Created in collaboration with LGBTQ+ homeless or formerly homeless people (24% of the UK’s homeless youth population identifies as LGBTQ+), No Sweat unravels the experiences of three young Londoners. Written and directed by Vicky Moran, the enlightening and surprising, sometimes shocking play brings into sharp focus an issue that is largely hidden in our our... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Coming Clean (Trafalgar Studios, London) ★★★1/2
Kevin Elyot’s debut play, Coming Clean, is back as the King's Head Theatre’s production returns to London’s West End. In pre-AIDS 80s Thatcherite Britain a gay couple Tony (Lee Knight) and Greg (Stanton Plummer-Cambridge) feel out the boundaries of their long-term relationship. Enter a young, sexy cleaner named Robert (Jonah Rzeskiewicz) who puts things to... Continue Reading →
Teenage Dick (Donmar Warehouse, London) ★★★★
Reworking Shakespeare’s Richard III into American High School territory, Teenage Dick feels like a mash-up - take Netflix’s The Politician, mix in the social media of Dear Evan Hansen, a dash of Six’s feminine re-framing and serve nice and hot. Of course, most of these shows debuted after Teenage Dick first took to the stage... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: The Boy Friend (Menier Chocolate Factory, London) ★★★1/2
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 →
Theatre Review: & Juliet (Shaftsbury Theatre, London) ★★★★
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 →
Theatre Review: My Brilliant Friend Parts 1 & 2 (National Theatre, London) ★★★1/2
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 →
Theatre Review: Dear Evan Hansen (Noël Coward Theatre, London) ★★★★ 1/2
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 →
Theatre Review: High Fidelity (Turbine Theatre, London) ★★★1/2
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 →
Theatre Review: Hansard (National Theatre, London) ★★★★★
The simmering rage in a marriage has been the source of endless amounts of great theatre. Witty, sideways barbs that cut in ways only a lover would know, deflections and parries from an opponent who can predict your every move. Simon Woods’ debut play Hansard (named after the published record of parliamentary debates), has all... Continue Reading →
Theatre Review: Fleabag (Wyndham’s Theatre, London) ★★★★★
‘YES! Fleabag back on the stage, gotta get tickets!’ Posts like this filled my social media feeds earlier this year. Wonderful! I thought, now I can see Fleabag in its original form before I binge two seasons. Yes, I’m one of the few people who hasn’t seen the TV show yet. I can hear the... Continue Reading →
