UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

This play doesn't sugarcoat anything; instead it bluntly reveals the harsh realities of suffering when the odds are unfairly stacked against a person. It's a situation that isn't uncommon in today's society, but nowadays are we desensitised to other people's sufferings?...

Five years after the release of her well-received album 'Someone Else's Story', Meredith Braun brings us a new solo album, 'When Love Is Gone'. This release combines both specially selected songs and a couple of original numbers written by Braun herself. Inspired by a domestic abuse storyline on pop...

When YouTuber ShyGirl is stood up by her date in front of all her 8 subscribers, her life turns to shambles. As she sits facing her mirror in a state of intoxication and humiliation, she inadvertently summons Shivvers, a witch who's a distant relative of Snow White's. Siobhan McMillan writes a hilar...

Magical realism is supplanted by kitchen sink comedy-drama in this adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 2002 hit novel of the same name....

Once again, a fine production from Arrows & Traps theatre that reminds me, were it necessary, that if you can see Chekhov, you should....

The Inheritance, Matthew Lopez's witty, brutal two-part epic exploring the lives of gay men in New York clocks in at just short of 7 hours in total, but if you do go and see it, you're (mostly) in for a theatrical treat....

Robert Hastie's take on Peter Gill's tale of north/south love is sympathetic and emotional, with a beautiful lead performance from Ben Batt....

Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera delivered with the emphasis on the comic and more than a nod to the realities of 2018 sensibilities....

Ruthless! the Musical is a delightfully irreverent piece that cleverly makes fun of 'show business' now playing at the Arts Theatre. The cast is full of talented comedic actresses and the role of Tina is a great showcase for a young girl. While not necessarily one for the family, it's certainly a gr...

What happens to musicians when they are old and grey? Where do famous singers retire when their voices are an echo of what they once were? Ronald Harwood's Quartet follows the antics of four elderly former opera stars as they live out their days in a specialist musician's retirement home in an expan...

A sensational Bernadette Robinson brings five 'nobodies' and five superstars to life in a series of monologues with music that explore human fallibility with wit and wisdom to spare....

The Royal Albert Hall's screening of the 2015 film Suffragette was followed by a Q&A with members of the film's creative team and women's rights activists as part of their 'Women and the Hall' programme. In association with Birds Eye View Film, the screening and Q&A highlighted the importance of fil...

Recent drama school grad Thomas Mahy and seasoned pro Louise Jameson join together in this urgently needed revival of Philip Ridley's heartrending epic drama. Following the aftermath of a brutal killing, the piece provides a provocation as to whether or not hate crime is a thing of the past....

Each first Saturday of every month, Thomas, Richard and Matthew walk. Out in the Peaks they travel up steep hills, over slippery rocks and through grassy terrain to escape the stresses of non-rural life. Never missing a trip, (except for the occasional Star Trek convention), the three of them discus...

A splendid production that shifts the action from Chekhov's original short story into 1920s Britain to add layers of meaning and depth to both the themes and characters - fringe theatre at its best....

Kiss of the Spider Woman has taken the shape of a novel, a play, a film, a musical, and is now being adapted for the stage again by José Rivera and Allan Baker. Directed by Laurie Sansom, Manuel Puig's work becomes a story of acceptance and hope....

No matter where we are, our surroundings are a living consequence of the decisions we make. The organs that form the makeup of society are pumped by our actions, and this spirt flows through the city, being present wherever we go. However, if you look closely enough, you'll realise that not everyone...

'Only by forgetting all we've ever learned can we learn to live at all': wise words from a work that was, itself, forgotten....

Phil Willmott's The Cherry Orchard picks up Chekhov's action and moves it forward a decade or so to 1917, when the balance of power in Russia was tilted rather differently....

A young girl in a football tee steps on stage and begins to sing a melodic tune. Her voice is angelic, lulling you into a fall sense of comfort - until she begins to choke on herself, coughing up copious amounts of blood....

First seen Off-Broadway in 2003, Michael Longhurst's revival of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's Caroline, Or Change is the latest production to transfer to London from Chichester....

A looming European referendum, a Labour party internally divided and drastic spending cuts. You could be forgiven for thinking that James Graham's This House is set just a few years ago. In fact, we're back in 1974 with a hung parliament and another election seemingly imminent....

This new play is a dramatic account of families divided by the sea. Teenager Hanako is apparently swept out to sea one stormy night, but her fate lies not in the ocean but in the hands of the North Korean regime. Can the belief and determination of her mother, sister and friend mean all hope is not ...

Following on from the Royal Ballet's popular story ballets such as Giselle and The Winter's Tale, the company now turn their attention to work of Leonard Bernstein to mark a century since his birth. It comes in the form of a stylish mixed bill of Bernstein's compositions created for the concert hall...

Ballet Black is a diverse company, comprised of black and Asian dancers, that has been annually performing their charismatic brand of dance in London since 2001....