All stories by Jn Benjamin on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Noughts and Crosses review at Derby Theatre – ‘compelling staging of Malorie Blackman’s novel’ by JN Benjamin

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if black people ruled the world? If the status quo went topsy-turvy, and

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:38AM
Monday, February 4, 2019

Good Dog review at Watford Palace Theatre – ‘superb play about inner-city life’ by JN Benjamin

Arinze Kene’s play Good Dog is a tale that will be familiar to working class inner-city dwellers across the UK. Kwaku Mills’

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:55AM
Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Approaching Empty review at Kiln Theatre, London – ‘strongly performed’ by JN Benjamin

They’re an unlikely pairing, Raf (Nicholas Khan) and Mansha (Kammy Darweish): one dresses his tall and lithe figure in sharp tailoring paired

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:27AM
Friday, December 14, 2018

The Worst Witch review at Royal and Derngate, Northampton – ‘practically perfect’ by JN Benjamin

Before there was Hogwarts, there was Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. It didn’t have an evil house – that would be silly.

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:36AM
Thursday, December 13, 2018

Aladdin review at Broadway Theatre, Catford – ‘marvellous fun’ by JN Benjamin

Wayne Rollins’ Abanazar is a deliciously evil panto villain. In his quest for world domination, he learns of a wish-granting genie that

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:53AM
Friday, December 7, 2018

Doctor Faustus review at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London – ‘classical with contemporary flair’ by JN Benjamin

Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus was one of the most frequently performed plays of its time. Though its popularity may have waned over

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 01:06PM
Wednesday, November 14, 2018

A Small Place review at the Gate Theatre, London – ‘interrogates the ugly legacy of colonialism’ by JN Benjamin

In a pitch black room, a woman clips an LED torch to the page and reads from Jamaica Kincaid’s 1988 novel A

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:42AM
Friday, November 9, 2018

The Hoes review at Hampstead Downstairs, London – ‘ferociously funny’ by JN Benjamin

Bim, Alex and J are best friends. They’re 25-years-old and they’ve known each other since secondary school. Their closeness shows – they

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:03AM
Monday, November 5, 2018

Sweet Like Chocolate Boy review at Jack Studio Theatre, London – ‘nostalgia-fuelled adventure’ by JN Benjamin

If you did your raving in the 1990s, you’ll know that Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu’s latest play takes its name from the certified banger

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:56AM
Friday, October 19, 2018

Pot review at Ovalhouse, London – ‘resonant writing’ by JN Benjamin

Ambreen Razia’s latest play, Pot, investigates the world of inner-city gang culture from a point of view that we don’t usually see:

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:48AM
Monday, October 8, 2018

Bullet Hole review at Park Theatre, London – ‘striking new writing’ by JN Benjamin

Cleo, Eve and Aunty Winnie live together in London. They are all survivors of female genital mutilation – it is their wounds

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:21AM
Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Poet in da Corner review at Royal Court, London – ‘high-octane, game-changing’ by JN Benjamin

For Debris Stevenson, grime was the pathway to salvation. Her Royal Court debut Poet in da Corner is a semi-autobiographical account of

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:19AM
Tuesday, September 25, 2018

The Other Place review at Park Theatre, London – ‘a compelling play about dementia’ by JN Benjamin

In Sharr White’s The Other Place, Juliana Smithton (Karen Archer) tells the story of her life: she loves spending time with her

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:45AM
Friday, September 14, 2018

Women in Power review at NST City, Southampton – ‘silly, funny and clever’ by JN Benjamin

The women of Athens are sick of watching incompetent men run their lives, so they hatch a plan. Under the cloak of

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:22AM
Thursday, August 16, 2018

Emilia review at Shakespeare’s Globe, London – ‘the essence of a woman too long forgotten by the books of history’ by JN Benjamin

Emilia Bassano Lanier was one hell of a woman. Born in 1569, she was one of the first Englishwomen to publish an

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:07AM
Friday, August 10, 2018

Aristocrats review at the Donmar Warehouse, London – ‘sleepy production of Brian Friel’s play’ by JN Benjamin

In Brian Friel’s 1979 play Aristocrats, Ballybeg Hall is a large and decaying house that sits on top of a hill in

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:08AM
Friday, July 6, 2018

SS Mendi: Dancing the Death Drill review at NST City, Southampton – ‘an otherworldly requiem’ by JN Benjamin

Based on a book by Fred Khumalo and adapted for the stage by South African theatre company Isango Ensemble and playwright Gbolahan

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:04AM
Thursday, July 5, 2018

The Jungle review at Playhouse Theatre, London – ‘atmospheric, stirring and profound’ by JN Benjamin

The Jungle starts with an ending. Another eviction notice has been served in the Calais Refugee camp and the news has sent

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:00PM
Tuesday, July 3, 2018

The Play About My Dad review at Jermyn Street Theatre, London – ‘distasteful’ by JN Benjamin

When Hurricane Katrina hit the US and surrounding areas in August 2005, it killed almost 2000 people, displaced tens of thousands more,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:04AM
Thursday, June 21, 2018

Jonny Woo and Le Gateau Chocolat: A Night at the Musicals review at Soho Theatre – ‘drag royalty’ by JN Benjamin

In the West End, musical theatre is usually performed under a proscenium arch and behind a fourth wall. At Soho Theatre however,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:11PM
Monday, June 18, 2018

Review: An Octoroon at National Theatre by JN Benjamin

Defiance is at the heart of its genius: Jennifer-Jane Benjamin reviews the National Theatre transfer of Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins's play. The post Review: An Octoroon at National Theatre appear…

SOURCE: exeuntmagazine.com at 01:59AM
Thursday, June 7, 2018

Sancho: An Act of Remembrance review at Wilton’s Music Hall, London – ‘Paterson Joseph is irresistible’ by JN Benjamin

A black man born on a slave ship in early 18th-century Britain goes on to enjoy a career as a famous musician,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:44AM
Friday, June 1, 2018

Leave Taking review at Bush Theatre, London – ‘searingly relevant’ by JN Benjamin

There are few plays in British theatre that speak so directly, resonantly and truthfully to the experience of the black woman. Winsome

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:03AM
Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Year of the Rooster Monk review at Pleasance Theatre, London – ‘fine storytelling’ by JN Benjamin

Giselle is eight years away from turning 40 and worried she is turning into her mother. She’s worried about a lot of

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:22AM
Friday, May 18, 2018

Schism review at Park Theatre, London – ‘intriguing, but over-long’ by JN Benjamin

Harrison is a 33-year-old maths teacher. At his home in Chicago, hangs a solitary framed drawing of an elaborate building. It is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:18AM

Review: Red at Wyndham’s Theatre by JN Benjamin

Apollo and Dionysus: Alfred Molina is exceptional as Mark Rothko in the London return of John Logan's two-hander. The post Review: Red at Wyndham’s Theatre appeared first on Exeunt Mag…

SOURCE: exeuntmagazine.com at 07:37AM
Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Why Is the Sky Blue? review at Southwark Playhouse, London – ‘frank and funny verbatim theatre’ by JN Benjamin

People are learning how to interact with each other though porn. That’s message behind Why is the Sky Blue? (Or How to

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:55AM
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Nine Night review at National Theatre, London – ‘comedy and heartache’ by JN Benjamin

In Caribbean culture when a loved one passes, there follows a period of nine nights of official mourning. During this time, friends

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:51AM

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