Latest Reviews

BOUM! C'est Chantastique

Across the street from Moulin Rouge lies a slice of understated elegance that is Brasserie Zedel.

Gypsy

The stage at the Mill at Sonning is transformed into a cosy vaudeville theatre with Jospeph Pitcher’s Gypsy.

Miss Margarida's Way

Education.

Rockstar

Rockstar isn't your stereotypical rock musical.

'Viewpoints' For Screen (Student Masterclass)

Can theatre and film every truly be linked as performance forms? Is there a technique which overlaps these two things? Yes it can, and yes there is.

Run To the Nuns

Run To The Nuns is an extremely well constructed and developed musical that is focused on women in general, sexual health, religion and same sex relationships that overlap with eac…

Rose

Review
★★★★★
Richard Beck
West End
Ambassadors Theatre. / The Ambassadors Theatre
31st May, 2023

Martin Sherman’s Rose is already an award-winning production that received widespread critical acclaim during its sell-out runs at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, and the Park T…

The Grim

If you love interactive, immersive theatre, then The Grim is one to experience.

Séayoncé Res-Erection

Dan Wye and Robyn Herfellow join forces to create a special gem for the Speigeltent at this year’s Fringe.

Mythos: Ragnarok

Norse myths, legends and.

M U S I C

Imagine a world in which you are so influenced by music that the algorithm's suggestions are more powerful than the world itself.

Gypsy

It’s off to Scotland’s theatre in the hills for the opening of the season with a musical, none other than the 1959 classic Gypsy.

Lovefool

Written and directed by Gintare Parulyte, Lovefool is certainly unmissable.

Bronte

The Brontë Sisters as writers changed the literary world as we know it.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

Making the move from its seven-year residency at the Lyric Theatre, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical has opened at the Cambridge Theatre, its new home, where the team will be do…

Brokeback Mountain

Annie Proulx’s short story Brokeback Mountain was first published in 1997, and a hit film was made in 2005.

Phil Wang: Wang in There, Baby!

Whatever you think Phil Wang’s Wang In There, Baby! Is going to be like, the reality of the show far surpasses it.

Cabaret Continentale: We Still Love EU

In this year’s Eurovision, Europe didn’t give the UK much love, but do the Brits still love the EU? Apparently so, at least judging by the cheerful welcome Cabaret Continentale…

SONS

Within just an hour, SONS recounts the learnings from a lifetime of relationships.

The Dumb Waiter & A Slight Ache

Artistic Director James Haddrell has made a brave and perhaps rather surprising choice for the Greenwich Theatre’s first in-house production of 2023.

Once On This Island

Directed by Ola Ince, Once On This Island has all the hallmarks of a myth; the gods meddling in human life, a quest with high stakes, and a chosen one going on a journey.

Bourgeois & Maurice: Pleasure Seekers

It’s been nine years and a pandemic since I last saw the double-trouble act Bourgeois & Maurice.

Drag Queen Wine Tasting

Wine tasting and drag queens go together like milk and cookies.

Rambunctious Scallywag

Farrah Alice Black is not afraid to say she has lived through some of the most inexplicable events with honesty and a strong build up of resilience in her twenty-four years of bein…

Fabulett 1933

Picture the scene.

Leaves of Glass

Philip Ridley’s multi-layered, complex and highly acclaimed story Leaves of Glass is breathtakingly revived by director Max Harrison in collaboration with Lidless Theatre in a mi…

Back to Black: The Music of Amy Winehouse

As one of the most iconic members of the 27 club, Amy Winehouse left an indelible impression, not just on popular music, but on popular culture as a whole.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Review
★★★
Katerina Partolina Schwartz
London Fringe
Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company Ltd.
18th May, 2023

Georgie Rankcom’s adaptation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a colourful comedy that laughs at corporate culture and business stereotypes.

Nora: A Doll's House

Brighton Fringe seems to be going through an interesting trend at the moment giving characters from well known plays a voice, so they can finally have their say.

Crème de la Crème

If I were to ask you, which fringe troupe is most likely to be found spooning naked on stage, you may have guessed correctly The Head First Acrobats.

Sabotage

If you want a taste of what it’s like to be a super spy - or at least the Poundland version - then Sabotage could be the improvised game show for you.

Sunsets

It’s easy to know why we are continually drawn to romcoms: we can't help but fall in love with the simplicity of happy endings.

The Enigma of Edward Elgar

Edward Elgar's influence on the classical music world is one that is to be admired.

Biscuits for Breakfast

It’s not only the title of the play; Biscuits For Breakfast is all that some people have to start the day, and that’s if they are lucky.

Komedia Comedy Club

I was intrigued to see who would choose a regular Saturday night comedy club over the spectacle of the Eurovision final being shown all around Brighton.

