UK / WEST END THEATER REVIEWS

First seen in 1980, Tom Kempinski's powerful two-hander about a famous violinist stricken with multiple sclerosis and her therapist is a perfect choice for the intimacy of the Orange Tree Theatre....

Just like with Romeo and Juliet, there are a few ways to stage the Scottish Play. By leaning into the different themes, it can become a political drama or a kitchen sink tragedy. Then, there’s whatever Mark Leipacher’s version is trying to do. Performed by two actors, Shakespeare’s tale of amb...

A one woman show that that lacks the emotional gravity to keep itself grounded...

The VAULT festival is not Wasteman's first time on the stage - in fact, Joe Leather's production has previously done the bin rounds at Camden Fringe Festival in 2022. Its triumphant return, therefore, is no surprise, given how much audiences enjoyed the semi-autobiographical production's first outin...

London transfer of New York hit comedy gathers a few laughs, but feels out of step with the times...

This revolutionary story celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst – feminist, activist, pacifist, socialist, rebel – the lesser-known Pankhurst at the heart of the Suffragette movement, who changed the lives of working women and men across the world. So what did the critics think?...

In historian Orlando Figes’ debut play, Flaubert’s friends Ivan Turgenev, Émile Zola, and George Sand urge him to either strip down his writing to please the masses or get a temporary job to fend off his creditors. The Oyster Problem debuts at Jermyn Street Theatre directed by Philip Wilson in ...

In Sylvia, the subject of the show is potentially fascinating, with much comparison to draw to the current day; echoes of recent police brutality against women, the challenges against the right to protest and the fight for equal pay rumble on 100 years later. The show has so much to say, but ends up...

The production makes a farce of geopolitical tensions and falls short in satire. It over-delivers its cheap gags and over-engages in silly audience interaction....

A heartfelt theatrical triptych that poses powerful questions about culture and community...

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) has the potential to be an unstructured mess, but has the joyous, slightly chaotic nature of an irreverent fringe production, with the wit and slick satire of a carefully crafted piece more than worthy of the West End....

Is Britain a functioning meritocracy? Many try to argue that it is, but research states otherwise. Upstart Theatre urge the audience to take matters into their own hands by playing The Learning Lottery, a “fast-paced, high-stakes game show” that determines the future of three children. ...

Directed by Miranda Cromwell and adapted by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler, The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Syrian refugees Nuri (Alfred Clay) and Afra (Roxy Faridany) as they flee their homeland. Lefteri based the original story on her experiences of meeting people in a refuge cent...

The importance and beauty of some productions extend beyond what the audience see on stage. Residue was born after two years of creative workshops for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. It’s about the women who shared their experiences, but so much more too. Verity Richards and Izzy Kabban deli...

A masturbatory look at an infuriating lack of communication. ...

The one created by Leeza Jessie, Xavier De Santos, Samuel De La Torre, Alice Barton, Sofia Velez, and composer John Baggott is an astonishingly strange show, which wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t so… well, meaninglessly weird....

'Hi, would you do me the honour of spitting in this cup for me?' asks the gorgeous person in lingerie as you step through the door....

A frustratingly capricious script shaped into a disturbingly sexy, impressive production....

As someone named Kat in her twenties and living in the 20s, I thought it would be interesting to review Kat and Kat Comedy’s The Whoreing Twenties. The show is an interesting mix of pre-recorded video and live comedy presented by two women, both named Kat, who “really want to give back to the co...

Simon Stone's contemporary twist on Seneca's tragedy is as ferocious as it is thrilling...

The singularity of souls, how coincidence and circumstances change the course of a life, the idiosyncratic relationship we create with specific people, they all come together with refined technique and deft use of language. It’s a gem of a play. ...

It’s a heavy topic, and the company bear the weight of it throughout. MOLKA is commendable for its avant-garde approach to the subject, which has the vice of a Tate Modern performance art piece more than a straight play. While it gets slightly lost in its stylistic choices and fails to provide a m...

It’s meant to be a satirical look at our obsession with our online personas versus the reality behind the screen, but - like everyone’s day-to-day life - it’s just a little too mundane. Bickel-Barlow succeeds in showing the fickleness, fakeness, and absolute inconsequence of social media, but ...

It’s been a strong few months for Edinburgh Fringe transfers at Soho Theatre, and Fringe First winner Breathless is no exception. Written by Laura Horton based on her own experience, the show shines a light on the real life consequences of hoarding through a touching, warm-hearted one-woman show....

That Leonard Cohen, one of the greatest modern troubadours, inspired such a disconnected dance show is possibly a testament to just how elusive his songs are....