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An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Henry Hitchings's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Lisa Goldman.
Cast: Soho Theatre
Description: Soho Theatre presents Natasha Langridge's romantic comedy-drama set during the 2012 London Olympics, about a young Romany Gypsy girl who falls in love with a boy from the local estate. Directed by Lisa Goldman.
Trains: Tube: Tottenham Court Road 
, Tube / Bus: 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 23, 25, 38, 55, 73, 98, 176 
Phone: 0207478 0100
Website: www.sohotheatre.com
Extra info: Pub, Food
Forbidden love: Romany girl Pearl (Jade Williams) and Joe (Alex Waldmann)
The Romany people, who trace their origins to medieval India, are perhaps six million in number, and about one per cent of this total lives in Britain. Their language is related to Hindi and Gujarati; “shraddha” is a Romany term meaning “faith”.
Romany itinerants have been depicted with varying degrees of affection in Carmen, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the novels of George Borrow and Buffy the Vampire Slayer but in popular culture they are habitually vilified and stereotyped as con men, thieves and dabblers in black magic.
Natasha Langridge’s play promises to redress the balance, suggesting the precariousness of this marginal group’s existence. Yet though liberally sprinkled with Romany words such as “grai” (a horse) and “yox” (eyes), it isn’t truly revelatory about the culture behind them.
The central characters are Joe, a “gorger” (ie not a Romany), and the defiantly Romany object of his affections, Pearl. Their relationship is zesty, profane and noisy, highlighting the tension between conventional society and those who resist its norms.
In Lisa Goldman’s production there are scenes of tenderness and of violent fury. Yet while Shraddha is linguistically interesting, beneath the distinctive language is a straightforward story of forbidden love and its trials, not dissimilar to Romeo and Juliet.
Some of the imagery is heavy-handed. For instance, the fact of Pearl’s being more visceral than Joe is illustrated by her gutting a rabbit and bloodying herself with its entrails. And the centrepiece of Jon Bausor’s design is a metal fence; its importance as a symbol of social division is emphasised strenuously.
Still, Alex Waldmann is vigorous as Joe, sometimes earnest but also boyish and playful. Jade Williams’s Pearl is spiky, seductive and feral. There is good work in the smaller roles, too, especially by Anna Carteret as Pearl’s soothsaying grandmother.
Shraddha has energy and some moments of real poetry, and, although at times soft where it might more credibly be bleak, it feels faithfully contemporary.
Until 21 November (020 7478 0100).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Very enjoyable with great acting especially by Alex Waldmann and Jade Williams. I loved the rough and tumble and wild side of it balanced with the softer moments. The topical theme of the olympic site adds to the plays attraction. Definitely recommend it.
- Sarah Cross, Wimbledon, London
I lloved this play. It is magical and has the most beautiful dialogue that I have heard in the theatre for many many years. It is riveting.
I highly recommend the play, it is an exciting little masterpiece.
- Osta, pulborough, west sussex
