Review: Dirty Dancing (UK Tour) at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Dirty Dancing (UK Tour)

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

Reviewed on Monday 19th September 2016

★★★

Following two West End runs and two UK tours, Dirty Dancing is back on the road. The latest tour sees a new creative team at the helm; the new look production was first staged in Milan last summer. Based on the 1987 film, Baby Houseman and Johnny Castle's love story continues to win over the hearts of audiences in 2016.

EdFringe Review: Airswimming at Sweet Grassmarket

Airswimming
Sweet Grassmarket
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Reviewed on Thursday 11th August
★★★

Airswimming follows the story of two women, Dora (or Dorph, played by Tanya Chainey) and Persephone (or Porph, played by Alison Nicol), as they each lose their mind whilst trapped inside St Dymphna’s Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Review: Some Girl(s) at the Park Theatre

Some Girl(s)
Park Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 20th July 2016
★★★

Some Girl(s) follows a man who travels around America in an attempt to make amends with four old flames before he gets married. It comes as no surprise that these encounters throw up various emotional turmoils for all involved.

Review: American Idiot returns to the Arts Theatre starring Newton Faulkner

American Idiot

Arts Theatre 

Reviewed on Wednesday 13th July 2016
★★★

Following its 2015 West End run and a UK tour, Racky Plews’ production of American Idiot has returned to London's Arts Theatre. The show features the hits of Green Day from their album (you guessed it) American Idiot.

Review: Unreachable at the Royal Court

Unreachable 

Royal Court (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs)

Reviewed on Wednesday 13th July 2016

★★★

Matt Smith returns to the London stage after his stint as 'American Psycho' Patrick Bateman at the Almedia in 2013, to play an alter together kind of anti-hero.

Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour) at the Milton Keynes Theatre

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour)

Milton Keynes Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 28th June 2016

★★★

No childhood is complete without a theatre trip to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's colourful retelling of the biblical story about Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours is irresistibly charming, I'm always surprised when I watch the show and realise I know every single word to every single song. It's the perfect musical for young, first time theatregoers.

Review: Barbu at the Southbank Centre’s Spiegeltent

Barbu

Southbank Centre (Spiegeltent)

Reviewed on Wednesday 22nd June 2016

★★★

The Southbank is alive with the sound of French-Canadians, as Cirque Alfonse rolls into town. Following up from their last outing in 2013 with Timber! the group returns to the London Wonderground with the eclectic Barbu.

Review: Disney's Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre

Disney's Aladdin
Prince Edward Theatre

Reviewed on Monday 13th June 2016

★★★

Disney's blockbuster musical adaptation of Aladdin has crossed the pond, two years after opening on Broadway. It's a huge show with a multi-talented cast and big design elements. Similarly to The Lion King, the musical is very similar to the 1992 Disney film it's based on. The show also features some numbers that were cut from the film - most notably 'Proud Of Your Boy' - as well as a few new compositions. 

Review: Sunset at the Villa Thalia at the National Theatre

Sunset at the Villa Thalia

National Theatre (Dorfman)
Reviewed on Thursday 9th June 2016
★★★

Playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell, known for his devastatingly good play The Pride (Royal Court, Trafalgar Studios) makes his National Theatre debut with Sunset At The Villa Thalia - a sweet gem set in Greece.

Review: Human Animals at the Royal Court

Human Animals 

Royal Court (Jerwood Space Upstairs)
Reviewed on Monday 6th June 2016

★★★

Dystopian dramas are all the rage at the moment, and Stef Smith's bold new piece Human Animals is another chilling play to add to that collection.

Review: The Spoils at Trafalgar Studios

The Spoils
Trafalgar Studios
Reviewed on Thursday 2nd June 2016
★★★

Jesse Eisenberg is a man of many talents - it's quite something to make your West End debut in the European premiere of your hit off-Broadway play. The Spoils centres around Eisenberg's character Ben who, despite having had a lot handed to him on a plate, is deeply unhappy with his life. 

He treats his roommate/best friend Kalyan poorly, constantly battles with Kalyan's partner and reaches new lows when he tries to win over his now-engaged school crush. The piece takes a long time to set up and establish itself; I found the first two (of three) scenes in the first act slow paced and a little tiresome. However, as a dinner party erupts at the end of the first act things get a little more exciting.

