Review: Groundhog Day at the Old Vic

Groundhog Day

Old Vic

Reviewed on Thursday 18th August 2016

★★★★

In 2010 Tim Minchin set theatreland alight when his musical adaptation of Matilda premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon. The show went on to take the West End and Broadway by storm, and has now been seen by millions of people all around the world. Labelled by many as musical perfection, it was always going to be a tough act to follow.

Review: The Plough and the Stars at the National Theatre

The Plough and the Stars

National Theatre (Lyttleton)
Review on Thursday 18th August 2016
★★★★

The National Theatre love reviving an epic, and Sean O'Casey's powerful classic The Plough and the Stars has definitely benefited from the magic of the Lyttleton stage.

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: The Fix at the Union Theatre

The Fix
Union Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 15th July 2016
★★

John Dempsey and Dana P Rowe's musical The Fix is the first show to run in the Union Theatre's new home in Union St (directly opposite the much loved former' venue). Having premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in 1997, The Fix centres around a fictional U.S. politician who finds himself caught up with the Mafia. You would think certain themes could seem relevant today, but sadly The Fix falls flat in 2016 and is an underwhelming piece.

Review: The Stripper at the St James Studio

The Stripper 
St James Studio
Reviewed on Monday 11th July 2016
★★

Carter Brown, Richard Hartley and Richard O'Brien's musical The Stripper is a crazy show bound to raise a few eyebrows. Benji Sperring's production transforms the intimate St James into Club Extravaganza; the stage has been slightly reconfigured whilst for the first time in the studio, audience seating is allocated.

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: Into The Woods at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Into The Woods
Menier Chocolate Factory
Reviewed on Tuesday 12th July 2016
★★★★

Following success off-Broadway, Fiasco's reimagined production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Into The Woods has found its way to London's Menier Chocolate Factory. A cast of ten perform the musical, with many of them doubling up as musicians. 

Review: The Deep Blue Sea at the National Theatre

The Deep Blue Sea 

National Theatre (Lyttelton)

Reviewed on Monday 11th June 2016

★★★★★

After their critical success with Medea in 2014, director Carrie Cracknell reunites with Helen McCrory to revive Terence Rattigan's devastating masterpiece The Deep Blue Sea.

EdFringe Review: Sally Phillips and Lily Bevan - Talking to Strangers at the Soho Theatre

Sally Phillips and Lily Bevan: Talking to Strangers 

Soho Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 6th July 2016
★★★★

If, like myself, you are already a fan of Sally Phillips and Lily Bevan, it will come as no surprise to you that a show written and starring the duo is outrageously funny. Before jetting off to Edinburgh, Phillips and Bevan’s hysterically awkward play Talking to Strangers played a few performances at the Soho Theatre.

Review: Bugsy Malone returns to the Lyric Hammersmith

Bugsy Malone

Lyric Hammersmith

Reviewed on Wednesday 29th June 2016

★★★★

After its critical success last year, the Lyric Hammersmith's Olivier Award nominated Bugsy Malone returns to their main house for a second summer outing. Car chases, splurge guns and a vat full of glittery flapper dresses; there's a lot of fun to be had in Sean Holmes' production, and the kids are firmly at the forefront of it all.

Review: Henry V at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Henry V
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 23rd June 2016

★★

How apt that Henry V is being staged at the same time as the EU Referendum. How fitting that Shakespeare is searching for the soul of England at Regents Park Open Air Theatre while the nation is busy throwing it away at the polling stations. How disappointing it is that Robert Hastie’s production, which casts Michelle Terry in the title role, doesn’t make anywhere near enough of this timeliness as it should.

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: The Donkey Show at Proud Camden

The Donkey Show 

Proud Camden

Reviewed on Saturday 18th June 2016

★★★

The Donkey Show is a high energy disco funk 'theatrical experience' loosely based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream. Originally created by Diane Paulus and Randy Weiner in 1999, the show ran for over 6 years off-Broadway before opening in various countries around the world. 

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: Titanic at the Charing Cross Theatre

Titanic 

Charing Cross Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 7th June 2016

★★★★

Thom Southerland's production of Titanic by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone created a huge buzz at the Southwark Playhouse in 2013. People were fighting for tickets and there were even whispers of a Broadway transfer. Having revived the piece in Toronto last year, Southerland has brought Titanic back to London to kick off his debut season as artistic director of the Charing Cross Theatre.

Review: The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice at the Union Theatre

The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice
Union Theatre
Reviewed on Saturday 4th June 2016
★★★★

The Union Theatre has staged one final gem before relocating over the road to its new venue. Jim Cartwright's 1993 play tells a beautiful little story - I can't believe I've never caught it before. Alastair Knights' production stars Carly Thoms who gives a career defining performance as Little Voice, a shy girl with an extraordinary talent for impersonating classic divas.

Review: A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Southwark Playhouse

A Midsummer Night's Dream 
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed on Monday 6th June 2016
★★★★

Performing A Midsummer Night's Dream with a cast of seven and limited props/costume in one hour fifty minutes is no easy task. Not only do Go People Theatre Company pull it off, but they have also triumphantly found a new way to present a Shakespeare classic, which is easier said than done.

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 Threepenny Opera at the National Theatre

The Threepenny Opera
National Theatre (Olivier)

Reviewed on Thursday 26th May 2016

★★★★

The latest offering at the National is a dark reimagining of Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera. This new adaptation by Simon Stephens, and directed by Rufus Norris is saucy, sadistic and a little bit scary.

Review: Jekyll and Hyde at the Old Vic

Jekyll and Hyde 
Old Vic
Reviewed on Thursday 26th May 2016 (matinee)
★★★★★

In 2014 I was blown away by The McOnie Company's inaugural production, Drunk at the Bridewell Theatre; since then Drew McOnie has been swept off his feet, choreographing musicals such as Bugsy Malone, Hairspray, In The Heights and Oklahoma! to huge acclaim.