FATHERLAND★★★★Hampstead Theatre
FATHERLAND Hampstead Theatre ★★★★ “a clever exploration of dysfunctional family life” ‘Fatherland’ is a one-act tragicomic play about feckless fatherhood. About two-thirds through, Joy, on a road trip to Mayo with her father Winston, declares that the best case scenario is getting there and finding Bono is her long lost
WOMEN OVER 30 DON’T MATTER★★★★The Space
WOMEN OVER 30 DON’T MATTER The Space ★★★★ “both bring crisp comic timing and refreshingly layered performances” Being a woman is hard – so many hidden rules and expectations to navigate. What if you could make all the stress and overthinking disappear? ‘Women Over 30 Don’t Matter’ cracks the patriarchy
KILL YOUR FATHER★★★Etcetera Theatre
KILL YOUR FATHER Etcetera Theatre ★★★ “breathes new life into Medea, delivering a full throttle assault on patriarchy” Medea has shocked audiences for centuries by defying gender norms and seizing male agency. But as the archetypal ‘woman scorned’ and a ‘dangerous foreigner’, Medea has also perpetuated sexual and cultural stereotypes.
FAUSTUS IN AFRICA!★★★★The Coronet Theatre
FAUSTUS IN AFRICA! The Coronet Theatre ★★★★ “Kentridge’s chalky, smudgy animations, projected onto the telegraph office’s large screen, are the production’s crowning feature” A collaboration between William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company, Faustus In Africa! makes its debut at the ornate Coronet Theatre after a revival run at the Edinburgh
THE MEAT KINGS! (INC.) OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS★★★★Park Theatre
THE MEAT KINGS! (INC.) OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS Park Theatre ★★★★ “Director George Turvey keeps the play dynamic and ever surprising” Hannah Doran’s feisty new play The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights beat 1,588 competitors to win Papatango’s 2024 New Writing Prize and you can see why. A love story,
OTHELLO★★★★★Theatre Royal Haymarket
OTHELLO Theatre Royal Haymarket ★★★★★ “gorgeous to look at and stunningly staged” Shakespeare’s “Othello” is categorised as a tragedy. After all, the full title ‘The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice’ puts it in that box, although it has often been argued that it is not so easy to
GWENDA’S GARAGE★★★Southwark Playhouse Borough
GWENDA’S GARAGE Southwark Playhouse Borough ★★★ “full of fun, fierceness and feminist spirit” LGBTQIA+ rights are once again under pressure. The London premiere of ‘Gwenda’s Garage’, inspired by the true stories of lesbian car mechanics in Thatcherite Sheffield, couldn’t be more timely. Full of feminist fire and 80s activism, expect
GARRY STARR: CLASSIC PENGUINS★★★★★Arts Theatre
GARRY STARR: CLASSIC PENGUINS Arts Theatre ★★★★★ “a show of sparkling brilliance” Let’s start with the show warning: “contains nudity and mild language”. Missing from this warning is “danger from collapse as a result of extreme laughing”. This is not the show for you if naked bodies on stage offend
PUBLIC SHARING: DICK FIDDLER IS DEAD★★½Etcetera Theatre
PUBLIC SHARING: DICK FIDDLER IS DEAD Etcetera Theatre ★★½ “its final scenes reveal emotional depth and humanistic concern that point to real potential” Dick Fiddler Is Dead sets out to explore weighty themes of memory, identity, and spiritual alienation with commendable ambition. Yet despite flashes of Mediterranean warmth and absurdist
CURATING★★Old Red Lion Theatre
CURATING Old Red Lion Theatre ★★ “comes over as a 15-minute sketch which has been extended beyond its capacity to entertain” The afterlife offers rich territory for writers and actors. We know nothing solid about it, after all. In this new play by Helen Cunningham (who also takes the lead
TRICK OR TREAT: A HALLOWEEN CABARET★★★★Crazy Coqs
TRICK OR TREAT: A HALLOWEEN CABARET Crazy Coqs ★★★★ “a Halloween cabaret that treats audiences as intelligent music lovers rather than mere seekers of seasonal novelty” The ‘Trick or Treat’ Cabaret at Crazy Coqs was a finely-tuned musical journey through murder songs, sung curses and other spooky delights. Singer-songwriter Michaela
THE LINE OF BEAUTY★★★½Almeida Theatre
THE LINE OF BEAUTY Almeida Theatre ★★★½ “Grandage’s direction captures the intoxicating glamour and moral decay of 1980s London” Should we love people for their beauty, or are people made beautiful through being loved? That is one of the central questions of The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst’s Booker Prize-winning
THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEVENTH YEAR★½White Bear Theatre
THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEVENTH YEAR White Bear Theatre ★½ “didn’t have enough fight in it” The Problem With The Seventh Year written by Nicholas Pierpan and directed by Paul O’Mahony opened at The White Bear Theatre and told the story of an unnamed man’s life as an ex-boxer and
MIDSOMER MURDERS: THE KILLINGS AT BADGER’S DRIFT★★★★UK Tour
MIDSOMER MURDERS: THE KILLINGS AT BADGER’S DRIFT Richmond Theatre ★★★★ “it is a joy to mingle with these quirky characters, brought to thrilling life by a talented band of actors” Back in 1997, the body of Emily Simpson, a gentle, orchid-loving, older lady was found in her cottage in the
DADDY’S FIRST GAY DATE★★★½Seven Dials Playhouse
DADDY’S FIRST GAY DATE Seven Dials Playhouse ★★★½ “There are elements of slapstick in the car-crash opening restaurant scene and the tempo rarely slacks” Is it selfish to leave someone you love to find yourself? This is the central question that underpins Sam Danson’s second play ‘Daddy’s First Gay Date.’
COUNTESS DRACULA★★½Camden People’s Theatre #2 #2
COUNTESS DRACULA Camden People’s Theatre ★★½ “there’s a surprising charm to Countess Dracula’s world” Night madness? Otherworldly rage? A desperate desire for eternal youth? All qualities embodied by Countess Dracula, yes, but also by anyone experiencing the menopause, according to this playful adaptation of the horror classic. Countess Dracula explores
