Categories, or ‘boxes’ can have their uses - this very production, Little Boxes, is classified by the Vault Festival, of which it is a part, as ‘theatre’. Other categories include ‘comedy’, ‘dance and physical theatre’, ‘musicals and gig theatre’ and ‘spoken word and poetry’. But is it right to treat people in a similar way to a catalogue of live performances? Joann … [Read more...]
London Theatre Reviews - West End & Off West End
Latest London Theatre Reviews
Read our latest theatre reviews and find out what our team of reviewers thought of London's latest productions of plays, musicals and shows.
The Tricycle by Fernando Arrabal at Barons Court Theatre
The Tricycle, originally El Triciclo, written in 1952 by Fernando Arrabal, is an absurdist take on the themes of poverty, murder and ethics, exploring the way in which personal situations can affect moral viewpoints. In the guise of a light-hearted black comedy, it holds up a mirror to society, challenging received notions and preconceptions. None of this … [Read more...]
The Watermill Ensemble Present Macbeth at Wilton’s Music Hall
The curse of ‘the Scottish play’ struck again on press night, which led to the audience leaving the theatre almost an hour after it was supposed to. With Lady Macduff (Lauryn Redding) suddenly indisposed, the decision would ordinarily have been to call off the performance, as there are no understudies. Emma Barclay, who had played the role in a previous run, was in … [Read more...]
Sex/Crime by Alexis Gregory at Soho Theatre | Review
According to Oscar Wilde, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and in many ways that’s true. Even an unflattering parody means that you have arrived and been noticed. I say this because this form of flattery is taken to an extreme length in Alexis Gregory’s play Sex/Crime at the Soho Theatre. Two men stand in a dark room with plastic covered walls. There is … [Read more...]
The Welkin by Lucy Kirkwood – Lyttelton Theatre – Review
The basic storyline in The Welkin is one that could be summarised in a sentence or two. So why does it have a three-hour running time? It’s not as if it’s a musical with plenty of song and dance fillers to keep the audience smiling. The context of the story is set out in the opening scene - entirely without words - though eventually one ends up looking at the show’s … [Read more...]
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre 2020
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has now been running in the West End for over two years and, as there have just been substantial cast changes, it seemed the right time to see the show again. For those who don’t know, Jamie is about a 16-year-old Year 11 school leaver in Sheffield who is passionate about becoming a drag queen. It is based on the true story of Jamie … [Read more...]
Smoke Weed Eat Pussy Everyday at Camden People’s Theatre
As the American singer Ultra Naté sang in her 1997 hit single Free, “You’re free to do what you want to do”. And if (as she absolutely didn’t sing) someone wishes to Smoke Weed Eat Pussy Everyday, then they can do that too. “Forever too high to care,” reads a caption on what I presume is an Instagram image (it could be something from a Snapchat account), a … [Read more...]
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
Back in the mists of time - well 1968 - before Evita and before Jesus Christ Superstar, a young and ambitious pair of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote and presented a little musical show. Since then, the show has become a firm favourite, with audiences world-wide and especially with Schools and amateur groups with over 20,000 of them staging productions. The … [Read more...]
Alan Ayckbourn’s Ten Times Table at Richmond Theatre | Review
Ten Times Table (1977) is a comedy about people who like being on committees. It arose when Ayckbourn had to relocate his theatre in Scarborough from the library to new premises. This involved spending many hours in meetings. He became fascinated with the personality types to be found there and in particular how they used the procedures and protocols to get what they … [Read more...]