Showmanship, Hampstead Theatre review - lip-synced investigation of words, theatricality and performance by Gary Naylor

★★ SHOWMANSHIP, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Dickie Beau's one-man show is lost in too large a venue  Technically accomplished production with Dickie Beau never settles into a coheren…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 6:36am on June 24, 2025☆⚑

North by Northwest, Alexandra Palace review - Hitchcock adaptation fails to fly by Gary Naylor

★ NORTH BY NORTHWEST, ALEXANDRA PALACE Too small a show in too large a venue Emma Rice's storytelling at fault in misconceived production Older readers may recall the cobbled togeth…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 2:24pm on June 15, 2025☆⚑

Hamlet Hail to the Thief, RSC, Stratford - Radiohead mark the Bard's card by Gary Naylor

★★★★ HAMLET HAIL TO THE THIEF, RSC Music drives the prince to madness in spectacular show An innovative take on a familiar play succeeds far more often than it fails …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 8:48pm on June 13, 2025☆⚑

The King of Pangea, King's Head Theatre - grief and hope, but no connection, in new musical by Gary Naylor

★★ THE KING OF PANGEA, KING'S HEAD THEATRE - Highly personal American musical fails to land in London Heart and soul proves insufficient in world premiere of therapeutic show The…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 8:48pm on June 12, 2025☆⚑

This is My Family, Southwark Playhouse - London debut of 2013 Sheffield hit is feeling its age by Gary Naylor

★★★ THIS IS MY FAMILY, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Play with music engenders a familiar warmth Relatable or stereotyped - that's for you to decide MOR. Twee. Unashamedly crowdpleas…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:02pm on May 29, 2025☆⚑

The Frogs, Southwark Playhouse review - great songs save updated Aristophanes comedy by Gary Naylor

★★★ THE FROGS, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Pantomimeish adaptation of classic play Tone never settles, but Sondheim's genius carries the day As a regular theatregoer, you learn pre…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 7:32am on May 28, 2025☆⚑

The Gang of Three, King's Head Theatre - three old Labour ghosts resurrected to entertain and educate by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ THE GANG OF THREE, KING'S HEAD THEATRE The big beasts banter 50 years ago Beautifully written and equally well acted play resonates down the decades There…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 2:54pm on May 7, 2025☆⚑

Conversations After Sex, Park Theatre review - pillow talk proves a snooze by Gary Naylor

★★ CONVERSATIONS AFTER SEX, PARK THEATRE Nudity, but nothing new in UK debut Award-winning Irish play fails to reach a memorable climax In Dublin, a city that has changed more th…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 8:24am on May 7, 2025☆⚑

Much Ado About Nothing, RSC, Stratford - Messina FC scores for new production by Gary Naylor

★★★★ MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, RSC, STRATFORD Medieval court's mores translates uncomfortably well to modern football Garish and gossipy, this new production packs a…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 3:03pm on April 28, 2025☆⚑

Ghosts, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre - turns out, they do fuck you up by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ GHOSTS, LYRIC HAMMERSMITH - Ibsen screams into 2025 in this perfect reimagining Ten years on, Gary Owen and Rachel O'Riordan top their triumphant Iphigeni…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:18pm on April 17, 2025☆⚑

Midnight Cowboy, Southwark Playhouse - new musical cannot escape the movie's long shadow by Gary Naylor

★ MIDNIGHT COWBOY, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE Ambitious project overwhelmed by challenges  Two misfits misfire in misconceived show It seems a bizarre idea. Take a pivotal film in America…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:03pm on April 12, 2025☆⚑

The Importance of Being Oscar, Jermyn Street Theatre review - Wilde, still burning bright by Gary Naylor

★★★★ THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR, JERMYN STREET THEATRE One man play from 1960 given a compelling revival Alastair Whatley honours his subject in a quietly powerful…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 2:48pm on April 2, 2025☆⚑

