Latest 7 magazine

‘I am a warehouse, not a warhorse. I house the wares, I do not take sides’. At the heart of the latest brave, bold and unavoidably slightly worthy piece from Brighton Theatre was a powerful dramatic street poem, as gifted writer Richard Crane approached the 2009 bombing of a UN refugee store in Gaza from the point of view of the warehouse itself. Anna-Maria Nabirye was a beacon of frank charisma and fierce optimism in the role – even as she burned she insisted, ‘you can’t kill the urge to give’. And the filmed recollections of the UN staffer (who flew over from Gaza for the premiere) were invaluable. But there were two many dimensions here for a show forced together in the last 10 days and, as we were herded through Newhaven Fort’s dank tunnels past stark weaponry installations from Romany Mark Bruce, I felt the familiar insincerity of the site-specific theatre goer queueing up to be ‘moved’.
Newhaven Fort, 21 May
3/5
Bella Todd

Following the trend of performing complete albums, the former Strangler kicked off at people taking flash photos before launching into the 60’s garage-styled opener from his new free-download album. With his battered Telecaster and, at times off-key, trademark voice, the new songs ranged from Canvey Island pub rock to Ray Davies-like reflections on Trowbridge. Another complete album could have made this one for fans only but when it contains ‘Hanging Around’, ‘Grip’ and ‘Peaches’ plus an encore of a Doorsy ‘Golden Brown’ and a rip-roaring ‘No More Heroes’ it ended up being fun for everyone, even Hugh.
Komedia, 22 May
3/5
Steve Clements

‘Smorgasbord Stand Up’ was exactly that, a delectable laughing platter of four very different acts all contributing to produce a great night of entertainment in the delightful Nordic setting of The Northern Lights Bar. The two headliners, sharp and witty Roger Mursick and the nerdy oddball Ismo Leikola produced high quality comedy, ably assisted by pun-master Dan Hoy and the quirky Simon Douglas. Like a Nordic ‘Hairy Biker’, Ismo certainly benefited from a ‘home’ crowd. However, like the very likable US-based Mursick, their humour would work in any club. I certainly hope all four acts will be back in Brighton soon.
The Northern Lights Bar, 21 May
4/5
LC Stevens

The rumours really are exaggerated: variety is not dead. The smell of popcorn, the excited chatter of kids, and the surrounds of the Freerange come into their own with this gloriously old-fashioned family-friendly show, stuffed to the gills with juggling, comedy, music, and a chap taking hairstyle tips from Ken Dodd. The children in the audience had a great time, particularly as they watched men doing aerial tricks – swinging and dropping from a rope high above our heads. Good chemistry and great fun; a show like your mum used to go to…
Freerange, 20 May until 23 May
4/5                                                                                                  
Andrew Allen