OUR LATEST REVIEWS
ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD ★★★Drayton Arms Theatre
ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD Drayton Arms Theatre ★★★ “Different Theatre holds its own; this is an ambitious play, and one they tackled well” Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead – no mean feat for a cast of 4 – remains an engaging piece of absurdist metatheatre. Directed by
QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET★★★★UK Tour
QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET Festival Theatre ★★★★ “This Quadrophenia is a feast for the eyes” Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, part of Sadler’s Wells On Tour, has reached Edinburgh. For fans of Pete Townshend and The Who; the album Quadrophenia (1973), and the film Quadrophenia (1979), this is welcome
OUR COSMIC DUST★★★Park Theatre
OUR COSMIC DUST Park Theatre ★★★ “charmingly human and unique” “Our Cosmic Dust” takes a heavy topic and makes it light. Paradoxically, it looks at its subject matter through a child’s eye and, by doing so, tackles the mechanisms of grief and loss with a clarity and maturity that can
CANDY★★★★White Bear Theatre
CANDY White Bear Theatre ★★★★ “a truly enthralling seventy minutes of theatre about love and addiction” Can love truly conquer all? Candy, the stage adaptation of Luke Davies’ novel about love and heroin addiction, would argue it cannot. Director and co-adaptor Kate Elliott along with star and co-adaptor Freya James,
GIFFORDS CIRCUS: LAGUNA BAY★★★★★UK Tour
GIFFORDS CIRCUS: LAGUNA BAY Chiswick House and Gardens ★★★★★ “The drizzle is still hanging in the air, but the sunshine created by this extraordinary circus show is still blazing in our hearts” Giffords Circus is as old as the Millennium. Which makes it sound old, until you remember that this
DOUBTING THOMAS★★★½Theatre Royal Windsor
DOUBTING THOMAS Theatre Royal Windsor ★★★½ “a poignant exploration of memory’s erosion and the human connections left in its wake” At first glance you might think that the Theatre Royal Windsor’s world premiere of Doubting Thomas, a new play written by husband and wife team (and Writers in Residence) Catherine
THE MOUNTAINTOP★★★★Royal Lyceum Theatre
THE MOUNTAINTOP Royal Lyceum Theatre ★★★★ “a powerful play with a satisfying, if unrealistic, ending” Katori Hall’s award winning play The Mountaintop is a timely revival at Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre, as the United States once again faces, in King’s words, “the urgency of the moment.” Directed by Rikki Henry, with
THE RECKONING★★★★Arcola Theatre
THE RECKONING Arcola Theatre ★★★★ “a beautiful tribute to the lives of Ukrainian war survivors” Dash Arts has brought to life transcripts of Ukraine War survivors, creating a wonderful verbatim art piece that reminds us not to forget the people behind the numbers. Co-written by Anastasiia Kosodii and Josephine Burton
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF★★★★★Barbican
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Barbican ★★★★★ “Fein’s direction and Julia Cheng’s muscular choreography is marked by sublime precision” In its Barbican transfer, director Jordan Fein’s revelatory Fiddler on the Roof retains the elemental power that made it a five-star phenomenon in Regent’s Park. He strips the beloved 1964 musical of
LETTERS FROM MAX★★★★Hampstead Theatre
LETTERS FROM MAX Hampstead Theatre ★★★★ “The pair occupy the stage for two hours but there is rarely a moment that does not busy the mind or heart” The friendship of Sarah Ruhl and her student Max Ritvo was lyrical, beautiful and tragically – horrendously – short. Ruhl’s epistolary play,
M-OTHERING★★★★The Old Market
M-OTHERING The Old Market ★★★★ “The choreography and movement work here are beyond impressive” What does it mean to be a mother? And don’t all women act as mothers at some point in their lives? Chess Dillon-Reams’ powerful, dance-based play M-Othering drives this point home with equal parts humour, love,
ELEPHANT★★★★Menier Chocolate Factory
ELEPHANT Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★ “We are fascinated by what Lucas has to say, but it’s the music that truly speaks for itself” As we sit round an upright piano, we are given an in-depth analysis of the aftereffects of striking a piano key. How the slim slab of ivory
CUL-DE-SAC★★★Omnibus Theatre
CUL-DE-SAC Omnibus Theatre ★★★ “Ultimately it is a moving piece, that takes us behind the twitching curtains of suburbia” Northwood Hills. Zone 6 London. The middle of nowhere. With apologies to the residents of HA6, that is where we find Ruth Townsend and company, at a bit of a dead
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION★★★★★Garrick Theatre
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION Garrick Theatre ★★★★★ “A masterfully acted, visually exquisite and morally knotty production” Dominic Cooke’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession receives a thrillingly sharp and stylish revival that balances moral complexity, aesthetic beauty, and arresting performances. This production proves Shaw can still provoke and entertain,
HOUSE OF LIFE★★★★★UK Tour
HOUSE OF LIFE Soho Theatre ★★★★★ “this is how art can uplift and bring hope in trying times.” Sheep Soup’s Gospel Church inspired Rave brings joy to the heart of London with this wonderful hour’s worth of music, glitter and audience interaction. An experience that not only aims to bring
MACBETH★★★★Bread and Roses Theatre
MACBETH Bread and Roses Theatre ★★★★ “The atmosphere is not built with materials, but with sound, silence, and breath” On a stark, shadow-drenched stage, Macbeth breathes again – visceral, raw, and chillingly relevant. This stripped-back production brings Shakespeare’s tragedy into the present with terrifying clarity, proving that ambition, guilt, and
AFTER THE ACT★★Royal Court
AFTER THE ACT Royal Court ★★ “it remains an interesting and worthwhile history lesson” Jenny lives with Eric and Martin was just another children’s book in 1988. It wasn’t new and wasn’t even originally British, as it had first been published in Copenhagen in 1982. So how did this book
THE FROGS★★★Southwark Playhouse Borough
THE FROGS Southwark Playhouse Borough ★★★ “Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act” “The Frogs” – the musical ‘freely’ adapted by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove from the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes – opens with a paradox. The time is the present and the
THREE HENS IN A BOAT★★★★★Watermill Theatre
THREE HENS IN A BOAT Watermill Theatre ★★★★★ “warm, sincere, contemporary and very funny” Jerome K Jerome wrote ‘Three Men In A Boat’ in the late 19th century as a humorous travelogue, providing a social comment on Victorian society and leisure, which went on to become one of the most
THIS IS MY FAMILY★★½Southwark Playhouse Elephant
THIS IS MY FAMILY Southwark Playhouse Elephant ★★½ “The cast, across the board, is excellent, reaffirming their ability to shape and invigorate otherwise middling writing” ‘This is My Family’ is a refrain repeated with such alarming frequency in this show, I started to hope it might actually hint at a