Stiletto, Charing Cross Theatre review - new musical excess by Gary Naylor

★★★★ STILETTO, CHARING CROSS THEATRE Castrato finds comfort by the canals Quirky, operatic show won't please everyone, but will delight many That friend you have wh…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 3:42pm on April 1, 2025☆⚑

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Musical - production based on the old trickster's TV series isn't a screaming success, at least not yet by Gary Naylor

★★★ ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - THE MUSICAL, THEATRE ROYAL BATH Ambitious new musical isn't slaying 'em in the aisles  1950s America feels a lot like 2020s America in…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 10:54pm on March 28, 2025☆⚑

Edward II, RSC, Swan Theatre, Stratford review - monarchs, murder and mayhem from Marlowe by Gary Naylor

★★★★ EDWARD II, SWAN THEATRE Rapid and racy adaptation draws on its writer's legend Putsch in the palace brings down a king who chose the wrong person to love "Do…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 3:06pm on March 9, 2025☆⚑

Hamlet, Royal Shakespeare Theatre - Luke Thallon triumphs as the state succumbs to storms by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ HAMLET, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE Rupert Goold's staging lends a gnawing, troubling, transatlantic relevance  The iceberg cometh The date, projected be…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 8:48pm on February 19, 2025☆⚑

Three Sisters, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review - Chekhov's anatomy lesson on the human condition by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ THREE SISTERS, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE Souls dissected in brilliantly conceived and executed production Russia - but also here, there and everywhere Russi…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 8:48pm on February 13, 2025☆⚑

Mrs President, Charing Cross Theatre review - Mary Todd Lincoln on her life alone by Gary Naylor

★ MRS PRESIDENT, CHARING CROSS THEATRE A widow, a photographer but no soul Curious play that fails to mobilise theatre's unique ability to tell a story The phenomenal global success o…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 8:42am on February 5, 2025☆⚑

Second Best, Riverside Studios review - Asa Butterfield brings the magic by Gary Naylor

★★★ SECOND BEST, RIVERSIDE STUDIOS First-class performance in a second-class play Martin is not Harry Potter in the movies, then might be in real life, but proves to be the…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 3:06pm on February 4, 2025☆⚑

Play On!, Lyric Hammersmith - and give me excess of it! by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ PLAY ON!, LYRIC HAMMERSMITH The Bard and The Duke in perfect harmony! Super performances deliver magnificent entertainment If you saw Upstart Crow on tele…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:54pm on February 2, 2025☆⚑

An Interrogation, Hampstead Theatre review - police procedural based on true crime tale fails to ring true by Gary Naylor

★★★ AN INTERROGATION, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Detective gets her man, but at what cost? Rosie Sheehy and Jamie Ballard shine in Edinburgh Festival import In a dingy room with …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:42pm on January 24, 2025☆⚑

Cymbeline, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse review - pagan women fight the good fight by Gary Naylor

★★★ CYMBELINE, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE Patriarchy defeated! A new, if not as radical as once it were, take on Shakespeare's cross-dressing call to arms There's not much…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 11:42am on January 24, 2025☆⚑

The Lonely Londoners, Kiln Theatre review - Windrush Generation arrive in a London full of opportunities, but not for them by Gary Naylor

★★★★ THE LONELY LONDONERS, KILN THEATRE A beautifully realised stage adaptation Memories, frustrations and hopes in a city emerging from post-war austerity As som…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 3:18pm on January 23, 2025☆⚑

The Maids, Jermyn Street Theatre review - new broom sweeps clean in fierce revival by Gary Naylor

★★★★ THE MAIDS, JERMYN STREET THEATRE Master and Servant, poison & procrastination Class, in its 21st century manifestation, colours much performed play There ar…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:18pm on January 12, 2025☆⚑

Titanique, Criterion Theatre review - musical parody sinks despite super singing by Gary Naylor

★ TITANIQUE, CRITERION THEATRE Celine! Tina! Jack and Rose! But no wit at all Affectionate piss-take set for cult status at best This Celine Dion jukebox musical has been a big hit in …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 9:24pm on January 9, 2025☆⚑