UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

John Cranko's Onegin was last performed by the Royal Ballet in 2015. Now five years later, there is a new wave of rising stars who are keen to showcase their take on the great dramatic classical roles on offer, and how palpably Onegin is a ballet that needs those stars. With only four key characters...

Helen is finally getting the artistic opportunity she's been coveting, while Phil is being dragged down by her own secret. When the painter is pressured to exploit her background and lifestory, she ends up endangering her closest friendship. OPIA Collective explore female understanding, not-so-inadv...

The iconic Riverside Studios return to a brand new building after a five year redevelopment project. West London will benefit from multiple performance, rehearsal and broadcast spaces in the shadow of Hammersmith Bridge. The new building also boasts two cinemas with films selected by renowned curato...

When even a single play by Samuel Beckett might become a test of endurance for an audience, putting three of them together risks missing the mark. But as Trevor Nunn's superb Beckett Triple Bill at Jermyn Street Theatre confirms, it's a risk worth taking, and the results might be astounding. This po...

The new year has officially seen the passing of the artistic direction baton from Matthew Parker to Kennedy Bloomer at The Hope Theatre. Opening the decade in style are 6FootStories with their rewriting of everyone's most beloved Prince of Denmark. Hamlet has hired three players to expose Claudius's...

Galas are peculiar beasts. In attempting to please everyone, you sometimes please no one at all, but fortunately, for this nostalgic run through the rich history of English National Ballet, no one was disappointed by the varied and often emotive selection of greatest hits....

An assured and emotional debut from writer Theo Griffiths deals with a family in turmoil....

It's 1957 in Chicago. Four policemen, Stan, Rosey, Eulee, and Foxy share an office in-between stake-outs in a city slain by the mob and racial segregation. It's difficult, however, to find real themes in Tony Tortora's play among its misogyny, doughnuts, and Elvis. Sophomoric humour, endless convers...

Presented by Stage Entertainment UK and Phil McIntyre Entertainment, Strictly Come Dancing Live opened at the Arena Birmingham last night, kicking off its UK tour following another hugely successful TV series....

This no frills Twelfth Night rattles through Shakey's comedy getting laughs along the way, but includes some artistic decisions that didn't quite land as clearly as they were, perhaps, intended to....

If you speak to someone who says they don't like musicals, chances are, when you mention The Book of Mormon you'll be greeted with more enthusiasm than scepticism.  So what is it about this show that manages to transcend the traditional musical theatre perceptions? The subject matter? Hearing th...

Kevin is called to repair a washing machine in the middle of the woods. As he tries to fix it, he grows increasingly uneasy in the presence of the elderly lady who sent out for him. She seems to know a lot about him and the tales she tells him don't quite check out. Julie Tsang debuts an eerie and h...

The West End has missed the wit, cheek and high-kicks of Kinky Boots since it strutted off on a nationwide tour last year. Thankfully, the show with a huge heart will be screened in more than 600 cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 4th and 9th February....

Much of the conversation around the incoming of the revamped Les Misérables production to the West End has revolved around the revolve a?' or lack thereof. But this slicker touring version (first seen in 2009, for the 25th anniversary) is a beautiful fit for Cameron Mackintosh's marvellously refurb...

The Royal Opera House is on a mission to show that ballet and opera are accessible to everyone. As part of their live cinema season, last night saw Tchaikovsky's beautiful interpretation of fairytale, The Sleeping Beauty, broadcast live across the world....

TJ and Max are breaking up. They've been together since their polyamory club back at uni and they've navigated the gap between their relationship and his Jewish family, but it's not working anymore. After a sold-out and critically acclaimed run in Edinburgh this past August, Jew...ish has made its t...

Wildly Theatre Company voices stories that represent different sides of a female. Here they examine beauty while exploring our Social Media obsessed culture and the damaging influence it can hold over people....

Rags the Musical was a flop when it first opened on Broadway in 1986. Which is why, one suspects, it kept on receiving a series of revisions over the subsequent decades. The most recent of these is now on display in Bronagh Lagan's assured production at the Park Theatre, first performed at Mancheste...

It's that time of year again; Cirque du Soleil have returned to London's Royal Albert Hall, bringing their show LUZIA to Europe for the first time. Last year's TOTEM felt somewhat bland and soulless, but LUZIA shows the company at its very best....

Jason Kravits brings his big voice and madcap improv skills to London's leading cabaret room and the result is just what January needs....

Big belts and schmaltzy scores aren't for everyone, but every so often something comes along to remind us why we really must treasure this joyous form....

Rosalind Blessed takes residency at London's Old Red Lion Theatre throughout January, performing two self-penned plays in rep. Both new works explore the theme of mental health as well as drawing on the fact that a dog's unwavering love for us can often be a redemptive force....

The King's Head Theatre continues its track record of moving shows from Islington to the West End, with the arrival of Kevin Elyot's drama of 80s polyamory. In this two act play the ethics of a modern relationship are questioned. There are conflicts in morality and human decency, providing no clear ...

Once shows all its crowdpleasing credentials in this new touring production with a tremendous cast doing full justice to its score and carrying a somewhat corny plot to a standing ovation curtain....

It was 2015 when Athena Stevens was forced out of a flight to Glasgow due to her disability. Upon the return of her £30,000 wheelchair, she found that the airline company had severely damaged the machine - and they were being most flippant about it. A social media war ensued, and Stevens ended up s...