Eisenberg gives a strong performance. He provides a real insight into Ben's twisted mind - he's a fascinating character. The entire ensemble are on top form; original U.S. cast members Annapurna Sriram and Kunal Nayyar bring an exciting spark to the stage, Alfie Allen proves himself as a capable character actor with good comic timing and Katie Brayben reminds us just how versatile she is. 

Review: Sideways at the St James Theatre

Sideways 
St James Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 31st May 2016
★★★

Adapted from his 2004 novel, Rex Pickett's stage adaptation of Sideways has some funny moments but is yet to be fine-tuned. The piece follows two middle-aged men, Miles and Jack, as they head to Santa Barbara for a week of wine-tasting before Jack's wedding. Things don't run smoothly, with both men heading towards a whopper of a midlife crisis.

Review: Romeo and Juliet at the Garrick Theatre

Romeo and Juliet 
Garrick Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 25th May 2016
★★★

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet continues the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's Plays at the Garrick season, reuniting Branagh with Lily James and Richard Madden who he previously directed in Disney's live action remake of Cinderella. 

Review: Wastwater at the Tabard Theatre

Wastwater 

Tabard Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 24th May 2016

★★★

Christien Anholt's production of Wastwater by Simon Stephens is intense and thought provoking. The play, originally written for and performed at the Royal Court, transfers perfectly to the intimate stage of the Tabard. 

Review: The Great American Trailer Park Musical at the Waterloo East Theatre

The Great American Trailer Park Musical 
Waterloo East Theatre
Reviewed on Sunday 22nd May 2016
★★★

Having premiered off-Broadway in 2005, The Great American Trailer Park Musical is finally making its UK premiere at London's Waterloo East Theatre. The piece is set at the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Florida and follows various eccentric characters who live there.

Review: Running Wild at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Running Wild 
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 20th May 2016
★★★

Following the closure of War Horse, it's wonderful to see another of Michael Morpurgo's novels brought to life on the London stage with tremendous creativity. 

Review: Monster Raving Loony at the Soho Theatre

Monster Raving Loony

Soho Theatre

Reviewed on Thrusday 19th May 2016

★★★

“Yes, it’s a joke. Yes, it’s a political party”, asserts Samuel James’ Screaming Lord Sutch in James Graham’s new play Monster Raving Loony. And with those eight words, he captures the spirit of the Monster Raving Loony Party and the fiercely paradoxical tone of its subversive, satirical, and essential voice in British politics. Graham’s play, which takes a kaleidoscopic look at Sutch’s life through a set of homages to famous British comedy shows, is exuberantly daft throughout, but at its heart lies a serious point about the need for mockery in our political system. It is both seriously funny and, funnily, serious.

Review: Singin' in the Rain at the Salisbury Playhouse

Singin' in the Rain
Salisbury Playhouse
Reviewed on Tuesday 10th May 2016
★★★

Singin' in the Rain is back with an all new actor-musician production helmed by Elizabeth Newman. Currently playing at Salisbury Playhouse, the show is set to also play the Octagon Theatre in Bolton and New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Review: The Suicide at the National Theatre

The Suicide 

National Theatre (Lyttleton)

Reviewed on Thursday 12th May (matinee)

★★★

A play titled The Suicide doesn't exactly appeal straight away, but when you notice the tag line, 'A comedy', you can't help but be intrigued.

Nikolai Erdman's classic Russian text has been given a modern multicultural makeover by Suhayla El-Bushra, swapping the traditional for kebabs and Tinder references - it's certainly bold.

Review: Hairspray (UK Tour) at the Churchill Theatre Bromley

Hairspray (UK Tour) 
Churchill Theatre Bromley
Reviewed on Tuesday 3rd May 2016
★★★

Juxtaposing some serious issues such as equality, racism and bullying with catchy tunes, big hair and cheesy grins galore, Hairspray is an exhilarating show with a powerful message.

Paul Kerryson's new production of Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan's musical premiered at the Leicester Curve in 2014 and I absolutely adored it. Kerryson's production returned the following year to launch a UK tour.