Latest Reviews

The Breach

Celebrated director Sarah Frankcom makes her debut at Hampstead Theatre in a spartan production of Naomi Wallace’s morality-defying play The Breach.

The Silver Bell

The Silver Bell explores loss, grief and the collision of spirituality and science.

VALHALLA CALLING

From the same dynamic duo behind Tougher than the Train, here we have an interactive comedy show for adults with Valhalla Calling.

Caitlin

So you think you know Dylan Thomas? Maybe for his work and his volatile mindset through drinking, but have you ever wondered what his wife Caitlin really thought of him? We find ou…

Medico

Medico brought a new twist to a one woman stand up comedy show by bringing a medical slant to the proceedings.

Oklahoma!

When Marisha Wallace, who plays Ado Annie, sings “I’m just a girl who cain’t say no” we are left in no doubt as to what she means and it gets the ovation it richly deserves…

Guru Dudu's Silent Disco Walking Tours

Review
★★★★★
Sascha Cooper
Brighton Fringe
MEET: Outside i360 (Gift Shop exit) / New Road
17th May, 2022

Rain didn't dampen our spirits as we found ourselves transported to the Ibizan club scene for an hour during Guru Dudu's Silent Disco Walking Tour, dancing away the weekend…

Vermin

Review
★★★★★
Amy Betteridge
Brighton Fringe
Laughing Horse @ Caroline of Brunswick / Laughing Horse @ The Walrus (Raised Room)
17th May, 2022

In Rachel and Billy’s life, rats scratch at drywall and run across kitchen countertops.

Abigail

Most of us will be familiar with Arthur Miller’s character Abigail; the seductress who caught John Proctor’s eye and led a group of girls that sent innocent women to their demi…

Tougher than the Train

Clownberry Theatre enchants adults and children alike with Tougher than the Train - an experience that explores the idea of being tough versus playful through the usage of audience…

Privates: Great Ideas by Geniuses

Review
★★★
Johanna Makelainen
Brighton Fringe
Brighton Spiegeltent: Bosco / The Warren: The McElderry
16th May, 2022

Things were warming up at the Spiegeltent Bosco as the pre-Eurovision party crowd was ready for some afternoon goofs and giggles.

Shaggers

Review
★★★
Sascha Cooper
Brighton Fringe
Laughing Horse @ The Walrus (Raised Room)
16th May, 2022

Shaggers brought a different take on sex for this year's fringe festival.

Ordinary Days

Julie Atherton’s production of Ordinary Days at the Cockpit is a work of art.

For You I'd Wait

One of the best things about theatre, and art in general, is the space it creates for difficult conversations and analysis.

Selena Mersey: Madonna/Whore (Work in Progress)

If Victoria Wood was alive today, she would have been charmed by Selina Mersey: Madonna/Whore, a work in progress show that explored, via the form of comedy and burlesque, the idea…

The Trials Of Galileo

“And yet it moves,” repeats Galileo Galilei over and over again, convinced that he has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the earth moves around the sun, not the other way…

Biscuit Barrel: No Time to Digestive

Biscuit Barrel: No Time to Digestive is a whistlestop sketch show that ate and left no crumbs.

Wild Tales for Weird Folk

As the audience entered the Bosco Theatre, we were enchanted by a solo guitar player (Tim Carp) on stage.

The Man In The Shed

The Man In The Shed is a highly amusing and at time hilarious solo rant by actor Alex Dee, co-written as Alex Donald with Tim Connery.

Bonny & Read

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were two formidable women in history, who took to the high seas as pirates.

Man of a Thousand Farces

If you looked up the dictionary definition of a variety show, Johnny MacAulay’s Man of a Thousand Farces should be there.

The God Of Carnage

Meet Veronique (Sophie Dearlove) and her husband Michel (Neil James), and Alain (Tom Dussek) and his wife Annette (Jenny Delisle).

Betsy: Wisdom of a Brighton Whore

Betsy had a plan.

Mentalless

Mentalism and comedy might be an uncommon combination, but performers Andrew Phoenix and Emma Wesslus prove it’s a worthwhile experiment in this lighthearted hour of tricks and j…

Crunch!

Crunch! was a gentle yet hard hitting comedy set in an office, where three very different characters tried to get on with furthering their careers, but fell into the trap of not sh…

American Idiot

An odd combination of nostalgia and existentialism, American Idiot continues to remain incredibly current.

Barry Humphries: The Man Behind the Mask

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
West End
Churchill Theatre / Gielgud Theatre / Richmond Theatre
10th May, 2022

The event might fall short of the hype that The Man Behind the Mask would be a ‘confessional evening – seasoned with highly personal, sometimes startling, and occasionally outr…

Love and Money

In our world of fast fashion, the buy-now-pay-later mentality fed to us by banks like Klarna and the rising cost of living, Dennis Kelly’s Love and Money will truly resonate with…

The Recollection of Tony Ward

Jim Spencer Broadbent is a playwright based in South-East London, so he is delighted to be presenting his play The Recollection of Tony Ward as one of twenty-seven companies contri…

Eleanor Conway: Talk Dirty To Me

Review
★★★★
Sascha Cooper
Brighton Fringe
Laughing Horse @ The Walrus / Laughing Horse @ The Walrus (Raised Room)
9th May, 2022

Eleanor Conway is a woman on a mission.

