Neil Brewer

What did our critic think of OVER AND OUT REVIEWED BY LOTTIE BUTCHER at Hannah Playhouse?

What did our critic think of JULIA at BRAVE Theatre?

What did our critic think of HEATHERS THE MUSICAL at Wellington Opera House?

What did our critic think of THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL at Wellington Repertory? For audiences who enjoy period theatre, this is a production well worth seeing.

What did our critic think of TELL ME THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE at Wellington Comic Opera?

What did our critic think of FUQ BOIZ at Bats Theatre?

This is a play that will linger in the mind long after the curtain falls.

& Juliet is a jukebox musical that premiered in Manchester in 2019 before opening in London’s West End later that year. Created by writer David West Read, with a score made up of pop hits by Max Martin, it reimagines Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet through a modern, feminist lens. The show later transferred to Broadway in 2022.

What did our critic think of RIDE THE CYCLONE BY WITCH MUSIC THEATRE at Circa Theatre?

Catch Me If You Can is a stage musical based on the real-life story of master con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. With a book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the show premiered in 2009 before opening on Broadway in 2011, earning multiple Tony Award nominations. It is celebrated for its slick storytelling and its infectious, 1960s-inspired score.

Chicago is a musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. It premiered on Broadway in 1975, inspired by real-life 1920s murder cases reported by journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins. Initially overshadowed by A Chorus Line, the show achieved iconic status following its 1996 Broadway revival, which went on to become one of the longest‑running productions in Broadway history.

Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show premiered in London in 1973, born from his love of sci‑fi B‑movies and glam rock, and quickly grew into a cult theatrical hit celebrated for its wild, subversive energy.

First performed in 1990, Gasping is Ben Elton’s debut stage play, a sharp, satirical comedy that takes gleeful aim at corporate excess. It quickly became a hit thanks to its exaggerated, almost cartoon‑like depiction of the high‑powered world of big business.

Bold, often raunchy, frequently funny, and unexpectedly tender

What did our critic think of FRANK. THE MUSICAL at Gryphon Theatre?

What did our critic think of KING LEAR at Butterfly Creek Theatre Troupe?

The Book of Will is a contemporary play by American playwright Lauren Gunderson, first premiering in January 2017 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It went on to win the 2018 Harold and Mimi Steinberg / American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, recognising it as one of the most significant new American plays of its year.

As I’ve now been reviewing for BroadwayWorld for two years, I thought it would be fun to share my take on the best of everything I’ve seen over the past year. Some categories are split between community and professional theatre where it felt necessary; others stand alone.

Agatha Christie’s stage adaptation of her classic novel, which premiered in London on September 20, 1943, was an instant success and later moved to Broadway under the title Ten Little Indians in June 1944.