If the onset of winter, the continuing saga of Brexit and a looming general election is getting you down, maybe stepping back in time to a completely charming musical is what you need? That’s what the Menier Chocolate Factory is betting on with this bright and relentlessly cheery revival of 1950s hit musical, The Boy... Continue Reading →
British theatre is loving a bit of historical revision these days and & Juliet gives us re-written Shakespeare with liberal lashings of scandi-pop brilliance. I loathe jukebox musicals but & Juliet is just fantastic! What if star-crossed Juliet didn’t take her own life after Romeo died? What if instead, she woke up and got on... Continue Reading →
April De Angelis’ two-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s beloved Neapolitan Novels has a lot of stories to tell you and this production ricochets from magical realism to mobster-camp with frequent stops at political-feminism-polemic to bring them to you. It’s a bit exhausting. How do you translate an epic, adored literary series to the stage without... Continue Reading →
Voter suppression. Emergency acts to achieve the government's agenda, disdain for the courts and attacks on the press. A group of progressive friends become increasingly anxious and despairing, unsure how to resist in the face of the swift rise to power of a dangerous right-wing demagogue stoking devision. Sound familiar? In 1985, Tony Kusher was... Continue Reading →
Dear Evan Hansen is probably the most anticipated Broadway-to-London transfer since Hamilton, and it’s finally here with a fresh-faced lead actor who bowled over critics and fans alike. For this show, today is definitely going to be a good day! Teenager Evan Hansen suffers from severe social anxiety and writes encouraging letters to himself on... Continue Reading →
One may as well start with the Young Vic’s emails to its mailing list (my God, how many articles about The Inheritance have started with variations on that line). Back in 2017 when Angels In America (starring Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield) was playing at the National Theatre, the Young Vic was announcing the last... Continue Reading →
Two very different one-act plays are currently residing in London’s Bunker Theatre with a common thread running through them - young queer women looking for connection. The opening play, i will still be whole (when you rip me in half) kicks things off with a shock. A young Chinese mother in London picks up her... Continue Reading →
Could whoever understands what just happened please put their hand up? After 90 minutes of intoxicatingly glorious music and theatre I emerged in a gentrified London alley bewildered, entertained and more than a little in love… so it’s good to see the new Boulevard Theatre is living up to its formerly disreputable Soho location. Yes,... Continue Reading →
A musical about a spoilt white guy who gets endless chances to learn life’s lessons may not be the show the world needs right now, but the Turbine Theatre’s UK Premiere of High Fidelity (the musical) makes it work through a combination of diverse casting and a talented ensemble. This is the tale of Rob,... Continue Reading →
