jay
@jaycgallagher.bsky.social
🌈 Queer; he/him || 📽 Normally found watching things in a darkened room 🎭 || Posts too much (or maybe not enough) about Harris Dickinson 🫦 || 📍 London, via Birkenhead || linktr.ee/jaycgallagher
The Weir (Harold Pinter) - Both the script and the performances are highly controlled, which heightens the lived-in realism of the recognisably Irish pub setting and the (mostly) men who inhabit it, while the exploration of folklore and community is rich with humour and prickly emotion - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 11, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The Weir (Harold Pinter) - Both the script and the performances are highly controlled, which heightens the lived-in realism of the recognisably Irish pub setting and the (mostly) men who inhabit it, while the exploration of folklore and community is rich with humour and prickly emotion - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In the Mensa episode of The Simpsons, the intelligentsia take over the town after the mayor flees, yet he can clearly be seen watching the dogs at the race track chasing a diploma. Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder!
November 10, 2025 at 10:41 PM
In the Mensa episode of The Simpsons, the intelligentsia take over the town after the mayor flees, yet he can clearly be seen watching the dogs at the race track chasing a diploma. Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder!
Hot Mess (Southwark Playhouse Elephant) - A cute, clever two-hander that runs with its concept and knows exactly when to stop. The songs are poppy and silly and full of wit, while the stars have remarkable chemistry given one plays a planet and the other an abstract collective. Great fun - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 8, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Hot Mess (Southwark Playhouse Elephant) - A cute, clever two-hander that runs with its concept and knows exactly when to stop. The songs are poppy and silly and full of wit, while the stars have remarkable chemistry given one plays a planet and the other an abstract collective. Great fun - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Here & Now (New Wimbledon Theatre) - Unable to rate because I missed the last 30 minutes. Logging for posterity.
November 8, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Here & Now (New Wimbledon Theatre) - Unable to rate because I missed the last 30 minutes. Logging for posterity.
Oh thank god, the last 27 years WERE just a dream
November 7, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Oh thank god, the last 27 years WERE just a dream
Othello (Theatre Royal Haymarket) - Fine but unremarkable. Jones embodies an Iago that exists just on the cusp between pantomime and high drama, and Robinson is a great Emilia, but this is neither a fresh nor a superlative take on the play. It's solid enough but it could've been so much bolder - ⭐⭐⭐
November 6, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Othello (Theatre Royal Haymarket) - Fine but unremarkable. Jones embodies an Iago that exists just on the cusp between pantomime and high drama, and Robinson is a great Emilia, but this is neither a fresh nor a superlative take on the play. It's solid enough but it could've been so much bolder - ⭐⭐⭐
Hedda (Orange Tree) - The attempt to recontextualise the work as one about colonialism and partition is clever, and recasting the titular character as an actress creates an interesting dynamic, but it becomes a little unbalanced by the end. Pearl Chanda's aloof take on her is very effective - ⭐⭐⭐
November 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Hedda (Orange Tree) - The attempt to recontextualise the work as one about colonialism and partition is clever, and recasting the titular character as an actress creates an interesting dynamic, but it becomes a little unbalanced by the end. Pearl Chanda's aloof take on her is very effective - ⭐⭐⭐
LOST HIGHWAY (dir. David Lynch, 1997)
November 4, 2025 at 10:59 PM
LOST HIGHWAY (dir. David Lynch, 1997)
thinking about these
November 4, 2025 at 11:36 AM
thinking about these
Ghost Stories (Peacock) - I'm a sucker for theatrical trickery and this has it aplenty. The jump scares are cheap but they're fun all the same, and the lighting and sound (and their absence) are effectively used to create tension. Silly nonsense which doesn't overstay its welcome - ⭐⭐⭐
November 1, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Ghost Stories (Peacock) - I'm a sucker for theatrical trickery and this has it aplenty. The jump scares are cheap but they're fun all the same, and the lighting and sound (and their absence) are effectively used to create tension. Silly nonsense which doesn't overstay its welcome - ⭐⭐⭐
The Line of Beauty (Almeida) - Gorgeously acted, with a quiet, aching sorrow running through it. There's less thematic heft than it needs, which is perhaps a consequence of trying to stage such a tome, but it makes up for this with its woozy tenderness and captivatingly tragicomic tone - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The Line of Beauty (Almeida) - Gorgeously acted, with a quiet, aching sorrow running through it. There's less thematic heft than it needs, which is perhaps a consequence of trying to stage such a tome, but it makes up for this with its woozy tenderness and captivatingly tragicomic tone - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Four favourite first time movie watches of October (in alphabetical order)
November 1, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Four favourite first time movie watches of October (in alphabetical order)
Four favourite stage shows seen in October
November 1, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Four favourite stage shows seen in October
The Unbelievers (Royal Court) - An acutely well observed and powerfully written look at the elusive nature of closure and how time collapses in the face of inexplicable loss. Nicola Walker is, as always, magnificent, and the script crackles with dry humour and a primal sadness - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 30, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The Unbelievers (Royal Court) - An acutely well observed and powerfully written look at the elusive nature of closure and how time collapses in the face of inexplicable loss. Nicola Walker is, as always, magnificent, and the script crackles with dry humour and a primal sadness - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
These targeted ads are starting to get a bit lairy, like who the fuck are you talking to here eh?
