Curtains review
What do you get if you combine The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong and Oklahoma!? A musical whodunnit comedy. Well, at least that’s the aim of this show from John Kander, Fred Ebb and Rupert Holmes. It’s the opening night of Robbin Hood, but the leading lady is causing drama by her lack of...
Girl from the North Country review
An orange glow dimly lights the Gielgud stage as we’re transported back to a 1934 boarding house in the town of Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth also happens to be the birthplace of Bob Dylan, whose discography provides the soundtrack to this poignant Depression-era tale. First seen at the Old Vic in...
The Ocean at the End of the Lane review
Please note: This review is from the production's run at the National Theatre. The production will transfer to the Duke of York's Theatre in 2021. The blurring of reality and imagination feels very present as we try to steer through the pitfalls of social media and question the truth of the news...
Six the Musical review
‘We’re one of a kind, no category’ sing the queens of SIX in the closing number of this spectacular, new British musical, and that couldn’t be more accurate. Take one part traditional musical theatre, one part arena popstar extravaganza and mix it together with a healthy dose of GCSE...
A Christmas Carol review
When you step into the Old Vic auditorium for the current run of A Christmas Carol, the festive spirit begins at once. The stage thrusts out into the audience, taking over the space, with countless glowing lanterns hanging above. You’re immediately greeted by an usher dressed in full costume, who...
& Juliet the Musical review
It’s been quite a year for feminist historical theatre, with SIX reigning at the Arts Theatre and Emilia opening at the Vaudeville. Now, pop meets Shakespeare as & Juliet struts its way to the Shaftesbury Theatre, fusing super-producer Max Martin’s chart toppers with star-crossed lovers in...
DEAR EVAN HANSEN review
Anxiety. Suicide. Abandoned children. Dear Evan Hansen packs in as many bleak subjects as in can in two hours, and even though at times it feels like emotional manipulation on the audience, it’s easy to see why this musical for the social media age has been such a hit on Broadway since it opened...
Measure for Measure review
Gregory Doran’s production of Measure for Measure is set in Vienna in the early twentieth century. The choice works well for a play all about hypocrisy, with the city’s vices thinly hidden behind its outward show of respectability and grandness. After the Duke’s decision to hand over power...
Mary Poppins review
As the winter nights draw in and the grim spectre of general election politicking looms large over the daily headlines, the time could hardly be better for some escapist fun. And it really couldn’t come in any finer form than the return of Mary Poppins to the West End, to the Prince Edward...
The Taming of the Shrew review
Shakespeare’s notoriously problematic comedy The Taming of the Shrew has inspired debate for centuries thanks to its tale of a man gaslighting his headstrong bride into submission. Now director Justin Audibert brings a new spin to the archetypical “battle of the sexes”, as Elizabethan England...
