London Theatre Reviews - West End & Off West End

The well-known actor Robert Daws has worked with writer William Humble many times and in 2017 asked him if he would be interested in writing a one-man play about P G Wodehouse, “Maybe with some songs”. The result is Wodehouse in Wonderland. I am very familiar with PG Wodehouse (known as Plum to his family and friends) mainly from film and television adaptations of his books. I love his beautifully written quintessentially English writing. Tonight, I found out so much more about him. The … [Read more...]

“The times they are a-changin'”, as Bob Dylan put it - and as a deceased woman’s grandson (Phillip Jones) returns home to attend the funeral, the decline of the hometown since he left has only exacerbated. His mother (Sarah Rickman) is still in the family home, while her partner Mike (Raphael Von Blumenthal) doesn’t think much of the young man. When those feelings are reciprocated, the celebration of the return of the prodigal son that the mother had hoped for, somewhat muted as it was going to … [Read more...]

It’s not often that the entertainment tastes of an intellectually snobby middle-aged woman and an action-mad 10-year-old boy align perfectly, but thanks to its layers of spectacle and storytelling, Mythos: Ragnarök (at the Vault Festival this weekend before touring the UK) manages to find just such a sweet-spot of pure fun for everyone. Confession: you would have to pay me (a lot!) to attend a WWE event. I deplore violence and cringe even at fictional depictions of it; I take an active … [Read more...]

Notre Dame is the latest digital production by Threedumb Theatre, live-streamed from The Space in Canary Wharf, London and directed by Stephen Smith, albeit due to a few technical issues on my part I ended up watching it on catch-up a few days later. There are a few peculiarities that make this production different from other streaming performances I have seen: 1. It is streamed live and completely digitally, there is no live audience in the theatre and no traditional stage. The play … [Read more...]

Icarus has fallen, and Minos has her dead to rights in an open-shut court case, but perhaps another story might be found. An interesting premise, an interesting story and some glimpses of an interesting piece, but eventually the storytelling, writing and dramaturgy let this show fall flat. I wanted this show to be good. It is a fresh, roughly told rethinking of a Greek myth, with a feminist take told in a clown-esque style. On paper, this ticks a lot of boxes for me, but it never quite … [Read more...]

The latest production at the intimate Finborough Theatre boasts a visually striking set designed by Sarah Beaton on a traverse stage, with the audience therefore on opposite sides facing each other: a long shiny metallic sloping triangle surrounded by a white floor on which is carefully placed large pebbles that one might find on a beach. This is evocatively and subtly lit by Jamie Platt with effective music and sound by Daniel Balfour, giving this sixty-minute play every chance to … [Read more...]

The day after her 12th birthday and Josie K is innocently finishing off some leftover chocolate cake before school when her world is changed by the appearance of a ‘Bureaucrat’ who tells her that she is on trial. "Maybe it’s for something good" her best friend Becca suggests optimistically, and so starts this inventive whirlwind of a play. Josie K whisks you along on her journey as she tries to make sense of the surreal and search for answers amongst unasked or confusing questions. This … [Read more...]