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,
THE GLASS MENAGERIE★★★★The Yard Theatre
THE GLASS MENAGERIE The Yard Theatre ★★★★ “a gorgeous revival that succeeds in bringing a fresh perspective on a classic play” Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is an iconic play that will always divide critical opinion. Many claim it to be Williams’ best work so it can be hard to
TAMBO & BONES★★★UK Tour
TAMBO & BONES Royal & Derngate Theatre ★★★ “The energy expended by Samuel and Ward is exhilarating” The Actors Touring Company revives its production of Dave Harris’s thought-provoking play from Stratford East two years ago with newcomer Clifford Samuel stepping into the role of Tambo alongside Daniel Ward’s original Bones.
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD★★UK Tour
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD Theatre Royal Windsor ★★ “lacks the necessary passion and pace to engage us fully.” The heroine of Thomas Hardy’s nineteenth century novel, ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’, was named after the Biblical queen consort Bathsheba, the beautiful Israelite who captivated David. Witnessing her bathing, the
THE DREAM★★★★★Peacock Theatre
THE DREAM Peacock Theatre ★★★★★ “when they play, dance, and show their extraordinary physicality, they are as one” Drum TAO’s much-anticipated London debut and the UK premiere of their new show The Dream at the Peacock Theatre must be seen to be believed – on only till Saturday 15th March.
FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN★★★★Park Theatre
FAREWELL MR HAFFMANN Park Theatre ★★★★ “Tension and relief are hallmarks of this production as director Oscar Toeman steers us through the shifting moods with slick clarity” There is a recurring line in Jean-Phillipe Daguerre’s play, “Farewell Mister Haffmann”, that is reprised by nearly all the characters at some point.
