Our UK / West End Critics
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Aliya Al-Hassan
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Amber-Rae Stobbs
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Caroline Cronin
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Cheryl Markosky
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Cindy Marcolina
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Debbie Gilpin
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Donald Hutera
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Franco Milazzo
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Gary Naylor
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Guest Author
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Kat Mokrynski
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Matthew Paluch
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Mica Blackwell
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Michael Higgs
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Vikki Jane Vile
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Review: PROM 68 – MAX RICHTER - RECOMPOSED, Royal Albert Hall
The Britten Sinfonia is unusual in the world of professional orchestras, in that they don’t have the now-traditional principal conductor as their figurehead, instead choosing to collaborate with leading exponents of the field. For this Prom, violinist Thomas Gould both played and acted as director...
Review: ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER: CONTEMPORARY VOICES, Sadler's Wells
As the most widely seen modern dance work in the world, Alvin Ailey's Revelations has become part of the DNA of contemporary and popular dance, and it is a privilege to finally experience it on a live stage, alongside its more modern yet complementary 21st century cousins from Kyle Abraham and Rob...
Review: PROM 61 – CHINEKE! PERFORMS BEETHOVEN'S FOURTH SYMPHONY, Royal Albert Hall
Founded in 2015, the Chineke! Orchestra made its Proms debut in the 2017 season and has been a regular feature of various festivals and concert series ever since; it is currently a resident orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Chineke!’s motto (“Championing change and celebrating diversity in clas...
Review: FAREWELL MISTER HAFFMANN, Theatre Royal Bath
The English language premiere of Farewell Mister Haffman at Theatre Royal Bath’s intimate Ustinov studio is the most gripping, funny and startling play you’re likely to see this year.
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Review: COURTNEY PAUROSO: VANESSA 5000, Soho Theatre
From the second she steps on stage, Courtney Pauroso becomes Vanessa 5000, a sex robot here to display her abilities to us at a tech expo. Pauroso is a brilliant physical comedian who has the audience in the palm of her hand to the point she can fall into the audience and they will catch her without...
Review: PROM 63: THE RITE BY HEART, Royal Albert Hall
Prom 63: The Rite By Heart is a story of two parts, the same structure as The Rite of Spring itself. In Part One, actors and musicians come together to tell the story of how Stravinsky created The Rite of Spring. In Part Two, the Aurora Orchestra performs the Rite of Spring by memory with not a musi...
Review: PROM 60: BERLIN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Royal Albert Hall
Marking the Proms debut of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin), their artistic director Vladimir Jurowski conducted a lively and varied programme of works by Weill, Adès and Rachmaninov to a Royal Albert Hall high in anticipation.
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Review: AS YOU LIKE IT, Shakespeare's Globe
Its strength is obviously in its joyous and uncompromising queer nature. McDougall casts it entirely gender-blind, making it a piece where gender doesn’t matter, even though its role is at the very core of it. They turn it into an exploration of the performative quality of identity with plenty of ...
Review: RESURGAM, St Paul's Cathedral
What did our critic think of RESURGAM at St Paul's Cathedral?...
Review: KINDER, Little Angel Theatre
Family-friendly shows like Kinder can serve and do deserve the widest audience and, despite its dark material, it edifies and satisfies without dumbing down or skirting the emotional impact of the situations they depict. In a fast-moving hour, it delivers a brilliant blend of clever storytelling and...
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: POLICE COPS: THE MUSICAL, Assembly George Square Studios
After seeing Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name and loving the group’s sense of humour and fantastic dynamic, I knew that I wanted to see their 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival show, Police Cops: The Musical. Somehow, this show managed to exceed my already high expectations, making for a perfect last s...
Review: PROM 56 – RATTLE CONDUCTS MAHLER'S NINTH, Royal Albert Hall
Last night’s performance consisted of a rendition of Francis Poulenc’s Figure humaine by the BBC Singers, as well as the London Symphony Orchestra tackling Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. A fitting pairing for something of a bittersweet evening, as it brings together words from the French Resi...
Review: PROM 55 – GERSHWIN'S PIANO CONCERTO, Royal Albert Hall
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s second outing at this year’s Proms celebrated the magic of movement, with varying degrees of dance in pieces by Stravinsky, Ravel, Gershwin, and a European première from Carlos Simon. Their programme took the audience back in time, beginning in the 2020s and endi...
Review: THE ODYSSEY: THE UNDERWORLD, National Theatre
Every member of the company brings their best to create an all-around remarkable performance. From the little kids to the older performers, it’s exciting to see what can be done when resources are used to include the community in a large-scale project like this. It’s encouraging to realise that,...
Review: TURANDOT, Grimeborn Festival, Arcola Theatre
The thrill of operatic voices singing up close and personal in a radical re-interpretation of an opera ripe for bringing into the 21st century...
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: DANIEL FOXX: VILLAIN, Pleasance Courtyard
Villain is a brilliantly creative and fun mix of musical theatre and comedy that puts a fresh spin on the villains of our favourite works of fiction. If being the baddie of the story is a sense of style and self-assurance, a refusal to conform to society’s expectations, and a sometimes outright ag...
Podcast Review: HOW TO WRITE A PLAY WITH MIKE BARTLETT
Are you a budding writer not sure where to begin? Perhaps you’ve managed to get something onto the page, but don’t have any theatre contacts to proceed further. Or maybe you’re a bit nervous about offending someone and ending your writing career before it even gets going....
Review Roundup: Andrew Scott Stars in Sam Yates' VANYA. What Did the Critics Think?
This production explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions, harnessing the power of the intimate bond between actor and audience to delve deeper into the human psyche.So what did the critics think?...
Review: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Southwark Playhouse Elephant
In this musical, Franklin Shepard's pursuit of fame and money unbalances his personal and professional life, and those around him. No one is happy in this harsh expose of the backstage reality behind 'putting on a show', which makes closing number 'Our Time' the most devastating moment of the produc...
Review: CANDY, Park Theatre
One of the most unique and important narratives of masculinity and sexuality that I’ve seen- told in a 75-minute showcase of immense talent.
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EDINBURGH 2023: Review: JOSH WELLER: AGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, Pleasance Courtyard
What do you do when you achieve your dream and then, less than a year after, lose everything you’d worked for? That’s what Josh Weller takes a look at in his Fringe show, Josh Weller: Age Against the Machine.
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EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CRIZARDS: THIS MEANS WAR, Pleasance Dome, 10Dome
Will Rowland and Eddy Hare, the UK’s lowest energy double act (striving to be Europe’s lowest energy double act) tell the story of Eddy’s grandfather who fought in the war in Crizards: The Means War. The tale is based on the stories that Eddy’s grandfather told him and is not fact-checked �...
Review: A MIRROR, Almeida Theatre
An interesting story sapped of its weight by gimmicks over eager to impress...
Review: AS WE FACE THE SUN, Bush Theatre
Ultimately, it’s one of those shows that matter in an ephemeral way. It’s a wonderful showcase of what the Bush are doing to secure the future of theatre, but the play itself could be better. Scenes could be tightened and made less about trying to display the young talent and more about the stor...
Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Think of the UK Premiere of NEXT TO NORMAL?
Critically acclaimed Broadway musical Next to Normal has now opened at London's Donmar Warehouse. Caissie Levy stars as Diana, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. Donmar Artistic Director Michael Longhurst directs the long-awaited UK première of this...
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