REVIEW: THE KING AND I (London Palladium) ★★★★
Barlett Sher’s Lincoln Centre revival of Rogers & Hammerstein’s The King and I, which opened on Broadway in 2015, has swept its way to the London Palladium for a summer run, starring the Broadway leads. The King and I is based on Margaret Landon’s novel, Anna and the King of Siam (1944) and originally opened […]
REVIEW: IMPERIUM (Gielgud Theatre) ★★★★★
The RSC’s adaptation of Robert Harris’ Cicero novels moves to the West End after a successful run in Stratford and does not disappoint. The story is razor sharp, packed with jokes about politics and brilliantly delivered. Veteran adaptor Mike Poulton has turned the three novels into six, hour(ish) long, sections spread over two plays, like […]
REVIEW: KING – The Musical by Martin Smith (Hackney Empire) ★★★★★
Martin Smith was a white, Glasgow born actor who died in 1994 at the age of 37. In the mid 80s while still in his 20s, Smith wrote King the Musical, inspired it would appear by simply a great admiration for Martin Luther King Jnr. This musical, performed in concert at Hackney Empire with the […]
REVIEW: Sirens of the Silver Screen (Tabard Theatre) ★★★
A sweet show in a sweet theatre. Written and performed by Beth Burrows, this is a homage to three of Hollywood’s brightest stars – Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. Dressing in some of their most iconic outfits and singing their most famous songs, Burrows seeks to channel these three screen goddesses. First up […]
REVIEW: Titanic the Musical (Royal & Derngate) ★★★
One of the most famous tragedies in the world, at first the story of Titanic might seem an odd choice for a musical. Opening on Broadway just six months before James Cameron’s film, the ensemble piece by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone looks less at the disaster itself, and instead focuses on the people aboard […]
REVIEW: MY BEAUTIFUL CIRCUS (Chiswick House & Gardens Trust Gifford Circus) ★★★★
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the invention of the circus, Gifford Circus sets their artistry to a 1930s theme, spanning hits from the era and sequinned dresses alike. The troupe pulls out all stops for this anniversary show with a brand-new tent, red velvet cushy seating and repainted wagons. “My Beautiful Circus” indeed. The […]
REVIEW: CONSTELLATIONS (Hen & Chickens Theatre) ★★
Nick Payne’s unforgettable parallel-universes love story Constellations was first performed in 2012 at the Royal Court with Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall as the romantic couple whose relationship is explored through the what-ifs of quantum multiverse theory. As high-concept as they come, the play nonetheless forces an audience onto the ropes emotionally, making you consider […]
REVIEW: The Penetration Play (Above the Stag) ★★★
In the past, Above the Stag has played host to almost entirely male-focused gay plays, which of course drew attention to the fact that there weren’t many lesbian plays walking through its doors. Well, with a fabulous new location and returb comes a change in the wind: Winter Miller‘s dark comedy, ‘The Penetration Play‘, has […]
REVIEW: WEST SIDE STORY (Bishopsgate Institute) ★★★★
Earlier this week I was treated to The Bishopsgate Institute’s own amateur production of West Side Story, presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. With lyrics written by the unrivalled Stephen Sondheim, this production also celebrates the centenary of the births of the musical’s composer, the legendary Leonard Bernstein, and Jerome Robbins, the show’s original […]
REVIEW: Sh*t Faced Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Leicester Square Theatre) ★★★★
It turns out that if a group of young classically trained actors get sh*t faced and do Shakespeare, they make it infinitely funnier, pacier and more feminist without insulting the original. The Sh*t Faced Shakespeare gang have been a fringe hit for years with their improvised retellings of Shakespeare’s most well-known works before making it […]