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: BBC PROM 49: SCHUMANN'S DAS PARADIES UND DIE PERI, Royal Albert Hall
This is a piece of folk storytelling at its best. Das Paradies und die Peri is an exciting piece of music which has everything you might want in an evening: moments of battle evoked by complex orchestrations; true love brought to life by the emotional power of song; and eventual redemption....
Review: ROMEO & JULIET, Shakespeare in the Garden
In theory, watching Shakespeare in a bucolic pub garden on a summer's evening is one of the nicest ways to spend your time. Open Bar Theatre was formed in 2016 by Nicky Diss and Vicky Gaskin to produce Shakespeare for Fuller’s pub gardens, with the intention of creating accessible theatre....
Review: LOVE NEVER DIES IN CONCERT, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Over a decade has passed since Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom Of The Opera, was an undoubted flop during its first (and last) London run so this week’s revival in concert is a welcome retrospective. Was it a victim of its own hype or is it just a bad show?...
Review: PROM 48 – JULES BUCKLEY ORCHESTRA, Royal Albert Hall
What was it about 1973? Already this year there have been events celebrating the 50th anniversaries of classic albums such as David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, and countless others – then last night at the Royal Albert Hall, the Jules Buckley Orchestra added t...
Review: NEXT TO NORMAL, Donmar Warehouse
It’s a musical of profound emotional intelligence and accuracy. Informed and thought-provoking, it encourages reflection and promotes a healthy dialogue on the matter. It’s a touching, life-size picture of a family who can’t overcome their pain. Too many productions are haphazardly labelled as...
Review: DEATH NOTE THE MUSICAL, London Palladium
It’s definitely not your regular staged concert. While there isn’t as much character exploration in this instance, the fact-driven numbers are enough to give a morsel of what a complete production could do. ...
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: FRIEND (THE ONE WITH GUNTHER), Gilded Balloon At The Museum
There are so many predictably phrased ways I could tell you how much I enjoyed Friend (the One with Gunther). Oh. My. God. Could it *be* any more satisfying? Out of five stars, it should be seven… seven… SEVEN... It’s just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic....
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: RHYS JAMES: SPILT MILK, Pleasance Courtyard, Pleasance One
As someone who has only recently got into the world of standup, particularly with British comedians, I’ve only seen a few of the UK’s iconic comedy shows. This includes Mock the Week, so as soon as I saw that Rhys James was doing a show at the Fringe, I knew that I had to see it....
Review: DUMBLEDORE IS SO GAY, Southwark Playhouse Borough
A nostalgia-lined love letter to navigating the trials and tribulations of growing up closeted, it is difficult to escape the charm that Dumbledore is so Gay casts on its audience, even if it is a little podgy in places....
Film Review: THEATER CAMP
The kind of movie that theatre kids (and theatre adults) everywhere will resonate with....
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: BUFFY REVAMPED, Pleasance at EICC - Lomond Theatre
If you’re a Buffy fan, go and see this show – and you likely won’t need the rest of this review to convince you. Just go....
Review: THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO, Criterion Theatre
Following a successful UK tour, The Way Old Friends Do, written and directed by Ian Hallard and Mark Gatiss respectively, is now open for a west end run at the Criterion Theatre....
Review: PROM 44 – STRAVINSKY'S THE FIREBIRD, Royal Albert Hall
The power and majesty of the orchestra was at the heart of this Prom, with a well put-together programme that included the European première of a BBC co-commission and two early twentieth century compositions from two of Russia’s most famous musical sons. It also felt quite story-driven across th...
Review: THE ARC: A TRILOGY OF NEW JEWISH PLAYS, Soho Theatre
The Arc keeps an eye on the past but it’s focus is firmly on the future. Consisting of three plays Birth, Marriage, Death, Emanate Theatre Company’s second production is not one weighed down by existential meanderings or heavy questions. Levity in the face of uncertainty is its greatest strength...
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: KATHY AND STELLA SOLVE A MURDER, Underbelly
BFFs Kathy and Stella are Hull’s least successful true crime podcasters. When their favourite author is killed, they are thrust into a thrilling whodunnit of their own! Can they crack the case (and become global podcast superstars) before the killer strikes again…?...
Review: ENG-ER-LAND, Arcola Theatre
Hannah Kumari's warm, funny and ultimately disquieting monologue tells the story of a girl who doesn't fit into other people's idea of boxes, but becomes a lifelong fan of Coventry City...
Review: THE GARDEN OF WORDS, Park Theatre
Beautiful production that expands on its source material but adds confusion as a result....
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: SUSIE MCCABE: FEMME FATALITY, Assembly George Square Studios
Femme Fatality is a larger-than-life hour of stand-up that guarantees non-stop laughs from start to finish, with McCabe’s witty dry humour making comedy look as easy as putting up a shelf (just don’t ask a man to do it)....
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: FRANK SKINNER: 30 YEARS OF DIRT, Assembly George Square
Frank Skinner presents a simple hour of comedy that will have fans of his work roaring with laughter....
Review: PHANTOM PEAK: SUMMER'S PEAK, London
Is there no stopping (or topping) Phantom Peak? Just one year after debuting, this epic immersive theatre launches a summer season filled with new stories and is now looking to expand into the US....
EDINBURGH 2023: Review: ... AND THIS IS MY FRIEND MR. LAUREL, Pleasance Courtyard
Over 100 years after Stan & Ollie were first paired on screen together, Jeffrey Holland celebrates the lives and laughs of two of Hollywood's funniest men....
Review: LOYOLA, Grimeborn Festival, Arcola Theatre
Beautifully sung South American opera flawed a little by its overpowering religious messaging....
Review: MAKESHIFTS AND REALITIES, Finborough Theatre
Unearthed after decades, could this new production of two once lost plays be more than a museum piece?...
Review: TROUBLE IN TAHITI, Grimeborn Festival, Arcola Theatre
Boutique opera now 72 years old but could have been written yesterday in terms of its music, its themes and its relevance, performed with verve and confidence...
Review: THE CROWN JEWELS, Garrick Theatre
The Crown Jewels marks writer Simon Nye’s, who is best known as the writer for Men Behaving Badly, West End debut. This historical heist, based on a true story, centres around King Charles II and the plot to steal the crown jewels and features a cast made up of some of the best British comedians i...
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