REVIEW: SONGS FOR NOBODIES (Wilton’s Music Hall) ★★★★
The enchanting Wilton’s Music Hall brings to London the European Premiere of ‘Songs For Nobodies‘. This one-woman show, originally conceived and played in Australia, consists of five monologues from ‘nobodies’ who relay the time they came into contact with a female music icon. The stories are navigated by the incomparable Bernadette Robinson, a power-house of an […]
REVIEW: MISS NIGHTINGALE (Hippodrome Casino) ★★★★★
Now in its sixth incarnation since its conception in 2011, Miss Nightingale has taken up residency at the Hippodrome Casino in London after a successful run at The Vaults in Waterloo. Whilst that venue could not be more perfect for a war-time musical with bare brick walls and cold musky smell, the show feels just […]
REVIEW: CATHY (Soho Theatre) ★★★★★
Cathy, the critically acclaimed production from award-winning theatre company Cardboard Citizens, comes to Soho Theatre in London as part of a UK tour. The play is inspired by Cathy Come Home, Ken Loach’s ground-breaking film that helped change attitudes to homeless families. Cathy takes a look at housing and homelessness today and makes us ask […]
REVIEW: VINCENT RIVER (Park Theatre) ★★★★
Vincent River by Philip Ridley was first performed at Hampstead Theatre in 2001 and had a well-received run in the West End in 2007. Director Robert Chevara revives the play at Park Theatre; it seems appropriate to revisit a play about the aftermath of a hate crime when these have risen by 29% in the […]
REVIEW: V FOR VICTORY (Stockwell Playhouse) ★★★★
D-Day, the Blitz, Churchill, and the bombing of the East End of London; everything you might expect from a new musical set during the Second World War. ‘V for Victory’, delivers up something different, instead telling the less recanted story of the Nazi invasion of a British territory, the Channel Islands, and in particular, the […]
REVIEW: CRAZY FOR YOU (Milton Keynes Theatre) ★★★
There seems to be a craze currently for churning out the old musicals; some like Half a Sixpence get a bit of an update and become just as popular, if not more so than the original. Others just don’t quite seem to hit the spot. Crazy For You originally opened on Broadway in 1930 under […]
REVIEW: THE SERVICE (Cafe de Paris) ★★★★
‘The Service’ at Café de Paris celebrates the storied history of this famous Leicester Square night spot. Opened in 1924, the night club and burlesque venue has played host to almost every luminary imaginable, from Noel Coward to Kylie Minogue. A burlesque and cabaret show in two acts, ‘The Service’ introduces us to several theatrical […]
REVIEW: THE BEST MAN (Playhouse Theatre) ★★
In this time of political turmoil, asking yourself if those in charge of governments are the best person for the job becomes an almost daily occurrence. This is perhaps why Gore Vidal‘s The Best Man is still relevant today. Despite being written in 1960, the fact that the author was heavily involved in American politics […]
REVIEW: SOLDIER ON (Playground Theatre) ★★★★★
Solider On is a new play by Jonathan Lewis, currently on a small tour of the UK (next stops: Oxford and York). But, it is so much more than ‘another new play with a message’ – it is a masterpiece and a sure-fire box office hit. An extended run, a West End residence, even a […]
REVIEW: JERSEY BOYS (Sunderland Empire) ★★★★★
New Jersey, the 4th smallest state by area but possibly the greatest for musical influence, has spawned some of the world’s most iconic performers – Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Count Basie, Debbie Harry, Jon Bon Jovi, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston all hail from this, the US’s most densely populated province, but it is perhaps […]