UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

Oh Drum TAO…what to say? There's many good things about their show The Dream - but then there's some undeniable, less positive realities. The troop are from Oita, Japan. Formed 31 years ago, and has been on the road since. Bizarrely the current shows at the Peacock Theatre are their long-awaited L...

Derek Mitchell: Double Dutch begins in quite a Dutch way, with Mitchell emerging from behind the curtains in clogs and a Dutch bonnet, greetig everyone with a strong Dutch accent before launching into his show which, surprisingly, isn’t all about being Dutch (even though it does have a pretty Dutc...

The intimate Studio A at Dalston's Arcola Theatre provides the perfect backdrop for Dear Martin a psychological drama exploring mental health, manipulation and reversed gender dynamics. The converted textile factory, with its exposed brick walls and wooden floors, creates an atmospheric setting that...

Each Thursday night, the most unlikely of groups meet to play Dungeons and Dragons. A struggling teenager, an overworked trainee solicitor, and an unemployed twenty-something become a Dungeon Master, a Wizard, and a Warrior Princess. Instead of fighting the system that lets them down head on, they w...

A Whole New World of Alan Menken, a concert written and performed by Alan Menken (with additional material by Jennifer Lucy Cook and Richard Kraft), is an evening of stories and songs for fans of Menken’s work, whether they’ve heard it in Disney films or on stage on Broadway. Directed by Kraft, ...

It may have lacked the star power seen in previous shows but the Royal Albert Hall’s latest entry in their Films In Concert events was a night punctuated by laughter, tears and raw emotion. ...

Rachel Fairburn: Side Eye is, as one might expect from the title, a bit of a judgmental show. Walking into the Leicester Square Theatre, audience members are greeted by a table that is filled with seven brightly-painted mannequin heads, each with their own expression of judgment on their faces....

Natalia Osipova is not a dancer who likes to play by the rules. A dancer who never felt she fitted the mould of a perfect ballerina growing up in Russia where being long-limbed and tall was the expectation. These days, she’s a much loved Principal of the Royal Ballet, she only does the things she ...

Galas aren't always the easiest of watches; endless pas de deux with bravado at the forefront of proceedings. That said - some rosters are too good to pass on…hence why I attended the Ballet Icons Gala 2025 at the London Coliseum on March 9th. ...

The global movement and charity WOW (Women of the World) is now in its 15th year. To mark the occasion, WOW held a special evening to celebrate International Women's Day on Saturday 8 March....

What do you do when you have mental health struggles? Do you take a day off from work and sleep it off? Do you go out for a fun night out with friends? Or do you book a flight to Thailand? If you chose the third option, you might find you have quite a lot in common with Kemah Bob, as her show, Kemah...

Sex, power, gender and class: August Strindberg's Miss Julie may have first been performed in 1889, but its themes live on. In Laura Lomas's vivid reimagining of the play, The House Party, a seemingly happy event becomes the chaotic centre for a night where misogyny and the insidious creep of soc...

Cate Blanchett and Tom Burke make their return to the stage in Thomas Ostermeier's new production of Chekhov’s The Seagull. What did the critics think?...

A radical reworking from its German director and co-adaptor that misses as much as it hits...

Jodie Campbell in knockout form as a trail-blazing boxer who must deal with family trauma on the eve of her biggest fight....

Based on the memoir of Jacob Dunne, Punch is the sobering true story of the tragic and rippling consequences of a single punch thrown on a night out. ...

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet continues to enjoy endless popularity, this being its third run by the Royal Ballet since 2019, but when the results are as good, there’s no reason why not. The depth and quality in the ranks was evident as the cast relished the challenges of the Covent G...

With NOW standing for many nows, thens, nowheres, future nows, past nows, and present nows, Jasmin Vardimon offers up revisited classic choreography fused with new material to create a beautiful and intense way to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary. Offering a window into the world through mov...

Scottish Ballet return to Sadler’s Wells with a triple bill. One film, and two live pieces. All of the work is contemporary dance based, and acts as a vehicle for the company dancers to show off their well honed, dance capabilities. I wonder if a classical piece could have balanced things out and ...

The current UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has several well-known names attached to it - Ore Oduba, Liam Fox and Charlie Brooks all feature - but there's no denying that the star of the show is the car itself. Part polished wood, part shining steel and fully extraordinary, Chitty enchants audien...

'I'll bandy with the barons and the earls, and either die or live with Gaveston.' There has been much conjecture over the centuries as to the true nature of Edward II’s relationship with Piers Gaveston; were they friends, committed partners, or something in between? It’s not something for which ...

The production checks off each convention you might think belongs to non-Jamie Lloyd contemporary theatre one after the other. Swanky set? Tick. Random handheld microphone that’s used once? Tick. Eccentric spin on a classic protagonist? Tick. One excellent visual display that re-establishes a recu...

Local Brightonian legend Peter James brings yet another slick adaption of his Roy Grace novella series to the stage on a six-month UK Tour....

The play before Nick Payne hit big with Constellations, fails to ignite...

From the day she was born, Temi Wilkey has been destined to perform. This is made clear from her grand entrance into Soho Theatre Upstairs, dressed in a gorgeous and frilly red dressing gown that she slowly removes to reveal her bright pink outfit underneath as the audience cheers. Main Character En...