RHINOCEROS★★★★Almeida Theatre
RHINOCEROS Almeida Theatre ★★★★ “an appeal to the senses, an experience as peculiar and nonsensical as a fit of the giggles” Director Omar Elerian’s electrifying interpretation of the absurdist classic Rhinoceros is as much about theatre as it is about marauding pachyderms. In his vision of French Romanian writer Eugene
APEX PREDATOR★★Hampstead Theatre
APEX PREDATOR Hampstead Theatre ★★ “the entire cast do as much as they can with the raw tools they’ve been given” Has the time arrived for a new vampire story? John Donnelly thinks so. But unfortunately, his newest play, Apex Predator, can’t quite seem to decide what it wants to
STILETTO★★★★Charing Cross Theatre
STILETTO Charing Cross Theatre ★★★★ “a luscious musical that intrigues and teases with, rather than pulls, our heartstring” The first thing you notice about the new musical, “Stiletto”, is the opulence of Ceci Calf’s set. Dimly lit in the pre-show, it depicts not so much a Venetian palazzo but something
(THIS IS NOT A) HAPPY ROOM★★★King’s Head Theatre
(THIS IS NOT A) HAPPY ROOM King’s Head Theatre ★★★ “struggles to know itself: its heavy in content, but its comedy is competitive, rather than complementary” ‘(This is not a) Happy Room’ is rammed with content, much of which is very funny. For all that content, though, it lacks substance.
SABRAGE★★★★Lafayette
SABRAGE Lafayette ★★★★ “a stream of virtuosity, acrobatics, dancing, singing, burlesque, gravity-defying feats, sassiness, sexiness and humour is unleashed onto the stage” ‘Lafayette’ is a name that conjures exoticism, glamour, and a Parisienne ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’; mixed in with the ‘big-easy’ hedonism of New Orleans. But tucked away in London’s King’s Cross,
MURDER, SHE DIDN’T WRITE★★★★Duchess Theatre
MURDER, SHE DIDN’T WRITE Duchess Theatre ★★★★ “The direction is astounding to maintain a delicate balance between a comedy and the central ‘whodunit.’” Over 13 years since its first performance, Murder, She Didn’t Write is still touring and delighting audiences more than ever as it embarks on a UK tour
WILKO★★★Southwark Playhouse Borough
WILKO Southwark Playhouse Borough ★★★ “None of what follows would be remotely plausible without the sterling performance of Johnson Willis who wholly inhabits the fractious rebel” Stilted Guitar Dalek, poet, philosopher and musical pioneer Wilko Johnson enjoys yet another resurgence in writer Jonathan Maitland’s affectionate stage biography. The Dr Feelgood
THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL★★★The Other Palace
THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE PERCY JACKSON MUSICAL The Other Palace ★★★ “Impressively staged, it is indeed truly fantastical.” What started out as a bedtime story for his nine-year-old son quickly evolved into a global publishing phenomenon that outstripped the writer Rick Riordan’s dreams. A five-book series of fantasy novels was
KNEES UP!★★★New Theatre Royal Portsmouth
KNEES UP! New Theatre Royal Portsmouth ★★★ “Portsmouth’s cabaret and drag scene is clearly thriving, and Knees Up! was a glittering celebration of its wild, weird, and wonderful talents” Knees Up! from queer theatre company Downtown Pompey promised high-energy, over-the-top entertainment – and it delivered. With a line-up bursting with
MAN IN THE MIRROR★★★★UK Tour
MAN IN THE MIRROR Golder’s Green Hippodrome ★★★★ “a fitting tribute indeed” Michael Jackson had hit after hit and Man In The Mirror is a great tribute show with song after song performed with the dazzling energy expected when paying tribute to The King of Pop. This is a show
MIDNIGHT DANCER★★★★UK Tour
MIDNIGHT DANCER Peacock Theatre ★★★★ “The night is Nikita’s, and it is a joy to see him on stage.” Nikita Kuzmin’s dancing dream came true tonight as he opened his own dance show Midnight Dancer at the Peacock Theatre, which will be dancing its way round the UK. Nikita thanks
MARY AND THE HYENAS★★★Wilton’s Music Hall
MARY AND THE HYENAS Wilton’s Music Hall ★★★ “an eye-catching tribute to millions of devalued female lives” Animal spirits are roused, and a proto-feminist movement born, amid blood and viscera, in Mary and the Hyenas, a raucous musical re-telling of the short but impactful life of Mary Wollenstonecraft, the 18th
RETROGRADE★★★★Apollo Theatre
RETROGRADE Apollo Theatre ★★★★ “the tension is expertly paced, punctuated with sharp quips and well-timed barbs that keep the drama crackling” Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde is a taut and electrifying drama that captures a pivotal moment in Sidney Poitier’s career and moral journey. It’s the mid-1950s, and Poitier is on
WHAT IF THEY ATE THE BABY?★★★★★Soho Theatre
WHAT IF THEY ATE THE BABY? Soho Theatre ★★★★★ “The clever dialogue is Pinteresque, full of ambiguity, uncertainty and with an unsettling sense of threat” New York-based artists, Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland reprise their Edinburgh Fringe First Award-winning show from 2023 and from this first London performance, that win
SISYPHEAN QUICK FIX ★★★Riverside Studios
SISYPHEAN QUICK FIX Riverside Studios ★★★ “The performances by Paris and Tina Rizzo remain as strong throughout” No one who is actually fine says ‘I’m fine’. A line we hear often in life, and more than once in Bettina Paris’ play “Sisyphean Quick Fix”. So, when London-based struggling actor, Krista,
DRACULA, A COMEDY OF TERRORS★★★★Menier Chocolate Factory
DRACULA, A COMEDY OF TERRORS Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★ “the air is thick with mischief and the sense of fun that this insanely talented troupe bring to the stage is enough to win us over” ‘Transsexual Transylvaniaaa-a-a!’ comes to mind the moment James Daly’s lace-and-leather-clad, midriff-baring Dracula makes his flamboyant
DOWN THE ROAD★★★★★Playhouse East
DOWN THE ROAD Playhouse East ★★★★★ “The intensity of the play is remarkably maintained throughout the entire 90 minutes” The UK’s first revival of ‘Down the Road’ since 2003 was certainly worth the wait. Today, the play sits against the backdrop of an infinitude of true crime documentaries, podcasts and
HAVISHAM★★★Jack Studio Theatre
HAVISHAM Jack Studio Theatre ★★★ “The script is rich and lyrical although the elaborate metaphors occasionally lose their way” We know Miss Havisham as the heartless manipulator of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. She is indelibly printed on our minds – dressed in cobwebs and a faded wedding gown, time frozen
CRY-BABY, THE MUSICAL★★★★★Arcola Theatre
CRY-BABY, THE MUSICAL Arcola Theatre ★★★★★ “Feel-good is the understatement of the year where this show is concerned” ‘It’s a beautiful day for an anti-polio picnic’. So begins the new all-singing, all-dancing “Cry-Baby, The Musical”. This is no surprise if you are armed with the knowledge that the musical is
WEATHER GIRL★★★½Soho Theatre
WEATHER GIRL Soho Theatre ★★★½ “It has that kind of unhinged chaotic quality that has become an excellent currency for the funnies” ‘Weather Girl’, from the same producer (Francesca Moody) of ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘Fleabag’ fame, is a one-woman cyclone of unhinged peppiness and untethered feminine rage. And Julia McDermott,
