Impel theatre

06/03/2025

Thoughts on Jordan Brooks Fontanelle at Soho Theatre

Jordan Brookes’ Fontanelle is a stand up show and a musical at the same time; it centres around the question of masculinity and what it means to be masculine, explored around the premise of The Titanic, and the fact that women and children were rescued first. Playing with the form of a standup com...

02/03/2025

thoughts on Save the Princess at Hen & Chickens Theatre

Save the Princess is a choose your own adventure style play, where the audience have agency over the choices of the lead character, Princess Plum, through a clever app that works similarly to online quizzes or polls. The choices of the audience then dictate which world the actors will find themselve

22/02/2025

thoughts on Oily Cart As The World Turns at

When The World Turns is a multisensory experience performed within a living performance space. Audience members are welcomed in small groups into a circle of plants and gentle lights, under a canopy. There is a soundtrack that underscores the whole experience, which is not a story per se, and does n

11/02/2025

thoughts on Belarus Free Theatre KS6: Small Forward at Barbican Centre

Working with famous Belarusian basketball player Katya Snetsyna, Belarus Free Theatre’s latest production, KS6: Small Forward, focusses on Katya’s experience of coming to the realisation of the atrocities her government commits against its citizens, and being ostracised and outcast herself after...

09/02/2025

thoughts on The Years at Harold Pinter Theatre

Adapting an epic novel which spans multiple decades is no easy feat, and in particular, one which follows the same woman through phases of her life. Eline Arbo’s adaptation tackles this with seeming ease; with 5 actors portraying the woman at each phase of her life, while also embodying the other ...

04/02/2025

thoughts on ...blackbird hour at Bush Theatre

...blackbird hour is told primarily through Eshe, a young woman battling demons. We see her primarily anchored to her bed, a place of comfort but also one of enablement. Voiceover haunts and interacts with her heavily at first, and then with a lighter touch as she is visited by two lovers, each of w

01/02/2025

thoughts on Five Lines at

https://www.kendrajones.net/blog

28/01/2025

thoughts on Bru Theatre's thoughtful and reflective Not A Word for MimeLondon at Barbican Centre

Not A Word is a poetic, wordless reflection on the loneliness of those living and working abroad, with specific reference to the Navvies who left Ireland to work in ports, in gruelling, lonely jobs. A unique and thoughtful production, this piece challenges our perception both of the story as it un

27/01/2025

thoughts on Le Manekine at MimeLondon Barbican Centre

Le Manékine is a dark fairytale, told through music, clown, puppetry, and video, all of which come together through the evocative performances of the two performers. The production shifts in its magnitude, starting with small puppets, shifting to bigger mask and full body puppetry, transforming the

25/01/2025

Some (belated) thoughts on Hold On To Your Butts at Arcola Theatre

Positioned as a low-budget live action re-enactment of Jurassic Park….in a theatre….Hold On To Your Butts is a semi-improvised theatrical presentation of the story of the film (sort of), with silly character traits emphasised, and cardboard cut out kid’s basement style interpretations of costu...

20/01/2025

Curious about the Off West End process - how to get your show assessed, or how to become an assessor? Check out my blog - or drop me a dm to ask any questions you've got.

https://www.kendrajones.net/blog/2025/1/18/offwestend-awards-2025

The OffWest End Awards (or Offies) celebrate exceptional work in London’s smaller venues, and has done for many years now. This fully volunteer-run organisation consists of theatre makers and critics who love theatre, and want to help celebrate and showcase this work. Work that is often small, new...

18/01/2025

thoughts on The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theatre, West End

One expects high camp from an adaptation of a cult classic film about fashion, with music by Elton John and starting Vanessa Williams. And to a large extent, the production delivers. It is silly and delightful and funny — at times it takes a serious turn to tackle subjects like impostor syndrome a...

09/01/2025

thoughts on Birmingham Royal Ballet Nutcracker at Royal Albert Hall

My first time seeing a ballet staged for the iconic Royal Albert Hall, and it did not disappoint. Making use of the thrust stage, the production invited the audience to feel a part of the action, not only for those sitting practically on stage, but for the entire audience. Making use of the height o

01/01/2025

thoughts on Aladdin at Watford Palace Theatre

Watford’s panto offering this year benefits from a strong cast of highly talented performers, strong musical direction, and clever and inventive design. Re-imagining the story of Aladdin, there are hijinks and a little magic. There are talking animals - the monkey sidekick you expect (an incredibl...

26/12/2024

thoughts on Matthew Bourne's New Adventures Swan Lake at Sadler's Wells

It is challenging to describe the magnitude of this ballet and its lasting influence without veering into what might seem like hyperbole; but the impact cannot be understated. Twisting the story of Swan Lake and forbidden love from its traditional arch, and refocusing it on male homosexual love, it

12/12/2024

some thoughts on WEER at Soho Theatre

The sheer delightful chaos of Natalie Palamides show is central to its success. In a time when many shows aim to be polished and perfect, Palamides gives us rough around the edges and spiky. Centered around a couple and their downfall, with flashbacks to their meet cute, and all underscored by late

30/11/2024

thoughts on By Their Fruits at Theatre503

This is the story of a young couple, fiery, in love, and intertwined. They have known one another from childhood, grown together, struggled together. Told in the tiny space of Theatre 503, the players and the design transform the space magically. Their bodies intertwine, weaving choreography seamles

29/11/2024

thoughts on Tender at Bush Theatre

Eleanor Tindall’s latest play, Tender, weaves a story of two people who at first appear to be disconnected, each working through their own trauma, who meet by happenstance, and then are drawn together. As the play progresses, we learn that in fact, they were connected all along.  The scrip