UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

The sinister chords of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' 'Red Right Hand' ring out as Tommy Shelby stands, flanked by family members, with the light glinting from the razor blade sewn into his wool tweed cap. It's a scene familiar to any fan of the global hit TV show Peaky Blinders. But something's diffe...

In its transformation from page to stage, this production seems to lose its bite....

Angel Theatre Company have a lot of fun, but still find some bite, with their snatches of conversation overheard in London in 2022....

Commissioned by Southwark Council, Linda Wilkinson writes a historically accurate account laden with fiction to explore the strings attached to progress. Author Mary Shelley and human rights activist Octavia Hill coexist in this tonally odd piece, playing ghosts in each other’s lives....

Jonathan Spector’s much-anticipated comedy Eureka Day starring Helen Hunt explores how a group of people with the same overt goals can diverge so wildly in their approaches to meeting them. By making its lead an opponent of vaccination, though, it treads a dangerous path....

Audra McDonald’s name sits right at the centre of the Broadway firmament. A record-breaking performer among the queens of musicals, her cup of talent certainly runneth over. ...

For music lovers, it’s the anniversary album-in-full gigs. For bookworms, it’s the sneaky extra chapter in the paperback edition. And for cinephiles, it’s the film in concert series. ...

Addictive Beats is a missed opportunity to attract a younger generation to explore mental health. Sure, the music is crazy cool and the show promises a great vibe, but, as it is, it’s a production that only scrapes the top of its themes but saved a lot of money on seat rental....

Produced by Outbox and Shoreditch Town Hall, Groove tells a story at the heart of every gay community: that of the dancefloor and those who gather on it....

Sus retains its power and relevance, but one can't help wondering if it requires an update to account for the changes in policing minorities in the 43 years since it was written - at their roots, the problems are the same, but they present somewhat differently....

What fresh hell is this? Those who come to see musical theatre for the acting, the songs and the story may be wondering where Cages fits into this art form....

Tyler’s trying to get his driver’s licence. Six years after his first attempt, he’s enlisted Max as an instructor. With a reputation as the best in Birmingham and dozens of successful candidates to prove it, he has quite a dictatorial attitude to his lessons. Locked in the cockpit, their initi...

The Prince is a weird concept. With a flurry of gender theory and top-notch queerness enveloped by sword fights and iambic pentameter, it’s a refreshingly sacrilegious approach to Shakespeare....

There's no place like Paris, so welcome to my world of opera'. So says Renée Fleming, when introducing this film on the city which invented the word 'connoisseur'. ...

One woman's reflections on her life as a Jew in the 20th century throw light on the history of a people - and give us much food for thought in the 21st....

Comprising over fifty Ukrainian refugee dancers, the United Ukrainian Ballet’s debut in London was always going to be a moving and courageous showing....

The DOT’s touring production of Pygmalion is a unique interpretation of George Bernard Shaw’s writings and whose script has a stronger focus on the rather unpleasant character of Henry Higgins rather than the more romanticised musical version My Fair Lady....

Big ambitious new play derailed by too many cookie-cutter characters and a central dilemma that fails to land as its explanation lacks the required clarity...

Indhu Rubasingham's revival of Buffini’s play is playful and fiercely funny, whilst deftly tackling serious issues. It explores the battle of wills between two powerful women: The Queen and Margaret Thatcher, through the eleven years Thatcher served as Prime Minister....

The new company brings new energy to Matthew Dunster’s production, but the core of the show remains a smashing success....

Anthony McCarten's thoughtful and witty play is now revived at Kingston’s Rose Theatre in a production that deftly combines solemnity with fun in portraying the fictional relationship between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis....

This two-man show explores what it’s like for a gay Muslim, who’s also dealing with the expectations of his Pakistani family and the wider community; it also investigates the continued threat of the UK’s ‘hostile environment’ – a deadly game of chance for many at-risk individuals....

With the opening night delayed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II and coming at a period of national mourning, this latest revival of Kasper Holten’s take on Don Giovanni is as cathartic an experience as it gets....

As directed by Littler, it’s deceivingly traditional on the surface. The staging is rather conventional with its 30s sitting rooms, period furniture, and interwar fashion tying the subject matter to its temporal setting and social class. ...

An awkward marriage of melodrama and naturalism...