Before the Party
Rating [rating=4] Reviewed by Tony Peters The British obsession with class and social standing is at the heart of Rodney Ackland’s bitingly funny satire, that’s based on a short story by W Somerset Maugham. It’s the years immediately following the war and the people of this sceptered isle are struggling to get back on […]
Velma Celli
Wilma’s Rating [rating=4] Velma Celli is the alter-ego of west end performer Ian Stroughair who first took a liking to wearing women’s clothing while preparing for the role of Mary Sunshine in the west end production of Chicago the Musical. Ian has also played roles in Fame and Cats and is about to embark […]
THE BOOK OF MORMON (Prince of Wales Theatre, 2013) ★★★★★
I refused to pay $600 for a ticket in New York in 2011, but realised that if they could charge that much, The Book of Mormon must be something special. Since opening in London at the end of February 2013, The Book of Mormon has been sold out and you need to book three months […]
No Man's Land
Rating [rating=1] Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes The Blue Elephant Theatre is a small, hidden gem in Southwark and I don’t think many people know it exists. Certainly I’d never heard of it, so I was curious to see what was on offer as I’ve always been fascinated by interpretative theatre. No Man’s Land was […]
Mies Julie
Rating [rating=4] Reviewed by Tony Peters Yael Farber’s take on Miss Julie, the 19th-century Strindberg play about love and class, arrives at the Riverside Studios, carrying before it rave reviews from last year’s Edinburgh Festival. There have been numerous adaptations of the work over the years, but I doubt any of them have packed quite […]
The Woman In Black
Rating [rating=4] Reviewed by Roz Carter There is nothing more satisfying than taking a theatre disparager to see The Woman in Black. Back when I was a young whippersnapper I took my then boyfriend, who claimed that ‘there’s no way theatre can be scary’ (he’d obviously never seen the queue for the ladies at the […]
Potted Potter
Wilmas Rating [rating=3] I’ve been pondering this review for a few days now and the trouble is there is nothing wrong with Potted Potted but there isn’t really much right either. Two, fully grown men, messing around on stage, trying (rather unsuccessfully) to tell the story of all seven Harry Potter books in just […]
Quasimodo
Rating [rating=4] Reviewed by Frances Revel It’s been a good year so far for Victor Hugo. The film adaptation of the musical version of his epic tale Les Miserables not only stormed the box office but also swept the floor at the awards ceremonies, delighting critics and cinemagoers alike. And now? The world premiere of […]
Darling of the Day
Rating [rating=4] Reviewed by Tony Peters. Despite the pedigree of the writers (Gypsy, The Wizard of Oz, How to Marry a Millionaire) and what was to be a Tony-winning performance by Patricia Routledge, this musical survived for just 31 performances after its Broadway opening in 1968. However, if this exuberant production (its UK premiere) from […]
Threesome
Rating [rating=3] Reviewed by Jamie chapman Dixon. When I found out I was going to review a show called Threesome I was a bit unsure what to expect. There is some partial nudity and some strong language but apart from that it was quite tame. A lot of the action went on in the […]