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Double bill at Lion & Unicorn: Timely plays for the #metoo Brexit era

Acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe touring company Aulos Productions make their London debut this month with an expanded revival of two shows

I

t can be hard producing contemporary politically-charged theatre these days, as the national – let alone global – narrative lurches in ever-stranger directions, often hour by hour.

But for critically-acclaimed Edinburgh theatre company Aulos Productions, the current turmoil has proved ripe for reviving two of their Fringe shows, updated to fit the latest developments.

Next weekend (13/14th April) at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre, you can enjoy both plays for a single ticket price, as they are performed in London for the first time as part of a UK-wide tour.

Antigone na h’Éireann, written by award-winning playwright and ancient historian James Beagon, is an original play which takes inspiration from both from Sophocles and other versions of this classic myth.


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This version, which debuted at last summer’s Fringe, is a fresh take on the story set in post-Brexit Northern Ireland, where a hard border has returned.

Incompetence far away in Westminster has divided the land once more, prompting Annie to seek honour for her family by resurrecting the IRA.

Being performed alongside is Women of the Mourning Fields, first presented at Fringe back in 2015. It’s the story of three Roman women fighting against their depiction in history in the days before the fall of the empire.

Since the show debuted, the whole #MeToo movement has begun, shedding new light on how we view formerly cherished celebrities. This, plus the emergence of endless ‘fake news’ means the play is even more relevant today as a reminder of just how subjective history can be.

Catch both plays at the tour’s only London shows, performed in Kentish Town.

Women of the Mourning Fields (1h10m) and then Antigone na h’Éireann (1h15m), The Lion & Unicorn Theatre, 42-44 Gaisford Street, NW5, Sat 13th April at 7.30pm and Sun 14th April at 6.00pm. Tickets £14 or £12 concessionshere.

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