UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

The dance world is all the richer for having different kinds of storytellers - no doubt. But equally, audience members will inevitably gravitate towards makers they feel a connection with. I should be clear - I don't connect with Cathy Marston’s take on narrative dance, or perhaps just Jane Eyre ...

Has there been a British comedy franchise as successful as Mischief’s since the days of the Carry On films? While The Play That Goes Wrong is still going strong in the West End and New York, their latest The Comedy About Spies rolls off the conveyor belt at the Noël Coward Theatre....

Beautifully performed, but somewhat vanilla, Richard Bean's adaptation lacks a necessary bite...

Laith’s parents have survived unimaginable atrocities in order to save themselves and give him a better chance, yet he struggles. This exploration of the personal consequences of the Arab diaspora cracks open the constant compromising of immigrant children. Emily Ling Williams directs Tommy Sim�...

Sam is a football-loving, tomboyish young woman with a lifetime of fun ahead of her. That’s until a violent accident on the pitch puts an end to the carefree part of her youth. All of a sudden, she is ruled by a mercurial new enemy, Annie the aneurysm, who threatens to burst at all times. Gone are...

Considering Kenneth MacMillan’s production of Romeo and Juliet is 60 years old…it looks as fresh as a daisy. This is no mean feat. As when a company is familiar with a ballet it can become stale before you know it - but this absolutely isn't the case, so bravo to all involved. ...

It's a big deal to have an entire evening dedicated to your work, so kudos to Christopher Wheeldon, who's achieved this accolade in his early 50s. Wheeldon deserves recognition, as he's a renowned choreographer of skill and range with an ever-increasing canon. And Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works...

“Stories are always being put through the wash, and end up with a sock in there which was never there before.” It’s an old sentiment, the idea that mythological tradition is fluid by its very nature, but somehow, in the hands of Remythed’s company, it feels new....

Somewhere in a parallel dimension, there’s a version of Melissa Madden Gray that became an internationally renowned singer, as comfortable in French, Italian and German as English. In another one, she finds herself an in-demand circus clown able to bring the house down with her wickedly funny cock...

There won’t be any big road movie for Samantha Brown. There could have been, but there won’t. Not after her brazen best friend, Kelly, died unexpectedly. As she sits on the hood of Kelly’s old faithful, she ponders her limbo: stay back and watch life pass her by with an overly protective mum a...

Stephen Sondheim’s final work, Here We Are, is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello with book by Tony Award-nominee David Ives. It is now open at the National Theatre with an all-star cast including Jane Krakowski and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. So what did the critics think?...

Other eat-the-rich satires that have sharper teeth and larger appetites....

There’s something of the film Challengers in the pivotal scene of Snap, when an earnest male model and the lecherous photographer he’s working with end up in bed with each other’s partners, and all four actors anxiously sing their way through their tangled professional and personal lives. Than...

Tensions rise, as does the encroaching mysticism, in an oft-forgotten county of England...

This production is a treat. Einkvan (Everyman) is a play about connection, humanity, and intimacy. Written by Jon Fosse – the most performed Norwegian playwright after Ibsen and winner of the Nobel Prize in 2023 – it’s a haunting, longing journey. The search for compassion and kinship unfold...

Collaborations are very now, and the Rambert x (LA)HORDE combination is a very worthwhile experiment. It brings together the UK's longest running contemporary dance company (with classical ballet beginnings) and one of France's most of the moment collectives (who also run the Ballet National de Mars...

Faygele deserves credit for its empathy, and how it can resonate with those both within and outside the Jewish and queer communities....

The Empire Strips Back has docked at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios. With over two hours of themed fun based on the original Star Wars film trilogy, it bills itself tautologically as “a burlesque parody” (the word burlesque comes from the Italian burla meaning a joke or ridicule). ...

Divisive and challenging, Tim Crouch is a one-in-a-century playwright. Whether you agree with his methods or not, his artistry is unmatched. He interrogates form and style, delivering live experiences rather than straight drama. An Oak Tree is still a pivotal piece for many. Now celebrating the 20th...

In this version of the familiar story, we are whisked away to the 1800s American West. The sparring young men are now gun-touting cowboys, the ball is a barn dance, and the soundtrack is all banjos and whistles. It’s a bold transposition of the star-crossed Verona lovers, but one that works surpri...

The Koala Who Could is a bestselling children’s book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, which has been Adapted and Directed for theatre by Emma Earle. Production Company Nicholl Entertainment is known for their expertise in large-scale puppetry and the adaptation does not disappoint, with lively expr...

Super show that lightens a very dark subject (corecive control), but does not diminish it...

Sophie McCartney: One Foot In The Rave opens with a montage of moments from McCartney’s childhood with “Forever Young” playing in the background. It’s a sweet moment that immediately transitions into rave music, setting the tone for the rest of the show as McCartney dances onto the stage to ...

It’s been seven years since the X Factor graced our screens, and at least a decade since the ITV talent show behemoth was actually culturally relevant. Nonetheless, satirical circus show Showdown demonstrates that there’s still a healthy nostalgic appetite for comedy that skewers the show’s cl...

In this latest revival of Krapp’s Last Tape at the Barbican Centre, it is the silence that speaks the loudest. At times, it’s practically deafening....