Review: Men Talking

The end, as it inevitably must be, is a way of recollecting emotion with emotion. An inspiring act of witness, before others, and beyond ourselves.


Review: Kin

Outstanding cast! A must see! Ground breaking physical theatre.


Review: Jock Night

With one-liners and wit in nearly every exchange, it’s a beautifully-scripted, scream-out affirmation of love, lust, loss and forever’s time being. And built to last.


Review: Joe & Ken

Most of all, this couple capture the feel of the Orton/Halliwell exchange, the chemistry, the aromatic stink of sex from Craig Myles’ Orton, the sweat and self-disgust of Tino Orsini’s Halliwell. John Dunne’s created an Ortonesque, almost What the Dramatist Saw version of events. Orton might have liked that best. And Halliwell, narrating his own death in Orsini’s delivery, been appeased.


Review: When Winston Went to War With the Wireless

An absorbing, layered, superbly entertaining two-and-a-half hours that couldn’t be more relevant. Set against The Motive and the Cue, it also proves how history allows Jack Thorne to be even more versatile than we imagined.


Review: Grenfell: in the words of survivors

Grenfell isn’t quite like any verbatim theatre, and the result’s groundbreaking. If the Dorfman could stage at least one such play a year, verbatim or imaginative, then that’s one legacy of Rufus Norris’ tenure that mustn’t be lost. Outstanding.


Review: Tony!

There’s no doubt this is an offbeat, brilliant, rude, absolutely necessary musical. Its acid test will come from younger Millennials and Zoomers. But then that’s the point: the winners rewrite history. History has just struck back, and it’s a blast.


Review: Wagatha Christie

The brilliance of movement, lighting, script-editing and strong performances, with physical jokes make this a greater thing than it might be, and this production’s gained a notch of humanity in its tour. But to wish for something more human falls into the very intrusiveness that gave rise to the trial. It’s a tribute to Wagatha Christie – and Liv Hennessy – that it raises that paradox.


Review: Tony!

There’s no doubt this is an offbeat, brilliant, rude, absolutely necessary musical. Its acid test will come from younger Millennials and Zoomers. But then that’s the point: the winners rewrite history. History has just struck back, and it’s a blast.


Review: Wagatha Christie

The brilliance of movement, lighting, script-editing and strong performances, with physical jokes make this a greater thing than it might be. But to wish for something more human falls into the very intrusiveness that gave rise to the trial. It’s a tribute to Wagatha Christie – and Liv Hennessy – that it raises that paradox.


Review: Quality Street

Don’t miss this exquisite confection. After this production, there’s possibly no return to the original. It’s a rethinking paying homage to both the sentiment, which it never upstages, and the brand and its factory-workers the comedy gave its name to.


Review: Jews. In Their Own Words.

It’s Jonathan Freedland’s and Tracy-Ann Oberman’s brilliance to bring off-kilter, casual devastation to the stage; in raw unsettlings that for many keep the suitcase packed.


Review: Silence

More of a scattering of earth, ashes and love than simply groundbreaking. But caveats aside, groundbreaking it is.


Review: How to Be Lost

A wonderful piece of theatre which uses the considerable abilities of the performers onstage to ironically direct us into how to be lost!


Review: Delicious Fruit

A challenging piece of physical theatre based upon the views of the many queer voices heard by our two guides who asked all the questions.


Review: Public Domain

At 65 minutes it’s worth anyone’s time and emphatically money.


Review: Rebel Boob

What happens when your life as you know it stops, and then starts again.


Review: Fen

A stunning play beautifully revived by one who knows it intimately.


Review: The Archive of Educated Hearts

A glimpse into the lives of four women, through photographs, stories, and voice overs which catalogue their personal reflections along the path to living fully and letting go.


Review: Blackout

Graphic treatise on the dangers of substance abuse – in this case alcohol.


Review: Notes From the Field

What makes this harrowing selection work is how Smith varies, gradates and paces her interviews; and builds a climax. It renders the experience a memorial; it’s what such artistry’s for. You will experience nothing like this and leave reeling.


Review: Minefield

Minefield is for its unique and singularly consummate exploration of its themes, outstanding, in a class apart from any show you’ll see, perhaps even of Arias. Her work must be acknowledged here now.


Review: Old Boy

Entrancing, delightful and honest portrayal of manly relationships and their value in a world where cynicism holds sway.


Review: One Mississippi

Four men explore their mental wellbeing in a challenging verbatim performance that is never less than honest


Review: Cathy

Challenging theatre that asks big questions about the current state of housing and homelessness in the UK


Review: Prison Psychologist

A dark, intense and intimate story of love and tragedy. Worth getting up early for...


Review: Hotter

Two women embarking on a battle against embarrassment


Review: Bella Freak

A verbatim condemnation of how you disappear once you are pronounced as special.


Review: Committee

This edgy new development, faithful to one incident, marks a more than worthwhile variation on such larger works as London Road. It’s more illuminating than the history it sheds music on.


Review: Motherhood:(Un)speakable, (Un)spoken

Ninety seconds into this newly-revised one-woman play, Joanna Rosenfeld - emerging in a poke of fingers from a cagoule of brown paper - over-voices herself giving witness to tens of verbatim experiences we hear. This tells us the baby’s a parasite, sucks all your nutrients, calcium from your teeth for instance, causes injury, often permanent, can kill. This is - literally - epic interior theatre.


Review: Glasgow Girls

Even on fictive terms this would garner praise for its raw power, its beating passion for justice and humanity. Difficult as it might be not to come away warmed this ensemble – and original musical – make it so very easy. This needs to be everywhere and should be shown if not live, then screened.


Review: Still Here

“If you have the media - please tell to all the people of nation about my country; Is very important.”


Review: Pigs and Dogs

In a quarter-hour we’re struck with a rich and head-spinning narrative of how same-sex culture’s been oppressed first by the west and now through European language. You end up stopping in outraged disbelief at this virulent legacy of colonialism. If you can’t see it, read it.


Review: Strap-on

Role-play gets out of hand and into the courts..


Review: Sex, Strokes, Death, Denial

Jack Duffel's new play mixes extreme naturalism with verse in a play creatively probing death and displacement in the family


Review: Cheque Please

A refreshingly different view of living with depression.


Review: Tube Spotting

The story of one man, his helpers, 270 stations and a word record


Review: Travesti

A excellentl piece of verbatim theatre


Review: The 56

A fascinating and disturbing verbatim theatre account of the Bradford City fire


Review: The Love Project

A gentle and amusing verbatim show about love


Review: Nirbhaya

A form of Witness theatre takes the audience through a powerfully emotional journey exploring rape and violence towards women; women around the world are given a voice through the fearless honesty of these performers.


Review: Three to Four Days

This was a thought provoking, heartfelt attempt, through Verbatim theatre, to articulate urgent sociological issues around current issues with NHS cuts and privatisation.


Review: Beats by Kieran Hurley

An evocative psychedelic techno narrative of the rave phenomenon


Review: Ali J

A one man show that straddles two nations; all from an internal monologue