REVIEW: HELLO, I’M DARLING (Theatre Clwyd) ★★★★
Home, I’m Darling is a fresh, original play from Laura Wade with all the makings of a classic. Directed by Tamara Harvey, it is funny, thought-provoking and, in parts, quite sinister and it certainly leaves the audience with plenty to mull over. Katherine Parkinson plays Judy, a former business woman who has taken voluntary redundancy […]
REVIEW: Grindr The Opera! (Above The Stag Theatre) ★★★★
Grindr the Opera – An Unauthorised Parody is Erik Ransom’s ingenious look at the impact Grindr has had on relationships within the gay community, touching on issues of fidelity and sexual health. With witty lyrics and relatable characters, Ransom unashamedly strips bare the realities of dating in the modern age. As the show begins, out […]
REVIEW: KNIGHTS OF THE ROSE (Arts Theatre) ★
A medieval rock musical with elements of Shakespeare thrown in always sounded like it was going to be a difficult blend to pull off. But if Heath Ledger could do it with the 2001 film A Knights Tale, why not make a go of a musical? Well, the answer is because it doesn’t work, well […]
REVIEW: SARDINES (Drayton Arms Theatre) ★★★
Jenna Kamal’s new play Sardines tackles loneliness in the big city by poking fun at London’s tube etiquette in this single act series of skits and monologues. The cast of Jonty Weston, Alistair Hall, Aaron Peters, Alexandra Laurence, and Riana Duce, play a series of different London commuters who make the sinful decision to engage […]
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 […]