All stories by Luke Jennings on BroadwayStars

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Leaps and bounds: what I learned in 13 years as the Observer's dance critic by Luke Jennings

After filing his final dance review last month, Luke Jennings reflects on the transcendent highs and excruciating lows, and his hopes for the future of the art formThings have changed since …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:36AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 30, 2018

Luke Jennings's best dance of 2018 by Luke Jennings

Dark deeds made their presence felt, Akram Khan bowed out in style, and Marianela Nuñez entranced at every turn. See our top five list belowRead the Observer critics' review of 2018 in fu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:04AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 23, 2018

Royal Ballet: Les Patineurs, Winter Dreams, The Concert review " dreams and misdemeanours by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, LondonDelight and despair fight it out to the last as our dance critic of 14 years signs offThe Royal Ballet's triple bill, which opened on Tuesday, sent me out into the n…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 16, 2018

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake; The Little Prince " a wild swan ride by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonThe Royal Ballet's Matthew Ball soars in Matthew Bourne's enduring version of Swan LakeIn Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, we see the return of the show which, in 1995, chan…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 9, 2018

The Nutcracker review " in every sense a delight by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, LondonIt's an unhappy Christmas for the mice again, but otherwise the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is dreamlike perfectionIt's Nutcracker season again, and on last Monday's o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 2, 2018

The Unknown Soldier review " when ballet loses its way by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, LondonAlastair Marriott's new work underlines the difficulties of translating the horrors of trench warfare into danceLast week the Royal Ballet presented a triple bill, o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 25, 2018

The Knot review " till Instagram do us part by Luke Jennings

The Place, LondonIn puncturing the pomp of a wedding day, Didy Veldman also spotlights the biggest debate in ballet todayIn her new work The Knot, the Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman and he…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 18, 2018

Layla and Majnun review " to hell and Baku with Mark Morris by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonMorris's dancers are consigned to margins as the Silkroad Ensemble and two of Azerbaijan's greatest singers conjure lovelorn drama centre stageLayla and Majnun, a 12th-…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 11, 2018

La Bayadère review " moonlit heights from Nuñez and co by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, LondonVisually intoxicating and beautifully danced " mostly " by the Royal Ballet, Petipa's Indian romance remains problematicIn the latest run of La Bayadère, Marianela …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 4, 2018

Placebo review " the feeling is mutual by Luke Jennings

The Place, LondonClod Ensemble's latest medical meditation asks audience members to monitor their reaction to the showClod Ensemble was founded in 1995 by director Suzy Willson and composer …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 28, 2018

Medusa review " snakes with overbite by Luke Jennings

Dance East, IpswichA retelling of the Greek myth for the #MeToo generation makes some clever points but clobbers them homeIn her new full-evening show, Jasmin Vardimon tells the tale of the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 21, 2018

The Great Tamer review " out on a limb with Dimitris Papaioannou by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonThe Greek choreographer delves into ancient myth for his visionary piece fragmenting the human experienceIn the opening scene of The Great Tamer, directed and choreogra…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 14, 2018

Mayerling review " trouble at court by Luke Jennings

Royal Opera House, London Natalia Osipova and Ryoichi Hirano are uneasy bedfellows in MacMillan's dark drama, but there's a show-stealing turn lower down the ranks in the Royal Ballet's enjo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:12AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 7, 2018

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Fire & Fury review " fleet feet of flame by Luke Jennings

Birmingham HippodromeDavid Bintley begins his final season in Birmingham with a blaze of glory, in two pieces inspired by the past but facing the futureThis week, Birmingham Royal Ballet ope…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:04AM[SHARE]
Sunday, September 30, 2018

17c review " a ponderous evening with Mrs Pepys by Luke Jennings

Old Vic, LondonThe London diarist's long-suffering wife, Bess, takes centre stage in this laboriously well-intentioned pieceWhat are we to make of Samuel Pepys, the 17th-century diarist who …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18AM[SHARE]
Sunday, September 23, 2018

My Feminist Boner review " gloriously unsubtle by Luke Jennings

The Place, LondonSarah Blanc doesn't pull her punches in her commentary on the beauty industry. Plus, ballet's most famous star in a cinema near you…The performer and choreographer Sarah B…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, September 16, 2018

