All stories by Anya Ryan on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

MJ the Musical review – sterilised moonwalk through the King of Pop’s life by Anya Ryan

Prince Edward theatre, LondonThe jukebox musical has gravity defying dancing and all the megahits, but it’s hard to ignore the glaringly unpleasant biographical absence ‘I want to keep …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06PM
Friday, March 8, 2024

Red Pitch playwright Tyrell Williams: ‘Young men have a lot of anger that they don’t know what to do with’ by Anya Ryan

The writer has gone from creating viral comedy to a play about football and friendship between a group of teens amid the gentrification of south London. ‘I’m never as nervous as when I p…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM
Friday, February 23, 2024

Out of Season review – bangers and brawls as happy hour turns sour in Ibiza by Anya Ryan

Hampstead theatre, LondonNeil D’Souza’s sharp script is packed with regret and affection as old bandmates get together to relive the glory days on holiday Grab the beer and sunglasses an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:02AM
Friday, February 16, 2024

Samuel Takes a Break review – a stomach-churning tourist trip around an old slave castle by Anya Ryan

Yard theatre, LondonA Ghanaian tour guide struggles to maintain his composure in the face of historical ignorance and requests for selfies, in Rhianna Ilube’s poignant critique of colonial…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36AM
Tuesday, January 23, 2024

‘I felt deep rage’: Sarah Grochala on her prize-winning play about snubbed computer genius Ada Lovelace by Anya Ryan

It took her eight years to write Intelligence, an era-hopping epic about the pioneer’s battle for recognition. Now that it’s won the Women’s prize for playwriting, will Grochala stop t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54AM
Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Brenda’s Got a Baby review – pregnancy deadline drama doesn’t quite deliver by Anya Ryan

New Diorama theatre, LondonAma wants a baby before her 30th birthday in this unstructured play from Jessica Hagan that doesn’t know if it is serious or trying to make us laugh I’m all up…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36PM
Wednesday, August 30, 2023

‘I need to have a big party and show off!’ Edinburgh comedy award-winners reveal what’s next by Anya Ryan

For the first time ever, both the ‘Oscars of comedy’ have gone to standups with South Asian heritage. So what do the two performers who set the fringe alight have planned? Lots of boasti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:13PM
Saturday, August 19, 2023

Lena review – stilted account of child star Zavaroni’s tragedy by Anya Ryan

Assembly, EdinburghErin Armstrong performs well as the 70s Scottish singer Lena Zavaroni but the show’s structure distracts from her anguish She had everything: fame, fortune and barrels o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:43AM
Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Meat review – a frenzied roar of pain by Anya Ryan

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghElle Dillon-Reams’ solo show is a stream of consciousness about sexual assault and womanhood ‘Writing about this has been confusing,” says Elle Dillon-Rea…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:07AM
Monday, August 14, 2023

One Way Out review – haunting Windrush drama beneath teenage banter by Anya Ryan

Underbelly Cowgate, EdinburghMontel Douglas writes four males leads who are on the brink of becoming men, but their jokes and dancing belie a darker story We might not all remember our schoo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:13PM
Sunday, August 13, 2023

Hysterical review – feminist performance poets air their grievances by Anya Ryan

Summerhall, EdinburghCarrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall’s poems are sincerely performed and loaded with justified anger at unfairness but they grow monotonous I’m a part of the target audi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:37PM
Friday, June 30, 2023

The Swell review – a gasp-inducing love-triangle mystery by Anya Ryan

Orange Tree theatre, LondonThe intricately tangled lives of three women, and their explosive secret, are revealed in this complicated picture of queer love across the decades The wonder of I…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:49PM
Thursday, June 29, 2023

Theatre at Glastonbury - so big and wild a hallucination, you're always left wanting more by Anya Ryan

We take a journey through the magical land of Glastonbury's theatre, circus and comedy And that’s it again for another year. Oh Glastonbury. A fever dream where the time of reality stops …

SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 02:13AM
Sunday, June 25, 2023

Tambo & Bones review – provocative and witty Black fable of rags to hip-hop riches by Anya Ryan

Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonRhashan Stone and Daniel Ward jump in time from a shabby minstrel show to modern stardom to a violent future in poet David Harris’s controversial satire…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:37AM
Tuesday, June 13, 2023

We Will Rock You, London Coliseum review - the Queen musical returns, as ludicrous, dense and dreadful as before by Anya Ryan

Ben Elton’s script is back in the West End, and this time he stars, too Twenty-one years ago, critics were alarmed by Ben Elton’s deranged musical We Will Rock You. But, despite the "sta…

SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 06:04AM
Sunday, June 11, 2023

Hot in Here review – bike-powered show tells the haunting human stories behind the climate crisis by Anya Ryan

