All stories by Arifa Akbar on BroadwayStars

Friday, May 8, 2026

Fourteen Again review – make a new musical out of Victoria Wood’s warmly witty songs? Let’s do it! by Arifa Akbar

The Victoria Wood theatre, Bowness-on-WindermereMarking 10 years since the late comic’s death, this affectionate show blends her songs with a time-slip tale of friendship, regret and middl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:15AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 3, 2026

Kohlhaas review –Arinzé Kene thunders as a wronged resistance fighter speaking truth to power by Arifa Akbar

Brighton Dome Corn ExchangeThe timeless parable of a 16th-century horse dealer turned violent protester questions the personal cost of resistance in this awe-inspiring production from Omar E…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 30, 2026

Mass review – forgiveness doesn’t come easily in masterly school-shooter drama by Arifa Akbar

Donmar Warehouse, LondonTwo couples, both of whom have lost sons, meet in Fran Kranz’s unflinching look at restorative justiceFran Kranz’s 2021 film Mass, featuring two sets of parents w…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:30PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Firewing review – tale of two twitchers in a bird hide is funny and fascinating by Arifa Akbar

Hampstead theatre, LondonA bond slowly builds between wildlife photographer Tim and his apprentice Marcus in David Pearson’s tender yet underdeveloped dramaA young aspiring wildlife photog…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:10AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 27, 2026

‘Omar, what the hell are you doing in Chichester?’: when Doctor Zhivago star Sharif came to Sussex by Arifa Akbar

Hannah Khalil’s new play sprang from her surprise at seeing the great Egyptian actor had performed at the Festival theatre in the 1980s. She explains how it entwined with a story of her mi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:40AM[SHARE]

Heartsink review – terminally ill doctor struggles to be a patient by Arifa Akbar

Riverside Studios, LondonJeffrey Longford is pedantic and superior in Farine Clarke’s medical drama – griping at everything from hospital data systems to gender-neutral loosHeartsinks, i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 25, 2026

The Price review – Henry Goodman leads another Arthur Miller revival that’s right on the money by Arifa Akbar

Marylebone theatre, London A tremendous cast lifts what might have been a formulaic drama into a compelling examination of contested memoryArthur Miller is evidently speaking to the moment. …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, April 24, 2026

‘You have to reflect the language to capture people’s souls’: Martina Laird on calypso, patois and the RSC by Arifa Akbar

The former Casualty actor wrote Driftwood – a family drama set against the backdrop of Trinidadian independence – as a private act after reconnecting with her roots. It was like solving …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:15AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 22, 2026

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui review – Mark Gatiss terrifies as Brecht’s fascistic cauliflower racketeer by Arifa Akbar

Swan theatre, Stratford-Upon-AvonGatiss is part Hitler, part Scrooge, part Trump in Seán Linnen’s circus-like production for the RSCBertolt Brecht’s comic grotesque parable for Hitler�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:25PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Between the River and the Sea review – an Israeli Palestinian feels the pressure to pick a side by Arifa Akbar

Royal Court theatre, London Yousef Sweid shows wit and charm as he tackles his divorce and custody battle, while the larger struggle closes in around himThis is not a political show, Yousef …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:00PM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 19, 2026

Avenue Q review " provocative puppets return for a feast of filth and fun by Arifa Akbar

Shaftesbury theatre, LondonTwenty years since its West End debut, the sweetly subversive musical returns with a few tweaks and a lot of heart The trigger warning "puppet nudity" does not beg…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM[SHARE]

Heart Wall review " grief knocks a family karaoke reunion off-key by Arifa Akbar

Bush theatre, LondonSecrets are exposed during a pub singalong as Franky returns home to find her parents divided in Kit Withington's drama You can hear this play before you enter the audito…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 13, 2026

Dear Jack, Dear Louise review " wartime courtship by letter delivers intimate love story by Arifa Akbar

Arcola theatre, London Writer Ken Ludwig's heartfelt and funny romcom draws the audience into every step of Jack and Louise's developing affection, their longing deepened by physical separat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:36PM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 11, 2026

Copenhagen review " atomic secrets and moral fog in a terrifyingly timely revival by Arifa Akbar

Hampstead theatre, LondonMichael Frayn's cerebral drama of science and conscience returns with urgency " although this production struggles to ignite its emotional core Paapa Essiedu recentl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM[SHARE]

A Doll's House review " sex, drugs and Romola Garai in a heroic Ibsen update by Arifa Akbar

Almeida theatre, LondonAnya Reiss packs the marriage scandal plot with inspired ideas, from convincing talk of Instagram to a look at sexual dynamics in the crosshairs of contemporary capita…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM[SHARE]

Flyby review " interstellar musical is a voyage of epic strangeness by Arifa Akbar

