Review Roundup: ELEKTRA, Starring Brie LarsonFebruary 6, 2025Starring Brie Larson, Daniel Fish directs the first major revival in over a decade of Sophokles’ electrifying and timeless play, Elektra, with a translation by poet Anne Carson, at the Duke Of York’s Theatre.
Review: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, London ColiseumFebruary 6, 2025Joe Hill-Gibbins’s new production of The Marriage of Figaro for English National Opera opened back in March 2020 for a single performance before Covid struck. Thankfully, nearly five years on it has been given a second life at the London Coliseum and it is a riotous delight from start to finish.
Review: PLAY ON!, Lyric HammersmithFebruary 3, 2025During these dark and cold nights, something magical is happening on stage at the Lyric Hammersmith. Play On! was originally created by director Sheldon Epps and writer Cheryl L. West back in 1997, transferring from San Diego to Broadway. Talawa theatre company have stripped the show back and have created a truly joyful production to delight the most curmudgeonly of audiences.
Review: SUMMER 1954, Richmond TheatreJanuary 28, 2025Director James Dacre presents these two short dramas by Terence Rattigan under the banner title Summer 1954, the date when the action is set. An unusual pairing of these unshowy productions convey the intellectually astute and emotionally searing spirit of Rattigan’s writing.
Review: THE LONELY LONDONERS, Kiln TheatreJanuary 17, 2025Roy Williams’ tight adaptation of Sam Selvon’s 1956 rather meandering novel The Lonely Londoners continues that education. It was a hit when it played at the diminutive Jermyn Street theatre last year. Ebenezer Bamboye’s adaptation now comes to the Kiln Theatre, transporting you to a Bayswater bedsit in the 1950s where four West Indian men are trying to make their way in a city that seems to despise them.
Review: OLIVER!, Gielgud TheatreJanuary 15, 2025After blowing audiences away in Chichester, Matthew Bourne’s addictive version of Lionel Bart’s beloved OLIVER! lands in the West End in truly glorious form.
Review Roundup: Did TITANÍQUE Sink or Swim in the West End?January 10, 2025When the music of Céline Dion makes sweet Canadian love with the eleven-time Oscar®-winning film Titanic, you get Titaníque, New York’s most award-winning splash hit that turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical musical fantasia.
Review: TITANÍQUE, Criterion TheatreJanuary 10, 2025What started as one-night showing in Los Angeles, after docking on Broadway, in Canada and Australia, Titaníque has now sailed into London. Based on the idea that global pop icon Céline Dion was actually the hero of the 1997 James Cameron film, Titanic, the absurdity of this dazzlingly camp and frankly ridiculous show only grows from there.
Review: BILL BAILEY: THOUGHTIFIER, Theatre Royal HaymarketJanuary 6, 2025A comedian, a musician, a nature-lover, a philosopher. Bill Bailey has now surely also cemented his status as national treasure. His latest show, Thoughtifier, is about his intriguing thought processes, channelled through music. So nothing new there then. However, Bailey ensures that a show that runs over two hours never flags, maintaining characteristic charm and curiosity throughout.
Review: DUCK POND, Southbank CentreDecember 20, 2024When circus is performed well, it is as high an art form as perfectly executed ballet or impeccable Shakespearean oratory. When it falls down in execution, it falls hard. Australian circus company Circa's production Duck Pond unfortunately belongs in the latter camp.
Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Richmond TheatreDecember 12, 2024There’s a little bit of magic occurring on Richmond Green this festive season. You won’t find acerbic political commentary, much booing, hissing or lewd double-entendres, but Richmond Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast is a brightly coloured, sweet and rather gentle affair, perfect for some good old-fashioned entertainment for all the family.
Review: THE PRODUCERS, Menier Chocolate FactoryDecember 11, 2024Good things come to those who wait. Last seen in the West End way back in 2004, starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, Mel Brooks' satirical work of genius, The Producers, has finally goose-stepped its way to a glorious return to the London stage at the wonderful Menier Chocolate Factory.