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THE LUMINOUS

★★★

Greenwich Theatre

THE LUMINOUS at Greenwich Theatre ★★★ “the actors play determined everywomen with plenty of brio, empathy and skill.” What do all these have in common? The matchgirls’ strike of 1888, modern hospital regeneration, the Greenham Common peace camps of the 1980s, a sleepless half-twin, and a lady in a brown

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ΑΓΡΙΜΙ (FAUVE)

★★★

Lilian Baylis Studio

ΑΓΡΙΜΙ (FAUVE) at the Lilian Baylis Studio ★★★ “Deeply visceral and undeniably blunt” The concept of Αγρίμι (Fauve) is simple, yet primitive: humans and animals, coexisting, changing, merging in the wild and unexplored corners of the forest. It’s not new or groundbreaking, but its focus on the constant transformation and

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THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA

★★★★

Barbican

THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA at the Barbican ★★★★ “a high-spirited, multi-coloured and absolutely joyous interpretation” Written thirty years ago and set half a century ago, Hanif Kureishi’s “The Buddha of Suburbia” still contains a lot that is still true about Britain today. In Emma Rice’s adaptation (co-adapted by Kureishi) the

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BARCELONA

★★★★

Duke of York’s Theatre

BARCELONA at the Duke of York’s Theatre ★★★★ “The performances are exceptionally strong. Collins is impressive as the loose cannon, unpredictable and unsure of herself.” Two characters, a world apart, are thrown together in Bess Wohl’s play, “Barcelona”. The cultural divide is as gaping as you can get but our

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16 POSTCODES

★★★

Pleasance Theatre

16 POSTCODES at the Pleasance Theatre ★★★ “Regan clearly has a talent for light-hearted comedy and storytelling” 16 Postcodes is a series of short, autobiographic stories told by actor Jessica Regan about her experiences living in London. An audience member is invited up on stage to pick a postcode (written

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DR. STRANGELOVE

★★★½

 Noël Coward Theatre

DR. STRANGELOVE at the  Noël Coward Theatre ★★★½ “part broad farce, part skewering satire, a little bit of ’Allo ’Allo, some Airplane, some Partridge” You have to laugh, don’t you, faced with this confluence of existential crises. War in Europe and the Americans tempted by the charms of a bloviated

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THE UNGODLY

★★★

Southwark Playhouse Borough

THE UNGODLY at Southwark Playhouse Borough ★★★ “well worth a jaunt back 400 years, if only to take a peek at ourselves” “All is God’s will,” declares Puritan father Richard Edwards, trying to find comfort in his serial bereavement. The Almighty’s works appear particularly capricious and cruel in writer/director Joanna

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1984

★★★★

UK Tour

1984 at Cambridge Arts Theatre ★★★★ “As he twitches and screams, the audience responds with a petrified silence at the horror. It is a deserving accolade for Quartley’s stunning performance” Marking seventy-five years since the first publication of George Orwell’s sensational dystopian novel, Ryan Craig newly adapts the work for

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THE FLEA

★★★★★

Yard Theatre

THE FLEA at the Yard Theatre ★★★★★ “bold, innovative, interesting and risk-taking theatre” James Fritz’ ‘The Flea’ is a pleasurably innovative, hilarious and touching piece of theatre. It explores themes of systemic homophobia, the marginalisation of the working classes and the issues of criminalisation of sex workers, all within the

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HIJINKS & CAVIAR

★★

New Wimbledon Theatre

HIJINKS & CAVIAR at the New Wimbledon Theatre ★★ “In defence of the actors, they lacked nothing in energy and commitment, which they maintained throughout” The best way, perhaps, to understand Hijinks and Caviar – a piece of new writing from duo Moody & Moody of Fluffy TOP Productions –

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BRIDGE COMMAND

★★★

Bridge Command

BRIDGE COMMAND at the Bridge Command ★★★ “complex and polished enough to build a community and keep them coming back for more” Bridge Command is part escape room part video game, where participants must work as a team to captain a space ship and complete a fully immersive sci-fi mission.

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THE FORSYTE SAGA

★★★★★

Park Theatre

THE FORSYTE SAGA at Park Theatre ★★★★★ “flawlessly executed under Josh Roche’s stylish direction that adds a unique clarity to the sweeping story” John Galsworthy’s “The Forsyte Saga” earned him the Nobel Prize for literature. Its epic chronicle of the leading members of an extended upper-middle-class Victorian family has understandably

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AUTUMN

★★½

Park Theatre

AUTUMN at Park Theatre ★★½ “Harry McDonald’s dialogue is snappy and Charlotte Vickers’ direction energetic, but little can save the meandering aimlessness of this story” This new adaptation brings Ali Smith’s 2016 novel, which is widely viewed as ‘the first post-Brexit novel’ to the stage. Across two timelines we follow

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1984

★★★

Hackney Town Hall

1984 at Hackney Town Hall ★★★ “thumpingly well executed and fervently pursued” “The enemy within.” Has a ring to it, no? Or what about this? “See It. Say It. Sorted.” Another hoary command broadcast by The Party and also by TfL on the way home. That’s immersive for you. The

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“Once glanced at by someone moderately famous”