RECOMMENDED SHOWS CURRENTLY STILL PLAYING
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN NOVEMBER 2024 🎭THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON ★★★★★Ambassadors Theatre
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON at the Ambassadors Theatre ★★★★★ “every member of the ensemble cast is a vital cog in the intricate mechanism of this fine piece of theatre” Five years ago, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” unveiled itself to little fanfare at Southwark Playhouse. Jethro Compton’s
A GOOD HOUSE★★★★Royal Court
A GOOD HOUSE Royal Court ★★★★ “The performances and the dynamics are gripping” The time is now. The setting is the evocatively named small town of Stillwater which, we are told is located ‘wherever that may be’. Although it is clear we are in South Africa. But switch the accents
MACBETH★★★★In Cinemas
MACBETH In Cinemas ★★★★ “For Tennant’s performance alone, it is worth seeing this production” After a critically acclaimed run at the Donmar Warehouse, Max Webster’s Macbeth is being brought to the screen. Filmed theatre is a tricky beast, on the one hand it provides accessibility and longevity, on the other
SANTI & NAZ★★★★Soho Theatre
SANTI & NAZ Soho Theatre ★★★★ “Innocence and playfulness mingle with a satire that bites when we least expect it” Guleraana Mir’s beautifully constructed short play, “Santi and Naz”, is a deceptively innocent and poetic account of an enduring friendship between two young women who grew up in pre-partition India.
DEMI ADEJUYIGBE IS GOING TO DO ONE (1) BACKFLIP ★★★★★Soho Theatre
DEMI ADEJUYIGBE IS GOING TO DO ONE (1) BACKFLIP Soho Theatre ★★★★★ “it is Demi’s charisma, energy and warmth which shoot the show onto a whole other level” Demi Adejuyigbe is Going to Do One (1) Backflip is a delight from beginning to end. By Demi’s own admission the show
MEAN GIRLS★★★★★Savoy Theatre
MEAN GIRLS at the Savoy Theatre ★★★★★ “The performances are rich and joyous. It’s hard to take a part that’s so familiar and make it your own, but this cast does it.” In case you’ve been living under a rock, this show is a Covid delayed U.K. premiere of the
MAKE ME LOOK FIT ON THE POSTER★★★★Soho Theatre
MAKE ME LOOK FIT ON THE POSTER Soho Theatre ★★★★ “She’s the kind of person you want to hang out with. Someone you might meet in a club bathroom on a night out and follow around, desperate to be her friend” Watching Amy Gledhill is like stepping into a warm
AN INTERROGATION★★★★Hampstead Theatre
AN INTERROGATION Hampstead Theatre ★★★★ “The three-strong cast is uniformly compelling” Debuting his play in Edinburgh in 2023, writer director Jamie Armitage had to deliver this police interrogation drama in a tight 59 minutes. At the Hampstead Theatre, he uses the extra 10 minutes to great effect, packing his bonus
THE DOUBLE ACT★★★★★Arcola Theatre
THE DOUBLE ACT Arcola Theatre ★★★★★ “It truly is a masterful example of dark comedy” The Double Act is an incredibly witty and fiercely topical dark comedy by Mark Jagasia. It follows Billy Bash as he visits his estranged ex-comedy partner while on tour, discovering he’s now a reclusive madman
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN FEBRUARY 2024 🎭HADESTOWN★★★★★Lyric Theatre
HADESTOWN at the Lyric Theatre ★★★★★ “Hadestown is the West End musical you’ll want to see this year. And next year. And the year after.” Hadestown is that remarkable thing: an adaptation of a tragic Greek myth that isn’t an opera or a film, or a series of elegiac poems,
BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF★★★★UK Tour
BOYS FROM THE BLACKSTUFF Theatre Royal Windsor ★★★★ “Tragedy and farce link arms and are not afraid to share the same lines of dialogue.” Although Alan Bleasdale wrote the original series of television plays before Margaret Thatcher came to power, it wasn’t first broadcast until 1982 and was consequently seen
THE LONELY LONDONERS★★★★Kiln Theatre
THE LONELY LONDONERS Kiln Theatre ★★★★ “a moving, funny and exhilarating play” Bristling with excellent performances from an outstanding ensemble class, The Lonely Londoners is a powerful tale of migration, adaptation and the struggles of getting by in a cold and unwelcoming city. Director Ebenezer Bamgboye brings Roy Williams’ critically
ROCKY HORROR SHOW★★★★UK Tour
ROCKY HORROR SHOW at the Dominion Theatre ★★★★ “pure anarchic campy joy” First produced at The Royal Court in 1973, Rocky Horror has been entrancing its cult fan base for over 50 years and this new production follows confidently in the show’s successful footsteps. The plot is incoherent, and broadly
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN MAY 2024 🎭FAWLTY TOWERS – THE PLAY★★★★★Apollo Theatre
FAWLTY TOWERS – THE PLAY at the Apollo Theatre ★★★★★ “Adam Jackson-Smith steps into Basil, embodying the neurotic hotelier with pin-point accuracy” The stage is set with the familiar interior of the eponymous Fawlty Towers with the reception, restaurant and a small guest room raised upstage above the lobby (Liz
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN DECEMBER 2024 🎭HERE YOU COME AGAIN★★★★Riverside Studios
