1. Soho Theatre entrance (Heloise Bergman / Time Out)
    Heloise Bergman / Time Out
  2. Soho Theatre sign (Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out)
    Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out
  3. Soho Theatre performace (Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out
)
    Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out

  4. Soho Theatre performace (Heloise Bergman / Time Out)
    Heloise Bergman / Time Out
  5. Soho Theatre exterior (Heloise Bergman  / Time Out)
    Heloise Bergman / Time Out

Soho Theatre

This neon-lit Soho venue is a megastore for the best comedy and fringe shows in town
  • Theatre | Off-West End
  • Soho
  • Recommended
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Time Out says

Its cool blue neon lights, front-of-house café and occasional late-night shows may blend it into the Soho landscape, but since taking up residence on Dean Street in 2000 Soho Theatre has made quite a name for itself.

Across three studio spaces, it puts on an eclectic line-up of work from some of the biggest names in comedy, spoken word, and cabaret, and hosts at least six different shows a night. If ever there were a place in London to get a year-round taste of the Edinburgh Fringe it's here, with its eclectic programming, late shows and ever-buzzing bar. Just don't expect to find deep-fried haggis on the menu - teas, coffees, and wine are the order of the day at Soho Theatre's chic cafe/bar, which is reliably packed out after 6pm.

It has to be said that Soho excels in almost every area apart from the production of good in-house theatre shows, something it's consistently struggled with (though it has many fine co-productions). But this barely impacts on anybody's good time, and it's hard to hold it against the most fun theatre in central London.

Details

Address
21 Dean St
London
W1D 3NE
Transport:
Tube: Tottenham Court Rd
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What’s on

Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE ‘Ball & Boe’

Leftfield comics Riches and Kearns both are and aren’t keeping their cards close to their chests for this oddball seasonal extravganza. On the one hand we know exactly what it’s about: the duo will play Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, the actor-singers who are superstars in their own right and have done serious business as a double act. On the other hand they’re being deliberately opaque about what they actually have planned, even down to who is playing who. Neither Riches nor Kearns are noted for their singing voices; they are renowned for extreme commitment to the bit, no matter how absurd – in Riches’ case it borders on method. Whatever the hell happens, you’re unlikely to forget it in a hurry.
  • Character

Playfight

4 out of 5 stars
Watching 'Playfight', you’ll be transported back to adolescence: from opening the envelope on exam results day to competitive playground gossip. You’ll bump into former friends who exist only in memory (or your hometown pub on Christmas Eve) and feel at once grateful and melancholic that you’ve grown up a bit since then. ‘Playfight’ is a three-man drama following a group of friends over the course of 10 years, through their GSCEs to navigating their first sexual experiences and working out what they want to do with their lives. There’s Kiera (played with excellent command by Sophie Cox): the brash, over-the-top and slightly misguided northerner who recounts losing her virginity on a tennis court with close to no filter. There’s Lucy (Lucy Mangan): ditzy, Christian and somewhat secretive. Then, there’s Zainab, played by Nina Cassells: the headstrong, sceptical, intelligent lesbian who realises she has feelings for her friend. The whole thing plays out around ‘tree’, their playground meeting point, represented in Hazel Low’s gorgeous, simple set by a luminous ladder in the middle of the floor. The cast walk, climb and swing around it, as tensions unravel in the circle staging. Certain moments are so heavy, you’ll let out audible gasps. Other times, you’ll be laughing out loud, or sitting awkwardly in your seat as sexual tension feels palpable.  As years pass and scenes play out with a great, compelling pace, we see the girls grow in distance – summed up best by the scene...

These Are the Contents of My Head (the Annie Lennox Show)

New York cabaret perfomer Salty Brine has a series of shows dubbed The Living Record Collection, wherein he bases an entire set around bold, personal takes on an entire LP. He brought a show based around The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead over a couple of years back, and now he does the honours for Annie Lennox’s DIVA, in a show we’re promised also touches on Judy Garland’s definitive Carnegie Hall concert and Kate Chopin’s groundbreaking feminist novel The Awakening.
  • Musicals
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