DIETRICH & HARTSHORNE

A question that is a commonly asked when it comes to couples is 'Who wears the trousers in this relationship?' A strange concept to think of, but it is one that indicates s…

Madame Chandelier's Night at the Opera

If the encore of a show entails audience members chucking white tennis socks at you, would you consider it a success? You might, if the tennis socks were props for an avalanche so …

Under Milk Wood

For 30 years now, Guy Masterson has been successfully taking on the monumental challenge of presenting Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood as a solo show; revelations from the fictional …

IT'S A TRAP! The Improvised Star Wars Show

Ladies and gentlemen, droids and aliens, gather round for a special Star Wars themed improv show taking us to comedic depths of a galaxy far, far away! But did Leia, Luke, Boba and…

Lady Bracknell's Confinement

Review
★★★★★
Sascha Cooper
Brighton Fringe
The Lantern @ ACT / The Nightingale Theatre @ Grand Central
13th May, 2023

Lady Bracknell.

A Couple of Swells

Lemonsqueeze Productions returns to Brighton Fringe with A Couple of Swells.

Homophobia on the Orient Express

Unplanned, I happen to be writing this review on a train.

Schalk Bezuidenhout: I'll Make Laugh To You

In Schalk Bezuidenhout’s I’ll Make Laugh To You, the fun and games start before the show does, introducing us to his subtley pointed sarcasm before launching in a self-deprecat…

The Streets of London

Wherever you are in the world, living on the streets is a bleak, harsh reality.

Havisham

So you think you know Great Expectations' Miss Havisham? Think again! Emulat8 Theatre brings an extremely bold and fresh new viewpoint to an iconic Dickens' character, who …

The Importance of Being Earnest as performed by Three F*cking Queens & a Duck

The Importance of Being Earnest By 3 F*cking Queens And A Duck is a fun take on Oscar Wilde's classic Manners Comedy, told from the perspective of three actors (the queens) who…

The Circle

The Artistic Director might have changed but the Orange Tree Theatre continues to resurrect plays from eras that many houses might shun.

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Two main questions flit through your mind as you watch SpitLip’s Operation Mincemeat - firstly ‘God it’s brilliant,’ followed quickly by, ‘how are they allowed to do that…

The Unknown Soldier

The centenary commemorations of the First World War ending, held in 2018, ensured that it was once again in the consciousness of the nation, putting the tomb of the Unknown Warrior…

Old Bones

If you had the opportunity to be your most authentic self.

Who Is No. 1?

Who Is No.

Don't Rock The Boat

Don't Rock The Boat explores the idea of addiction recovery through the eyes of Daniel and Alice.

Jules and Jim.

In a rather surprising debut choice, Stella Powell-Jones has commenced her incumbency as Artistic Director of Jermyn Street Theatre with Timberlake Wertenbaker’s uninspired adapt…

WET

Women all have a vulva.

Unwanted Objects

Behind every object are eyes that witness life in a different way to us.

Twisted Tales

Review
★★★★
Sascha Cooper
Brighton Fringe
Caravanserai Brighton: Under The Archway
8th May, 2023

Caravanserai at 10pm is an interesting time to have a show.

Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody

Taking the magic of classic Disney films and turning it all on its head was Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody.

Nul Points

This show deserves as many points as its title says.

The Motive and the Cue

In 1964, acting legends Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton both wanted to “give their Hamlet”.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

“What are you doing here” asks the interviewer at Nuri’s asylum assessment.

Marie Lloyd Stole My Life

We have more than likely at some point in our lives, heard of music hall star Marie Lloyd.

Breeding

A fast pace and some hilarious banter about their names, how to pronounce and spell them, gets Barry McStay’s Breeding off to an immediately engaging and rip-roaring start that s…

Scottish Ballet: A Streetcar Named Desire

This stunning production is an ideal example of how to use the unique ability of dance to emphasise and refocus on different aspects of a classic drama.

Getaway / Runaway

Noah McCreadie has scored a triumph with his debut play Getaway/Runaway and the intimacy of the King’s Head Theatre provides the perfect setting for this intense drama from Shot …

The Sun, the Mountain, and Me

In an unlikely melding of three disparate stories, Jack Fairey finds common ground in his moving play The Sun, The Mountain, and Me for Bedivere Arts at the Jack Studio Theatre, in…

Teechers Leavers ‘22

John Godber reinforces his campaign for the arts in education with Teechers Leavers ’22, an updated version of his original play now on its fourth UK tour courtesy of the outstan…

Trumpets and Raspberries

Given the vast repertoire of plays available to theatre companies one often wonders how they decide on what to perform next and why: in this case, the somewhat lesser-known work by…

Dixon and Daughters

Review
★★
Simon Ximenez
West End
Dorfman Theatre
30th Apr, 2023

The National Theatre continues its support of new writing at the Dorfman with Dixon and Daughters: an emotional play dealing with the far-reaching effects of historic child abuse.

TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera]

Whether you remember Tony Blair becuase of the international laws he broke or the fact that he made fox-hunting illegal, TONY! is a raucous, cartoonish musical.

The Good Person of Szechwan

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
Lyric Hammersmith / Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
28th Apr, 2023

It was just another day in Szechwan with people going about their daily business until three wandering gods in disguise turned up in the city in need of a place to stay while they …

Sweeney Todd - the Victorian Melodrama

Opera della Luna's latest production of Sweeney Todd will show you the barber as you have never seen or heard him before.

F★★king Men

The current production of Joe DiPietro’s F**king Men at Waterloo East Theatre is an updated version of his original 2009 script that successfully takes note of developments on th…

Dancing at Lughnasa

Dancing at Lughnasa is easily Brian Friel’s most widely known play thanks to the 1998 film version that starred Meryl Streep.

little scratch

If you are looking for a remarkable piece of unusual drama then the Hampstead Theatre’s production of little scratch is now being presented by New Diorama in their perfectly-suit…

TWO

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
2 Bath Road
17th Apr, 2023

One night, in a pub, in the North of England is the setting for Jim Cartwright’s carefully crafted dark comedy TWO.

Queer Folks' Tales

As the audience enter the auditorium at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the four storytellers are already on stage: poet Janette Ayachi, powerhouse crime author Val McDermid, bur…

Private Lives

In Michael Longhurst’s adaptation of Private Lives, you can really see why Noël Coward’s work receives such acclaim to the point of being replicated in TV shows like Frasier.

Generation Games

Generation Games is a double bill featuring two one-act plays: A Certain Term by Michael McManus and I F_ _ _ _ _ n’ Love You by Charlie Ross Mackenzie.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

It’s not every day that you see your imagination augmented by the stage adaptation of a book.

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

The subtitle A Gothic Romance is added to Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty for a good reason.

The Only White

There is an inherent difficulty with plays that seek to tell a well-known story and thus lack a sense of mystery and element of surprise.

Sugar Coat

We start with an empty stage adorned with punk memorabilia, ready for a grunge-femme concert.

Hay Fever

Noël Coward’s Hay Fever is largely considered to be a masterpiece, the height of comedy.

Galaxy Train

Galaxy Train is a new musical with music, lyrics and book by Eden Tredwell and direction by Yojiro Ichikawa.

Rosie Holt: The Woman’s Hour

Rosie Holt’s The Woman’s Hour is a satirical amalgamation of characters that provides a commentary on British politics.

Dance of Death

Review
★★★
Richard Beck
London Fringe
The Coronet
22nd Mar, 2023

The Coronet Theatre is once again hosting The National Theatre of Norway, who have arrived with their take on August Strindberg’s dark matrimonial drama Dance of Death.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Hilarious, satirical, superbly staged and brilliantly performed, Accidental Death of an Anarchist has hit the Lyric, Hammersmith in an explosion of theatricality following its sens…

Villain, Interrupted

The very best shows always leave you either unsettled or with an inexplicable high that lasts until you fully process what you saw onstage.

Ten Days

Matthew Jameson embarked on a major project ten years ago.

Family Tree

Our lives are indebted to many people.

The Emperor's New Clothes

What a joy to see a very simple and equally silly story adapted for the stage and turned into an hour of light-hearted frivolity, full of humour and ingenuity.

Grace Campbell: A Show About Me(n)

Review
★★★★
Katerina Partolina Schwartz
West End
Alexandra Palace / Leicester Square Theatre
14th Mar, 2023

Grace Campbell has been called a multitude of things, but after her most recent comedy set A Show About Me(n) she can add electrifying, iconic and all around spectacular to the lis…

That's Not My Name

Review
★★★★★
Miriam Colvin
London Fringe
Brighton Fringe / Hen and Chickens Theatre Pub / The Bread & Roses
12th Mar, 2023

That’s Not my Name falls into almost every category of art, or none of it: its own individual masterpiece of mess.

Under the Black Rock

Promoted as ‘a twisting and darkly comic thriller’, Under the Black Rock, at the Arcola Theatre, has each of those elements in different measures, but probably doesn’t achiev…

Bonnie & Clyde

After a strong run at the Arts Theatre last year, the hellraisers are back in Nick Winston’s Bonnie and Clyde as it finally finds a home in the West End at the Garrick Theate.

The Nutcracker

Usually The Nutcracker means it is the Christmas season but here we are in March.

The Long Run

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
Vault Festival
Pit
4th Mar, 2023

There are situations and circumstances in which if you didn’t laugh you’d cry or perhaps in Katie Arnstein’s case just freeze.

Login

Create Account

Username or Password Reminder

Latest Reviews

Most Popular See More

Popular Articles

Popular Sections

Contact Us