Adding to the amazing line-up for The Caledonian Express eleven more exciting shows are arriving in London fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe. With comedy, cabaret, spoken word, world music, physical theatre and clowning, this programme will be sure to power up your theatre calendar over the coming weeks.
The sell-out production In Loyal Company will come to Pleasance London allowing those who missed out a chance to catch this incredible true story. Declared missing after his ship sunk during the Battle of Singapore in 1942, this is the epic untold tale of the survival of missing World War II soldier, Arthur Robinson. Longlisted for Favourite Theatre Show at the 2018 Broadway World Edinburgh Fringe Festival Awards, this one-man powerhouse performance comes from the team behind Trashed in 2017, David William Bryan and Sasha Moore.
Shortlisted for the Filipa Bragança Award and longlisted for Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, Killymuck by award-winning writer Kat Wood shines a light on how social and psychological behaviours impact and shape who we become. Inspired by real events, Killymuck tells of a housing estate built on a paupers graveyard in 1970s’ Ireland. This powerful exploration of survival is about those who strive to work against the stereotype and break free, projecting the benefit class in a positive light, away from the stereotype perpetuated by the media.
Cabaret star Lord Hicks presents a musical romp through queer history in Sod’s Law. Armed with his instrument, rapier wit and lashings of sass, his Lordship will recount the laws, legends and liaisons that have shaped what it is to be gay. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth and educated on the mean streets of Soho, this lyrical sensation has travelled the world serenading audiences from Paris to Reykjavik with classic anthems and original songs.
Bringing a touch of physical theatre and world music to the Festival is Evros | The Crossing River, an immersive experience that envelops you into the current refugee crisis challenging the idea of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Evros explodes with Seemia’s unique blend of storytelling, musicality and physical theatre.
Longlisted for Favourite Theatre Show at the 2018 Broadway World Edinburgh Fringe Festival Awards, the award-winning Spies Like Us present their version of Woyzeck. Born out of the Young Pleasance, the company breathe new life into Buchner’s classic tale with their trademark inventive physical style. In this kaleidoscopic dreamscape, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted.
Narcissist in the Mirror offers a dark comedy about life, ambition and millennial expectation: Narcissus is a love addict, a starving artist and a lost soul searching for self-worth. Winner of Best New Play at the 2018 Manchester Theatre Awards, the sell-out production Narcissist in the Mirror is laced with acerbic wit, punchy dialogue and intricate spoken word. It’s an honest account of self-exploration as rip-roaring as it is poignant and heartfelt.
Sometimes girls just want a good natter about their sex lives. But what is ‘normal’? In Ad Libido we join Fran on a hilarious quest, with songs, as she pursues a ‘normal’ sex life. Expect toe-tapping tunes, a magic penis and a visit to sex camp; Ad Libido explores Fran’s own experience of Female Sexual Dysfunction (which covers problems with sexual response, desire, orgasm or pain during sex), a condition affecting at least 43% of women.
Using a similar theme to illicit a giggle, Bottom is all about bums… Beyoncé and burnt fish fingers. Locked in his bathroom during a tragic third date, Willy asks, ‘Are you a top or a bottom?’ Willy Hudson welcomes us to this queer coming-of-age remix, as he questions if ‘bottom’ in the bedroom means ‘bottom’ in life. Shortlisted for The Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence at Edinburgh 2018, his funny, honest and open-hearted storytelling yanks the lid off the queer experience. This is for anyone who hates making the first move, who thinks they are unlovable and has tried to be someone they’re not.
Toby Thompson’s brilliant, beguiling wordsmithery takes us on a warm and uplifting journey as For the Record gently spirals through life’s absurdities. Interweaving Toby Thompson’s singular poetic voice with some outrageously good songs, this show won the 2018 Pleasance Indie for Best Theatre or Family Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Toby Thompson’s For the Record offers an opportunity to watch a uniquely musical and enigmatic poet, described by Kate Tempest as ‘the future’.
Silent Faces were back at the Fringe this year with the heart-warming A Clown Show About Rain. Highlighting the unpredictable nature of our mental health, they were shortlisted for the 2018 Mental Health Fringe Award. Fusing together clowning with beautiful visuals and physical theatre, Silent Faces see what it is to try to battle the elements when your weatherproofing is failing.
The Search for a Black-Browed Albatross is a beautiful, joyous, handmade adventure with puppetry, music and a girl that just really wants to see a bird. The winner of the NSDF Festgoer’s Award, The Sunday Times Playwriting Award and The Buzz Goodbody Director Award, The Backpack Ensemble’s sincere and moving new piece is about offering tribute to lost loved ones.
Pleasance’s new Edinburgh transfer Festival The Caledonian Express brings the hottest and most exciting work from Edinburgh to London. The Caledonian Express crosses genre and form to stage the most innovative pieces fresh from the Fringe. From solo performances to ensemble physical theatre, from immersive installations to surreal two-handers, the Pleasance continues to programme bold work making it the platform for incredible stories.