Busman's Honeymoon

Both a restaurant and a theatre, The Mill at Sonning, with its beautiful river setting in the countryside near Reading, is currently host to the Busman's Honeymoon, co-written …

Done to Death by Jove!

Done to Death By Jove was a comedic celebration of the murder mystery novel.

The Time Machine

'Hello! What time do you call this?' A friendly voice called out to the audience as we entered the Rotunda performance space.

NDT2: The Big Crying, Simple Things, Impasse

The convulsive pain of grief, a languorous classical quartet and an exuberant party piece undercut with darkness; these three pieces superbly contrast each other in mood and style,…

The End of the Night

Dust-sheets cover what little furniture there is in the expansive room of Dr Felix Kersten (Michael Lumsden), trusted personal physiotherapist to Reichsfuehrer Heinrich Himmler (Ri…

Middle

Review
★★
Simon Ximenez
West End
Dorfman Theatre
6th May, 2022

In 2017, David Eldridge’s play Beginning dramatised an awkward conversation between two white, financially comfortable, urban-dwelling, adult Gen X-ers, caught in that time of em…

Orlando

Orlando, Virginia Woolf’s amusing challenge to the norms of society, stemmed from her own life and that of her lover Vita Sackville-West, but in her novel, the eponymous hero'…

The Burnt City

Punchdrunk‘s new production, The Burnt City, directed by Felix Barrettand Maxine Doyle, taking place in one of the buildings at the Woolwich Arsenal.

Shake the City

If we ever needed more proof as to why second wave or white feminism should no longer be considered relevant, here it is.

If. Destroyed. Still. True.

Sometimes all the elements of a production combine to form something that is stunning and deeply moving.

The Corn is Green

Review
★★
Simon Ximenez
West End
Lyttelton Theatre
27th Apr, 2022

As a title, The Corn is Green proves the old adage about books, covers and the perils of judging thereof.

How It Is (Part 2)

How It Is (Part 2) being Part 2 of a three-part novel of which Part 1 comes before it and Part 3 follows it after which there is no more being a novel it is not a play yet here at …

Sidney Fox's Crime

There are a few infinite things in the universe: greed, love and the elite’s ability and desire to protect the status quo.

The Great Gatsby

Review
★★★★
Stephanie Green
UK Regional & Tours
Edinburgh Festival Theatre / Milton Keynes Theatre / New Theatre Cardiff
23rd Apr, 2022

Manic parties and manic dance, glorious swirls of colour, Chanel-inspired floating dresses and jazz from the Roaring Twenties, contrasted with the green light throbbing in the dist…

Sheila's Island

Four women find themselves isolated, stuck on a small island during a company team-building weekend.

Bonnie and Clyde

Having a gun - albeit a fake one - pointed at my face has never been at the top of my list of fears.

Absolute Certainty?

Absolute Certainty? staged by Qweerdog Theatre revolves around the confused lives of two brothers and a friend.

Rabbit Hole

After sitting through two acts of around fifty-five minutes each at the Union Theatre, quite why David Lindsey-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, five To…

Anyone Can Whistle

Considering how much Anyone Can Whistle flopped in 1964, it is a bold, brave (and some may say hubristic) move on the part of Grey Area Theatre Company to revive the show at the So…

The Handmaid’s Tale

Modern opera is difficult to execute well, because no matter how good it is it will always be judged against the classics.

SAD

SAD is a new play by Victoria Willing, directed by Marie McCarthy at the Clapham Omnibus.

Jinkx Monsoon & Major Scales: Together Again, Again!

From the glittering heights of Hollywood to the roaring sound of the West End, Jinkx Monsoon delivers a spectacular insight into their kooky (yet incredible) brain and reminds us a…

Heathers The Musical

Homecoming is the word that comes to mind when watching this musical.

Fighting Irish

If you are into boxing, and I’m not, Fighting Irish gives you something to latch onto from the outset.

Diary of a Somebody

John Lahr’s Diary of a Somebody makes a return to the stage after an absence of 35 years, this time at Seven Dials Playhouse.

The Gondoliers

Gilbert & Sullivan have survived the test of time and now seem to have successfully weathered the pandemic.

Mojo Mickybo

Two stunningly energetic performances keep Owen McCafferty’s Mojo Mickyboy, courtesy of Bruiser Theatre Company, rolling along at a cracking pace that provides an hour of action-…

STOMP

The Old Market atmosphere was vibrant as we walked in to find a stage that had a set made up entirely of cans, pots, pans, traffic signs and more that one might see on a busy city …

Hamlet

You wait ages for one Hamlet to come along.

The Bean Spillers: The Improvised Musical

High energy, fun and witty, The Bean Spillers’ Improvised Musical showcases a wide range of talent, musical knowledge and general mischief.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

When Charles Dickens died, he left behind a plethora of iconic novels.

The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein

There is deceit in the title of this play.

