UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

Raw, sleazy, provocative, delicious, and gritty are just a few spontaneously thought of words that I can generate to describe the show currently playing at London's King's Head Theatre. Imagine having sex using a toffee crisp wrapper as a condom, and how disgusting that would be. Watching EAST feels...

The forthcoming summer programme may have been announced, but The Winter Selection at Shakespeare's Globe continues apace the latest show to open is the only Shakespeare play in the season, the rarely played All's Well That Ends Well. Caroline Byrne returns to direct, following her Irish productio...

There's no doubt it feels quite strange to be seeing a ballet set at Christmas time in the middle of January. It's a similar feeling to passing a house with a tree still up in the living room window and tutting quietly. The Moscow City Ballet show no sign of festive fatigue as they bring their ve...

In 1992 Anna Deavere Smith interviewed a selection of people who were, in some way, involved with the LA riots. In total, 300 people were spoken to, and the actor and playwright then turned this compilation into her verbatim-style play, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Ola Ince's production has taken 19...

It hasn't been an easy journey for this piece to get to the Court. The theatre initially removed the show from its programming, because of its links with ousted Out of Joint director Max Stafford-Clark, who left the company in September 2017, amidst allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour....

Bob and Fran have worked for years to provide the best life possible for their four children. Now, all they want to do is sit back and relax; however the revelation of some home truths makes this task seem impossible. A tragic tale of attachment and co-dependency, exploring the complexities o...

On their annual holiday together at the seaside, Luce (Eva-Jane Willis) and Anthony (Niall Bishop) meet Madeleine (Tanya Fear). As their friendship develops and the two already best friends form a strong bond with the stranger, they'll have to come to terms with past trauma, mental illness, and acce...

The boys are back. Based on an imaginary night at the Sands Hotel, the three musical legends of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. come together to perform a show featuring banter, witty repartee and fantastic songs. Devised and directed by Mitch Sebastian, the well-known show The Rat Pa...

George Bernard Shaw's Chekhovian black comedy has plenty of political heft, but lacks the dramatic clarity required to engage from first to last....

Every now and then you see a show that reminds you why you love theatre. You sit there mesmerised by the spectacle, getting goosebumps at every word spoken. Then there's that specific moment that gives you everything you never knew you wanted. But you needed it, and you feel incredibly full afterwar...

A girl plays jingles on a Casio keyboard, whilst the audience choose between a chair and a beanbag for a seat. I of course chose a beanbag, because how often does that opportunity come around? You get comfortable and take in the surroundings. We're in a child's bedroom; the walls are painted with an...

Having enjoyed a wildly successful 2016 revival starring Glenn Close at the London Coliseum and a Broadway engagement in 2017, it seems fitting that Sunset Boulevard has embarked on a UK tour following a run at Leicester's Curve. With Artistic Director Nikolai Foster at the helm, this new production...

It would be disingenuous to call Cirque Du Soleil simply a circus. The Canadian performance group are world famous and synonymous with incredible feats of physical strength and endurance. Since 2005, over two million people have witnessed these displays at the Royal Albert Hall and now the company r...

What would you do if someone or something was watching you? Adapted from the H.G. Well's short story, The Crystal Egg Live tells the story of Charley Wace, taken in by his eccentric Uncle Cave after his father disappears. When his father's body is discovered, Charley inherits the only item found wit...

It's the worst case of bad luck: at a hospital two newborns are accidentally swapped, resulting in them each being given to parents who aren't biologically theirs. Hanna has raised Ellie for three years, loving her unconditionally. Being a mum is the only thing she is brilliant at, but when a DNA te...

The first production I'm seeing this year isn't necessarily a cheery one, but it feels important nonetheless. It's a thrilling exploration of one individual's curiosity, placing particular focus on the psychological damage that can be inflicted when you dig too deep....

Bananaman the Musical has some ap-peel-ing aspects, with a bunch of silly banana-drama in the plot, a hard-working cast and some nicely cartoonish elements. But will it make your sides split with laughter?...

This Christmas there seem to be more productions of Dickens' festive tale than ever. This is the fourth revival of Antic Disposition's musical production of A Christmas Carol. Its return to the spectacular setting of the impressive Middle Temple Hall, with its breathtaking hammer-beam roof, could no...

Does Hamilton live up the hype - and will it appeal to British audiences? Yes, and yes again. It's not like America has a monopoly on national identity crisis, leadership, immigration, parenthood, grief, sex scandals and political rivalries. But beyond that, it's just a blisteringly great night out:...

Thanks to Matthew Bourne, now Christmas in London doesn't only mean endless Nutcrackers (as lovely as they are) but for over fifteen years dance fans have been treated to his theatrical mix of gothic grit and fairytale charm transporting the audience to a bygone era. This year's festive offering of ...

Tall Stories are back as part of Vaudeville Theatre's celebration of Oscar Wilde. They condense the author's fairy tales in Wilde Creatures, exploring morality in a show tailor-made for young audiences....

OperaUpClose condense and update Tchaikovsky's classic tragedy for a new space and a new culture, but never lose sight of its deep set Russian roots....

Gary Naylor looks back on 101 shows reviewed in 2017 and picks the best of the best....

A new musical with plenty of echoes of a very famous one indeed, with strong singing and jaw-dropping puppetry but undermined by a tone that is nether one thing not the other....

Five talented performers share stories and songs in this contemporary British tribute to the tradition of the 'rent party'....