UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

Practical guides for writers come a dime a dozen these days, but writer and producer Paul Kalburgi approaches the subject from a different path. As he taps into meditation and the ever-occurring battle with procrastination, he paints an honest and down-to-earth picture of the craft of scriptwriting ...

Cabaret All Stars has a new addition to their cast, West End star Kerry Ellis. Ellis will be headlining this glamorous evening of circus and cabaret on Fridays in October and November, performing alongside critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil acts....

The Royal Ballet returned to the stage for the first time in seven months on Friday night. Yes, I could contextualise about how this was bitter sweet and dampened by social distancing but, the dance was too stupendous to give any time to that so let's not and just marvel about how wonderful it was t...

An evening of pop numbers by inspirational and iconic female singers, seven of the original West End Six queens perform on stage together for the first time....

Ita??s unsurprising why Amazon has decided now is the time to release a recorded performance of Heidi Schrecka??s electric political play, What the Constitution Means to Me, on its Prime Video streaming platform. Playing herself, Schreck takes us back to her childhood of speaking at oratory competi...

Fun, frisky and fabulous, That Drag Show! took to the stage at Proud Cabaret last night and delivered a stellar act from start to finish. Billed as 'London's newest drag revue', the ensemble show is composed of three established London based drag performers:  Velma Celli, Portia De Fosse and Aus...

To bring some much-needed distraction into our lives, Russiaa??s iconic Bolshoi Ballet is bringing some of its recent performances to cinemas nationwide. Kicking off with renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmanskya??s intricate version of Shakespearea??s Romeo and Juliet, the series will be followed by...

We spend 12 hours at an island's pagan festival where all is not as it seems....

Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years has a brilliantly problematic narrative - two souls taking us on a journey of their relationship, but one in chronological order (Jamie), and one in reverse (Cathy). Jonathan O'Boyle's version takes it to the upper echelons of directorial genius by creating a...

Every drama teacher, youth theatre director or community arts worker knows the value of a good drama game.  Luckily, a new book from Glyn Trefor-Jones,  'Drama Menu At A Distance', published by Nick Hern Books, sets out to help those trying to keep lessons and rehearsals both active and safe in th...

Clapham's award-winning independent theatre reopens its doors with this short dark comedy about loo roll, lost love at the bus station and knowing when to end a conversation. We Were Having a Perfectly Nice Time is a new, two-hander play written by Pedro Leandro, produced by Conflicted Theatre in as...

After You is a musical a?oeabout the lives we choose, the paths we dona??t take and the things we sometimes need to keep for ourselvesa??. We follow a young man and woman who meet by chance on a cruise ship bound for New York. He is a talented singer looking for fun and excitement as his career is h...

The first episode in a brand new web series, The Theatre Channel promises high-level performers singing musical numbers youa??ve never seen them do before....

I had the privilege of seeing Cassidy Janson perform at London's iconic Coliseum in Man Of La Mancha last year, so to see her return to the stage now, without an audience in light of the pandemic, is tinged with sadness. However, the hour of blissful concert escapism she provides radiates joy as Ja...

In these troubled times, ita??s more important than ever to find innovative ways to keep live performance going. Pub chain Fullera??s Inns are continuing to do just that, with their latest touring production of The Tempest (performed by Open Bar Theatre). With a cast comprised of six actors playing ...

Jude Law, Emily Watson and Paddy Considine do what they can with over-familiar hokum delivered with a grim earnestness....

What are you prepared to sacrifice for your art? Filmed at Sadlera??s Wells in January, Matthew Bournea??s The Red Shoes asks what a passionate obsession might cost a person. First seen in 2016, this wonderful show was a double Olivier Award winner and perfectly demonstrates Bournea??s deep understa...

It's six years since Before After premiered at what was then the St James Studio, with Hadley Fraser and Caroline Sheen in the lead roles. It's a shame that it's taken so long for us to see it again, as it's a rather charming piece - made all the more so by the return of Fraser and his real-life ...

Emma Ricea??s acclaimed Romantics Anonymous was supposed to be embarking on a US tour in March, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead, Wise Children have created a a??digital toura??, in which the musical is performed live at the Bristol Old Vic from 22-26 September and streamed both inte...

My White Best Friend (And Other Letters Left Unsaid) was originally commissioned by The Bunker Theatre in March 2019 as a festival where letter-writing engages with a range of provocative topics such as racial tension, emotional engagement, unspoken prejudice and underlying social issues....

Presented by Defibrillator, in conjunction with The Actors' Centre, Gemma Lawrence's new play Sunnymead Court is a two-hander tale for our times. When Marie, thin, nervy, introverted, states she dreams of becoming a brain in a jar without the burden of a physical body, we know she will have problems...

English National Balleta??s Emerging Dancer marks the companya??s first live performance since lockdown and the opener to their newly curated Digital Season as a response to the current COVID-19 restrictions. The annual award sees six dancers from the most junior rank of the company perform a classi...

Based on the 2006 Danish film of the same name by Lars Von Trier, The Boss of It All was adapted into a play in 2013 by writer and director Jack McNamara for New Perspectives - an East Midlands based theatre company. Originally performed at Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre, the production has been ...

Faith Healer is the third production in the Old Vic: In Camera live-streamed series, and the first with multiple performers involved. ...

FFew performers in the industry are on top of their game like Sharon D Clarke right now. After storming performances in Caroline, or Change and Blues in the Night in London, Clarke was in rehearsals for the former show on Broadway when COVID-19 hit. From the London Coliseum, she now begins a series ...