Alice Cope

This is a fantastical and entertaining production and a great way to honour the icon herself.

Shakespeare's classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet is currently being performed with an exciting and contemporary makeover at the iconic Globe Theatre, enchanting younger audiences with modern twists, an engaging diverse cast and daring BMX stunts.

Two very different performances, Cerberus and Goat, from Rambert, deliver a meta dance comedy exploring life, death and performance.

A stunning celebration of the music of Birmingham legends Black Sabbath performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The combination of heavy metal music with ballet may not seem an obvious one but here we are thanks to the direction of Carlos Acosta, who had the vision to celebrate Birmingham’s most popular musical exports, Black Sabbath, in this three-act ballet from Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Based on the 1958 book Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, this is the endearing story of a working class London cleaner. After catching sight of a Dior gown at the home of a client, Mrs Ada Harris is enthralled by the idea of owning her own Dior gown and sets about working tirelessly to make this dream a reality.

Written and directed by Ben Elton, Close Up: The Twiggy Musical is fast paced jukebox biopic of the iconic Twiggy is a moving but entirely relatable story; although she is an international superstar, her life portrayed within this show highlights some of the more personal moments.

Returning to the stage with a splash, The Old Man & The Pool is his latest solo show, written and performed by Mike Birbiglia, it follows the success of his previous shows including My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend.

Following a successful UK tour, The Way Old Friends Do, written and directed by Ian Hallard and Mark Gatiss respectively, is now open for a west end run at the Criterion Theatre.

The premise for this show is full of potential, and there is plenty of talent involved, but unfortunately a somewhat incoherent and not particularly compelling narrative mean that the show fails to deliver to be the showstopper performance which it could have been.

This touring production is the first to include female actresses included as regular Charlie Bucket performers. This is just one of the ways that inclusion has been developed into this production as scenes with Charlie’s mother, performed here by Leonie Spilsbury, see the actors very effortlessly include BSL as part of their character communication with each other. 

As part of the Southbank Centre family events, Dennis and Gnasher have been visiting Royal Festival Hall along with the BBC Concert Orchestra. This family concert celebrated the iconic Beano characters in the form of their latest media iteration - Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed, a current computer animated children’s television show. 

This much loved musical from George Stiles and Anthony Drewe returns to London for the first time since it was produced by Cameron Mackintosh at the Novello Theatre in 2011.

The hotly anticipated UK production of the new musical adaptation of Disney's Winnie the Pooh has arrived in London at Riverside Studios. This charming new stage show takes us on a series of whimsical adventures with the well loved characters created by A.A. Milne including Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore.

This may only be 70 minutes, but Brendan Murphy fits an impressive volume of content into his performance. Fast talking, crass and engaging, Murphy emerges in a blast of energy as his version of Spike, a character from popular 1990s show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The concept of a Greek tragedy as a Christmas show may seem contrary or unusual, but in fact this entire performance is built on such contradictions.

This is the second outing for the Death Drop team following on from the popularity of the first Death Drop play which toured in 2020. This time for Death Drop: Back in the Habit, directed by Jesse Jones, we meet new characters as the comedy horror mystery tale takes place in the convent of Saint Babs.

Hannah Einbinder covers many major life events including birth, death and awkward teenage encounters. She is relatable yet fresh throughout and peppers her anecdotes with carefully timed pauses and quick dry wit so that the joke lands each and every time.

A delightfully entertaining performance full of energy and talented young stars.

There is something perversely voyeuristic about this play, watching the self-destruction of these four individuals, and in particular the complex and antagonistic relationships.

It would be really quite difficult to watch this musical and not leave with a smile on your face. Whether or not you're a big fan of Carole King's own singing career, you'll find great joy in the way that the range of pop songs from her songwriting era - which are peppered throughout - are performed so wonderfully.