Sitting In The Cheap Seats

‘ It’s not been a good end to the year for me… I returned from a much needed holiday in September with a torn hamstring that made sitting in one place for any length of time agony. It started to heal and I re-tore it. Just when I’m back to fighting fitness I manage to go and contract pneumonia! So, 2015 is not ending the way I had hoped and I’m missing out on a lot of good theatre (as is MyTheatreMates co-founder Mark Shenton who wrote about his own injury here ). That said, being laid up on the sofa has allowed me to keep my head above water with the volume of theatre news emerging lately, so I thought this would be a good time to start my new weekly round-up of what is happening in the West End and beyond…

It has become painfully clear to me in recent years that while I’ve visited the majority of West End theatres, I’ve only really scratched at the surface of London’s ever-vibrant theatrical scene. One venue is repeatedly at the top of peoples lists for atmosphere… indeed when I posted on Facebook that I’d never been Mark Shenton was aghast as he has long championed Union Theatre !

Critically acclaimed  Lazarus Theatre Company  return in 2015 with their trademark fresh take on two epic classics as they stage their  Summer of Empire ! First they take a fresh look at Shakespeare’s  Henry V  with an all female cast before they give us their spin on Marlowe’s  Tamburlaine The Great .