose presence bodes well as she did the honours on the truly excellent all-female coming-of-age drama Sleepova at the Bush Theatre a couple of years back. Mon, 12 May 2025 Tue, 13 May 2025 Wed, 14 May 2025 Thu, 15 May 2025 Fri, 16 May 2025 Sat, 17 May 2025 Mon, 19 May 2025 Tue, 20 May 2025 Wed, 21 May 2025 Wed, 21 May 2025 Show more By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. 🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed! Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Discover Time Out original video
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tributes paid to city's 'maverick' theatre founder
Playwright John Godber has led tributes to "formidable force" Mike Bradwell, a theatre director and actor, who has died at the age of 77. Bradwell founded the Hull Truck Theatre company in a squat in Coltman Street in 1971. It went on to earn national acclaim. His death on Monday morning was confirmed by the theatre. Godber, who served as artistic director of Hull Truck from 1983 until 2010, described his predecessor as a "maverick and a disruptor" who would be "sorely missed". Godber said: "Mike was central to me coming to Hull and, in that sense, changed my life. He invited me to apply and run Truck after he left and that was a significant turning point. "He was a genuinely nice guy and very funny. One of the things that he said to me was make a nuisance of yourself, which I think is a great thing for theatre companies to pin their philosophy to. "He'll be sadly missed." Bradwell was born in Scunthorpe in 1948 and trained as an actor at the East 15 Acting School in east London. In 1971, Bradwell placed an advert in Time Out magazine which read, "Half-formed theatre company seeks other half" as he looked to link up with other aspiring artists. The result was Hull Truck Theatre and, over the following 11 years, Bradwell and the company toured the UK performing children's shows, plays and experimental theatre. In a joint statement, Mark Babych and Janthi Mills-Ward, chief executives of Hull Truck Theatre, described Bradwell as "passionate, funny and brave" and said his "uncompromising artistry revolutionised British theatre by putting the stories and voices of real people centre stage". They added: "His legacy is felt across our industry and nowhere more so than here in Hull." Between 1996 and 2007, Bradwell served as the artistic director of the Bush Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London. In a statement, released on social media, the Bush Theatre said it was "deeply saddened" by Bradwell's passing and said he had left an "indelible mark" on the venue. Bradwell was also an award-winning writer. His book on alternative theatre, The Reluctant Escapologist, won the Society for Theatre Research's Theatre Book Prize in 2010. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Theatre founder returns 30 years on New play explores theatre company origins Hull Truck Theatre
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hull Truck Theatre founder Mike Bradwell dies at 77
Playwright John Godber has led tributes to "formidable force" Mike Bradwell, a theatre director and actor, who has died at the age of founded the Hull Truck Theatre company in a squat in Coltman Street in 1971. It went on to earn national death on Monday morning was confirmed by the who served as artistic director of Hull Truck from 1983 until 2010, described his predecessor as a "maverick and a disruptor" who would be "sorely missed". Godber said: "Mike was central to me coming to Hull and, in that sense, changed my life. He invited me to apply and run Truck after he left and that was a significant turning point. "He was a genuinely nice guy and very funny. One of the things that he said to me was make a nuisance of yourself, which I think is a great thing for theatre companies to pin their philosophy to."He'll be sadly missed." Bradwell was born in Scunthorpe in 1948 and trained as an actor at the East 15 Acting School in east 1971, Bradwell placed an advert in Time Out magazine which read, "Half-formed theatre company seeks other half" as he looked to link up with other aspiring result was Hull Truck Theatre and, over the following 11 years, Bradwell and the company toured the UK performing children's shows, plays and experimental a joint statement, Mark Babych and Janthi Mills-Ward, chief executives of Hull Truck Theatre, described Bradwell as "passionate, funny and brave" and said his "uncompromising artistry revolutionised British theatre by putting the stories and voices of real people centre stage".They added: "His legacy is felt across our industry and nowhere more so than here in Hull." Between 1996 and 2007, Bradwell served as the artistic director of the Bush Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, a statement, released on social media, the Bush Theatre said it was "deeply saddened" by Bradwell's passing and said he had left an "indelible mark" on the was also an award-winning writer. His book on alternative theatre, The Reluctant Escapologist, won the Society for Theatre Research's Theatre Book Prize in 2010. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
