London Theatre Reviews - West End & Off West End - Brighton

Many people have noted, analysed and theorised over the strong aura of homoeroticism which pervades several of Shakespeare's sonnets, particularly those dedicated to the Fair Youth. There is much debate as to whether the bard was actually homosexual or merely a passionate admirer of beauty in all its forms and great speculation as to the true identity of the young man to whom Shakespeare dedicated the verses, the mysterious Mr W.H. In The Sonneteer, Sebastian Michael, Ros Philips and Tom … [Read more...]

Forget “How do you solve a problem like Maria?”, today’s theatrical conundrum is how do I review a show like Mummenschanz?  The answer is, not very easily.  This show is so fantastically unique that a standard review is really difficult to put together without potentially including spoilers and thereby ruining some of the surprises for new audience members. Anyway, let’s give it a go.  I have to admit that I had never heard of Mummenschanz before this week and after a quick look on YouTube, I … [Read more...]

Natural Affection, by William Inge, opened on Broadway in 1963, during a newspaper strike. William Inge at that time was, along with Tennessee Williams, America’s leading playwright. Natural Affection was directed by Tony Richardson (‘Tom Jones’) and starred Kim Stanley, arguably one of the greatest actresses of 20th Century America. Nevertheless, It closed after 36 performances. How terrible, people said, how tragic, that this cultural event should be denied to the general public, by a bunch of … [Read more...]

Whistleblower the story of Edward Snowden is a very odd play in some respects. The first, and most obvious is that Snowden himself has stated (both in real life and in the play) that he doesn’t want to be the story. That he now is, should come as no real surprise and his wish to remain outside of things hints at a naivety in his character that could provide the explanation of what he did. This is one thing that, to my mind, the play failed to fully cover. What turned a guy who ‘had it all’ as he … [Read more...]