In addiction recovery meetings, a phrase often heard is: “The definition of insanity is repeating the same mistake and expecting a different result.” It is rare to see this truism given such magnificent, dark treatment as in Porgy and Bess. This operatic piece of musical theatre is as well-suited as anything I’ve seen to the outdoor space of the Open Air Theatre at Regent’s Park, as under Timothy Sheader’s direction the tempestuous action glowers beneath clouds rolling over the setting … [Read more...]
London Theatre Reviews - West End & Off West End - Brighton
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. Browse our website for London Theatre Tickets for London West End Theatres. Book tickets for shows, musicals, plays, drama, opera, dance, comedy & more!
Review of Skylight at Wyndham’s Theatre
Up in the Gods of Wyndham’s Theatre, almost level with a chandelier dangling from the ornate ceiling, the incongruous aroma of fried onions wafts up from the stage. David Hare’s Skylight conjures up the sights, sounds and smells of Kensal Rise, in a cook-up of singed spaghetti and highly flammable emotions. Even the humble onion has its place in a performance which gradually peels away the layers of a love-hate relationship, paring it down to its eye-watering core. Under the direction of … [Read more...]
Review of BEING PATIENT at Rosemary Branch Theatre
Sometimes the smaller off-West End theatres have some amazing gems playing in them just waiting to be discovered and Being Patient at the Rosemary Branch Theatre in Islington is just such a treasure. A simple set – basically an Islington living room – and two fairly normal people, Pete and Abi (Steven Mortimer and Francesca De Sica) grab your attention as they come home from a fairly standard middle class night out and chat before bed. The talk is initially about their evening, their hopes … [Read more...]
Review of The Nether at The Royal Court Theatre
The Nether, Headlong’s brilliantly disturbing new play at the Royal Court, transgresses boundaries to challenge our deepest fears. Through the literally timeless beauty of a 9-year-old girl, played with compelling yet knowing innocence by Isabella Pappas, who shares the role of Iris with Zoe Brough, it forces us to confront possible and unacceptable futures. Director Jeremy Herring’s whole is dressed in a reality that is a virtual and yet at the same time a chilling verisimilitude of some of the … [Read more...]
Oliver Dench in One Man Hamlet by Revolve Theatre Company Henley
Why do people do these things to Hamlet? One answer is, to borrow the George Mallory quote on the reason he was attempting to climb Mount Everest: “Because it’s there.” Like the Himalayan peak, it always will be, and the fact of its permanence will continue to throw up new notions of how it is best conquered. One-man expeditions up the familiar slopes of Shakespeare’s most intensively quoted play are not new, and the motivations for them vary like mountain weather. In this respect the newly … [Read more...]