REVIEW: Guy – The Musical (Bunker Theatre) ★★★★
Guy is a new musical premiering at The Bunker starring Brendan Matthew in the titular role. Guy is trying to navigate the trials and tribulations of dating and friendship both on and off line. His lack of confidence in his own looks leads him to use photos of his best friend on Grindr leading to […]
REVIEW: Kiss Chase (The Bunker) ★★★★
An hour of innovative, immersive, interactive theatrical speed dating! Confused? You will be! The Bunker is a new off-west end theatre situated in an old car park! Squeezed between The Mernier Chocolate Factory and The Flat Iron Square, it is part of the improvement of this previously rather grim stretch near London Bridge. Upon entering […]
REVIEW: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar Warehouse) ★★★★
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is Muriel Spark’s best-known novel, which now plays as newly structured adaptation by playwright David Harrower and directed by Polly Findlay at the Donmar Warehouse. A young reporter (Kit Young) interviews Sandy (Rona Morison) about her treatise just before she swears a vow of silence and becomes a nun. […]
REVIEW: Andrew Lloyd Webber – Musical Celebration at Live At Chelsea ★★★★★
Andrew Lloyd Webber is the most successful composer of musical theatre in history with professional productions of his shows alone having sold more than 330 million tickets worldwide. In 2017 when Sunset Boulevard joined School of Rock, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, Andrew Lloyd Webber became the only person to equal […]
REVIEW: PRESSURE (Ambassador’s Theatre) ★★★★
Pressure is David Haig’s critically acclaimed play that finally gets a West End run at the Ambassador’s Theatre following a well-received production at Chichester Festival Theatre, a national tour and a sold out run at Park Theatre in North London. Based on the remarkable true story of two meteorologists tasked with predicting the weather conditions […]
REVIEW: MONOGAMY (Park Theatre) ★★★★
Monogamy at Park Theatre is a sharp, incisive comedy, that smartly combines elements of farce with social commentary to reach a shocking crescendo at its finale, complete with Chekhovian gun (or in this show, Chekhovian knife). It begins with TV chef Caroline Mortimer (Janie Dee) showing a camera crew around her kitchen as she interviews […]
REVIEW: GHOST ABOUT THE HOUSE (Kings Head Theatre) ★★★
Slapstick gets sexy in this time-jumping comedy at the King’s Head Theatre. Writer Matthew Campling has moved from writing witty lines in plays about serious issues like sexual assault and Brexit, to writing a flat-out comedy that occasionally mentions serious issues. This bawdy comedy doubles down on the patio doors of a Whitehall farce by […]
REVIEW: THE UNBUILT CITY (Kings Head) ★★
A battle of the generations to decide the fate of art, comes to the small stage at the King’s Head theatre in Islington. Witty and thoughtful though it is, the play lacks substance and is spoiled by poor execution. New York writer Keith Bunin has taken a break from screenwriting to pen this ode to […]
REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Lyric Theatre) ★★★
A good piece of theatre should have a grounded narrative, such that it doesn’t rely on supplementary information for an explanation. Skilled actors should be able to convey the narrative, and reveal a new story to an audience. Unfortunately, the anticipated Broadway debut of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child troubled me in this sense. […]
REVIEW: CRAZY FOR YOU (Curve Leicester) ★★
Winding down its lengthy UK tour at Curve this week, Crazy For You is publicised as a “high energy, high kicking and gloriously glamorous” production, but unfortunately it feels like anything but. With music and lyrics penned by the Gershwin brothers, this production stars Tom Chambers as Bobby Child, Claire Sweeney as Irene Roth and […]