If you like seeking out more unusual and emerging musicals then London’s Off-West End always has plenty to offer and you may just spot the new ROCKY HORROR SHOW, which started out in a tiny venue in the 1970s.
Here’s three camp new shows that you can discover in the run up to Christmas.
- HOW TO CATCH A KRAMPUS
“International drag collective” (what ever that means) Sink the Pink have announced HOW TO CATCH A KRAMPUS describing it as “a dark and terrifying twist on the traditional Christmas theatre show this winter.” It’s at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington from 13th November to December 23rd.
They prepare us “to be spooked as we follow the scandalous exploits of a part-time spirit medium/full-time con-artist, Ginger Johnson!”
Apparently it’s “Inspired by London's bawdy and dangerous theatrical past and a love of classic British Horror - think Sweeney Todd meets The Wicker Man - How To Catch A Krampus is a Christmas story that's strictly for grown-ups, promising a truly terrifying night at the theatre”
- HOT GAY TIME MACHINE
In central London, in the tiny basement of Trafalgar Studios by Trafalgar Square you can catch HOT GAY TIME MACHINE by multi-award-winning Zak Ghazi-Torbati and Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss (the writers of the critically acclaimed SIX currently playing at the Arts Theatre)
They describe it as “Full to the brim with aggressively enthusiastic dance routines and hilarious original musical numbers, Hot Gay Time Machine - winner of the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence - is a cabaret comedy extravaGAYnza that has all the ingredients for the perfect festive night on the town” when the cast of two look back on the landmark moments of gay life.
Hot Gay Time Machine will run at Trafalgar Studio 2 from Tuesday 27 November to Saturday 5 January.
- FANATICAL
There’s a slightly more heterosexual offering at The Playground Theatre from November 8 to December 9 where you can enjoy FANATICAL “A sci-fi convention musical”
By Matt Board and Reina Hardy, Directed by Shaun Kerrison.
The premise is that “in a distant Galaxy - the ragtag misfit crew of cargo ship Angel 8 are under the command of fearless pilot Iris Aucht. Meanwhile…at a conference centre, somewhere in England – a ragtag misfit collection of 1,000 fans gather from all across the UK for Eight Con One, the first ever official convention of the cult TV show Angel 8.
The pre-publicity claims that “Fanatical tells the suspenseful, comic, and affecting tale about being true to oneself, finding love against the odds, and snatching triumph from the jaws of disaster - proving that no power in the universe can keep a story from its fans”
The cast includes real life Sci-Fi star Suanne Braun (Stargate, Red Dwarf, Mamma Mia, Cabaret) who’s joined by comedy legend Stephen Frost (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Blackadder, Have I Got News For You, Mr Bean).
I need to preface this report by reiterating that this production is still in previews, the producers have deep pockets and no doubt it will continue to evolve until the show is “frozen” - a theatre term which means no more changes are allowed before press night to allow the cast to settle in.