UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

Christmas for dance fans doesn't just mean Nutcracker these days - it means another one of Matthew Bourne's characterful and atmospheric productions is rolling into town....

The spectacle is a hunger-inducing delight for the eyes....

Timon of Athens, at times a clunky collaboration and a clunkier mix of verse and prose, has much to say about how money corrupts and how spoiling adults is about as advisable as spoiling children. There's something of King Lear about it - but probably not enough....

The perfect family show at Christmas is a big ask for theatres. The pressure is on to cater for the biggest range of audiences they see all year. They expect fun, jokes, a good story, great visual effects, excellent acting, maybe some catchy songs (but not annoyingly so) and a happy ending to boot. ...

After starting out Off-Broadway in 2011 and collecting nominations from the Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards, Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian's Murder for Two landed its UK premiere at The Watermill last year. Now, it's come to London to delight Christmas audiences at The Othe...

For kids of all ages - even mums and dads, who are just big kids at heart - this panto really does give something for all....

Under the direction of Nigel West, Glasgow's King's Theatre once again delivers a seriously entertaining pantomime....

The Sheffield Theatres' production of Cole Porter's classic is a vibrant crowd-pleaser....

Anthony Neilson's new play is inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. It's a weird evening at the theatre, with flashbacks, gore, murder, a detective, night terrors, ghostly apparitions, animated furniture, eyes, eggs and everything in between....

London is lucky enough to have three different productions of Nutcracker playing this year. With fabulous reviews for The Royal Ballet's immaculate version already in and anticipation for the Birmingham Royal Ballet's version at the Royal Albert Hall building, the English National Ballet's producti...

'Alright me babbers!' is the shrill cry from the Ugly Sisters at this year's panto offering from the Bristol Hippodrome. The local references are lapped up by a fervent audience who are ready for laughs and spectacle this Christmas. On both points, Cinderella delivers in bucketloads....

Alexander Pope's poignant quote 'To wake the soul with the gentle strokes of art' hangs above the stage of the beautiful Richmond Theatre to remind us of the potent power of art and theatre. Quite what he would have made of modern day pantomime is anyone's guess, as the latest offering of festive ma...

Natasha Gordon's glorious writing debut, under Roy Alexander Weise's direction, transfers to the West End, managing to retain all of the magic it held whilst on the Dorfman stage. Following the story of how a family grieve, it's a play full of laughter, struggle and hope....

Was there ever an actor more suited to perform a one-man show than Simon Callow? Add in the evocative and mellifluous writings of Dickens at Christmas time and you have the recipe for a show overflowing with festive goodwill. If you leave the Arts Theatre without a tear in your eye and spring in you...

The annual Sheffield Theatres panto is exuberant, well-designed and funny - but could have done more to update the problematic source material....

East meets west, as the RSC's latest production of Shakespeare's comedy gets a TOWIE makeover. Following a popular summer run at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Stratford-upon-Avon base, it transfers to the Barbican for a limited engagement over the winter. David Troughton stars as the infamous knig...

The Messiah has charm and poignancy, but creaks under the weight of its 35 years, its brand of humour now dated by shows like The Play That Goes Wrong....

It would be hard to find a classier and more joyful Christmas treat than Joe Stilgoe's one-night-only show Christmas at the Movies, featuring special guests Louise Dearman, saxophonist Jess Gillam and Rob Brydon. Highlights of the show will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 at 18.00 on Christmas Day....

Ex Nihilo Theatre Group bring the world premiere of Jacky Ivimy's Dialektikon to Park Theatre to close out the year in Park90, playing alongside Peter Pan in Park200. Directed by Adebayo Bolaji, this 100-minute play is an alternative option to the usual festive fare that's on offer at this time of y...

William Congreve's rarely performed Restoration comedy, The Double Dealer, is an interesting choice to be revived at Richmond's Orange Tree theatre and, for some, will be a welcome relief to the pantomimes and doggedly 'festive' productions at this time of year....

Brand new arts organisation AILA debuts Aisha, written and directed by the founder, AJ. A harrowing story about child marriage, the play follows a 17-year-old's struggle as she endures the life of a slave-bride....

The dazzling orchestra are travelling around the UK with their new At the Movies concert tour, packed full of classic film scores....

This is a really sweet show. It's one that enchants its audience, inviting them into a story of vulnerability, queer identity and synchronised swimming....

In the intimate candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe, Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus has once again been brought to life on the London stage. In this version however, director Paulette Randall has switched the lead's gender, with Jocelyn Jee Esien taking on the role of the ambitious...

Hampstead Theatre presents Uncle Vanya in a new translation by Terry Johnson, who also directs. Chekhov's well-known piece follows Sonia and her uncle Vanya as they receive a visit from her father and his beautiful younger wife Yeliena at the rural estate they manage on his behalf. Yeliena presence ...