Review: AVENUE Q, Shaftesbury Theatre
by Aliya Al-Hassan - Apr 17, 2026
The puppet show pumped full of profanity is back. Jason Moore's outrageous Avenue Q premiered in the West End two decades ago, bringing issues such as racism, the housing crisis and youth identity crisis to the stage in a unique and incredibly clever format. Oh yes, and there is explicit puppet sex too.
Photos: AVENUE Q Returns to the West End
by Stephi Wild - Mar 25, 2026
All new photos have been released for the West End return of AVENUE Q, bringing the original Broadway puppets to the Shaftesbury Theatre for a strictly limited season. Check out the photos below!
Review: 42 BALLOONS at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
by Rachel Weinberg - Jun 11, 2025
“What makes a man try to fly in a lawn chair?” is 42 BALLOONS most repeated lyric. It’s on the nose — and it’s repeated across six interludes in Jack Godfrey’s new musical. Based on the real-life story of Larry Walters, who in 1982 reached a height of 16,000 feet flying a lawn chair accompanied by 42 leather balloons, the musical is squarely focused on that answer.
Critics' Pick: Aliya Al-Hassan's Best Theatre of 2023
by Aliya Al-Hassan - Dec 28, 2023
The pure joy of theatre is its ability to constantly renew and surprise. For me, 2023 saw a plethora of excellent musicals. Notoriously hard to get right, this year seemed to feature both clever revivals and future successes, many of which remained in my thoughts long after I left the theatre.