REVIEW: White Christmas (Curve Leicester) ★��★★★
Nikolai Foster‘s Christmas production of White Christmas is a bit like being given a giant hug and a massive bowl of chicken soup. You cannot possibly leave the auditorium feeling anything other than warmed and just slightly more content with the world (at least until you turn the news back on). An incredibly simple storyline, […]
REVIEW: Mary Poppins Returns ★★★
Mary Poppins Returns, directed by Rob Marshall and parading a drove of A-listers, is an almost uncanny reproduction of the original. The piece is set 25 years post the 1964 original, in Britain’s interwar depression in the 1930s. Little Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) Banks are all grown up and still remain as […]
REVIEW: The Messiah (The Other Palace) ★★
There is surely nothing more tempting for the average only-at-Christmas-theatre-goer, than watching familiar TV faces in a silly nativity extravaganza. Hugh Dennis (Mock the Week) and John Marquez (Doc Martin) lead us through the birth of Jesus in this unique multi-role piece, The Messiah. Oh, and Lesley Garrett is also there, for a spattering of […]
REVIEW: Peppa Pig’s Adventure (Theatre Royal Haymarket) ★★★★
Anyone who has the mis/fortune of parenting a toddler will know that Peppa Pig has an almost addictive appeal. I can bear witness to it’s near crack-like effect on small humans; there have been several occasions at 6am where I approach my child’s bedroom to hear him demanding vociferously ‘Peppa Pig!?’, so I couldn’t resist […]
REVIEW: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Wycombe Swan) ★★★★
Wycombe Swan returns to Pantomime form with this excellent version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The show has plenty of Strictly Come Dancing twists and twirls from Brendan Cole and the ensemble. As in any good Pantomime, there is something for everyone in this delightful production especially when Cole is dancing with the Ensemble […]
REVIEW: A Christmas Carol (Arts Theatre) ★★★
Dust off your baubles and start Googling how to make eggnog – Christmas is nearly here! And to celebrate, London is once again home to an assortment of productions telling the second most famous festive story of them all (after the one about the donkey and the manger…). Running at the Arts Theatre from now until […]
REVIEW: That Night Follows Day (Southbank Centre) ★★★★
That Night Follows Day is Forced Entertainment’s first performance as an associate company of the Southbank Centre. Originally produced in 2007 in Belgium, this is the first time the full production has been created in English and performed in the UK. This show is performed by seventeen children aged between 8 and 15 years, speaking […]
REVIEW: Horrible Christmas (Alexandra Palace Theatre) ★★★★
The theatre at Alexandra Palace has re-opened after 80 years; the splendid Victorian theatre is back to wow audiences and its festive production is Horrible Christmas from the producers of the Horrible Histories stage shows and Olivier award nominated Gangsta Granny. Fans of Horrible Histories will know what to expect, and they won’t be disappointed […]
REVIEW: Swan Lake (Sadler’s Wells) ★★★★★
It’s hard to fathom that when Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake first opened in 1995, it was not loved by everyone who saw it. The idea of a male troupe of swans and a young Prince being, quite literally, taken under their wing, proved too shocking for some who branded it “the gay Swan Lake” (which […]
REVIEW: Murder For Two (The Other Palace) ★★★★
The Other Palace Studio is a cosy and intimate venue, and the perfect place to be an eyewitness for the killer musical comedy, Murder For Two. Recently a sell-out off-Broadway, Murder for Two has also been a huge success at the Watermill Theatre. When famous novelist Arthur Whitney is found dead at his birthday party, […]