ALiCE★★★★Sadler’s Wells Theatre
ALiCE Sadler’s Wells Theatre ★★★★ “The thrill is in the spectacle and the sheer acrobatic virtuosity of the dancers” We first see the eponymous heroine, in Jasmin Vardimon’s dance interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s nineteenth century classic children’s novel, as a chalk animation shifting across the page of a giant book.
RADIANT BOY★★½Southwark Playhouse Borough
RADIANT BOY Southwark Playhouse Borough ★★½ “There are some neat, if underplayed, genre twists.” In its own publicity, Radiant Boy was described by one cast member as “a queer coming-of-age meets The Exorcist via A Taste of Honey”. That’s a tall order, cramming in a range of genres into a
OUTPATIENT★★★★Park Theatre
OUTPATIENT Park Theatre ★★★★ “achieves something incredibly rare by being so frank about something so taboo” “It’s weird that we don’t talk about it,” Olive tells us. She is referring to death and society’s taboo towards it. Olive is writing an article about this very subject and is looking for
BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL★★★★UK Tour
BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL Peacock Theatre ★★★★ “a non-stop blockbuster of a musical” Jim Steinman’s epic rock and roll masterpiece returns to London as part of its UK tour. Whispers of Meat Loaf’s original song greet the incoming audience, like hearing a ghost from the past. There are
LITTLE BROTHER★★★Jermyn Street Theatre
LITTLE BROTHER Jermyn Street Theatre ★★★ “It is certainly a story that must be told” The cruel irony of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play “Little Brother”, adapted from the Guinean writer, Ibrahima Balde’s memoir, is that Ibrahima was initially denied a visa by the Home Office to visit the United Kingdom so
JORDAN GRAY: IS THAT A C*CK IN YOUR POCKET, OR ARE YOU JUST HERE TO KILL ME?★★★★★Soho Theatre
JORDAN GRAY: IS THAT A C*CK IN YOUR POCKET, OR ARE YOU JUST HERE TO KILL ME? Soho Theatre ★★★★★ “Each joke and lyric feels thoughtfully crafted, inclusive, and purposefully provocative” Jordan Gray delivers a magnetic and fearless performance in her latest show, Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket,
DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO CRY FOR★★★½Theatre Peckham
DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO CRY FOR Theatre Peckham ★★★½ “a complex and nuanced exploration of black boyhood, impressive for such a short piece” Peckham Fringe – hosted by community-led Theatre Peckham, now in its fourth year – is hoping to bring some of that festival magic to south London.
SHUCKED★★★★★Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
SHUCKED Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre ★★★★★ “The fun factor is dolloped on as thick as melted butter on crispy corn on the cob” You can imagine exactly whereabouts in the United States Cob County (the fictional location for the musical comedy “Shucked”) would lie. Somewhere on the border of
IN OTHER WORDS★★★★Arcola Theatre
IN OTHER WORDS Arcola Theatre ★★★★ “Seager and White give astonishingly convincing performances, both fearless in displaying emotions most of us would like to keep buried” A little bit of trivia: “Fly Me to the Moon”, the popular standard made famous by Frank Sinatra in the 1960s, was originally titled
THE FIFTH STEP★★★★@Sohoplace
THE FIFTH STEP @Sohoplace ★★★★ “the direction is slick and there’s always a sense that something is around the corner” About halfway through this bracing alcohol-and-redemption two-hander, James suddenly appears in a rabbit’s head. This is a call-back to a dream that Luka recounts, Luka being a newcomer to the
THE LAST INCEL★★★Pleasance Theatre
THE LAST INCEL Pleasance Theatre ★★★ “ultimately never reaches the heights that it could” Inceldom — it’s a topic that deserves to be addressed in media more regularly. If we have any hope of dispelling the narrative that is being sold to young men — that most women hate them,
DIAGNOSIS★★★½Finborough Theatre
DIAGNOSIS Finborough Theatre ★★★½ “an original and interesting show led by two excellent performances” The 16th of May 2035. 3:37am. A woman has been arrested and brought in for questioning regarding an assault on a man in a bar on Villiers Street in central London, but it is very quickly
1536★★★★Almeida Theatre
1536 Almeida Theatre ★★★★ “Max Jones’ excellent design, complemented by an arresting use of lighting is striking” 1536 is definitely innovative: it uses the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s defamation and execution to demonstrate the impossibility of existing as a woman and the power imbalance exploited by men. Ava Pickett’s debut
THE COMEDY ABOUT SPIES★★★★Noël Coward Theatre
THE COMEDY ABOUT SPIES Noël Coward Theatre ★★★★ “another all-conquering crowd-pleasing triumph” There’s a reliable joy to a Mischief Company production – a blend of manic precision, cheerful chaos, and the comforting sense that, whatever happens – or doesn’t – you’re in safe hands. The writing team of Henry Lewis
DEAR ANNIE, I HATE YOU★★★★Riverside Studios
DEAR ANNIE, I HATE YOU Riverside Studios ★★★★ “Ipema is a wonderful storyteller. She leads us through her story with both humour and a certain poetry” It’s a dangerous thing, walking out your front door. Especially for Sam — because there’s a ticking time bomb nestled in her brain. A
HOUSE OF GAMES★★★Hampstead Theatre
HOUSE OF GAMES Hampstead Theatre ★★★ “diverting, packed with plot, character and incident” Writer Richard Bean’s stage version of House of Games, directed by Jonathan Kent, is a theatrical sleight-of-hand that both honours and undercuts its source. Adapted from David Mamet’s 1987 film and story, the play tries to pull
DOGS ON THE METRO★★★★★Live Theatre
DOGS ON THE METRO Live Theatre ★★★★★ “a clever, meaningful, and essential piece of theatre” ‘Dogs on the Metro’ at the Live Theatre is a precise and important reflection on adolescence, friendship, and consent. Masterfully written by Emilie Robson and directed by Maria Crocker, this personal two-hander is a force
SPECKY CLARK★★★Sadler’s Wells Theatre
SPECKY CLARK Sadler’s Wells Theatre ★★★ “Oona Doherty’s script is amusing and poignant” At the centre point of the performance, ten-year-old Specky Clark, played by Faith Prendergast, walks across the stage to a radio in the rear corner and turns it on to a dance tune by David Holmes. The
REMYTHED★★★★King’s Head Theatre
REMYTHED King’s Head Theatre ★★★★ “the cast cycle through characters with impressive dynamism” The memes are everywhere, making casual jokes about historical figures whose same-sex relationships were definitely just that of “close friends”. We’ve long known that recordings of myth and legend do not favour the LGBTQIA+ — even when
MARIE AND ROSETTA★★★★★UK Tour
MARIE AND ROSETTA Rose Theatre ★★★★★ “soul-stirring, celebratory and foot-tappingly uplifting” It is sometimes extraordinary how a figure can fade into the back pages of history. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a huge star in the 1930s and 40s, who struck a chord with a white electric guitar slung around her
