RECOMMENDED SHOWS CURRENTLY STILL PLAYING
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
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
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE★★★★OSO Arts Centre
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE OSO Arts Centre ★★★★ “A heady mix of dialogue and monologue, the play is perceptive and dramatic but funny too” Andrew Bovell’s play, “Things I Know To Be True”, is framed by a phone call. It is after midnight when the phone is ringing.
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
🎭 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,
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
RHINOCEROS★★★★Almeida Theatre
RHINOCEROS Almeida Theatre ★★★★ “an appeal to the senses, an experience as peculiar and nonsensical as a fit of the giggles” Director Omar Elerian’s electrifying interpretation of the absurdist classic Rhinoceros is as much about theatre as it is about marauding pachyderms. In his vision of French Romanian writer Eugene
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
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
TESS★★★★UK Tour
TESS New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth ★★★★ “The direction is expertly crafted, ensuring that every movement and physical interaction serves a purpose” Ockham’s Razor has achieved something extraordinary with Tess, a bold and breath-taking adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles that fuses theatre, movement, and contemporary circus to re-imagine
🎭 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
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
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,
UNICORN★★★★Garrick Theatre
UNICORN Garrick Theatre ★★★★ “Walker and Mangan are both wonderful in their roles, giving a natural performance that allows us to believe in everything they say” The trigger warning in the publicity for Mike Bartlett’s new play, “Unicorn”, states that it ‘contains explicit content and scenes of a sexual nature,
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
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.
🎭 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
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
SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE★★★★In Cinemas
SIX THE MUSICAL LIVE In Cinemas ★★★★ “captures all the magic of a live show, while also allowing the audience to view all of the incredible detail that’s gone into making Six what it is” It’s the pipeline that every young, Fringe theatre-maker in the country dreams about — from
STILETTO★★★★Charing Cross Theatre
STILETTO Charing Cross Theatre ★★★★ “a luscious musical that intrigues and teases with, rather than pulls, our heartstring” The first thing you notice about the new musical, “Stiletto”, is the opulence of Ceci Calf’s set. Dimly lit in the pre-show, it depicts not so much a Venetian palazzo but something
HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS★★★★UK Tour
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
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
RICHARD II★★★★Bridge Theatre
RICHARD II Bridge Theatre ★★★★ “Hytner’s direction moves the action at a pace yet there is still time for reflection, and moments of humour too” ‘The Life and Death of King Richard II’, later shortened to “Richard II” is categorised as one of Shakespeare’s History Plays. Even though another early
SABRAGE★★★★Lafayette
SABRAGE Lafayette ★★★★ “a stream of virtuosity, acrobatics, dancing, singing, burlesque, gravity-defying feats, sassiness, sexiness and humour is unleashed onto the stage” ‘Lafayette’ is a name that conjures exoticism, glamour, and a Parisienne ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’; mixed in with the ‘big-easy’ hedonism of New Orleans. But tucked away in London’s King’s Cross,
🎭 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
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