REVIEW: JACKIE THE MUSICAL (New Wimbledon Theatre)
A jukebox musical with songs from the seventies, inspired by a magazine for teengage girls and choreographed by Arlene Phillips. That’s all you need to know to decide whether you’ll want to see this or not. The show opened in Dundee in March 2016, the editorial home of Jackie magazine at the peak of its […]
REVIEW: SIDEWAYS (St James Theatre)
Released as both a film and a novel in 2004, Sideways achieved success winning an Academy Award and producing a large number of sales respectively. However, despite being based around a much-loved subject of mine, wine, it seems Rex Pickett and David Grindley’s stage production needs some serious ripening if it wants to achieve the […]
REVIEW: Rob Houchen EP Launch (Hoxton Underbelly)
I first heard Rob Houchen at a cabaret gig over a year ago at the Delfont Room and instantly fell in love with his rich, versatile voice and his ability to act through song so I begged Wilma for a ticket to the launch of his EP, the imaginatively titled RH. It was a more […]
REVIEW: A MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM (Southwark Playhouse)
Entering the Southwark Playhouse, I felt more as though I was about to be given a presentation regarding the church roof than enjoying a Shakespeare play. A profile seating formation with a small table in the centre surrounded by a troupe of actors. No set, no lights and no fuss and yet, this is possibly […]
REVIEW: THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE (Union Theatre)
Jim Cartwright’s 1992 play Little Voice is famously known for the 1998 film adaption starring Jane Horrocks, Ewan McGregor and Michael Caine. It tells the story of the mouthy northerner, Mari Hoff, who lives in a derelict home and survives off of a diet of alcohol and sex. Her daughter LV (Little Voice) is a […]
REVIEW: OFF THE KINGS ROAD (Jermyn Street Theatre)
In Neil Koenigsberg’s bittersweet comedy drama, Michael Brandon stars as Matt, an American who is in London for some private time and as part of the process of coming to terms with the recent death of his wife. But checking into a small hotel where he hopes to be as anonymous as possible, while also […]
REVIEW: TWIST OF LEMMON (St James Studio)
What is it like to be Jack Lemmon’s son? Chris Lemmon first wrote a response to this question in his memoir A Twist of Lemmon in 2006, before he had the idea to develop a one-man show based on his book as a tribute to his late father. First shown in the U.S., […]
REVIEW: KISSING FROGS (Landor Theatre)
Jessica Ramsbottom is thirty, child- and husbandless and stuck in a retail shop without career prospects. When she is not out speed dating or meeting people off dating websites, she spends her time on her big red sofa with a glass of wine. Sophie Osborne, who also wrote the piece, is the sole performer, besides […]
REVIEW: ODD SHAPED BALLS (Old Red Lion Theatre)
Richard D. Sheridan’s new one-man play tackles homophobia in rugby head-on, from the stuffiness of a testosterone-filled changing room to the bright lights of the pitch. Odd Shaped Balls tells the story of James Hall’s rise in professional rugby and his struggle to work out his sexuality which is thrust ruthlessly into the media spotlight. […]
REVIEW: NORMA JEANE: THE MUSICAL (LOST Theatre)
While we are all waiting for the Marilyn Monroe musical “Bombshell” to hit Broadway, we have “Norma Jeane: The Musical” to tide us over. Eighteen months before her death and just after her split from Arthur Miller, Norma Jeane is admitted to a mental clinic. She suffers from voices in her head, bordering on schizophrenia. […]