Dance review: Nutcracker at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club

As ever, dance is something I juuuust about feel like I can have an opinion on (as opposed to opera which is usually just me frantically shrugging,) although Drew McOnie's version of The Nutcracker already does the Everyone's a Fruit and Nutcase gag so that's half of what I was planning to write already out of the window. Cassie Kinoshi reinterpets Tchaikovsky's music as a jazz score, Soutra Gilmour takes over an old cafe space in the Royal Festival Hall to create a pop-up venue, and McOnie recasts the story of a little girl and her toy soldier into that of a little boy having certain feelings for his Action Man doll. In Nutcracker at the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club, Clive (Sam Salter) struggles to get his father's (Tim Hodges) attention on Christmas Eve, so decorates the tree on his own and plays with the Sugar Plum Fairy that's meant to go on top of it.

Theatre review: Klook's Last Stand

There's a film noir-ish feel to Klook's Last Stand but it's a tongue-in-cheek one, as the snappy back-and-forth in the bar where the leading man picks up the leading lady is present and correct, but it's a juice bar and Klook (Ako Mitchell) is buying Vinette (Sheila Atim) a carrot juice (hold the ginger.) An ex-con who's drifted around the USA getting fired from a number of jobs, Klook's journey has led him here to a much younger woman, who may be his soulmate or even his salvation. Ché Walker's play with songs follows the pair's spiky but mutually supportive relationship, the two actors backed by Rio Kai on guitar, keyboard and double bass. The skeletons in both their pasts threaten their relationship but those in Klook's could present a much more literal threat when his creepy boss takes a shine to Vinette.