London Theatre Reviews - West End & Off West End

It’s a production of Hamlet that starts at 7:30pm and manages to come down on the ‘right’ side of 10:30pm - the hardcore fans and followers of productions of Shakespeare plays will, no doubt, have some fun (if that is the operative word) working out what precisely has been left out of the text (a 1996 unabridged film adaptation runs to just over four hours). I’m not entirely sure when this production chooses to place the narrative: the attire is mostly contemporary, with Claudius (Michael Claff) … [Read more...]

For seasoned theatregoers, this version of The Three Musketeers comes across as one of those shows that takes a similar format to something one has seen before. For me, it has the feel of a profit-share production on at 3:30pm at C Venues at the Edinburgh Fringe: a cast of seven takes on multiple characters. The characters are themselves actors in a production, rather like Noises Off, so, for example, Antony Eden plays David Du Lesley, who in turn plays D’Artagnan, among other characters. The … [Read more...]

Already in a good mood because there is abundant free parking after 1.30pm on a Saturday (and all-day Sundays) near the venue, Little Angel Theatre’s return to live performance with their adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s classic The Smartest Giant in Town proved itself a family-pleasing belter. My 8-year-old twins were enrapt and grinning throughout with my son leaping to his feet for a boogie of joy by the finale! In its intimate studio setting (which is a few blocks … [Read more...]

There’s an air of familiarity for people who have been in the entertainment industry in this narrative. Global pandemic or not, supply always exceeds demand, or at least it seems that way, and so Emily Bruni’s actor character finds herself working in a shop for some time - for her agent to ring is a relatively rare occurrence. In some ways, she reveals an awful lot about herself and her life, as well as the circumstances surrounding the death of Peter, the director of a play she is in. But in … [Read more...]

This was originally meant to be called West End Musical Christmas, and got postponed as the Government had no choice but to impose another lockdown - and if my memory serves me correctly, it was postponed again, and renamed West End Musical Celebration. There was, admittedly, a part of me that wondered whether it would end up becoming West End Musical Christmas again by the time it finally happened: either way, it was worth the wait. Producers Chris Steward and Shanay Holmes did what they … [Read more...]