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Aliya Al-Hassan
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Amber-Rae Stobbs
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Caroline Cronin
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Cheryl Markosky
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Cindy Marcolina
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Debbie Gilpin
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Franco Milazzo
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Gary Naylor
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Guest Author
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Kat Mokrynski
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Matthew Paluch
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Mica Blackwell
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Michael Higgs
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Vikki Jane Vile
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Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Reading Rep Theatre
A biscuit-scented, warm-hearted Dickens – Beth Flintoff's adaptation relocates the classic to Reading's Huntley & Palmers factory, and the result is festive theatre with real local soul. Until 3 Jan...
Review: PRIVATE VIEW, Soho Theatre
The last year or so have often been described online as London’s ‘lesbian renaissance’. Now adding to the sapphic canon is Jess Edwards’ Private View, a rom-com turned dark that explores codependency and opposition....
Exhibition: THE LINBURY PRIZE FOR STAGE DESIGN 2025, National Theatre
A free exhibition at the National Theatre proves an eye-opener for those of us who, too often, take stage design for granted...
Film Review: BLUE MOON, In Cinemas
Richhard Linklater's film is set of the opening night of Oklahoma! in 1943, the beginning of the end for Richard Rodgers' first lyricist...
Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: A HORNY LOVE STORY, Charing Cross Theatre
In an age of transphobic fearmongering about any drag queen daring to perform in front of children, acknowledging the fact that British family entertainment has always been queer feels more important than ever. He’s Behind You takes this one step further, extending the concept of queer adult panto...
Review: TONY HADLEY - THE CHRISTMAS BIG BAND TOUR, Royal Albert Hall
'True', 'Gold' and plenty of easy listening classics gives his adoring public exactly what they want...
Review: CINDERELLA, Rose Theatre
The Rose Theatre's Cinderella is definitely not a pantomime, but nor is it a straightforward re-telling of the story. Updates to classic fairy tales are not new, but co-writers Chris Bush and Roni Neale give us a recognisable story with several twists along the way; where blended families and frien...
Review: THE CHRISTMAS THING, Seven Dials Playhouse
The Christmas Thing is a variety show with a little too much variety, and sometimes feels like a showcase for its talented performers (and perhaps a few game audience members) rather than a standalone show....
Review: PUSS IN BOOTS, Theatre Royal Winchester
At Theatre Royal Winchester this holiday season, Play to the Crowd is bringing one of the classic pantomimes, Puss in Boots, to life in a pawsome new production, written and directed by Robin Belfield. Audiences join Puss (Bekah Selina), who must not only battle the evil Fluella Frostbite (Emma Fenn...
Review: FALLEN ANGELS, Menier Chocolate Factory
The 2025 revival of Noel Coward's Fallen Angels at the Menier Chocolate Factory, directed by Christopher Luscombe, offers a polished, refined evening of comedy, one that reminds us why Coward's wit, even after a century, can still sparkle with mischief. This is the first London production in 25 ye...
Review: RED, Chickenshed Theatre
Hundreds flood the stage to reaffirm the magic of theatre and the value of all...
Review: THE GREAT CHRISTMAS FEAST, The Lost Estate
At this time of year, theatregoers are tripping over versions of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The story of redemption and hope over greed and despair is one that never ages, but one that creatives often want to reinvent. However, sometimes the old ways are the best. Immersive storytellers T...
Review: THE GRIM, Southwark Playhouse
There’s nothing like a good comic horror to keep you warm in the wintertime, but you will find no such thing at Southwark Playhouse. The Grim is a badly paced, maladroit absurdist situational thriller that tries too hard to ease its nonexistent suspense with shallow laughter. Mid-60s, London has b...
Review: LETTERS LIVE, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Royal Albert Hall
The eighth edition of Letters Live once again proved that in an age dominated by instantaneous digital communication, nothing quite matches the resonant power of a well-preserved, handwritten letter. Staged as a dazzling, spontaneous event, the latest instalment brought together a truly eclectic mix...
Review: THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS, Brick Lane Music Hall
Here is something no other theatre critic will tell you: music halls are possibly the greatest secret treats in London. Given the choice between, on the one hand, getting a second mortgage so I can sit in a West End theatre with the kind of legroom that Ryanair would consider beyond the pale or, on ...
Review: THE STORM WHALE, Little Angel Theatre
The Storm Whale arrives at Little Angel Theatre Studios with a gentle sense of wonder which feels perfectly attuned to Benji Davies’ much loved book. This co production with York Theatre Royal, The Marlowe Theatre and Engine House captures the tenderness of the story, while expanding the world wit...
Review: PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL, Savoy Theatre
Paddington the Musical arrives at the Savoy Theatre with a heart full of hope and a suitcase packed with marmalade flavoured charm, delivering a joyous celebration of inclusion, diversity and equality in every beat....
Review: JAZZ EMU: THE PLEASURE IS ALL YOURS, Soho Theatre
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 audie...
Review: MY FAIR LADY, The Mill At Sonning
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...
Review: WE ARE THE LIONS, MR MANAGER, Sands Film Studios
Touring production wears its heart on its sleeve...
Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Leicester Curve
There are some stories that never grow old, and The Sound of Music is definitely one of them. Sixty years after the movie premiered, and sixty-six since the stage show first hit Broadway, this tale of love, family, the healing power of music, and resistance against persecution in 1930s Austria is as...
Review: SHADOWS - BALLET BLACK, Sadler’s Wells
Considering Ballet Black has been around for 24 years, it seems unbelievable that the current double bill Shadows is also a Sadler's Wells debut. Unfortunately it isn't their strongest work to date, choreographically speaking....
Review: NUTCRACKER NOIR, Protein Studios
Yes, it’s less than a month until Christmas so time to get stuck into a yuletide favourite – albeit with an immersive theatre/cabaret twist....
Review: THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, Riverside Studios
Arvind Ethan David’s new spin on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has finally beamed itself aboard Riverside Studios, trailing a marketing comet tail long enough to blot out a falling whale....
An Englishman Abroad - Gary Naylor Goes To Copenhagen
Tosca in Italian with English surtitles, from £20 in January, is next on this stage...
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