The very best shows always leave you either unsettled or with an inexplicable high that lasts until you fully process what you saw onstage.
Matthew Jameson embarked on a major project ten years ago.
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.
Usually The Nutcracker means it is the Christmas season but here we are in March.
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.
Giselle, the Gothic-Romantic iconic classical ballet of love, betrayal and forgiveness is one of the few ballets to have come down to us from the 19th century.
Ballet Rambert’s Peaky Blinders: the Redemption of Thomas Shelby is male swagger, jaw-dropping, edge of your seat dance as pyrotechnics with all the cool of the TV gangster drama…
There are situations and circumstances in which if you didn’t laugh you’d cry or perhaps in Katie Arnstein’s case just freeze.
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…
I was invited to see Tabby Lamb’s Happy Meal at Brixton House and made it quite clear that it wasn’t my sort of thing, that I would go in order to be supportive, that I almost …
What could be more appropriate to mark the opening of the Southwark Playhouse Elephant than Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce.
A heteronormative upbringing fights homosexual desire on a battleground that moves from a playful and sometimes argumentative bedroom to the secluded cell of a conversion therapy u…
A man is going through almost a lifetime’s accumulation of important junk in his attic.
The debate surrounding refugees, migrants and asylum seekers has dominated the political scene both internationally and domestically for decades.
The National Theatre’s production of the The Lehman Trilogy has now opened at the spacious Gillian Lynne Theatre where it looks set for another sell-out season.
Although written in 2004 this production of The Elephant Song at The Park Theatre is the UK premiere of Canadian playwright Nicolas Billon’s captivating psychological thriller, o…
Russian Doll meets clowns in And Then the Rodeo Burned Down, a circular metaphysical piece that combines elements of dance, comedy and mystery to form a labyrinth equivalent of a s…
In one word, Erika Ehler: Femcel is unexpected.
Everybody loves a comeback story, and Lauren Pattison’s It Is What It Is, is an up-beat in-depth look at the ups and downs of life.
Westcliff High School for Boys’ drama club under the direction of Ben Jeffreys, who otherwise teaches history, first came to our atttention at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 20…
Fin Taylor is not afraid to speak his mind, and his recent set Daddy Self-Care is proof of that.
For many, Christmas is a time of togetherness and a celebration with loved ones, friends and family; yet for others it can be a seriously un-comforting occasion.
Bugsy Malone, the 1976 film by Alan Parker charlestons into Alexandra Palace theatre with a tremendous firing of custard pies! The cult classic of the spoof gangster movie reminds …
Straight off the runway and onto the West End stage, the cast of Queenz: The Show with Ballz, strut their way into the Arts Theatre for a night of gender-bending, show-stopping gla…
Kae Tempest’s credentials as a poet and lyricist shine through in Wasted at the Jack Studio.
In this science fiction double feature, Christopher Luscombe’s adaptation of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show is a fun, mischievous celebration of the cult classic.
Magic, glitter, snowflake fairies, Jack Frosts, snow wolves and innocent love winning out, what more could you want? Circus acts, Romani travellers? A revival of its 2019 productio…
The fabulous Mill at Sonning has revived last year’s Christmas success for another run over the festive season, It’s hard to believe that a full-scale musical like Top Hat, wit…
Clive Judd’s fascinating debut play HERE won the 2022 Papatango New Writing Prize from a record 1,553 submissions.
From hand-jiving to slicked hair, Nikolai Foster’s Grease at the Dominion Theatre is a sprint down memory lane with extra twists.
Paddy (Brendan Dunlea) leads a traditional life in rural Ireland.
Whilst the boys of G Company may be experiencing monotony in Hawaii, this word cannot be applied to the long-anticipated revival of Tim Rice’s and Stuart Brayson’s From Here to…
With music and lyrics by Elton John and Jake Shears, Tammy Faye is as iconic as the woman it is about.
Mark Watson is one of those people who you stop and listen to when they start speaking, whether it is from the middle of an audience, or from a stage.
Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost gives little away to begin with, making it difficult to know what to expect.
Dominic Cooke’s new production of Good was due to arrive in October 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is not easy for two performers to keep an audience engaged and enthusiastic throughout a 90+ minute show with no interval.
Years may pass and tastes may change, but Agatha Christie remains as fashionable as ever.
Grant Black and Murray Lachlan Young’s Rehab is an entertaining musical that is full of potential.
Grace Campbell is a one-woman manifesto for body, sex and mental health positivity.
Few will perhaps have heard of Annie Londonderry, but after seeing Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams’ Ride, it will be practically impossible to forget the name.
Fern Brady is here to speak for autistic women who happen to be hot – selflessly giving a voice to the voiceless (or just a very specific group that might not have thought to ide…
Battle describes itself as a modern mystery play, and takes the audience on an intricately-plotted historical journey from 1066 to the present day: exploring how women just gather …
Patrick Withey gives a delightfully engaging and endearing performance as the troubled 15-year-old in Black Hound Productions’ Alright!, which has absolutely nothing to do with C…
Felipe Schrieberg and Paul Archibald return to the Fringe this year in an act that delivers a whisky-soaked night of tremolo and bass that walks through the annals of blues classic…
Central London has been deprived of a venue that regularly hosts nights filled with Cabaret and Magic for some time.
Wow, just wow.
We’ve all been there! That sense of recognition permeates the room during Tim Marriott’s latest play Appraisal.
The Greeks knew a lot about war and told great tales of heroism, victory and defeat.
Smashing Cabinets Theatre’s adaptation of Dave Malloy’s Ghost Quartet is ghost-like and haunting, confusing at times, but generally falls somewhere between the mysteriousness o…
Not all shows have clarity of meaning or purpose yet they still retain a certain charm.
