THE 39 STEPS – 4 stars John Buchan’s tale of derring-do is often regarded as the first adventure spy novel. Patrick Barlow’s zany, barnstorming stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 movie has proved reliably entertaining since its premiere in 2005. Played at farce speed, Maria Aitken’s production is perfectly poised between frantic thriller and antic … Read more
Hadestown received a nomination for Best Musical Revival at the Olivier Awards 2024, and with good reason. The Greek myth musical follows the touching story of Eurydice, a sweet young girl trapped in Hell by Hades, being saved by her poor singer-songwriter boyfriend Orpheus. While hugely popular now, it originally hit stages back in 2006 … Read more
It’s twenty five years since Simon McBurney’s devised play first wowed audiences. His Complicité company has always trailed a reputation for inventive and unconventional work and its trailblazing techniques and visions were unique outside of the esoteric world of avant garde dance. But in the intervening period devised theatre has shifted into a new dimension … Read more
Adapting a much loved television comedy series for the stage is a risky business. Theatre versions of Only Fools and Horses, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and Drop The Dead Donkey have met with varying degrees of success. But when you take the greatest comedy series in British Television history you take your life in … Read more
Divas London promises audiences the ultimate party show and it no doubt delivers every moment of camp cabaret fan viewers expect. The celebration of iconic music divas is having a triumphant return in London’s West End after a sellout run last year and it’s easy to see why. Stepping foot onto the Tattershall Castle boat … Read more
Come on, who hasn’t danced around their hotel room, possibly a little hungover, in a bathrobe and green foam Statue of Liberty tiara? Especially after the best night of your life with the person of your dreams… Even if somehow you haven’t, you can feel every giddy emotion right alongside the extraordinary Sam Tutty as … Read more
Walking up to Victoria House at Bloomsbury Square in glitzy open-toed heels and a wrapped polka-dot white and navy knee-length dress, I am welcomed by a grand, beautiful neoclassical building. On our way into the venue, we are given our tickets in the form of an aeroplane ticket from London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare International … Read more
A man in a blinding gold reflective jacket. A silhouette in white shirt, black cropped trousers, white socks and fedora. A sequinned white glove. A funky baseline, shuffling beats, Hammer Horror organ chords… Each time, the crowd screamed ever louder. Part musical, part lavish tribute jukebox, part religious experience. There were moments, briefly, when you … Read more
“Who am I?” screams the sobbing man, desperately alone on stage, apart from a deck chair and side table. It’s a gut-punchingly powerful moment, beautifully delivered, in a show that is primarily a light-hearted, frequently hilarious, romp through some disturbingly dark themes. The paradox lies at the heart of what works and doesn’t work in … Read more
I’ve said it before, this is the greatest new British musical for years. Transferring from the National Theatre to the West End’s Gillian Lynne after bagging Best New Musical and Best Original Score at the 2023 Olivier Awards, Britpop legend Richard Hawley’s back catalogue soundtracks a gut-punchingly charged tale of three sets of inhabitants of … Read more
