UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

Silly plot saved by wonderful performances and real joy at the prospect of being seen at last...

Anya Reiss reimagines the Ibsen classic for a disaster capitalist's world, but never establishes the credibility it needs...

The Last Five Years meets Gravity to introduce their unfortunate lovechild. Daniel steals a spacecraft and leaves Earth; his ex-girlfriend, Emily, is left behind. A trio of scientists breaks down their complicated relationship while Daniel records his days orbiting the planet. On paper, Theo Jamieso...

There is a moment in TWO where you could hear a pin drop: the affable 1980s soundtrack shuts off, and a glass shatters on the floor behind the bar. A stranger has said something out-of-turn in the pub, and threatened to reveal whatever heartache is lurking beneath the surface of the rough-and-ready ...

A play that makes its demands but provides its rewards...

Jessica Parks is a maverick London Crown Court Judge; sharp, compassionate, and determined to change a system she knows isn’t always just. But her career exists inter alia (‘among other things’) as she balances motherhood, friendship and the elusive notion of ‘having it all’. So, when an u...

Given only the slightest of insights into what Christopher Nolan intended, Hans Zimmer set about creating a score for Interstellar that he would later call the best work of his career. Hearing it live accompanied by a screening of the film is a sensational experience....

Take a trip from Fleet Street to Wapping, 40 years on...

In Prima Facie, former lawyer and playwright Suzie Miller wrote about a lawyer whose faith in her profession is shaken by an experience of sexual assault. Now in Inter Alia, which transfers to the West End after an acclaimed National Theatre run, she exposes the limits of the justice system when it ...

Eccentric artist Fenella Harford (Sylvestra Le Touzel) inherits her family’s stately home and uncovers a cache of hidden diaries that may rewrite its history. She recruits ambitious academic Marva (Rakie Ayola) to authenticate them, who in turn brings in her overlooked mentor Abi (Cherrelle Skeete...

Lifeline is the kind of play that feels as though it was composed with the help of a mindmap with one word circled in the centre, around which all parts of the drama must orbit. In this case, that word – or phrase, in fact – was ‘antibiotic resistance’....

Gabby’s Dollhouse Live! delivers a bright and engaging theatrical experience that leans confidently into its message of friendship, resilience and imaginative play. This four star production translates the charm of the popular series into a lively stage show that keeps its young audience firmly at...

With countless depictions of Queen Victoria in the media, Daisy Goodwin has managed to create something original and thought-provoking. Forcing the audience to question both history and memory, it's the wonderful cast and stunning visuals that complement her script and make for an all-around excitin...

Having been on and off, in London, LA, and  New York, since 2012, Choir Boy clearly isn’t going away any time soon. While occasionally off-kilter, this immaculately performed powerhouse production is proof that it’s the kind of show that deserves a place among the classics...

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s scandalous 1782 novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, has received several adaptations over the years. None more resonant than Christopher Hampton’s 1985 reinvention which is now revived and updated in a masterful manner by Marianne Elliot at the National Theatre....

Good songs and good performances but a curiously mixed message from Sara Bareilles's smash hit show...

Inspired by a true story and based on the Miramax motion picture written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, Kinky Boots features a warm and witty book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and a richly diverse musical score from Grammy Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper, in her stunning theat...

Robert Icke is back in the West End with another star-studded classic in tow. After tackling Sophocles last year, he returns to Shakespeare, revisiting the Bard’s most misrepresented tragedy: Romeo and Juliet. Fourteen years after his directorial debut for Headlong with a radical rendition of the ...

Mayerling is an experience - let no one tell you otherwise. Kenneth MacMillan’s 1978 ballet delves into the true story of the 19th century Austro-Hungarian court, and specifically the experience of the heir apparent; Crown Prince Rudolf. ...

Last seen in the West End in 2019, Cyndi Lauper and Matt Fierstein's uplifting musical Kinky Boots finally struts its way back to London after a national tour. Originating at the Curve Leicester and directed by its artistic director Nikolai Foster, it brings starry sparkle to the stage with the cast...

What did our critic think of BOOK REVIEW: THE PLAYS OF HENRICK IBSEN, BY DAVID IRVIN at Bookshops?...

​There aren’t many times in your life where you can safely say you’ve watched a lip-sync routine to a song about being on Jobseeker’s Allowance, all the while having just watched a clown piece seemingly about how Year 7’s always have backpacks larger than them. However, Long Night Produc...

**** 'It would be hard to not fall for the charm of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. A celebration of femalehood, Black culture and community, it’s filled with a vibrant joy and celebration in part thanks to a cast who share a wonderful chemistry. As client Jennifer says, it’s like being at home ...

Henry V of England is one of those big roles for an actor. Alfie Enoch follows in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier and Tom Hiddleston as the king who led a battalion of tired and outnumbered soldiers to victory. Excellent performances may save it, but co-artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare C...

Revival of 1935 play could have much relevance to today, but cannot find a route out of slow and dated writing...