All that glitters is not gold, a message that is incredibly clear in Em Oliver’s Beautiful Nothing.
Slap ‘N’ Tickle Theatre Company, founded in 2020 by East 15 Acting School alumni, has created a fabulously entertaining piece of devised theatre that explores sensitive issues …
Chevron Theatre’s A Wilde Life is absolutely hypnotic, hinting at a time of debauchery and a glamour that has long since passed.
There is a distinctly medieval feel to Ross Stephenson’s Artorigus from the start, despite its modern trappings.
Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel, Matilda tells the story of a precocious five-year-old girl who loves books, hates bullies, and is revealed to have telekinetic p…
The Year 12 girls from Wycombe Abbey school in High Wycombe under the direction of Phoebe Francis have created a fine production of DNA by Dennis Kelly.
As I take my seat in Mono Restaurant for Drag Queen Wine Tasting, I’m immediately struck by how professional everything looks.
Judy Seall’s Splinters is a strangely warm gothic Victorian tale, a warmth that emanates from the bonds between the members of the cast.
Have you ever considered how much easier it would be to stop trying to be a nice person and just be a dick to everyone? You will after watching this show.
Polly Peculiar, at Greenside Nicholson Square, is a joy from beginning to end: the sort of play that under normal circumstances you might not be tempted to see.
Where are the knights of yesteryear? A masterclass in barebones storytelling, Debbie Cannon’s one-woman Green Knight has us spellbound.
As we come into nearly eight years of rule of the UK Government by the Conservative Party – or 12 Years depending on your feelings for the Liberal Democrats – we have seen a ri…
After airing nearly 2,000 episodes since it was first broadcast in 2009, Pointless has become a regular family favourite and made a nationwide star out of its intelligent and amiab…
Two contrasting elements combine to make Rebel into a spectacular show ideally suited to the vast tent that is Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows.
Combining the improvisation talents of Mischief Comedy, Austentatious, and Showstopper!, Starship Improvise is a blast out of this world, filled with moments of hilarity and creati…
Before audiences step foot into the SpaceUK’s Annexe, a tune from a nearby keyboard drifts out of the theatre and floats down the hall to greet the audience.
There are many rags-to-riches stories around but probably not another that follows a young heroin addict’s journey from death’s door to the gates of Buckingham Palace.
“You can disappear into the timelessness of motion.
There’s always two sides to every story, even fairy tales.
I think I’ve fallen in love.
Broadway, here we come! The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s production of Little Women is astonishingly professional, from the high quality costumes and stage setting to the ph…
Cool with underlying passion and deceptively simple choreography by New Yorker/San Franciscan Stephen Pelton, End Without Days gets under your skin.
How do clowns get pregnant? There is no obvious punch line for Little Parts, a clown who has always been pregnant, yet who is not sure if she’ll ever give birth.
Intellectual writing, well elaborated characters and compelling themes of control in human and non-human relationships make Assisted at Surgeons' Hall a rewarding and entertain…
Aidan Goatley is not jealous of Romesh Ranganathan.
There are very few taboo subjects left these days, but the one that will eventually come to us all still leaves many people uncomfortable.
See You is must see.
Let me tell you about Ryan.
A simple concept: Peter reading on his usual park bench is approached by Jerry, a bizarre young man full of questions and stories.
There are some things as regular at the Fringe as Biblical downpours and overpriced street food.
After a year away, Mabel Thomas brings her acclaimed show Sugar back to the Fringe, this time in person.
What if the characters you created in your plays were to come to life and challenge the lives and circumstances you created for them?Unseen Shepard finds Pulitzer Prize-winning pla…
Many of us will have known someone like Meg.
Forget your troubles and let Las Vegas lounge legend Trudy Carmichael (along with her astounding accompanist) entertain you in her daring one-of-a-kind immersive musical event! Eve…
How to remember the hermit of Hull? Almost Instinct, Almost True may refuse us anabsolute answer, but with moments of lyricism, connection and surprising political relevance, it as…
Stand up is a challenging format at the best of times - but the one-liner comedian often seems to be the ultimate masochist in a field where self-inflicted pain is surely part of t…
Lauren Brewer and Will Geraint Drake’s The Single Lady is a musical extravaganza, giving Elizabeth I the same treatment that Hamilton did to the Founding Fathers.
A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery is an interactive Shakespeare-based whodunnit where the audience (with help from the cast) is tasked with solving the murder.
It’s four years since George Steeves brought his Magic 8 Ball show to Edinburgh, winning the heart and mind of at least this reviewer with such an honest, bold theatrical collage…
If you want to discover – or further explore – cabaret, you couldn’t do better than to start with Reuben Kaye.
“Excuse me sir, would you mind if I gave this gentleman the free seat beside you?” says a keen and kind Aliya Kanani before the beginning of her sold-out show.
Filled with classically and subtly nihilistic British humour, Milo Edwards’ Voicemail is full of intelligent and thought provoking commentary that turns Mash House into a safe sp…
Billed as a ‘queer manifesto against Grindr’, Looking for Fun is one of the new plays showcased at the Paradok Platform.
From dealing with video testimonies of love from superfans to the vilest of far-right vitriol that can be spat in 280 characters and all whilst dealing with the life of a comedian,…
Marrow is a love letter to memory and to what makes us: us.
Oooh, tell me stories.
The title of this show and the sweet, open and slightly goofy face staring at you from the posters should tell you everything you need to know about this show: and stand-up Luca Cu…
Despite what Catherine Bohart tells us in This Isn’t For You, she is more emotionally articulate than she gives herself credit for.
Alan Cumming is a tour de force as ever.