UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

What do you look for in a potential partner? Someone who loves to relax at home? Someone who knows what they’re doing in life? Someone with a happy family? If so, you and Philipp Kostelecky don’t have much in common. ...

Well what a show for Artistic Director Tim Sheader to bow out on. Since 2007, Sheader has made Regent's Park Open Air Theatre a real theatrical destination and his revival of musical La Cage Aux Folles is gloriously frothy, deeply funny and completely fabulous....

It’s Midsummer’s Eve, and a young man is ready to plunge into the Thames to make his sacrifice. As we stand alongside him, we dive into British mythology and pagan beliefs as he goes on a journey defined by backhandedly bitter irony. Nathaniel Jones writes an ancient fable suspended in time, add...

A young detective works against the clock as she questions a suspect who looks like the least likely person to be linked to a murder. He's a devoted son, a successful businessman and a respectable member of society. But as the minutes tick away, the detective starts to suspect that all is not what i...

Trauma-based dark humour is plentiful in modern comedy – as Krystal Evans says herself, making comedy out of tragedy is the best way to take the power back from it – but none do it quite like The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp, Krystal Evans' debut hour at the Fringe....

In Matthew Bourne’s dystopian take on the classic love story, there are leaps aplenty - and not just in the physical sense....

All good things come to an end, and to signify the culmination of their week-long residency at the Royal Opera House, The Australian Ballet offered a suitably wonderful Celebration Gala acknowledging their 60th anniversary....

When shy Aaron joins the hotel’s ramshackle team he’s faced with emotionally volatile guests, apathetic staff and inept management. Not to mention the rumour of a pair of singing ghosts haunting the corridors. ...

Five wildly different women gather in the muddy fields of the Highland Games circuit to compete in the obscure art of Backhold Wrestling. The pearls are off, influencer videos posted, “Gucci bag” from the Barras set aside as the bold beginners attempt to become a team and win the championship....

The iconic North London venue, the Roundhouse, has kicked oiff its very first Comedy Festival, running throughout August, The very first event promised a stellar line-up featuring a headline from Rose Matafeo, also featuring Catherine Cohen, Jordan Gray, Lolly Adefope, Rhys James, and Kiri Pritch...

review“How do people cope in the worst imaginable situation?” This is what writer, and lead actress, Abigail Hood sets out to examine in Spiral, now at the Jermyn Street Theatre after a run at the Park Theatre. It sounds like a compelling premise for a play....

With Big in Scotland Kieran Hodgson proves that he is not just one of the greatest comedians of his generation but one of the best to have ever performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe....

This eaten-all-the-candy-floss sugar rush of a show suffers from a generic soundtrack. But there's more than enough to keep the kids' occupied....

The term “diva” rose to prominence with its relation to an operatic background and popularly revolves around the traits of someone’s character. Typically (and misogynistically) attributed to women, it’s used to describe a person whose temperament and self-importance are quite difficult to ha...

This two-hour non-stop, quick-fire comedy is delivered superbly by a cast of familiar faces to Liverpool’s Royal Court and newcomers to the theatre’s main stage. ...

London welcomes The Australian Ballet to the Royal Opera House after 35 years, to celebrate their 60th anniversary, with six performances in total....

“In thunder, lighting or in rain” rarely may have been a more appropriate Shakespearean line for the UK’s current weather. Yet after a stormy day, the skies cleared for opening night of the Globe’s latest production of Macbeth....

Oh, what a Night! The new-cast of Jersey Boys take to the stage in this slick, pacy and comedic production....

In an opening sketch which could reasonably have been titled “The Thin Of It”, we meet a team of Downing Street press officers in crisis mode: the Prime Minister has once again gone off-script and ad-libbed something offensive to an unnamed section of society....

The exuberant all-male musical The Choir Of Man motors on at the Arts Theatre with a new cast and a new contemporary context....

The Original West End Cast Recording of Bonnie & Clyde is a tense, cinematic treat....

With strands of simulation theory and a vibe steeped in folklore, myths, and legends, the play follows two souls as they come back and find each other in three timelines. ...

One-man shows tackling queer experiences aren’t hard to come by. They’re, rightfully, being given platforms across the fringe scene. Home to a plethora of unique stories, the queer community is ripe for creative exploration. From coming out and hook-up culture to homophobia and sexual violence, ...

A strong score, neat production by Mehmet Ergen and an excellent cast make it worth a watch, even if it has several plot-related issues...

After the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ performance of Beethoven’s theatrical fifth symphony last week, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra upped the ante by taking on Carl Orff’s cantata - which features another of classical music’s most iconic introductions....