October 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
These targeted ads are starting to get a bit lairy, like who the fuck are you talking to here eh?
Not Your Superwoman (Bush) - Has a nice energy and both Wright and Rosheuvel are excellent, bringing to life characters across generations. The humour lands and is well pitched, though the more dramatic dialogue feels too therapeutic and pointed, which diminishes some of the authenticity - ⭐⭐⭐
October 29, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Not Your Superwoman (Bush) - Has a nice energy and both Wright and Rosheuvel are excellent, bringing to life characters across generations. The humour lands and is well pitched, though the more dramatic dialogue feels too therapeutic and pointed, which diminishes some of the authenticity - ⭐⭐⭐
Hamlet (Lyttelton) - Hiran Abeysekera is remarkable in the title role and there's much to admire in the attempts to draw out the opportunities for humour in the text but this loses steam and is much less creative post-interval. Can't fault the writing though; that Shakespeare lad will go far - ⭐⭐⭐
October 28, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Hamlet (Lyttelton) - Hiran Abeysekera is remarkable in the title role and there's much to admire in the attempts to draw out the opportunities for humour in the text but this loses steam and is much less creative post-interval. Can't fault the writing though; that Shakespeare lad will go far - ⭐⭐⭐
Carmen (Coliseum) - Great performances and music, and the ending is shocking, but the staging is messy and uninspired, with little done to establish any sense of time or place. The strength of the source material keeps this afloat but it's very oddly choreographed and designed - ⭐⭐⭐
October 25, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Carmen (Coliseum) - Great performances and music, and the ending is shocking, but the staging is messy and uninspired, with little done to establish any sense of time or place. The strength of the source material keeps this afloat but it's very oddly choreographed and designed - ⭐⭐⭐
The Maids (Donmar) - Fabulous. The modern stylisation heightens the timeless themes of class and depersonalisation, while also examining how technology and the parasocial nature of our relationship with fame blur boundaries and upend what is real. Fantastic performances and staging - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 25, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The Maids (Donmar) - Fabulous. The modern stylisation heightens the timeless themes of class and depersonalisation, while also examining how technology and the parasocial nature of our relationship with fame blur boundaries and upend what is real. Fantastic performances and staging - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
He has never looked hotter, my god
October 25, 2025 at 10:09 AM
He has never looked hotter, my god
Born with Teeth (Wyndham's) - A pair of great performances and the chemistry between them is palpable, which elevates the material in its clunkier moments. The direction is stylish and the conflicting moods are well handled, though it's sometimes a little too self-satisfied and knowing - ⭐⭐⭐
October 23, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Born with Teeth (Wyndham's) - A pair of great performances and the chemistry between them is palpable, which elevates the material in its clunkier moments. The direction is stylish and the conflicting moods are well handled, though it's sometimes a little too self-satisfied and knowing - ⭐⭐⭐
all of her children follow her! Need all the tea on this situation tbf
October 23, 2025 at 9:13 AM
all of her children follow her! Need all the tea on this situation tbf