Reviews

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016 : Mark Ludmon

Critic Round Ups, Features, Off West End, Reviews, West End
Billie Piper in Yerma

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Mark Ludmon replied with the following:- In another wonderful year for British theatre, one of my highlights was Annie Baker’s The Flick at the Dorfman at the National Theatre, unfolding the quiet desperations and joys of young people working at a small independent cinema in Massachusetts. Despite its running time of three-and-a-quarter hours and long silences, it was an absorbing, beautiful play with perfectly pitched performances. A powerful performance by Billie Piper made Yerma at the Young Vic stand out for me. Simon Stone’s modern adaptation played pretty freely with Lorca’s original, creating a stunning, heart-breaking drama about the despair of childlessness, played out within a glass box to add to a feeling we were glimpsing private horrors. My favourite show of the year has come at the end: Schiller’s Mary … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016 : Danny Coleman-Cooke

Off West End, Reviews, West End
Cuttin' It at Young Vic

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Danny Coleman-Cooke replied with the following:- Guys and Dolls, Savoy Theatre This revival did great justice to one of theatre’s finest ever musicals – the all-star cast included David Haig, Jamie Parker and Sophie Thompson. Infused with stunning choreography from Andrew Wright and Carlos Acosta, it fully deserved its critical acclaim and resulting UK tour. Cuttin It, Young Vic A fantastic play tackling the important issue of FGM, Cuttin It starts as a good-humoured tale of childhood friendship but turns into something much darker. Simple yet powerful in its staging, it was the most emotional production I saw all year, provoking floods of tears from the audience. Richard Gadd: Monkey See Monkey Do, Soho Theatre My previous experiences of Richard Gadd had left me fairly cold, finding him a bit crude … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016: Paul T Davies

Critic Round Ups, Features, Off West End, Reviews, West End
Kenny Morgan returns to the Arcola Theatre

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Paul T Davies replied with the following:- 1. Kenny Morgan A well structured, naturalistic and beautifully performed play takes my choice as the best new play of 2016. Kenny Morgan was the real life lover of playwright Terence Rattigan, who, after his life spiralled into despair after leaving Rattigan, took his life by gassing himself in front of a gas fire. As a result, Rattigan wrote The Deep Blue Sea, which opens with his heroine, Hester Collier attempting to gas herself. Mike Poulton’s play, in many ways, is the play Rattigan couldn’t have written. Central to the production was Paul Keating’s powerful and moving performance as Kenny Morgan, for me, the male actor of the year. Yet the whole ensemble were terrific, the set perfect and the script shimmered with restrained, … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016: Matthew Lunn

Features, News, Reviews, West End
Book Now for The Comedy About A Bank Robbery at the Criterion Theatre

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Matthew Lunn replied with the following:- 1. Hangmen This pitch-black comedy centred on the life of a celebrated hangman (David Morrissey), and the discovery that one of his victims may have been innocent. Morrissey’s caustic performance, coupled with Johnny Flynn’s extraordinary turn as his enigmatic antagonist, defined this witty and gripping piece. Read Matthew’s Hangmen review. 2. The Dresser A superb revival, which truly does justice to Sir Ronald Harwood’s perceptive and poignant script. Set in a provincial theatre during World War 2, the play captures the strained, but intimate relationship between a fading actor and his loyal dresser. Reece Shearsmith is on terrific form as the eponymous Norman, whilst Ken Stott delivers a career-defining performance as ‘Sir’. Read Matthew’s review of The Dresser. 3. The Comedy About A Bank Robbery … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016: Julian Eaves

Critic Round Ups, Features, News, Off West End, Reviews
Book tickets for Adding Machine Musical at Finborough Theatre

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Julian Eaves replied with the following:- The stand-out moments of 2016 for me are all new works, or at least new to the UK. ‘Can’t Stop It’, is a trans-Atlantic collaboration between two new British book writers, Adam Button and Lemon Otter; Lemon has also done the ingenious musical arrangements of the songs, which are by US indie group, Suburban Legends – most of the numbers come from their back catalogue, but some have been composed especially for the show. In the hands of dramaturg-director Max Reynolds, this show is taking very promising shape. Following two sets of workshops – at Canterbury and at the Performance Preparation Academy, Guildford – the team is currently exploring different options to develop the show further. Read Julian’s original article. ‘Adding Machine’, the US composer … Read more