REVIEW: Kunene and the King (Ambassador Theatre) ★★★★★
Kunene and the King is a powerful play, dealing with the continuing shockwaves of the apartheid era in South Africa. Set in Johannesburg, it is 25 years since the end of apartheid when the first free elections were held that every South African citizen could vote in. Jack Morris, a white South African, played by […]
REVIEW: WAITRESS (Adelphi Theatre) ★★★★
Waitress recently finished a successful, four year run on Broadway. The West End production (which has been running for a year at the Adelphi Theatre) has done well, with several cast changes every few months to keep things different and entice fans of the show back for another trip to the diner. Waitress tells the story […]
REVIEW: UNCLE VANYA (Harold Pinter Theatre) ★★★★★
Anton Chekhov wrote the play Uncle Vanya in 1895 but this glorious new staging and adaption at the Harold Pinter Theatre by Conor McPherson gives it a timeless feel while still rooted in the decaying country house of Imperial Russia, with a household full of ennui. The brilliant and highly theatrical staging by Rae Smith, […]
REVIEW: Happily Ever Poofter (Kings Head Theatre) ★★★★
Disney have never told a gay love story, so Rich Watkins has created one himself. Happily Ever Poofter tells the story of a gay prince trapped in a kingdom faraway, where he is unable to be openly gay. Taking inspiration from all things Disney, his fairy godfather appears and grants his wish to transport him […]
REVIEW: The Welkin (National Theatre, Lyttelton) ★★★
The Welkin is a new play by Lucy Kirkwood and directed by James Macdonald. The world premiere was held at the National Theatre this week and it will be broadcast in cinemas on 21 May with NT Live. Kirkwood has set the play in a rural community on the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1759 […]
REVIEW: The Canary and The Crow (Arcola Theatre) ★★★★
The Canary and the Crow, playing at the Arcola Theatre in London, is a play about Daniel Ward‘s experiences as a young schoolboy, earning a scholarship to an exclusive grammar school where he was one of only 2 black pupils in his school year. The play is a multi-layered piece of theatre about the realities of […]
REVIEW: Luzia (Cirque du Soleil) ★★★★
There’s a trip to the circus, but then there’s Cirque du Soleil – an extraordinary, magical spectacular that will make you gasp, cringe and cheer! For this latest production, the focus is on Mexico and the natural environment. Water, wind, plants and creatures, surprise the audience with wondrous creations that flow seamlessly from scene to […]
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE (Apollo Theatre) ★★★★
“I’m offending, I’m a trending, gender-bending, gender-blending, gender-pending, gender-ending and transcending work of art.” Jamie New is a boy from Sheffield, with big dreams and an even bigger personality to boot. In the height of his school years and in the build up to his senior prom, Jamie decides to truly reflect himself, he will […]
REVIEW: Kinky Boots (Cinema Broadcast) ★★★★
If you missed, like I did, the West End production of Kinky Boots when it ran at the Adelphi Theatre from September 2015 to January 2019 (for over 1400 performances), there is a unique opportunity to see why this wonderful musical gathered so many award nominations. A live filmed production of the show is being […]
REVIEW: COPS (Southwark Playhouse) ★★★
Tony Tortora‘s play Cops captures a long forgotten time with carefully drawn contrasting characters, a background of mobsters and corruption and dated attitudes that have evolved over the last sixty years. It moves at a snail’s pace as the characters’ home truths are slowly revealed during three painstakingly slow stakeouts. As a result, one feels […]