Natalia Osipova: Pure Dance review " another dimension by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonFor all her exceptional gifts, the Russian star often fails to connect convincingly with her partners in this handpicked programmeDance programmes constructed around a …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AM[SHARE]
Saturday, September 1, 2018

Underground review " method in madness by Luke Jennings

Somerset House, LondonHofesh Shechter's dancers loom like Bedlam inmates out of the darkness. Blink nervously and they're goneAs a choreographer, Hofesh Shechter has a facility for reinventi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 26, 2018

Void; Get Rreel; Swan Lake " review by Luke Jennings

Summerhall, Edinburgh; Coliseum, LondonClose encounters with JG Ballard and an Irish girlband. Plus, a Russian Swan Lake that's not always perfect but is full of charmPunchy, intimate dance …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, August 19, 2018

Edinburgh fringe dance: Baby Paradise; Sky Labyrinths, Eowyn Emerald; Dep " review by Luke Jennings

Naked dancing is par for the course. The must-see show is Anna Valeska Pohl and her Barbie dollsDance is in demand at this year's Edinburgh festival fringe, with queues forming on wet paveme…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 22, 2018

Love Chapter 2 review " unwavering confidence from Sharon Eyal by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonExtreme precision and general mystification coexist in Eyal's resonant follow-up to OCD LoveSharon Eyal is one of the most startlingly inventive choreographers working …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:04AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 15, 2018

Goldberg Variations review " inconsequential and twee by Luke Jennings

Barbican, Londonörjan Andersson's dance version adds little if anything to Bach's joyous keyboard variationsGoldberg Variations is a collaboration between 11 musicians of Scottish Ensemble …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:04AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 8, 2018

La Fille mal gardée review " breezy and blissful by Luke Jennings

Bristol HippodromeBirmingham Royal Ballet's heartfelt production of Frederick Ashton's comic country tale is a delightCreated in a whirlwind month of rehearsals in 1960, Frederick Ashton's L…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 1, 2018

Nederlands Dans Theater 1 review " performing miracles by Luke Jennings

Crystal Pite's thrilling boardroom manoeuvres are the high point in an otherwise shallow programme from these Dutch mastersA visit by Nederlands Dans Theater always promises dancing of the h…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:32AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 24, 2018

AΦE: Whist review " an awesome virtual-reality dance experience by Luke Jennings

Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells, LondonAΦE's first major work explores psychoanalytical themes through cutting-edge technologyAΦE is a dance company founded by Aoi Nakamura and Es…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 17, 2018

Smack That (a conversation) review " the fight against domestic abuse by Luke Jennings

Barbican, LondonSix survivors of physical violence re-enact their experiences in Rhiannon Faith's raw, eloquent showDomestic abuse is not a comfortable subject for a dance piece, but choreog…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:32AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 10, 2018

English National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty review " a way with the fairies by Luke Jennings

Coliseum, LondonAbsolute commitment and attention to detail make for a memorable Beauty at English National BalletIt's not the newest production in the world, nor the most lavish, but Kennet…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:32AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Anne-Marie Duff: why playing Margot Fonteyn hurt | Luke Jennings by Luke Jennings

No ballet virgin could star as Margot Fonteyn without going through the pain barrier. Just ask Anne-Marie Duff, writes Luke JenningsFor the 40-year-old ballerina, life can be cruel, as Margo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 3, 2018

Xenos review " unequalled fragility by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells, LondonKhan's final solo performance, as an Indian ex-soldier reliving the horror of the trenches, is a dazzling test of enduranceIn Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus stol…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 27, 2018

Rambert: Life Is a Dream; Swan Lake " review by Luke Jennings

Sadler's Wells; Royal Opera House, LondonKim Brandstrup conjures dreamlike precision for Rambert, while Royal Ballet's brand new Swan Lake deserves to be a cherished work in progressLife Is …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 20, 2018

Ignition dance festival review " sparks are flying by Luke Jennings

Lyric Hammersmith, LondonThe annual festival of new work saw the fruits of previous commissions from the likes of Salah El Brogy, Sally Marie and Dane HurstMonday saw the opening night of Ig…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[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