Gate theatre, LondonRaw, current and fresh, this three-woman play about the unfair impact of global emissions leaves you fired up and outraged If we’re judging on ambition alone, then Hot …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:04PM
Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Yours Unfaithfully review at Jermyn Street Theatre, London from Miles Malleson by Anya Ryan

onathan Bank’s revival of Malleson’s forgotten play was first seen in New York in 2017. It is, in many ways, inconceivable that this jolly, forward-thinking drama was left unperformed fo…

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:19AM
Monday, May 29, 2023

Encore! Surefire shows returning for the Edinburgh festival in 2023 by Chris Wiegand, Anya Ryan, Brian Logan, Mark Fisher, Kate Wyver, Arifa Akbar and David Jays

In the run-up to the festival, our writers will choose new productions that have caught their eye – but here’s a selection of those we’ve already reviewed Richard Marsh has clearly see…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24AM
Thursday, May 18, 2023

Biscuits for Breakfast, Hampstead Theatre review - hunger and an aching humanity by Anya Ryan

Couple slide towards poverty in Hampstead Downstairs two-hander Food is the centrepiece of Gareth Farr’s chilling new play Biscuits for Breakfast. Meals are described so delicately that t…

SOURCE: theartsdesk.com at 08:36AM
Sunday, April 2, 2023

For Black Boys … review – a moving meditation on Black masculinity by Anya Ryan

Apollo theatre, LondonUnderneath the pain in Ryan Calais Cameron’s powerful play there is an abundance of light, as six Black men open up about the experiences and beliefs that have shaped…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:12AM
Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Gone Too Far! review – Bola Agbaje’s drama pumped with vitality by young cast by Anya Ryan

Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonCrackling humour and punchy direction energise the story of two brothers battling over whose way is the right way on their Peckham estate The streets of P…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:32AM
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Sleepova review – a captivating safe space for teenage dreams and fears by Anya Ryan

Bush theatre, LondonFour girls joke, squabble and share their secrets in this exhilarating tableau of young friendship starring Rocks’ Bukky Bakray Change into your pyjamas, grab a bag of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:22AM
Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Winner’s Curse review – Clive Anderson’s warmth can’t revive this dodo by Anya Ryan

Park theatre, LondonThis interactive play by a former diplomat about working in negotiation feels like Debating for Dummies. Anderson’s off-script ad-libs are the sparkiest intervention �…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:39AM
Friday, February 10, 2023

She review – enthralling scenes from the seven ages of women by Anya Ryan

Tara theatre, LondonAnthony Clark’s series of short plays forms an eloquent meditation on life, mortality and the passage of time In the Seven Ages of Man speech from As You Like It, Shake…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:19AM
Thursday, February 9, 2023

The Beekeeper of Aleppo review – harrowing refugee tale reaches the stage by Anya Ryan

Nottingham PlayhouseChristy Lefteri’s novel is an account of a perilous journey from Syria to England that, despite renewed poignancy, makes for an uneven drama Christy Lefteri’s bestsel…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:17AM
Thursday, December 1, 2022

The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English review – slow-bloom show full of familial love by Anya Ryan

Bush theatre, LondonThe conflicts of not fully knowing your family’s language are to the fore in writer and actor Tania Nwachukwu’s play Plants are central to Tania Nwachukwu’s play ab…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:42PM
Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Jack! review – giant juvenile cast bring joy to fresh take on panto by Anya Ryan

Chickenshed theatre, LondonThis Jack finds the beanstalk in an arcade video game – and there’s much more going on, with a young, 200-strong supporting ensemble This twist on Jack and the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42PM
Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Sarah review – pungent story of self-destruction by Anya Ryan

Coronet theatre, LondonJonathan Slinger is the antihero – and all the other characters – in an adaptation of Scott McClanahan’s novel, staged by Oliver Reese Based on the 2015 semi-aut…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:24PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Auto-Engrain review – nightmarish tale of the slow creep of domestic abuse by Anya Ryan

King’s Head theatre, LondonHelena Collins O’Connor writes and performs a monologue that makes a powerful statement about this stubborn and horrific issue “I’m going to rant for a bit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM
Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Evening Conversations review – warm meditations from midlife by Anya Ryan

Soho theatre, LondonSudha Bhuchar’s monologue, drawing on chats with her children, has much likable detail but slightly less focus than you’d wish for Meet Sudha Bhuchar. She’s a middl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:06PM
Tuesday, November 1, 2022

The Sleeping Sword review – Morpurgo fable transformed into scrapbook of wonder by Anya Ryan

Watermill theatre, NewburyMichael Morpurgo’s novel about a boy’s Arthurian adventure is inventively brought to life in an inclusive production Michael Morpurgo’s enchanting 2002 take o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards