Kat Mokrynski

After a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, Jazz Emu: The Pleasure Is All Yours arrives at Soho Theatre in London. The show heralds the return of “musical meteor” Jazz Emu (AKA Archie Henderson), who has returned after a world tour with one single goal - to satisfy every single audience member.

For their Christmas show this year, The Mill at Sonning is putting on My Fair Lady, the 1956 Broadway musical written by Alan Jay Lerner (Lyrics and Book) and Frederick Loewe (Music). For those unfamiliar with the venue, it is an intimate, 217-seat theatre in the semi-round that operates as a dinner theatre, where audiences have a lovely two-course meal before the performance begins.

After the show that won him the Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer last year, comedian Joe Kent-Walters is back as the Working Men’s Club owner, Frankie Monroe, entertaining audiences with jokes, songs and plenty of interaction. But, there’s a twist - in last year’s show, Frankie was dragged down to Hell “by his balls” after making a deal with the Devil to keep the Misty Moon club open. Now, “Yorkshire’s biggest bastard” has to escape, and he needs your help.

Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, written by Humphrey Ker and David Reed with original songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Price, has the iconic duo of Sherlock Holmes (Ker) and John Watson (Reed) solving a string of mysterious murders on the West End in Victorian England.

Santa has lost his Christmas spirit, and it’s up to you to save it! That’s the main theme of Humbug - a three-hour long experience inside of The Vaults, which has been transformed into a holiday-themed wonderland. But that’s not the only thing audience members have to save - After a long wait out in the cold, they are introduced to Howard the Mailman (Perry Meadowcroft), who has had one too many cocktails in the bar and has somehow managed to lose every letter written to the Big Man in Red. Thrown in a waitress (Savannah Beckford) whose singing brings a Christas curse, and you’ve got yourselves in quite the pickle.

Recently, we had the chance to speak with George Blagden, who plays George in A Ghost In Your Ear. We discussed what made him want to be a part of the production, what it has been like to work on a show with binaural sound and even why a bit of horror can be good for audience members!

After nearly a decade, the hit Netflix television series, Stranger Things, will be coming to a close with Season Five. But fear not, fans - there is still the stage version, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, running in the West End. The play is a prequel to the events on screen, showing some of the older characters in high school and exploring the origins of the show’s main villain, Vecna. Recently, we had the chance to speak with Jack Christou, who plays the role of Henry Creel. We discussed what it is like to be part of the stage adaptation of such a popular television series, how he prepared for the role and even what he hopes audiences take away from the show as a whole.

Next month, J.B. Priestley’s beloved comedy, When We Are Married, will open at the Donmar Warehouse. Directed by Tim Sheader, the play follows three couples in a small Yorkshire town as their lives are turned upside down by a shocking revelation. Recently, we had the chance to speak with Jim Howick, who plays Herbert Soppitt in When We Are Married. We discussed how he first got started in the world of theatre, what made him want to be a part of this production, and what he hopes audiences take away from the play.

Next month, the play Daniel’s Husband will make its UK debut at the Marylebone Theatre. The show, written by Michael McKeever and directed by Alan Souza, follows Daniel [Joel Harper-Jackson] and Mitchell [Luke Fetherston] as a crisis makes them question even the basic foundation of their relationship. Recently, we had the chance to speak with McKeever and Souza about Daniel’s Husband’s upcoming London run. We discussed how each of them first got started in the world of theatre, what it’s been like to prepare the show for its upcoming run and what makes Daniel’s Husband more than just a show about gay marriage.

Elf the Musical, an adaptation of the hit film starring Will Ferrell, has returned to the West End for the Christmas season, with Joel Montague taking on the role of Buddy the Elf. The show follows Buddy as he leaves the North Pole to find his human father after discovering that he is actually not an elf like everyone else.

Six teenagers are killed in a freak rollercoaster accident and find themselves in a competition in which they must sing a song to prove that they are the person that should be brought back to life by a mysterious fortune-telling machine. Quite the wild tale, no? But that’s only the beginning of Ride The Cyclone. The show, created by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell in Canada in 2009, has been given a run in London, directed and choreographed by Lizzi Gee.

Lou Wall: Breaking the Fifth Wall is one of those shows that is difficult to describe (and review!) without giving away the performer’s secrets. The show, directed by fellow comedian Zoë Coombs Marr, is essentially a follow-up to a bit of Wall’s that went viral, in which they sing about how they put their bedframe up on Facebook Marketplace with hilarious consequences.

Later this month, Samantha Barks will be embarking on the Cathedral Tour, in which she will travel to some of the UK’s spectacular cathedrals, performing whilst lit by candlelight. The show promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime evening, with Barks sharing personal stories through songs and conversations.

Liam Withnail: Big Strong Boy is an hour of comedy that has Withnail aiming to answer an important question about his life - is he happy? The show is inspired by a conversation that the comedian had with a friend when they were catching up, with the friend asking Withnail if they were happy living in Edinburgh after leaving his hometown of Dagenham.

Created by Akeim Toussaint Buck, Toussaint to Move: FREE is a dance performance that combines reggae dub culture and contemporary dance, allowing audience members to become immersed in the world created by the five performers - Aline Simo Kamga, Francesca Matthys, Jemima Tawose, Márcio Inácio and Manukaa Tony Kaaba.

Tom Rosenthal: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am is, essentially, a form of lecture on the 2006 Arctic Monkeys’ debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not - the title of the show is a bit of a hint!

After some feedback from her last show, Urooj Ashfaq has returned with a new hour as a transformed woman. How to Be a Baddie has Ashfaq leaving behind the good-girl expectations that were set in the show that won her the Best Newcomer award at the 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards. But what inspired this change?

Even from the title of Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen, one can tell whose side writer Gareth Hides is on. The new musical, directed by Adam Stone, tells the story of Mary I of England (Cezarah Bonner) and Lady Jane Grey (Anna Unwin), cousins who were caught up in a battle for the Queendom after the death of Edward VI (played by a literal puppet), the son of Henry VIII. The title of the show comes from the nicknames for the two women, with Mary executing Jane after convicting her of treason for her nine-day reign as Queen of England and Ireland.

“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” This RuPaul quote may seem like a lofty topic for an hour-long comedy show, but Helen Bauer is ready to tackle it. Even though the audience might only see one person on the stage, Helen Bauer: Bless Her is a two-woman show, as Bauer brings her eight-year-old self into the spotlight at the request of her therapist.

Directed by Jon Brittain, Janine Harouni: This Is What You Waited For has had Harouni travelling around the world, landing in London with her longest stint at Soho Theatre