Come From Away review
The West End is in need of a new musical which breaks the mould. The current landscape sees an abundance of jukebox shows (Mamma Mia!), musicals based on movies (Waitress, 9 to 5) and theatres under refurbishment (Drury Lane, Dominion). Of course, there’s nothing wrong with these shows – many...
All About Eve review
The original, 1950s All About Eve is a film that pays homage to the theatre; Ivo van Hove's stage adaptation of All About Eve is a play that pays homage to film. In the latter, cameramen stalk the stage, recording live footage which is beamed out on screens above the set. There are close-ups, and...
The Price review
In The Price, memories hang dusty and thick - and as hard to shift - as the stockpiled furniture in the neglected apartment. Arthur Miller's verbose script pokes into the crevices and unearths each one. Thanks to a stellar cast, patient direction and staggering set design, Jonathan Church’s...
Home, I'm Darling review
Sitting down to watch Home, I’m Darling at the Duke of York’s Theatre, you could almost make the mistake that you’re stepping into a repurposed Mad Men set. The stage is transformed into a perfectly suburban mid-century modern home, and Katherine Parkinson spins around in beautiful frocks. In...
Notre Dame de Paris review
Luc Plamondon and Richard Cocciante’s Notre Dame de Paris was last seen in London back in 2000, when an English translation ran at the Dominion Theatre. It’s now back in the West End for a limited run at the Coliseum, this time performed in the original French, as part of an ongoing...
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical review
Tina is the epic biopic show about Tina Turner, charting the highs and lows of her rise to fame and her battle to stay in the spotlight featuring Tina Turner’s biggest hits. Unlike many shows of its kind it doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting issues and the audience learn about Tina’s absent...
The Room / Victoria Station / Family Voices review
The fifth selection of Pinter plays, The Room / Victoria Station / Family Voices has arrived at the theatre named after the renowned playwright and begins with his very first play. Premiering back in 1957, The Room offers an insight into the minds of those living during a bleak post-war era, where...
Party Time / Celebration review
Jamie Lloyd’s sixth instalment of his Pinter series sees a gaggle of the super-rich glugging wine, blissfully unaware of the world which revolves, and revolts, around them. Party Time is a dark and sophisticated scene, clad in their best black attire the group sit regally on a row of chairs,...
The Messiah review
Rather than a pantomime or concert, The Other Palace have selected an alternative production for their festive season: Patrick Barlow’s The Messiah, a comedy of ‘Biblical proportions’ featuring an all-star cast. Taking on the ‘play-within-a-play’ format – and rather like a less...
The Band review
Few boy bands of the 1990s have had such an impact as Take That. For many teenagers, they were a band who knew how they felt. Today they remain as popular as ever, so creating a(nother) musical with their songs seemed plausible. However, the sad reality is that Tim Firth’s show is badly thought...
