Since She should be a bridge to the future for the Berlin contemporary dance company created by the legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch who died ten years ago. Half of the company performs in this new piece devised and choreographed by Dimitris Papaioannou, the other half will be in the other new piece of work to be performed later in the month and devised by … [Read more...]
London Theatre Reviews | London West End and Off West End
If you are planning to visit London to see a musical or a play in one of the West End theatres, or a production in one of the many Off West End or Fringe venues, then maybe our London theatre reviews section can be of help? Read one of the latest reviews or use the search button to find one of our previous reviews.
Can Can! The New Offenbach Musical | Review
Transport yourself to Paris in the naughty 90s (the 1890s that is) and savour a rich blend of acting, music, singing and above all dancing. The multi-talented Phil Willmott Company bring together a who’s who of the Parisian fin de siècle and La Belle Époque (from the artist Toulouse Lautrec brilliantly portrayed by Jordan Nesbitt, to Jacques Offenbach (Sam Woods), the … [Read more...]
Temporarily Misplaced Productions Presents Inspirit | Review
Last week, Vaulty Towers in Waterloo treated its patrons for another slot of lunchtime theatre. Temporarily Misplaced’s newest outing is an extract from new play, Inspirit, written by Bradley Walker. Inspirit tells the story of a one night stand where Jude brings William back to his place only then for William to be haunted by Michael, Jude’s dead boyfriend of four … [Read more...]
Review of Jammie Dodger at the Vault Festival
Jammie Dodger at the VAULT festival is a high-energy comedy about three women who plot to murder their husbands and run away to live new lives. As the plan quickly collapses into farce, Jammie Dodger hits its stride as an exceptionally entertaining production. While it’s a story you might vaguely recognise, it’s very cleverly executed by writer Gael van den … [Read more...]
Rattled by Rachel Harper at the Old Red Lion Theatre | Review
I suspect there are people who have suffered childhood trauma and postnatal mental health that recognise the sort of thought processes that Em (Rachel Harper) vocalises in this one-woman show. Then there are going to be others who simply don’t identify at all with the sort of experiences that Em has had. To put it another way, this is one person’s story, and other … [Read more...]
The Lady from the Sea at the Print Room at the Coronet
I should say before I start, that I don’t really like Ibsen. Despite being the second most performed writer after Shakespeare, I find his proto-feminist scripts dated, and his high-realism to be at odds with his heavily idea-oriented scripts. Though Ibsen ranks among Euripides, Bernard Shaw and Strindberg as writers apt for reinterpretation and adaptation, I find his … [Read more...]
The Tunnel at The Royal School of Speech and Drama | Review
Out of the most horrible events in history, there are always stories of exceptional bravery and humanity. Something almost beautiful arising from something so ugly. The siege of Sarajevo killed nearly 14,000 people, over a third of them civilians, and for everyone who wasn’t able to escape normal life rapidly became a distant memory. The Tunnel is the story of one … [Read more...]
The Clockmaker’s Daughter Studio Cast Recording
For theatregoers, cast albums essentially serve two separate purposes. For those who haven’t seen a show before they provide a taste of the show and may influence a decision about whether to visit; for those who have seen the show, a cast album provides the chance to relive the show and to enjoy the memories. So when listening to The Clockmaker’s Daughter I have … [Read more...]
Bizet’s Carmen at Kings Head Theatre | Review
It’s unmistakably Georges Bizet’s Carmen, as the overture and the piano introductions to the opera numbers keep reminding the audience. The anomaly of traditional productions being a French opera set in Spain but sung in Italian (or indeed in English) is commented on in this contemporary makeover, if only as a vehicle to keep in the Toreador Song, perhaps one of the … [Read more...]
Headhog by Tom Jensen at Barons Court Theatre
People who are proud sometimes don’t know it - if they had a greater awareness of the extent of their pride, perhaps they would not be quite so proud. Something broadly similar happens to Molly Reeves (Natasha Zierhofer), who has a foreign object in her body but ends up stubbornly wanting it to remain, against the medical advice of Dr Cheryl Finch (Sheila McCabe), a … [Read more...]
The Rocky Horror Show at New Wimbledon Theatre
I’m certain that back in the early seventies when Richard O’Brien, a struggling actor/horse-riding stuntman from New Zealand was sitting in his tiny flat writing a musical that was to be put on in the Royal Court’s tiny Upstairs theatre, he couldn’t envisage that over 40 years later The Rocky Horror Show would not only still being performed around the world but would … [Read more...]
Fisher Stevens in A Beautiful Noise | Review
“Sweet Caroline! Good times never seemed so good! / I’d be inclined, to believe they never would!” Now, I’m not ordinarily a supporter of audience participation, but such was the infectious atmosphere created during an interesting and varied evening that even this stubbornly reticent reviewer couldn’t resist joining the crowd that had risen to their feet for the big … [Read more...]