The London pantomime not to miss is at the Hackney Empire December 16, 2024 Dick Whittington and his Cat at the Hackney Empire is the heartfelt London pantomime you need in your life. It runs until 5 January With its pretty 18th century period detailing, grand entranceway and impressive 1,275 capacity auditorium, the Hackney Empire theatre is a slice of the West End in east London. Every year they [...]
The Purists, Kiln Theatre, review: The first act will surprise and astound December 11, 2024 The Purists review and star rating: ★★★ There’s promise in newcomer playwright Dan McCabe’s writing in The Purists, and paired with Tom Piper’s intriguing set and Amit Sharma’s pacey direction, the first act has fist-clenching cannot-turn-away high stakes – it’s a shame the plot cannot hold firm long enough to do these characters, and their [...]
The Devil Wears Prada musical review: Meryl Streep is missing December 6, 2024 The Devil Wears Prada musical review and star rating: ★★★☆☆ Despite her many more serious, grown up roles, Meryl Streep has become defined by The Devil Wears Prada. Such is the fascination with enigmatic Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who Streep plays a fictionalised version of in the film. Both Wintour and the character Miranda Priestly are [...]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button musical review: Intriguing but exhausting November 14, 2024 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button musical review: ★★★★ Let’s face it, when thinking about classic novels that stir the soul, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is among the weirdest. The idea of a bloke who ages backwards is unnerving, but nevertheless the novel – and subsequent film with Brad Pitt [...]
Barcelona play review: Lily Collins can’t save bland two-hander October 31, 2024 Barcelona with Lily Collins, review and star rating: ★★☆☆☆ Emily in Paris star Lily Collins makes her West End debut opposite Spanish heavyweight Álvaro Morte in Barcelona, a two-hander set in a soon-to-be demolished apartment in the Spanish city. Writer Bess Wohl has on-boarded Lynette Linton, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, and the visionary behind [...]
The Buddha of Suburbia has the most amazing sex scenes I’ve seen in London theatre October 30, 2024 The Buddha of Suburbia review and star rating: ★★★★★ Only London theatre titan Emma Rice could convince an audience to suspend their disbelief when a party popper symbolises someone ejaculating. Of course – why wouldn’t it? Freshly arriving in London after a run at The RSC Swan, Stratford upon Avon earlier this year, The Buddha [...]
London theatre icon Rob Madge: I’ve been drinking with Joanna Lumley (imagine if it was Echo Falls!) October 23, 2024 Rob Madge is one of Britain’s biggest grassroots theatre success stories. They tell Adam Bloodworth about their creative process You might not have heard of Rob Madge, but it’s hard to sum up the massive impact their career has had on the UK theatre industry. Madge, who uses they/them pronouns, has a naturalistic style of [...]
Eurydice, Jermyn Street Theatre, review: this Greek tragedy is a must-see October 22, 2024 Eurydice review and star rating: ★★★★☆ It’s notoriously difficult to bargain with the lord of the underworld, and when he concedes, it is ill advised to violate his conditions. The story of Eurydice, a character in Greek mythology, draws parallels in the tragedy stakes with Shakespeare’s Juliet. Following Orpheus’ (Keaton Guimarães-Tolley) proposal to Eurydice (Eve [...]
The Duchess of Malfi review: Jodie Whittaker can’t save this October 17, 2024 Duchess of Malfi review and star rating: ★★ This overstimulating, overstated adaptation of Jacobean tragedy The Duchess of Malfi struggles to find true dramatic depth. Written by English dramatist John Webster around 1612, the revenge tragedy follows the titular Duchess who is widowed but remarries in secret, then has a baby with husband Antonio, who [...]
Mrs Doubtfire musical on song for West End’s Shaftsbury Theatre October 8, 2024 The success of West End musical Mrs Doubtfire has helped boost the finances of the firm behind London’s Shaftsbury Theatre. The business behind the venue has reported a turnover of £26.2m for 2023, up from the £17m it achieved in 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show its pre-tax profit jumped from £1m to [...]