Aladdin★★★★Hackney Empire
ALADDIN at the Hackney Empire ★★★★ “Clive Rowe is truly the grand dame of panto dames” Stuff Shakespeare, Pantomime is probably my favourite theatrical tradition. There are not many other settings where you can have babies, grandparents, and long-suffering assorted other relatives entertained for a couple of hours by good
A Sherlock Carol★★★★Marylebone Theatre
A SHERLOCK CAROL at the Marylebone Theatre ★★★★ “one of the cleverest and most entertaining of the current festive productions” Sherlock Holmes was just thirty-seven years old when he was reported to have died in the Reichenbach Falls in 1891; having fallen to his death in a struggle with the
A Pissedmas Carol★★★★★Leicester Square Theatre
A PISSEDMAS CAROL at Leicester Square Theatre ★★★★★ “a rollicking good time” There’s nothing better to get you in the Christmas mood than a smashed Ebenezer Scrooge slurring his way through some festive pop songs while ranting about free range chicken eggs. ‘A Pissedmas Carol’ is a retelling of A
Ikaria★★★★Park Theatre
IKARIA at the Park Theatre ★★★★ “The performances are strong, with excellent chemistry and range” Ikaria is both the name of an idyllic Greek island, and the deeply bleak student halls where this play takes place. This dark juxtaposition is indicative of a script filled with ironic humour, but also
Sleeping Beauty Takes a Prick!★★★★Charing Cross Theatre
SLEEPING BEAUTY TAKES A PRICK! at Charing Cross Theatre ★★★★ “a fabulously silly night out of innuendo, double entendres and tongue twisting rhymes” Pantomime is one of Britain’s most enduring Yuletide traditions. Its origins go back to 16th century Italian Commedia dell’Arte although, as with most Christmas traditions, it was
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story★★★★Alexandra Palace Theatre
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY at Alexandra Palace Theatre ★★★★ “The icing on the (Christmas) cake is Paul Wills’ set” You might think that an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by Mark Gatiss, whose credits include ‘The League of Gentlemen’, ‘Little Britain’, ‘Inside No. 9’, ‘Sherlock’ and
A Woman Walks Into a Bank★★★★★Theatre503
A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK at Theatre503 ★★★★★ “there’s lots of laughs. In a doleful, what-can-you-expect-this-is-Russia kind of way” Roxy Cook’s A Woman Walks Into A Bank is a thoroughly delightful—yet pointed, in the way that Gogol’s Dead Souls is pointed—portrait of a corrupt and brutal society drunk on
What I Really Think of my Husband★★★Golden Goose Theatre
WHAT I REALLY THINK OF MY HUSBAND at the Golden Goose Theatre ★★★ “The play has the air of a work in progress, but the five strong cast give it substantial shape” Despite his literary success as a novelist and a poet, Thomas Hardy was quite a shy personality who
A Christmas Carol★★★★★The Old Vic
A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the The Old Vic ★★★★★ “The quality and theatricality of this production is unparalleled” Few pieces of literature have had such a profound impact on how we think of Christmas today as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Has the festive season truly begun unless you’ve read
She Stoops to Conquer★★★★Orange Tree Theatre
SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER at the Orange Tree Theatre ★★★★ “It is the sharp wit and intelligence of the language that sustains the piece and cushions it from the risk of being labelled dated” Oliver Goldsmith’s period comedy, “She Stoops to Conquer”, was first performed in London a quarter of
Lay Down Your Burdens★★★Barbican
LAY DOWN YOUR BURDENS at the Barbican ★★★ “It was a genuinely mixed experience, and sometimes that is refreshing in its own way.” Billed as a piece of ‘radically tender dance theatre’ Lay Down Your Burdens is a brave, if peculiar, piece of immersive theatre. We are welcomed to a
The Ayes Have It! The Ayes Have It!★★★★Leicester Square Theatre
THE AYES HAVE IT! THE AYES HAVE IT!at Leicester Square Theatre ★★★★ “Lots of drama from prepared scripts, but also lots clever of ad libs from the performers when the heckling from the floor got too intense.” The Ayes Have It! The Ayes Have It! is an unusual piece of
The Mongol Khan★★★★★London Coliseum
THE MONGOL KHAN at the London Coliseum ★★★★★ “its scale is epic, almost biblical” Apparently, “The Mongol Khan” is a milestone for Mongolian theatre. It marks the first time that a play has been exported outside of the country. To say that it is an eye opener is an understatement.
LOVETRAIN2020★★★★Sadler’s Wells Theatre
LOVETRAIN2020 at Sadler’s Wells Theatre ★★★★ “This is a deeply unusual and contemporary performance.” LoveTrain2020 bursts onto stage in a whirlwind of colour and energy. Choreographer Emmanuel Gat has created a vision of contemporary dance, interpreting and complementing the music of ‘80s band Tears for Fears. In its best moments
Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)★★★★★Kiln Theatre
TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) at the Kiln Theatre ★★★★★ “Tim Jackson’s lively production never misses a beat, played out on a revolve that circles Soutra Gilmour’s ingenious set” Given a limited amount of time, would you rather spend it with someone you’ve never met or with
Radio Gaga★★★★Adelphi Theatre
RADIO GAGA at the Adelphi Theatre ★★★★ “Mark Sanders, in the mantle of Freddie Mercury, knows how to get the audience on his side” The test of a tribute act is to close your eyes and see if, in your head, it’s the real thing. I don’t get this from
Mates in Chelsea★★★Royal Court Theatre
MATES IN CHELSEA at the Royal Court Theatre ★★★ “There’s a panto energy too, especially in Rory Mullarkey’s script which is laden with one liners” I leave the theatre feeling a little empty. A play that set out as a call to arms for class warfare has fallen strangely flat.
Flip!★★★★Soho Theatre
FLIP! at the Soho Theatre ★★★★ “Racheal Ofori’s script is tight, and feels fresh and current” In a punchy and peppy two-woman show, Flip! explores the dark underbelly of online content creation. Best friends Carleen (Leah St Luce) and Crystal (Jadesola Odunjo) host a trendy, talk show style podcast. But
Treason the Musical★★★Alexandra Palace
TREASON THE MUSICAL at Alexandra Palace Theatre ★★★ “The show is visually stunning, Jason Taylor’s lighting taking centre stage in the vast auditorium while Philip Witcomb’s looming, slatted set opens and closes to successively release and confine the protagonists” Just as the fireworks are beginning to die down across London,
Brenda’s Got a New Baby★★★New Diorama Theatre
BRENDA’S GOT A BABY at the New Diorama Theatre ★★★ “Come for the comedy and side-line the sincerity and you’ll be hard-pressed not to enjoy this show.” Brenda’s Got a Baby, an original work premiering at the New Diorama Theatre, borrows its title from a 2pac song. The song tells