Kareem Samara sits alone at the front of the Royal Court Theatre’s Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, quietly playing several instruments and filling the room with a calming energy. Beside him, a screen projection displays a map and the show’s title: A History of Water in the Middle East. While the Middle East region evokes a sense of overwhelming warmth and sunniness, such heat is juxtaposed by the cool blue fogginess of the room at the start of the production.

Through A History of Water in the Middle East, the play’s author, Sabrina Mahfouz, and partner Laura Hanna give a lecture. The content: “a highly edited, highly condensed – History of water in the Middle East.” Never has an academic lecture been more informative or engaging. Universities across the U.K. should take note of Mahfouz’s teaching style. Her lecture snapped between an immersive view of the interrogation she faced from a brazen spy, David Mumeni, while completing her certification to become a spy and emotional anecdotes of women’s struggles in the Middle East, women impacted by Britain’s imperial quest for control – of their water.

The multi-layered presentation included mesmerizing music from Samara and vocals from Hanna along with helpful, yet, not overwhelming projected visual aids. Long strips of bright and colorful neon lights, rivers, spanned the length of the theatre, representing the power of water in critical moments throughout the show.

The production, directed by Stef O’Driscoll, leaves the audience to reckon with British Imperial history and the impact it has made on lives around the world to this day.

A History of Water in the Middle East is playing at The Royal Court Theatre through the 16th of November. Tickets are available from £15-£25 The Royal Court Theatre’s website.

Photo courtesy of Craig Sugden and The Royal Court Theatre.

http://www.kcwtoday.co.uk/2019/10/history-water-middle-east/

After switching on the Christmas lights in front of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in mid-November, Tamika Ramsey brought the energy back inside, starring as the brilliant and dazzling titular character in the company's annual pantomime: Cinderella.

The brilliance of a good pantomime is the production's ability to crack up both children and adults. The Lyric Theatre's production could entertain anyone; it is a fun, colourful, and over the top performance, just as a pantomime should be. Rhys Taylor's Fairy Fredbare perfectly captured the audience's excitement with the "best jokes of the night," a series of puns that tested the audience's familiarity with London Underground stations. Taylor's sparkling costumes and tremendous personality made every Fairy Fredbare entrance a pivotal moment.

While it would be unbelievably refreshing to see Cinderella stand up to her abusive family, the Lyric did add unique complexity to the classic characters. Though Cinderella spends her days as a servant, her passion lies in exploring the technology of outer space. Gabriel Fleary portrayed the Prince of Hammersmith as a kind young man with intense social anxiety and enough brains to hold his own in conversation with the brilliantly intelligent, astronomy loving Cinderella. Brains were more important than any glass slipper in the Lyric’s production.

Some theatre offers audience members an opportunity to escape from the world around them - Cinderella does not. The production is full of references to current politics and is unforgettably set in Hammersmith. Regardless, the Lyric's production of Cinderella was exciting and engaging. One trip to the Lyric for the annual pantomime could easily lead to an instant tradition.

Cinderella is running now through 5 January at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre with tickets available on their website starting at £15.

Image courtesy of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Photo by Helen Maybanks. Design by Frankie Bradshaw. Lighting by Joshua Pharo.

http://www.kcwtoday.co.uk/2019/11/cinderella-lyric-hammersmith-theatre/