Southwark Playhouse Borough, LondonThe songs soar and blast in this inventive tale of a toxic romance " though it needs a few tweaks to be truly brilliant The scope and ambition of this dark…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 5, 2026

The Authenticator review " echoes of Sherlock Holmes as thriller takes on toxic legacies with lightness of touch by Arifa Akbar

Dorfman theatre, LondonComedy infuses Winsome Pinnock's disarming but ebullient drama about two Black academics who are given the job of authenticating the diaries of an enslaver You don't i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:48AM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 2, 2026

Les Liaisons Dangereuses review " love is a fight for power in this bold staging by Arifa Akbar

National theatre, LondonA queenly Lesley Manville steals the show in this dark, rageful tale of seduction as contact sport Pierre Choderlos de Laclos was serving as an artillery officer whil…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 31, 2026

John Proctor Is the Villain review " Arthur Miller's classic sparks a #MeToo moment by Arifa Akbar

Royal Court theatre, LondonA class on The Crucible unearths troubling parallels for a group of teen girls in Kimberly Belflower's play set in the wake of the Weinstein scandal Kimberly Belfl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54PM[SHARE]

Jaja's African Hair Braiding review " crowd-pleasing energy, charisma and expert comic timing by Arifa Akbar

Lyric Hammersmith, LondonJocelyn Bioh's comedy " following a day in the life of a Harlem braiding salon " is filled with humour and hijinks 'Don't touch my hair" is a racially-charged statem…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54PM[SHARE]

Romeo and Juliet review " overbearing directorial stamp is saved by dazzling cast by Arifa Akbar

Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe's pure chemistry perfectly encapsulates the urgent and uncompromising nature of first love Has the conveyor belt from screen-to-stage celebrity turned full circle wh…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 26, 2026

Henry V review " once more unto the breach at the RSC, as Alfred Enoch leads the charge by Arifa Akbar

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-Upon-AvonCo-artistic director Tamara Harvey stages a well-acted production that never hits as hard as it should The bellicose patriotism in this, the las…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:48AM[SHARE]

Teeth 'n' Smiles review " Self Esteem makes a mesmeric rock star but the drama doesn't dazzle by Arifa Akbar

Duke of York's theatre, LondonFifty years since David Hare's play was first staged, Rebecca Lucy Taylor is inspired casting as a singer who refuses to go out without a bang David Hare's 1975…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:48AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 18, 2026

'It's brutal right now': one-woman powerhouse Maimuna Memon on the surprise aftermath of winning an Olivier by Arifa Akbar

The writer, actor and singer won an award for her role in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. Then everything went silent. As the rising star returns in her very own musical, she hi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36AM[SHARE]

ROI (Return on Investment) review " hectic venture capitalism drama is a heady brew by Arifa Akbar

Hampstead theatre, LondonUS businessman-turned-playwright Aaron Loeb combines medical tech concepts with knotty dilemmas and Mamet-esque dialogue An earnest research scientist turns up at a …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36AM[SHARE]

Summerfolk review " lazy days of passion and privilege at Gorky's doomed dacha by Arifa Akbar

Olivier theatre, LondonWriters Nina and Moses Raine add comedy and raunch to Maxim Gorky's satire of the holidaying elite In 1898, Maxim Gorky wrote a fan letter to Anton Chekhov. Gorky was …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 8, 2026

The Mesmerist review " Rufus Hound magically unravels a family mystery by Arifa Akbar

Watford Palace theatrePaying tribute to his grandfather whose 1983 show at the same venue lasted only one night the actor and comedian skilfully unveils a big reveal worthy of Inside No 9 Th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 5, 2026

The Manningtree Witches review " Ava Pickett's gripping follow-up to Tudor hit 1536 by Arifa Akbar

Mercury theatre, Colchester The targets of the infamous 17th-century 'witchfinder general' narrate a powerful play based on AK Blakemore's novel 'It does not matter what is true," a teenager…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Broken Glass review " Arthur Miller's shattering drama chills with new political resonance by Arifa Akbar

Young Vic, LondonJordan Fein's revival finds hypnotic power in Miller's 1994 play, as Pearl Chanda and Eli Gelb bring haunting emotional force to a story of paralysis and denial Some might s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Ukraine Unbroken review " five searing dramas about the history and horror of Russia's invasion by Arifa Akbar

Arcola theatre, London Nicolas Kent directs a set of short plays by British and Ukrainian writers giving devastating vignettes from the conflict Nicolas Kent's concept for a series of short …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:01PM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 1, 2026

16 Postcodes review " one-woman patchwork psychogeography of London by Arifa Akbar

King's Head theatre, LondonJessica Regan creates a collaborative collage of the capital and its romantic encounters, eccentric flatmates and eye-watering rents Jessica Regan's promising one-…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off