BWW Review: KILLER, Shoreditch Town HallFebruary 27, 2017Now playing in rep with The Pitchfork Disney, Killer is Philip Ridley's newest work; a darkly comic piece (quite literally) that pushes the boundaries of fear and suspense. It stands alone from everything on offer at the moment - you will not find anything else quite like this.
BWW Review: LIZZIE, Greenwich TheatreFebruary 24, 2017A rock musical about a suspected Victorian murderess - not your average night at the theatre, by any stretch of the imagination. Enter Lizzie, making its UK premiere at Greenwich Theatre. Tim Maner's book takes the infamous real life case and draws on several of the theories that have been devised over the years to try and explain the (as yet) unsolved crimes.
BWW Review: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Young VicFebruary 23, 2017'The course of true love never did run smooth.' A famous line from one of Shakespeare's most well known and well loved plays - and when Joe Hill-Gibbins is at the helm, you can be certain that the production won't be straightforward either.
Community Spirit and a Great Show at the WhatsOnStage AwardsFebruary 20, 2017Awards season is in full swing now, so this weekend was the turn of the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Held at the Prince of Wales Theatre, it prides itself on being the only event where winners are voted for exclusively by theatregoers.
BWW Review: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, Park TheatreFebruary 17, 2017Action To The Word are celebrating what would have been Anthony Burgess' 100th birthday with the London return of their production of the notorious A Clockwork Orange. It has previously run at the Edinburgh Festival and at venues worldwide, and takes over from Raising Martha at the Park Theatre.
BWW Review: THE BOYS IN THE BAND, Vaudeville TheatreFebruary 8, 2017Following a stint at London's Park Theatre and a UK tour, the revival production of Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band has a brief run on the West End; it takes over from Dead Funny in the Vaudeville prior to Stepping Out. Revolutionary when it first premiered on Broadway in 1968, it still has the potential to shock today - making its presence more important than ever.
BWW Review: DUBAILAND, Finborough TheatreFebruary 6, 2017Out goes the American Dream, and in its place is the Arabian Dream - but is everything as perfect as it seems? Carmen Nasr's Dubailand, currently playing in rep with Run The Beast at Finborough Theatre, attempts to look behind the glossy brochures at the human stories behind the city of Dubai.
BWW Review: THE PITCHFORK DISNEY, Shoreditch Town HallFebruary 2, 2017Philip Ridley's widely acclaimed 1991 play has been revived by Jamie Lloyd, and is back in its native East End for a limited run in conjunction with its partner production Killer. In a change from Lloyd's usual big, brash West End style, The Pitchfork Disney is being played in the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall. It follows in the footsteps of Trainspotting as an immersive piece of theatre with cult appeal.
BWW Review: DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, Charing Cross TheatreJanuary 23, 2017Maury Yeston, Peter Stone & Thomas Meehan's latest show to hit the stage, continuing Thom Southerland's season at Charing Cross, is a musical adaptation of the old Italian play La Morte In Vacanza. With echoes of The Phantom of the Opera in story and music, it stands out in the current crop of new musicals whilst not really breaking new ground.
BWW Review: PROMISES, PROMISES, Southwark PlayhouseJanuary 18, 2017Opening Southwark Playhouse's 2017 season, following a seasonal run of Kiki's Delivery Service in The Large, is a revival of Neil Simon's musical Promises, Promises. Based on the Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond film The Apartment, it incorporates the music of Bacharach and David, including hits such as 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again'.
BWW Review: ART, Old VicDecember 21, 2016Opening the Old Vic's 2016-17 season, and following on from the Glenda Jackson-led King Lear, 'Art' is a new translation of Yasmina Reza's French play that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It is a comedy of friendship that brings Rufus Sewell, Tim Key and Paul Ritter back to the London stage, and reunites the original production's creative team.
BWW Review: SAINT JOAN, Donmar WarehouseDecember 20, 2016George Bernard Shaw's 1923 play about the rise and fall of Joan of Arc closes the Donmar's autumn season, following One Night In Miami. Its main focus is female emancipation, highlighting the struggles that Joan faced to make her way through a man's world - as well as doing her best to stay true to her religion and loyalty to her country.
BWW Review: LUV, Park TheatreDecember 14, 2016Buckland Theatre Co. return to Park 90, following their critically acclaimed production Some Girl(s), with their revival of 1960s Broadway hit LUV, a comical look at the enduring struggle to get to grips with the meaning of love. It provides some welcome variety from the more festive offerings over the Christmas period.
BWW Review: GUY BARKER'S BIG BAND CHRISTMAS, Royal Albert HallDecember 12, 2016The Royal Albert Hall is rapidly becoming synonymous with London's Christmas festivities, even being voted the 'Most Prestigious Christmas Venue' at the Prestigious Star Awards 2016. It continued its seasonal programme last night with a concert from Guy Barker's Big Band, with the help of a number of special guests.
BWW Review: ONCE IN A LIFETIME, Young VicDecember 7, 2016After a 2016 programme that included Blue/Orange and Yerma, the first offering in the Young Vic's new season is a revival of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's Once in a Lifetime, which also marks comedian Harry Enfield's stage debut.
BWW Review: THIS HOUSE, Garrick TheatreDecember 2, 2016James Graham's political masterpiece makes its long-awaited West End transfer after runs at the National Theatre in 2012-13 and Chichester Festival this September. It takes over from the Branagh Theatre Company at the Garrick for a timely, yet limited, season.
BWW Review: NICE FISH, Harold Pinter Theatre, 25 November 2016November 26, 2016After the Harold Pinter Theatre had its final Sunny Afternoon in October, it is now home to Nice Fish for a limited run. Coming over from a sold-out season at New York's St Ann's Warehouse, the play is a unique collaboration between Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins, an American prose poet.
BWW Review: KING LEAR, Barbican, 15 November 2016November 16, 2016Considered by many to be Shakespeare's most tragic play of all, the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear has transferred to London's Barbican for its winter season.
BWW Review: COMUS, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, 1 November 2016November 2, 2016Hot on the heels of the hugely successful summer season comes 'Wonder Noir', Emma Rice's first winter season at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and with it an opening production of John Milton's masque, Comus. A dark reflection of the Wonder Season opener, A Midsummer Night's Dream, it is a tale that truly befits the season's moniker.
BWW Review: MURDER BALLAD, Arts Theatre, 5 October 2016October 6, 2016Following a brief Off-Broadway foray in 2013, Murder Ballad makes its UK premiere at the Arts Theatre featuring an all-star cast of seasoned musical theatre performers. It is a 90-minute, sung-through rock musical with dangerous intentions.