MARIANKA SWAIN ~ WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW

Treat yourself and celebrate Self Care Week with these 10 shows

Posted on November 14, 2018 by mkmswain

From shows that tackle issues in a constructive way to pure joyful escapism.

Hadestown, National Theatre

Posted on November 14, 2018 by mkmswain

The road to full musical theatre production has been a long one for Hadestown. It began back in 2006, with Anaïs Mitchell’s song cycle – a folk/jazz take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth – toured around Vermont in a school bus, then grew into an ecstatically received concept album in 2010, and has gone through further development with director Rachel Chavkin in Off-Broadway and Canadian stagings. Now, it comes to the National ahead of a Broadway run.

Read my full theartsdesk review here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged amber gray, anais mitchell, André De Shields, broadway, concept album, donald trump, eva nobledaza, folk, hades, hadestown, hell, hermes, jazz, musical, myth, national theatre, new orleans, opera, orpheus and eurydice, patrick page, persephone, rachel chavkin, reeve carney, review, the fates, theartsdesk, underworld | Leave a comment

BWW Interview: Hayden Tee

Posted on November 13, 2018 by mkmswain

The actor discusses tackling Miss Trunchbull in Matilda The Musical.

Read my full BroadwayWorld interview here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged actor, book tickets, broadwayworld, cambridge theatre, cheap tickets, children, family, hayden tee, interview, les miserables, london, matilda, miss trunchbull, musical, new zealand, roald dahl, sale, save, singer, theatre, tim minchin, visit london, west end | Leave a comment

Pinter Three and Pinter Four, Harold Pinter Theatre

Posted on November 12, 2018 by mkmswain

Jamie Lloyd’s 10-anniversary season of Pinter (which kicked off in style earlier this autumn) continues with two more batches of miniatures – from familiar shorts like A Kind of Alaska to sketches and more obscure works – plus another tantalisingly starry company.

Read my full BroadwayWorld review here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged book tickets, broadwayworld, cheap tickets, christmas, comedy, ed stambollouian, harold pinter theatre, jamie lloyd, janie dee, jessica barden, lee evans, london, lyndsey turner, meera syal, pinter, pinter at the pinter, play, review, robert glenister, sale, save, tamsin greig, theatre, ticket deal, tom edden, visit london, west end | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 8

Posted on November 12, 2018 by mkmswain

It might seem a strange statement to make while the BBC is shoving Stacey towards the glitterball, and Joe’s YouTube views have now surpassed the last six series, but one thing I’m enjoying is this year’s unpredictability. Who could have guessed that none of Lee, Vick, Dr Ranj or Danny would make Blackpool? Or that the latter would be ousted by our resident cricketer?

Read my full Dancing Times blog here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, blackpool, blog, celebrity, contemporary, couples choice, dance, dance off, dancing, dancing times, danny john-jules, eliminated, graeme swann, joe sugg, recap, review, salsa, samba, shirley ballas, strictly, strictly come dancing, strictly speaking, tess daly, tv, week 8 | Leave a comment

Where to eat and drink in the West End

Posted on November 8, 2018 by mkmswain

Visiting one of London’s many and varied culinary hotspots pre-theatre makes a West End trip feel like a real night out. However, it can be challenging to find somewhere with fast service, so you’re not anxiously clock-watching; excellent food, but not too pricy; and close to your destination, without resorting to an overcrowded chain.

But if you know where to look, there are plenty of West End gems, from tapas and ramen to cutting-edge cocktails. Here are our top tips for eating and drinking in style – and in plenty of time for curtain up.

Read my full TodayTix article here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged affordable, bar, best, cafe, central london, cheap, chinatown, chinese, drink, eat, festival hall, food, joe allen, london, pizza, play, pre theatre, quick, ramen, recommend, restaurant, savoy, skylon, tapas, thames, theatre, todaytix, top, view, visit london, west end, where to eat | Leave a comment

White Teeth, Kiln Theatre

Posted on November 7, 2018 by mkmswain

A few protestors might be doggedly hanging on outside the Kiln (was Tricycle) Theatre, but their complaints are firmly refuted by its current show: a vibrant adaptation of Zadie Smith’s award-winning novel that is not just about but firmly rooted in the diverse, complex “melting pot” of north-west London.

Read my full BroadwayWorld review here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged adaptation, book tickets, broadwayworld, daughter, family, immigrant, Indhu Rubasingham, kilburn, kiln theatre, london, mother, music, north west london, novel, play, race, review, simon sharkey, songs, theatre, west hampstead, white teeth, zadie smith | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 7

Posted on November 5, 2018 by mkmswain

Post-Halloween Week, and it’s possible the judges were still hopped up on Haribo and egging unsuspecting strangers, with the series’ most inconsistent show so far in terms of scoring and comments. Of course, Strictly is a mix of dancing and entertainment, ringers and J-worders, and subjective interpretations of different styles, but even so, I think viewers sense when the panel has lost its sense of fairness.

Read my full Dancing Times blog here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged argentine tango, ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, blackpool, blog, bruno tonioli, celebrity, charles venn, couples choice, craig revel-horwood, dance, dance off, dancing, dancing times, danny john-jules, darcey bussell, dr ranj singh, eliminated, foxtrot, halloween, janette manrara, kate silverton, kevin clifton, latin, quickstep, recap, review, samba, shirley ballas, stacey dooley, street, strictly, strictly come dancing, strictly speaking, tess daly, tv, viennese waltz, week 7 | Leave a comment

I and You, Hampstead Theatre

Posted on November 2, 2018 by mkmswain

Maisie Williams (AKA Arya Stark in Game of Thrones) and Zach Wyatt make superb stage debuts in Edward Hall’s production of American playwright Lauren Gunderson’s work. Caroline, trapped at home due to an unspecified genetic illness, is surprised by schoolmate Anthony, who wants to partner on a project about poet Walt Whitman.

Read my full Ham & High review here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged arya stark, drama, edward hall, game of thrones, ham and high, hampstead theatre, i and you, lauren gunderson, london, maisie williams, play, poet, poetry, review, sick, teenager, theatre, transplant, walt whitman, Zach Wyatt | Leave a comment

Renaissance rivals, A Star is Born, and The Height of the Storm

Posted on November 1, 2018 by mkmswain

On my November MoveTo Town and Country Arts page:

Exhibition Brothers-in-law Mantegna and Bellini offer competing Renaissance visions at the National Gallery
Film Lady Gaga impresses in the latest incarnation of A Star is Born
Theatre Eileen Atkins and Jonathan Pryce lead Florian Zeller’s The Height of the Storm at Wyndham’s Theatre
Commuter corner Sebastian Faulks’s Paris Echo

Read the full page here

Read the latest edition of MoveTo Town and Country here

Posted in Art, Fiction, Film, Journalism, Theatre | Tagged a star is born, art, book, bradley cooper, commute, commuter, eileen atkins, exhibition, film, florian zeller, gallery, jonathan pryce, lady gaga, london, magazine, mantegna and bellini, moveto, moveto town and country, movie, national gallery, novel, paris echo, play, read, renaissance, sebastian faulks, the height of the storm, visit london, west end, wyndhams theatre | Leave a comment

MARIANKA SWAIN ~ WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW

Hadestown, National Theatre

BWW Interview: Hayden Tee

Pinter Three and Pinter Four, Harold Pinter Theatre

Strictly Speaking: Week 8

White Teeth, Kiln Theatre

Strictly Speaking: Week 7

I and You, Hampstead Theatre

Renaissance rivals, A Star is Born, and The Height of the Storm

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