A longtime critic shifts gears to bring Gina Miller and Theresa May to the stage The divide between theatre critics and the theatrical profession has always been a chasm, but occasionally a…
Carey Crim's play leaves the issues it raises sadly undramatic Carey Crim's 2017 play arrives from the US at north London's Park Theatre trailing a feminist playwriting award for its dissect…
Few concessions to 21st century sensibilities, but a great night out Iconic film on stage heats up the West End Wind the clock back 45 years and the Big Apple was bankrupt, the lights had go…
Plodding book detailing a poet's sentimental education falls flat on stage Somewhere in the world right now, one can hear Mister Mister's AOR hit, "Broken Wings" on an MOR radio station, cap…
The author of 'The Father' plays unsatisfying games with the audience If Florian Zeller isn't a Wordle fan, I'd be very surprised. As with the hit online game, the French playwright likes t…
Misogynoir gets the song and satire treatment in a short but powerful show Black women often find themselves subject to a double dose of prejudice. Pressure. They face everyday racism as we…
A new translation is uproariously funny, if a little too clever for its own good By all accounts, whenever The Chairs is dusted off for a new production it manages to resonate for audi…
Emma Rice's punk-rock reworking of the classic is brilliant - when it's good "If you want romance," the cast of Emma Rice's new version of Wuthering Heights say in unison just after the int…
Scattergun subversion is undermined by psychological miscalculations Hamlet isn't often played for laughs. When David Tennant took the comedic approach in the RSC's 2008 production, it was t…
Energetic debut monologue explores eating disorders, personal identity and sex Irish teenager Saoirse Murphy has a dirty mouth. And she's not afraid to use it when talking to the nuns at he…
Caryl Churchill's 2002 masterwork, starring Lennie James and Paapa Essiedu, resonates anew
Aptly-named new play from Paul Anthony Morris shows the effects of racism on one man's psyche Conundrum is a tricky play. Written and directed by Paul Anthony Morris, founder of Crying in th…
Time-travelling fantasia boasts a brilliant staging and a spoof playtext essay Bizarre. Breathtaking. Beautiful. I leave the Royal Court theatre with these Bs, as well as others such as bewi…
Mark Rylance brilliant as rebel doctor in a show let down by an overdose of ingenuity Dr Semmelweis, another vehicle Mark Rylance, one of Britain's most versatile and talented actors, fills …
★★★AVA: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS, RIVERSIDE STUDIOS Elizabeth McGovern is glamorous but unrevealing as Ava Gardner Elizabeth McGovern is glamorous but unrevealing as the gl…
Baz Luhrmann's jukebox fantasy is the perfect antidote to Covid gloom One of the many theatrical casualties of Omicron in December was the official UK opening of Moulin Rouge!, the stage ver…
★★★ THRILL ME:THE LEOPOLD & LOEB STORY Child killers seduce us with charisma and song Child killers seduce us with charisma and song There's a lot of True Crime stuff a…
Northern Ireland's contemporary problems get the meta treatment History is a prison. Often, you can't escape. It imprints its mark on people, environments and language. And nowhere is this …
Australian plays against type as the baddie There was a time when UK pantomime was heavily populated by Australian soap stars; rather late in the day Jason Donovan " formerly known as Scott…
Sir David Suchet reflects on his extraordinary career Sir David Suchet takes us from school days to sleuth days In the 80s, An Audience With... gave a television studio to an actor who …
Skiing-resort trauma is played too much for easy laughs It sounds like the title of a play by Rattigan. No such luck: "Force Majeure" " a legal term with which all too few will be familiar, …
Nell Leyshon's play-with-music asks questions of a legacy Cecil Sharp, heritage hero or imperialist appropriator? If you attended school in the first half of the 19th century, you would have…
Shirley Ballas and Scarlett Moffatt are good fun Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells ★★★★
Camp Siegfried, Cabaret, and Lisa Dwan as Beckett's Winnie among the year's best theatre in London.
Agent supreme Peggy Ramsay returns to the stage in accomplished Alan Plater revival Was Peggy Ramsay a "woman out of time"? The legendary London literary agent, who nurtured the talents of …