Impel theatre

22/06/2025

thoughts on Satoshi Miyagi's Medea at The Coronet

I have read about Satoshi Miyagi’s work for some time now, so the opportunity to see his interpretation of Medea leapt at me. Framing the production in Meiji Japan, during Westernisation, was a powerful choice — but more importantly, positioning this story of a wronged woman seeking her revenge ...

16/06/2025

thoughts on Insane Asylum Seeker at Bush Theatre

Supported by a stack of TV’s showing curated clips of real historical events, this solo performance weaves a story of the intergenerational impact of the trauma of needing to flee your homeland and claim asylum. Laith is born and raised in Britain, the child of refugees who have settled around Lon...

07/06/2025

Thoughts on An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch at Young Vic Theatre

A line of empty chairs. A table upstage with clipboards containing scripts, and some audio equipment. A microphone. These are the simple tools that create the magical and multidimensional world of An Oak Tree. 20 years on, with so many spiderwebs of influence spawning from this singular creation, th

09/05/2025

It look awhile, but some thoughts on Cabaret on the West End

So first things first — I didn’t get to see Billy Porter. Just my luck to spend a shocking amount on tickets, and it happens to be for his day off. Now that we’re past that — there is much to like about this production, and in particular, I feel as though having seen Marisha Wallace’s stun...

24/04/2025

thoughts on Igloos Don't Melt at Camden People's Theatre

Igloos Don’t Melt is a new piece of experimental performance art which explores the experience of nostalgia, memory, and sense of place through the metaphor of literal blocks of ice. There is a complete lack of performativeness to the production; a folding banquet table and a small freezer are all...

09/04/2025

thoughts on Robert Icke's Manhunt at The Royal Court Theatre up now

Note - I saw this in early previews ahead of press night. Robert Icke’s first original commission, and first appearance at the Royal Court, is a violent investigation of the true life story of a man in the North of England who was wanted for assault and murder, resulting in the longest manhunt i

05/04/2025

Thoughts on Malcolm in Winter - Theaster Gates at White Cube Bermondsey

Theaster Gates’ latest exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey brings his typical juxtaposition of the personal and the political, the micro and the macro. Focussed primarily around Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement (specifically the more militant side of the Black Panthers) and how this work wa...

28/03/2025

thoughts on Paradise Lost (Lies Unopened Beside Me) at Battersea Arts Centre - BAC

https://www.kendrajones.net/blog/2025/3/23/paradise-lost-lies-unopened-beside-me-battersea-arts-centre

21/03/2025

Some thoughts on Ostermeier's The Seagull at Barbican Centre

There is little that is nice about these people. Ostermeier’s new production of Chekhov’s The Seagull, adapted with Duncan Macmillan, breathes modern ennui and longing into a story over 100 years old. The characters in this play are petty, selfish, petulant, and buffoonish; at no point does Oste...

07/03/2025

thoughts on A Knock On The Roof at The Royal Court Theatre

“Why do you warn us before you kill us?” Khawla Ibrahim’s solo show at The Royal Court explores a woman’s life, restrained by the realities of living in a war zone with a small child. Told through direct address, engaging the audience, the protagonist, Mariam, shares her anxieties. When the ...

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