Blink Tickets

Not quite what it seems at first, Phil Porter’s Blink-- first seen at the Traverse in Edinburgh and then at Soho Theatre in 2012—is being revived at the King’s Head, one of London’s longest-running fringe theatres. Directed by Simon Paris, it’s a whip-smart—and at times disturbing—two-hander which tells of Sophie (played by Abigail Thorn), a young woman who feels invisible in her own life, and her downstairs neighbour Jonah (Joe Pitts). Jonah is a former night watchman. Watching and voyeurism are at the heart of a multi-layered piece which on the surface operates as a cute rom-com until the cracks begin to show. It will be interesting how the play holds up after more than a decade of shifts in sexual politics since it was first premiered.

It’s half term in London this week, and while the treat for older children is undoubtedly Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace (co-written by Adolescence and Lord of the Flies writer Jack Thorne, whose fingerprints are clearly visible in this Potter sequel), younger members of the family should enjoy Quentin Blake’s Mrs Armitage on Wheels (Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre), which is getting its world premiere. It should be well worth a peek because it is directed by the Little Angel’s artistic director, Samantha Lane, uses puppetry, and is likely to demonstrate real theatrical flair as it tells of inventor Mrs Armitage and her increasingly madcap bike ride with her dog.