Theatre News & Reviews: 2013

REVIEW: Stephen Ward, Aldwych Theatre ✭

The piece has no idea what it is doing: it does not tell any story well or with feeling. You know as much about Stephen Ward and his part in the Profumo scan…

Olivier Awards Promo 2014

REVIEW: Henry V, Noel Coward Theatre ✭✭✭✭

it reflects the standards, achievements and sense of the entire season: A great play, a real star at the heart of the production, a set design redolent of th…

REVIEW: A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder, Walter Kerr Theatre ✭✭✭✭

Jefferson is quicksilver Broadway magic - effortlessly creating 9 very different members of the same clan. He is a joy to watch and he chews the scenery as h…

REVIEW: West Side Story, Currently On Tour ✭✭

It was impossible not to feel anything but sympathy for this cast and nothing but irritation bordering on contempt for the "creatives" who think this is the …

REVIEW: Richard II, RSC ✭✭✭✭

Rightly, the cast received a standing ovation at the RST - an unusual sight at Stratford Upon Avon. This is a startlingly clear and quite gorgeous production…

REVIEW: The Scottsboro Boys, Old Vic Theatre ✭✭✭✭

The nine boys are, in an unqualified way, magnificent: the line-up here is better than the Vineyard line-up. Each of the nine can sing, dance and act. They a…

REVIEW: Twelve Angry Men, Garrick Theatre ✭✭✭

It's a worthwhile night at the theatre, quite engrossing, but it does not reach the level of excitement it ought.

REVIEW: The Fastest Clock In The Universe, Old Red Lion Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭

Tom O’Brien’s production is a rare opportunity to see one of Ridley’s greatest works performed to such a high standard. Not for the faint of heart, and not t…

FROM THE DRESSING ROOM: Jenna Russell

2013 REVIEW: The Book Of Mormon, Prince Of Wales Theatre. ✭✭✭

For my part, it is as plain as a pike staff that the performers at hard work in this Parker, Lopez and Stone piece are, uniformly, at the top of their game a…

REVIEW: Jeeves and Wooster - Richmond Theatre ✭✭✭✭

This is one time a play lives up to its name. It's undeniable nonsense, but Perfect in every way.

REVIEW: Ghosts, Almeida Theatre at Trafalgar Studios ✭✭✭✭✭

Lesley Manville has never been better than she is here: brittle, desperate, trapped, her Helene Alving is a pulsing stream of artic lava, engulfing everyone …

REVIEW: From Here To Eternity, Shaftesbury Theatre ✭✭✭

Sir Tim describes the work as a grown-up musical: not sure what that means, but one cannot but think everyone would been better off if this piece was mature …

REVIEW: The Light Princess, Lyttleton Theatre at the National ✭✭

It has to be said that, taking into account the whole experience, The Light Princess is no better or worse a musical than Viva Forever! In both cases, the bo…

REVIEW: The Commitments, Palace Theatre. ✭✭✭

It is chock full of great musical classics and extremely well sung and performed. Indeed, the vocal work of Killian Donnelly as the lewd lout Deco is assured…

REVIEW: The Herd, Bush Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭

This is a wonderful night at the theatre, exhilarating and rewarding, and a portentous debut for Kinnear. It is a play which could play anywhere - and should…

REVIEW: Roots, Donmar Warehouse ✭✭✭✭

This is difficult theatre to watch - but it is engaging and ultimately life affirming. And quite splendid.

INTERVIEW: Chris Urch, Playwright

REVIEW: Strange Interlude, National Theatre ✭✭✭✭

Godwin's sensational production will be long remembered - chiefly for being exactly what The National Theatre should be about all the time: first rate produc…

REVIEW: Barnum, Chichester Festival Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭

A triumph - in almost every way...On the basis of tonight, it is a five star hit, which should transfer to the Palladium and play for a long time.

REVIEW: Titanic, Southwark Playhouse ✭✭✭✭

This is a thoroughly engaging production with many highs and real drama at play - and the music makes you float through the passages where the vocal work doe…

REVIEW: Billy Budd, Southwark Playhouse ✭✭

A wasted opportunity, especially given the presence of Archer and McArthur.

REVIEW: The Sound Of Music, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre ✭✭✭✭

No matter what one might have thought about The Sound of Music before, what Kavanaugh achieves here, with a gobsmackingly good cast, redefines it, giving it …

INTERVIEW: Dana P Rowe, Composer Of The Fix

There is nothing quite like when John and I get together because of the vast history we share. We write well and quickly together; there's no fluff to dig th…

REVIEW: The Drowned Man - A Hollywood Fable ✭✭✭✭✭

Punchdrunk, since forming in 2000, have unabashedly muddied the theatrical waters and, in this mega collaboration with The National Theatre, have redefined t…

REVIEW: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Drury Lane ✭✭✭✭

It is an absolute sensation - guaranteed to restore and replenish your inner child and to restore your faith in the concept of the good old fashioned musical.

REVIEW: Deconstructing Broadway, Leicester Square Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭

For any musical theatre fan, this is a night of sheer bliss. For anyone else it’s a night of comedy gold.

INTERVIEW: Seth Rudetsky

REVIEW: Patti LuPone, Leicester Square Theatre, ✭✭✭✭✭

If ecstasy were a fragrance the air would be rich with it, seeping from the overjoyed auditorium

Broadway Interview - Telly Leung

Emily Hardy chats to Glee’s Telly Leung about his show at the London Hippodrome, Rent, Godspell, Allegiance, and life as a musical theatre performer on Broad…

Broadway Interview - Jason Ralph

I was a real goth kid at school and my mum was terrified of all my friends. She really pushed me in the direction of theatre. I found out later that she had …

REVIEW: The Universal Machine, New Diorama Theatre ✭✭✭

Richard Delaney is striking in the complex role of Turing, capturing his being both physically and in brief moments of song. The composers have chosen to all…

REVIEW: Kinky Boots, Al Hirschfeld Theatre ✭✭✭

Billy Porter is wonderful as the cross-dressing Lola, funny and fragile, but one vaguely wonders whether his voice will last the distance. The performance of…

INTERVIEW: Declan Donnellan

REVIEW: Once, Phoenix Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭

This version of Once aches with a rawness, a shuddering and tremulous intensity that is almost unbearable to endure, so true, brave and intense are the perfo…

REVIEW: The Audience, Gielgud Theatre ✭✭✭✭

The Audience, written by Peter Morgan, starring Helen Mirren and directed by Stephen Daldry, is one of those rare theatrical experiences which embraces and d…

REVIEW: The Judas Kiss, Duke Of Yorks ✭✭✭✭

Neil Armfield's glorious revival of David Hare's masterpiece about the torments, triumphs and tragedy of Oscar Wilde's last years, The Judas Kiss, is spellbi…

REVIEW: Versailles, Donmar Warehouse ✭✭✭✭

This is the sort of play the Donmar is famous for. An instant classic.