Aliya Al-Hassan - Page 4

PucciniAs the nights draw in, it seems highly appropriate to return to Glyndebourne for the start of its Autumn season and the chilly streets of Puccini’s La bohème. Floris Visser’s production, beautifully revived by Rachael Hewer, has the spectre of death ever-present. In this case, quite literally as a pale man dressed in black (Christopher Lemmings) appears to stalk Mimì, making her fate even more inevitable than usual.

Mary Page Marlowe is an accountant from Ohio. She's led an ordinary life, making the difficult decisions we all face as we try to figure out who we really are and what we really want. As Tracy Letts brings us moments-both pivotal and mundane-from Mary's life, a portrait of a surprisingly complicated woman emerges. Intimate and moving, Mary Page Marlowe shows us how circumstance, impulse and time can combine to make us mysteries...even to ourselves. Susan Surandon makes her London stage debut, alongside Andrea Riseborough, who returns to the stage after 15 years.

1969 was a time of seismic social change. Attitudes towards religion, sex and female emancipation were shifting. Sarah Shelton's Blessings introduces us to the Deacon family who gather at Easter, conflicted by traditional Catholic influences and the new social norms. This potentially interesting premise is unfortunately undermined by a stuttering structure and meandering plotlines.

No one could accuse Max Webster's flamboyant production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest of being subtle. A new cast takes the reins from the National Theatre's hugely successful production last year and moves onto the intimate Noël Coward stage, bringing with them the biting wit, vibrant costumes and sexual fluidity that made this show such a hit.

It’s over 40 years since English National Opera staged Rossini's Cinderella (La Cenerentola) and they open their 2025-26 season with a vibrant new production of the sparkling comedy. After the rocky time the company has had in recent times, it is great to see them having such fun on stage.

Adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks’ 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics by Brooks and music by Brooks and Glen Kelly. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Complications arise when the show unexpectedly turns out to be successful. What did the critics think of the show's transfer to the West End, after sell-out run at the Menier Chocolate factory?

It took over twenty years for a revival of Mel Brooks's The Producers to come to London and the diminutive Menier Chocolate Factory more than held its own for a sold-out and universally well-received show. Now it makes a triumphant move to the West End's Garrick Theatre and continues to prove that great comedy is simply timeless. 

Orange Tree artistic director Tom Littler first directed Howard Brenton’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Creditors at Jermyn Street Theatre in 2019, in rep with Miss Julie. He has secured quite a coup in gathering such a star-studded cast of acting veterans with Geraldine James, Nicholas Farrell and Charles Dance in this wonderfully performed but underwhelming production.

South African soprano Golda Schultz is always a treat to hear; with honeyed tones, rich storytelling and nimble versatility, the programme at Saturday's prom was an excellent vehicle to show off her considerable skills.

Winter 1591. It is a dangerous time for artists: the country is full of conspiracy and paranoia. In the backroom of a pub, writing sensations Kit Marlowe and Will Shakespeare are forced together in a creative union. Alone, with the table as their stage and battlefield, they sharpen their pens – and let their genius fly. Across three secret meetings, the rivals duel and flirt like their lives depend on it – and with spies everywhere, betrayal is so tempting.

Aria Entertainment & KT Producing have today announced the London premiere of major new folk musical Ballad Lines, which will run for eight weeks at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January - 21 March 2026.

Originally a 2003 film by Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, Interview was remade into an English-speaking version starring Sienna Miller and Steve Buscemi in 2007 after Van Gogh's death. Now directed and adapted for the stage by Teunkie Van Der Sluijs, Paten Hughes and Robert Sean Leonard star in this tense two-hander which never quite reaches its potential.

Mozart's beloved comedy The Marriage of Figaro opened Glyndebourne's very first Festival in 1934 and is the renowned opera house's most performed work. No sooner has the production closed in Sussex, it reappeared in London at the BBC Proms for a super semi-staged version.

Politics, queer love and identity combine in Josh Maughan's quietly charming play Our 1972.​​​​​​​ Cricket nut Ben and academic Andy meet on the train travelling to start new lives at the London School of Economics. Ben has broken up with his girlfriend, Andy is wary of new relationships, having been stung by a previous queer experience at home. They form an awkward friendship, which quickly becomes a passionate relationship.

As thousands of young people stock up on Ikea frying pans and instant noodles in preparation for their first step away from home, Nick Dawkins's A Manchester Anthem is a poignant, funny and touching portrait of one such young man's last night in his home city of Manchester before he leaves for university.

At The Proms over the weekend, conductor Nicholas Collon and his remarkable Aurora Orchestra collaborated with contemporary theatre company Frantic Assembly to explore the dual meanings and hypocrisies surrounding this seminal piece of music. The result is an inspired and genuinely innovative way of delving into the heart of the piece to educate the audience without ever dipping into condescension.

It's 20 years since Anoushka Shankar made her Proms debut, along with her father Ravi Shakar. Since then she has eclipsed even his enduring reputation as a world-renowned sitarist. Now a multi-Grammy-nominated artist, a sitar virtuoso and prolific composer, Shankar makes a triumphant return to the Royal Albert Hall for her fifth Prom: the world-premiere performance of her deeply personal ‘Chapters’ trilogy of albums.

Last seen in London over 35 years ago, Drew McOnie's inaugural season as Artistic Director of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre ends with him directing and choreographing a new production of Lerner & Loewe’s Scottish fantasy musical Brigadoon.

Emmy and Tony Award-winner Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) brings his acclaimed, Tony Award-winning performance to the Barbican this Summer in Good Night, Oscar – direct from a critically acclaimed Broadway season. What did the critics think?

Whether you are a fan of the franchise or not, the next actor to play James Bond is always headline news. Jordan Waller's frothy comedy A Role To Die For makes its London transfer from Cirencester's Barn Theatre, following a frantic search for the next Bond.