Recommended Shows

RECOMMENDED SHOWS CURRENTLY STILL PLAYING

QUEEN BY CANDLELIGHT

★★★★

UK Tour

QUEEN BY CANDLELIGHT London Palladium ★★★★ “stirring, faithful and poignant” Two questions immediately spring to mind. The first is: why candlelight? Why does the stage of the London Palladium have the appearance of a Guns N’ Roses video dressed as it is with hundreds of flickering (albeit artificial) flames. There

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THE RECKONING

★★★★

Arcola Theatre

THE RECKONING Arcola Theatre ★★★★ “a beautiful tribute to the lives of Ukrainian war survivors” Dash Arts has brought to life transcripts of Ukraine War survivors, creating a wonderful verbatim art piece that reminds us not to forget the people behind the numbers. Co-written by Anastasiia Kosodii and Josephine Burton

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JUST FOR ONE DAY

★★★★

Shaftesbury Theatre

JUST FOR ONE DAY Shaftesbury Theatre ★★★★ “the sheer joy and exhilaration that this musical creates is off the scale” How many Rock Anthems can you fit under a proscenium arch? It could be the opening line of a bad dad joke, but it is a genuine question. The walls

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BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL

★★★★

UK Tour

BAT OUT OF HELL THE MUSICAL Peacock Theatre ★★★★ “a non-stop blockbuster of a musical” Jim Steinman’s epic rock and roll masterpiece returns to London as part of its UK tour. Whispers of Meat Loaf’s original song greet the incoming audience, like hearing a ghost from the past. There are

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LETTERS FROM MAX

★★★★

Hampstead Theatre

LETTERS FROM MAX Hampstead Theatre ★★★★ “The pair occupy the stage for two hours but there is rarely a moment that does not busy the mind or heart” The friendship of Sarah Ruhl and her student Max Ritvo was lyrical, beautiful and tragically – horrendously – short. Ruhl’s epistolary play,

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MARIE AND ROSETTA

★★★★★

UK Tour

MARIE AND ROSETTA Rose Theatre ★★★★★ “soul-stirring, celebratory and foot-tappingly uplifting” It is sometimes extraordinary how a figure can fade into the back pages of history. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a huge star in the 1930s and 40s, who struck a chord with a white electric guitar slung around her

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THE MOUNTAINTOP

★★★★

Royal Lyceum Theatre

THE MOUNTAINTOP Royal Lyceum Theatre ★★★★ “a powerful play with a satisfying, if unrealistic, ending” Katori Hall’s award winning play The Mountaintop is a timely revival at Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre, as the United States once again faces, in King’s words, “the urgency of the moment.” Directed by Rikki Henry, with

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FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

★★★★★

Barbican

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Barbican ★★★★★ “Fein’s direction and Julia Cheng’s muscular choreography is marked by sublime precision” In its Barbican transfer, director Jordan Fein’s revelatory Fiddler on the Roof retains the elemental power that made it a five-star phenomenon in Regent’s Park. He strips the beloved 1964 musical of

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MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION

★★★★★

Garrick Theatre

MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION Garrick Theatre ★★★★★ “A masterfully acted, visually exquisite and morally knotty production” Dominic Cooke’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession receives a thrillingly sharp and stylish revival that balances moral complexity, aesthetic beauty, and arresting performances. This production proves Shaw can still provoke and entertain,

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QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET

★★★★

UK Tour

QUADROPHENIA, A MOD BALLET Festival Theatre ★★★★ “This Quadrophenia is a feast for the eyes” Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet, part of Sadler’s Wells On Tour, has reached Edinburgh. For fans of Pete Townshend and The Who; the album Quadrophenia (1973), and the film Quadrophenia (1979), this is welcome

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HOUSE OF LIFE

★★★★★

UK Tour

HOUSE OF LIFE Soho Theatre ★★★★★ “this is how art can uplift and bring hope in trying times.” Sheep Soup’s Gospel Church inspired Rave brings joy to the heart of London with this wonderful hour’s worth of music, glitter and audience interaction. An experience that not only aims to bring

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THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK

★★★★★

Riverside Studios

THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK Riverside Studios ★★★★★ “a beautiful representation of the power of live performance” I can confidently say that you do not need to have seen Star Wars to enjoy this show. I say that because, shamefully, I went to see this without having ever seen it. With

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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,

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GIFFORDS CIRCUS: LAGUNA BAY

★★★★★

UK Tour

GIFFORDS CIRCUS: LAGUNA BAY Chiswick House and Gardens ★★★★★ “The drizzle is still hanging in the air, but the sunshine created by this extraordinary circus show is still blazing in our hearts” Giffords Circus is as old as the Millennium. Which makes it sound old, until you remember that this

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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

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THE COMEDY ABOUT SPIES

★★★★

Noël Coward Theatre

THE COMEDY ABOUT SPIES Noël Coward Theatre ★★★★ “another all-conquering crowd-pleasing triumph” There’s a reliable joy to a Mischief Company production – a blend of manic precision, cheerful chaos, and the comforting sense that, whatever happens – or doesn’t – you’re in safe hands. The writing team of Henry Lewis

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE!

★★★★

UK Tour

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE! Keats House ★★★★ “a richly atmospheric experience that is at times unsettling, at times hilarious, and always captivating” A Midsummer Nightmare!, presented by Midnight Circle Productions and helmed by visionary director Cecilie Fray, is a bold, genre-defying reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic. Produced by the Broadway World award-winning

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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,

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NORTH BY NORTHWEST

★★★★

Alexandra Palace Theatre

NORTH BY NORTHWEST Alexandra Palace Theatre ★★★★ “It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.” The lights are dim, casting shadows on the revolving doors and liquor bottles, while silhouettes of shady figures move silently in the twilight, fedora’s tilted to shade the

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THE FIFTH STEP

★★★★

@Sohoplace

THE FIFTH STEP @Sohoplace ★★★★ “the direction is slick and there’s always a sense that something is around the corner” About halfway through this bracing alcohol-and-redemption two-hander, James suddenly appears in a rabbit’s head. This is a call-back to a dream that Luka recounts, Luka being a newcomer to the

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ELEPHANT

★★★★

Menier Chocolate Factory

ELEPHANT Menier Chocolate Factory ★★★★ “We are fascinated by what Lucas has to say, but it’s the music that truly speaks for itself” As we sit round an upright piano, we are given an in-depth analysis of the aftereffects of striking a piano key. How the slim slab of ivory

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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

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