If there’s one thing you can be sure of finding in London, it’s quality theatre. Many of the world’s most celebrated theatres are in London, and the West End has a reputation to rival any other theatre district you care to name.
But it’s not just on the West End where you can find innovative, entertaining theatre. Off-West End shows have a tremendous amount to offer, and it’s there that we’re going to focus today. And because London is positively exploding with off-West End venues, you won’t have any problems finding them from your Montcalm Hotel.
The Lover/The Collection
Harold Pinter is a name well-known to anyone with even a passing knowledge in theatre. But aside from his most famous works – The Birthday Party and The Homecoming, to name a couple – Pinter was also a prodigious writer of short plays. And that’s precisely what this Harold Pinter Theatre production focuses on in this production. The theatre is only a short hop from Montcalm’s 5 star hotels in London West End, so you don’t have far to go.
Part of the ‘Pinter at the Pinter’ season, The Lover/The Collection brings together two plays that both focus on long-term relationships and Pinter brings the stories alive with his sharp eye for human nature. Both stories feature unexpected twists and turns, as characters attempt to extricate themselves from unhappy relationships or seek to cover up their misdeeds. Pinter handles the subject matter with his cutting, deeply perceptive humour and this double bill brings together two of Pinter’s finest short plays.
The Other Place
Running at the Park Theatre, The Other Place is an amazing, twisting and turning tale that often leaves you wondering which parts are real and which are something else entirely.
The story revolves around Juliana, a neurologist who leads her field. However, Juliana’s life starts to fall apart when she begins to experience strange episodes of forgetfulness and lost time. At the same time, her husband files for divorce and Juliana starts to learn about a family mystery long since buried. The way the story is told continually forces you to reappraise which parts of the story are happening and which might be the result of the character’s apparent illness.
It’s a great play, a magnificent example of off-West End theatre creativity and the Park Theatre location is only a short hop from your Montcalm hotel.
Measure for Measure
One of Shakespeare’s less-often performed plays, Measure for Measure takes on new life in this excellent production at Donmar Warehouse.
The story, in a nutshell, revolves around a newly-powerful deputy to the Duke of Vienna, whose task it is to clean up the vices of the city. A puritan, the deputy’s world breaks down when he falls for a prisoner pleading for mercy. From there, the deputy and his once-prisoner embark on a journey of distrust, passion and ultimately – in the true Shakespearean style – tragedy.
