REVIEW: MY SON’S A QUEER, BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO? (Turbine Theatre)
Rob Madge has been acting since childhood, appearing as a youngster in shows like Les Miserables and Oliver. During lockdown, they discovered a treasure-trove of old VHS tapes from their early years. What became hilariously apparent is that Rob was always destined for the stage, writing scripts, creating costumes and insisting the whole family take […]
REVIEW: THE DISTANCE YOU HAVE COME (Apollo Theatre)
Following a run at the Cockpit Theatre in 2018, The Distance You Have Come – A Song Cycle By Scott Alan opened last night at the Apollo Theatre in London, for the first of two performances. The story takes us through a year in the intertwined lives of six people facing the joy and heartache […]
REVIEW: Alyssa, Memoirs of a Queen (Vaudeville Theatre)
A video montage of drag sensation Alyssa Edwards’ incredibly well documented time spent in the public eye flashes before us in a maelstrom of gorgeous gowns and exaggerated facial expressions. Set to a mashup of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ and Cher’s ‘Woman’s World, the audience is champing at the bit to see her in all her […]
REVIEW: SHOWSTOPPER! THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL ★★★★★
We all improvise. Whether it’s to keep our children quiet, buy more time at work or reassure ourselves, we all think on our feet. But it’s not easy. Try doing it in rhyme. To music. With an audience… But this is exactly what Showstopper! at the Garrick Theatre does. Each night the team put on […]
REVIEW: DEATH DROP (Garrick Theatre) ★★★★★
Death Drop – a ‘Dragatha Christie’ murder mystery is back in the West End (at the Garrick Theatre) after lockdown, bringing camp comedy to the stage by a whole bunch of well known drag queens. The story is fun. It’s 1991 and to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary of Charles and Diana, The Lady has […]
REVIEW: LES MISERABLES – THE STAGED CONCERT (Sondheim Theatre)
The concert version of Les Miserables (starring Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Matt Lucas and Carrie Hope Fletcher) was staged at the Gielgud Theatre in 2019, whilst the Queens Theatre underwent refurbishment. The full show returned to the newly named Sondheim Theatre just before lockdown and is set to reopen in September 2021. Rather than leave […]
REVIEW: WALDEN (Harold Pinter Theatre)
Amy Berryman‘s debut play Walden opened the RE:EMERGE season (which creates a space for new voices and fresh talent to have their work shown on the West End stage) at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London last week. It’s an interesting concept for a show. Stella (Gemma Arterton) get stuck in the middle when her […]
REVIEW: PUBLIC DOMAIN (Vaudeville Theatre)
Public Domain just played a short run at the Vaudeville Theatre as part of Nimax Theatre’s Rising Stars Festival, which is giving a platform to 23 producers who have never had their work performed in a West End theatre. Following a digital run at Southwark Playhouse, this new verbatim musical, written and performed by Francesca […]
THE MOUSETRAP at London’s St Martin’s Theatre ★★★★★
Agatha Christie‘s murder mystery play The Mousetrap opened in the West End in 1952 (at St Martin’s Theatre), making it the longest running theatre production in the world. Now it’s finally back on stage after more than a year of unavoidable closure. For the first eight weeks of the reopening, two rotating casts are being […]
REVIEW: HERE COME THE BOYS (The London Palladium)
Following a sold-out UK national tour, Here Come The Boys comes to The London Palladium for a 10 day celebration of a brand new production! UK Champion beatboxer Rupert Oldridge hosts the show, working hard and trying to win us all over. Sadly, for me at least, he was unsuccessful, spitting his beats needlessly over […]