All stories by Arifa Akbar on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Dear England review – touching, funny retelling of Gareth Southgate’s quiet revolution by Arifa Akbar

National Theatre, LondonIt’s a game of two halves, but Jason Graham’s dramatisation of Southgate rescuing a languishing England team delivers tension and movement James Graham’s story…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:07PM

Safe pair of hands or time for a shakeup: who’s going to get the biggest job in UK theatre? by Arifa Akbar

After Rufus Norris’s departure from the National Theatre, who is most likely to be the London powerhouse’s next artistic director? We look at eight potential candidates Rufus Norris’s …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:37PM

‘If you get your phone out, I’m going to lose it’: Charlie Stemp, Britain’s musicals megastar by Arifa Akbar

He’s a West End fixture who’s already been compared to Fred Astaire. As he prepares to hop from Mary Poppins to the Gershwin musical Crazy for You, Stemp talks rowdy audiences, ice baths…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:37PM

The Third Man: A Musical Thriller review – atmospheric and eccentric version of classic noir by Arifa Akbar

Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonThe songs may not compare to the 1949 film’s zither music, but the design amplifies Trevor Nunn’s elegantly shadowy production It takes courage to adapt …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:13AM
Thursday, June 15, 2023

Romeo and Juliet review – Rebecca Frecknall’s dance to the death by Arifa Akbar

Almeida theatre, LondonThis innovative, fast-paced production of Shakespeare’s tragedy, starring Toheeb Jimoh and Isis Hainsworth, has a beguiling intensity Rebecca Frecknall is fast becom…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:33AM
Wednesday, June 14, 2023

When Winston Went to War With the Wireless review – radio is the star of BBC crisis drama by Arifa Akbar

Donmar Warehouse, LondonJack Thorne’s dramatisation of the power play between the UK government and the broadcaster in 1920s Britain is pacy and evocative If Reithian principles represent …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:37AM
Tuesday, June 13, 2023

‘Miss Saigon is offensive’: the satire savaging the ‘racist, imperialist and misogynistic’ musical by Arifa Akbar

Playwright Kimber Lee was so shocked when she first saw the musical, she wrote a vitriolic sendup, called untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play. As it finally hits the stage, she warns: ‘This is …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:49PM
Monday, June 12, 2023

Assassins review – Sondheim’s dark study of aspiring presidential killers by Arifa Akbar

Chichester Festival theatrePolly Findlay’s production underlines the way these left-behinds and psychopaths invert the American dream It begins as a presidential convention complete with M…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:37AM
Friday, June 9, 2023

Groundhog Day review – stellar set, score and performances are guaranteed entertainment by Arifa Akbar

Old Vic, London A revival of the musical at the same venue where it premiered combines clever staging, impeccable performances and Tim Minchin’s lyrical brilliance into a reassuringly fami…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM
Thursday, June 8, 2023

We Will Rock You review – Ben Elton stars as royally ridiculous Queen musical returns by Arifa Akbar

London ColiseumRousing songs but threadbare plot as Earth has been conquered, renamed iPlanet and – inexplicably – can only be saved by a band of rock’n’rollers Some bad news for tho…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:13AM
Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Yours Unfaithfully review – three’s a crowd in 1930s polyamory play by Arifa Akbar

Jermyn Street theatre, LondonLaughs give way to an interrogation of monogamy and jealousy as a couple open up their marriage in Miles Malleson’s play Miles Malleson’s 1933 drama is a rem…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM
Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Recognition review – student’s ode to a neglected composer by Arifa Akbar

Fairfield Halls, LondonIn Talawa theatre company’s show, the story of a modern Black composer is entwined with that of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor There is a potent moment in Recognition when …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:49AM
Friday, June 2, 2023

Surfing the Holyland review – balanced view of Israel from a surfboard by Arifa Akbar

Caravanserai, BrightonAn Ohioan moves to Israel in this charming solo performance which offers a fresh perspective on the Middle East – plus ukulele songs It is refreshing to hear a story…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:48AM
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

The Shape of Things review – seductive sociopaths show cruel intent by Arifa Akbar

Park theatre, LondonThe tension is raised in Neil LaBute’s dark comedy as entitled Evelyn sets about remoulding unworldly Adam from geek to good-looking boyfriend To those uninitiated with…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:06AM
Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Under the Kundè Tree review – a fractured tale of family strife and colonial uprising by Arifa Akbar

Southwark Playhouse, LondonBoldly directed, lyrically enacted play melds a personal story of rebellion in French Cameroon with the story of independence – but leaves both unfinished The st…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06AM
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
Sunday, May 28, 2023

Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations review – Eddie Izzard seduces in charismatic one-woman show by Arifa Akbar

Garrick theatre, LondonIzzard uses humour instinctively, helped by Dickens’s love of the exaggerated or comic grotesque Eddie Izzard performing Great Expectations – but why? That questio…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM
Friday, May 26, 2023

Aspects of Love review – a preposterous blast from the past by Arifa Akbar

Lyric theatre, LondonMichael Ball returns to sing Love Changes Everything, this time as the uncle, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of romantic entanglements If Aspects of Love is a blast …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Thursday, May 25, 2023

A Passionate Woman review – Kay Mellor’s wry rummage through middle-aged angst by Arifa Akbar

Leeds PlayhouseA year after Mellor’s death, Tess Seddon directs her 1993 play marked by dry northern wit, knowing ridiculousness and deep, understated sadness Kay Mellor’s play features …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM
Monday, May 22, 2023

The Second Woman review – Ruth Wilson’s spellbinding theatrical marathon by Arifa Akbar

Young Vic, LondonOver 24 hours, the star offers variations on the same scene with 100 different partners, including some famous faces – and the result is astonishing Even before Ruth Wilso…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12AM
Friday, May 19, 2023

Brokeback Mountain review – perfectly pitched staging of the heartbreaking love story by Arifa Akbar

@sohoplace, LondonThe desolately poignant tale is brought into stark relief in Jonathan Butterell’s production through Eddi Reader’s beautiful vocals and a compelling cast Where Ang Lee …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:32AM
Saturday, May 6, 2023

The Great White Bard by Farah Karim-Cooper review – reclaiming Shakespeare by Arifa Akbar

An inspiring analysis of Shakespeare and race restores his reputation as a playwright for all There is a vivid moment in Farah Karim-Cooper’s new book where she reflects on the image of th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:32AM
Wednesday, May 3, 2023

The Motive and the Cue review – Gielgud and Burton battle it out by Arifa Akbar

Lyttelton theatre, LondonMark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn star in Jack Thorne’s play about the prickly pair’s 1960s Broadway production of Hamlet In 1964, John Gielgud directed a stripped-ba…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:18AM
Sunday, April 30, 2023

Wuthering Heights review – a deliciously dark Brontë with jagged edges restored by Arifa Akbar

Royal and Derngate theatre, NorthamptonCoal-black humour propels Brontë’s tale of murderous desire, animal torture and family abuse Emily Brontë’s gothic romance is so often cleansed o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM
Friday, April 28, 2023

A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction review – Lydia West takes command by Arifa Akbar

Barbican, LondonThe star narrates an innovative, pedal-powered production that muses on the climate crisis but the wide range of topics limits the storytelling As a concept, Katie Mitchell�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM
Thursday, April 27, 2023

Retrograde review – toxicity meets integrity in exceptional Sidney Poitier drama by Arifa Akbar

Kiln theatre, LondonRyan Calais Cameron’s terrific three-hander dramatises a meeting in 1955 Hollywood, mapping the dilemmas that actors of colour still face Two white men are having a fra…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Dixon and Daughters review – comic domestic noir reveals grim shadows by Arifa Akbar

Dorfman theatre, LondonWhen Mary returns home from prison, there is both humour and horror in store, as Deborah Bruce’s play explores a cycle of abuse The set reveals a house sliced apart …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM
Thursday, April 20, 2023

Ain’t Too Proud review – a Temptations jukebox musical by numbers by Arifa Akbar

Prince Edward theatre, LondonThis plodding account of the Motown band’s highs and lows is more than a little soulless A musical about the Temptations was always going to have a phenomenal …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:36PM

The Secret Life of Bees review – blazing songs light up civil rights drama by Arifa Akbar

Almeida theatre, LondonA young white woman and her Black housekeeper flee across the American south amid the historic struggle, buoyed by astonishingly powerful music First seen off-Broadway…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Dancing at Lughnasa review – an exquisite staging of Brian Friel’s evocative drama by Arifa Akbar

Olivier theatre, LondonThere are superb performances from a cast including Siobhán McSweeney and Ardal O’Hanlon in Josie Rourke’s production Brian Friel’s semi-autobiographical play, …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06AM
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Strike! review – Dublin shop-workers stage an anti-apartheid protest by Arifa Akbar

Southwark Playhouse, LondonDepicting a brave group who took a stand against selling South African goods in 1984, this spirited show raises the question of why the Dunnes Stores strike isn’…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:02AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
TBA: Titanic