Dark Sublime

Watching the projected opening credits to Dark Sublime it would be easy to mistake it for an actual British sci-fi TV show of the 1980s.

The Collaboration

Andy Warhol once declared, 'Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art'.

Bacon

Bacon, at the Finborough Theatre, showcases the talents of two remarkable young actors in a moving exploration of teenage angst.

Sasha Regan's All Male H.M.S. Pinafore

Wilton’s Music Hall has come a long way since 1885 when Nelly Power sang The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery.

Under Electric Candlelight

I’ll settle for the company’s own description of Under Electric Candlelight as an ‘existential tragicomedy’, but dont worry about interpreting that.

The Da Vinci Code

Review
★★★
Elanor Parker
Brighton
17th Mar, 2022

Can 80 million people ever be wrong? Back in 2003, The Da Vinci Code became a global publishing phenomenon, later branching out into a Hollywood film franchise.

Abigail’s Party

That irresistible 1970s suburban comedy, Abigail's Party, has been revived again; this time at the Watford Palace Theatre under the direction of Pravesh Kumar.

Dev's Army

Review
★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Bread & Roses / The London Irish Centre
14th Mar, 2022

Dev’s Army, by Stuart D.

When We Dead Awaken

For aficionados of Ibsen this is a production not to be missed; nor should those who just like to wallow in the velvety richness of traditional theatre ignore this rare opportunity…

Moreno

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
Theatre503
11th Mar, 2022

Simple acts can often have huge repercussions.

Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel

Love.

Back to the Future

After years of turmoil caused by politics and pandemic, nostalgia is exactly what Doc ordered.

Roles We'll Never Play

Back again and bigger than ever - Roles We’ll Never Play arrives at the Lyric Theatre for a night of musical theatre madness.

The Woods

This production of The Woods, one of David Mamet’s earlier plays, at the Southwark Playhouse is directed by Russell Bolam, with Francesca Carpanini as Ruth and Sam Frenchum as Ni…

Richard II

Politically, it seems like a highly appropriate time to stage a production of Shakespeare’s Richard II - an exploration of the nature of leadership and egotistical entitlement.

after birth

There’s something truly life-affirming about theatre that entertains and makes you think.

Rain and Zoe Save The World

Rain and Zoe Save the World by Crystal Skillman at Jermyn Street Theatre is an action adventure story that follows two teenage friends as they embark on a journey to disrupt some o…

Saturday Night Fever

The classic movie from the 1970’s involving John Travolta donning a white suit to wow audience members as he dances the funky chicken to the iconic Bee Gees soundtrack has now Broo…

Never Not Once

Never Not Once by Carey Crim tells the story of Eleanor, who attempts to find her biological father - uncovering a traumatic family secret in the process.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights.

Kontakthof: Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch

Disconcerting, both humourous and visceral, Kontakthof performed by Tanztheater Wuppertal continues to shock.

The Stars Are Fire

The University of Cambridge did not grant degrees to women until 1948.

HOLST: The Music In The Spheres

In modern parlance Gustav Holst might be regarded as something of a one-hit wonder, though aficionados could point to many other worthy works that have a more esoteric appeal and a…

We Belong

It feels like a lifetime since I was seated front of stage; looking up at the house lights, almost as nervous as the performers waiting behind the curtain.

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story

Bart Lambert and Jack Reitman were joint winners of the OffWestEnd Award 2020 for Best Male Performance in a Musical for their roles in Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story at The…

Alissa In Wonderland

Alissa in Wonderland is a quirky, enigmatic experience down the rabbit hole that exposes the parallels between eight-year-old Alice and twenty-something-year-old Alissa, while prov…

Krapp's Last tape

Review
★★
Mel Evans
London Fringe
Tower Theatre
26th Jan, 2022

Throughout his life, on his birthday, Krapp records a review of his year using an old fashioned tape recorder.

Another Christmas

Losing your wits and your Christmas spirit? Feel hollow and need a break? Drop everything for half an hour and watch Another Christmas, a musical short film celebrating otherness a…

Carmen

Review
★★★★★
Stephanie Green
Scotland
EICC
20th Dec, 2021

A love triangle, passion, jealousy, the colour of red roses and bull-fighter capes: just what you would expect in this stunning contemporary dance version of Bizet’s Carmen, re-i…

Kindred Spirits

Kindred Spirits is a ghostly comedy by Ross McGregor showing at the Brockley Jack until the 8th of January 2022.

Wilf

Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre continues its tradition of being non-traditional this Christmas season.

We Never Got Off at Sloane Square

We never get off at Sloane Square is an adaptation of Helen DeWitt’s novel, The Last Samurai – the story of a mother, Sibylla, who singlehandedly homeschools her son, Ludo, whi…

Blu & The Magic Web

Review
★★★★★
Elanor Parker
Brighton
Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts
12th Dec, 2021

If you’re looking for magical theatre this Christmas, but aren’t keen on booking a pantomime, then Blu & The Magic Web is a musical adventure that is sure to please the who…

Review
★
Simon Ximenez
West End
Lyttelton Theatre
26th Nov, 2021

A fierce storm.

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