London Theatre Reviews - West End & Off West End

An eloquent, poignant love letter to Yiddish Theatre, Paula Vogel’s Indecent is a moving exploration of censorship, sexuality and a divided community. We follow the story of the debut performance 'God of Vengeance' by the legend of Yiddish theatre Sholem Asch and the theatre troupe's travels across Europe and America. Lemml (Finbar Lynch) is the stage manager; he steps out of an unending line and welcomes us into the world of Jewish theatre in Warsaw. A young, driven writer by the name of … [Read more...]

Carrying David is a rare beast of a show, written by established playwright Ed Waugh and performed by the intimidatingly versatile actor Micky Cochrane, it tells the story of boxing hero Glenn McCrory, a working-class lad from Stanley, Country Durham who at 24 became the North East’s first world champion. McCrory’s story is one of legend in the North East, his unexpected win punctuating a decade of devastation and dark times for the region. His victory was a beacon of hope for many and this … [Read more...]

Steadily paced, this engaging two-hander plays out in real-time. If a week is a long time in politics (and I’m not denying it is), a conversation into the small hours after a house party can - and potentially does - change the course of its participants permanently. The ending is left ambiguous with regards to what happens in the long-term while simultaneously not requiring much, if any, imagination to determine what goes on in the immediate aftermath of the end of the play. This isn’t quite one … [Read more...]

It’s nearly a quarter of a century ago that the playwright Shelagh Stephenson scored an enduring hit with this early play at Hampstead. Round the world it went, justly praised for its portrayal of siblings struggling with each other and themselves in the wake of their mother’s death. With hurtful legacies at the heart of their gathering, memory itself justified its place in the title and became a virtual, controversial character in its own right. This it still does in a witty, unsparing … [Read more...]

Set in the round - well, technically, ‘the square’, having the audience surrounding the stage brings attendees closer to the action, which adds all the more to the living room ambience. The phone rings and rings and rings, in the days when Nokia ringtones were all the rage: but there’s a reason why Ben Harcourt (Ben Lydon) isn’t keen on answering it. Whatever the reason is, Abby Prescott (Madeleine Dunne) can’t see why he can’t just turn his phone off (a nod, perhaps, to general irritation … [Read more...]