HERE YOU COME AGAIN Riverside Studios ★★★★ “an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show” Should Dolly Parton ever fall on hard times, there is definitely a career for her as a self-help therapist. At least according to the feel-good musical “Here You Come Again”. The Country
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG★★★★★Duchess Theatre
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at the Duchess Theatre ★★★★★ “May it enjoy 10 more years of destroyed sets and injured cast members!” The Play That Goes Wrong celebrates its 10th anniversary this year making it the 28th longest-running show on the West End. Conceived by the Mischief Theatre Company,
THE BOWIE SHOW★★★★UK Tour
THE BOWIE SHOW Golder’s Green Hippodrome ★★★★ “Innovative, brave, inventive, theatrical, yet authentic” When Brett Morgen’s documentary film, “Moonage Daydream”, burst onto the silver screen back in 2022, it was heralded as being ‘groundbreaking’, and a ‘glorious celebratory montage’. A ‘sensory voyage’. During the opening moments of Simon Gwilliam’s “The
MAISIE ADAM – APPRAISAL★★★★UK Tour
MAISIE ADAM – APPRAISAL at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House ★★★★ “a welcomingly confrontational and awkward evening of stand-up with a bit of something for everyone” On the biggest night of her new tour, Maisie Adam presents a raucous night of heckling the audience right back, and journeying through
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN NOVEMBER 2024 🎭THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA★★★★★Dominion Theatre
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA at the Dominion Theatre ★★★★★ “Crisp, dazzling, bold and brash” Back in 2003 a young woman was hired as a personal assistant to a very well-known editor-in-chief for ‘Vogue’ magazine. When Dame Anna Wintour (for it was she) learned that a novel (reportedly earning its author
DIMANCHE★★★★Peacock Theatre
DIMANCHE Peacock Theatre ★★★★ “the overall effect is to seduce us with a series of visuals that pack surprising punch, for all their whimsy” The Belgian companies Focus and Chaliwaté have brought a co-production to the Peacock Theatre as part of 2025 Mime London. Their show Dimanche is a charming
AN INSPECTOR CALLS★★★★UK Tour
AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Alexandra Palace Theatre ★★★★ “a magnificent spectacle of a classic play that continues to engage” J B Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ continues its over 30 year run on tour this year, and I was lucky enough to see it played at Alexandra Palace. Like most
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN DECEMBER 2024 🎭NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812★★★★★Donmar Warehouse
NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 Donmar Warehouse ★★★★★ “The performances are uniformly superb, the skin of each character ripped open by the flaming crossbow of passion” A major comet is visible from earth on average every five to ten years, while a great comet is visible every
🎭 A TOP SHOW IN DECEMBER 2024 🎭THE PRODUCERS★★★★★Menier Chocolate Factory
THE PRODUCERS Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★★ “Its biting, irreverent satire is the most delicious slap in the face you’ll ever experience” “It is shocking, outrageous and insulting… and I loved every minute”. That is a quote from Mel Brooks’ and Thomas Meehan’s musical, but it could easily be the tagline
HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS★★★★Arcola Theatre
HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS Arcola Theatre ★★★★ “Although lacking the traditional sleigh bells and Santa, it does have sufficient nostalgia, silliness and giggles to fill a panto-shaped hole” In case you’re wondering, “Hold on to your butts” is a line from Samuel L Jackson as he is about to
MY MOTHER’S FUNERAL★★★★★The Yard Theatre
MY MOTHER’S FUNERAL The Yard Theatre ★★★★★ “fresh and funny and angry” Abigail’s mother has died and she can’t afford the funeral. This simple fact drives a play that spirals in different directions, examining class inequality, the consequences of revealing your trauma for art commissions, the different sides of a
COLIN HOULT: COLIN★★★★UK Tour
COLIN HOULT: COLIN at the Soho Theatre ★★★★ “a beautifully constructed show, every chaotic choice pays off” Colin Hoult was named after his father, and so he grew up as little (likkle) Colin. This is the springboard for a warm and moving show that muses on the language of neurodiversity,
FIREBIRD★★★★King’s Head Theatre
FIREBIRD King’s Head Theatre ★★★★ “a beautifully told love story” Firebird by Richard Hough tells the story of Sergey Fetisov during the 1970s in occupied Estonia, and how he fell in love with fighter pilot Roman Matvejev. Due to homophobic attitudes in the soviet regime – still present today –
🎭 TOP TOURING SHOW 2024 🎭WAR HORSE ★★★★★UK Tour
WAR HORSE at The Lowry ★★★★★ “Every part is played with truth and passion, the cast make us feel, even cry at times” The National Theatre’s new production based on the well known, much loved book by author Michael Morpurgo, is compelling viewing. A powerful indictment of conflict and the
