On Saturday 5th September 2015 The 39 Steps will close after 9 years at the Criterion Theatre. Based on John Buchan’s 1914 spy thriller The Thirty Nine Steps and adapted for the stage by Patrick Barlow (Desmond Oliver Dingle/The National Theatre of Brent), The 39 Steps is directed by Maria Aitken, with design by Peter McKintosh, lighting by Ian Scott, sound by Mic Pool, and movement by Toby Sedgwick. The 39 Steps is presented by Edward Snape for Fiery Angel and Tricycle London Productions … [Read more...]
Best Plays in London - New Plays in London
Here is our guide to plays in London. From long-running West End plays such as The Mousetrap and The Woman in Black to new plays opening soon. Book London theatre tickets online for plays – click one of the images or the link below which shows all listings of plays currently on sale.
The Play That Goes Wrong recoups after 12 weeks in West End
The producers of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG have announced that something has gone stunningly right. With their advertising campaign encouraging people to 'SAVE MONEY - DON'T COME' which evidently has not worked, the show that they capitalised in the West End for £250,000 and opened at the Duchess Theatre at the beginning of September, written by and starring unknown out of work actors, has already recouped all of its production costs and is now turning a weekly profit. It is an extraordinary … [Read more...]
Review of The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre
Never before has the title of a play been so apt, The Play That Goes Wrong, certainly lives up to its title and much more besides. Having already enjoyed two successful runs in the West End and sell-out success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Play That Goes Wrong has now set up home at the Duchess Theatre in the West End of London. Having picked up many awards and high accolades along the way, The Play That Goes Wrong seems to be going from strength to strength. The Cornley Polytechnic … [Read more...]
Review of The 39 Steps at The Criterion Theatre London
There are many different types of laughers in this world. There are the ungainly guffaws that resonate so much that seismometers in the vicinity record alarmingly high readings, panicking the British Geological Survey of the onset of a mega-earthquake. There are, of course, those that shriek - making one wonder if the person is in pain or amused (likely both). The most mysterious to me is the silent laugh. The head bobs up and down like the Churchill dog (or one of those bobble-head dolls), but … [Read more...]
Review of The Importance of Being Earnest Harold Pinter Theatre
When it comes to Oscar Wilde and The Importance of Being Earnest, I will confess I am a novice. I knew nothing of the plot, only that it was a comedy, by contrast my companion was a hardcore fan and could quote every line. For me this play revealed itself accordingly but for my comrade there were a few surprises. Director Lucy Bailey and Designer William Dudley have joined forces to create a reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy. Taking artistic licence with the plot, Lucy Bailey’s … [Read more...]
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG to transfer to West End Duchess Theatre
Following a successful UK tour, The Play That Goes Wrong will open at The Duchess Theatre on 14th September 2014, with previews from 5th September, 2014. Fawlty Towers meets Noises Off in this new hit comedy Direct from the West End - See more at: The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society attempt to put on a 1920's murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does, as the accident-prone thesps battle on against all the odds to get to their final curtain call. This … [Read more...]
Review of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui Duchess Theatre
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui was written in 1941 by Bertolt Brecht, a German Marxist theatre practitioner, playwright and poet, while in exile in Finland. I was familiar with his style (known as ‘Epic Theatre’) through my university days. Though fascinated with his work during my studies, my initial thoughts were ‘how would a modern day West End audience relate to it?’ Although it’s not essential for the audience to know the details of Nazi Germany or Brecht’s practice methods, it was … [Read more...]