Review: A View From Islington North
Intermittently thrilling plays from the urgent left, two premieres and a couple of small gems roughened by the tumble of Westminster and the Corporates that really must be seen - unless you’re Gideon.
Genre: Theatre 0
Review: Elegy
Starring Barbara Flynn and Zoe Wannamaker, Nick Payne’s new play – a thrilling and devastating probe at our identity - picks up the threads of science, self and mortality from Constellations and The Art of Dying, marking his most ambitious play since the former.
Review: Cuttin’ It
Superb distillation of the costs of FGM to victims and victim-perpetrators, James reaches out to all in this searing two-hander.
Review: Behind the Front Lines; Warriors and Wives
A narrative piece of theatre weaving the story of a wife and a soldier under the conditions of war
Review: Brideshead Revisited
Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Brideshead, the first for the stage dazzles with stagecraft and storyline but something’s lost tail-chasing the detail.
Review: Simon Says
A touching brief play scooped out of the air by two bright students with only a title to go on.
Review: Wolf Meat
Profoundly silly and farcically serious show with just the kind of anarchy that offers coke to audience members. Contains brief and ghastly nudity.
Review: How to be a Girl
This is a relentless one act play about the pressure placed on girls by the media. It unpicks the irony of being advised to resist peer pressure and be independent, yet being told what to buy, how to look and how to behave.
Review: Year Without Summer
Fascinating sideling glimpse of Romantic poets and writers through a chaise-long laced with gothic intent.
Review: Here All Night
Sam’s all night shiner, Beckett’s Wake and Cabaret. Haunting, funny, unmissable.
Review: Something Rotten
Scintillating subversive and original take on Hamlet’s unhappy uncle, weighed down by doubts and too many jokers. Beware of complicity.
Review: The Threepenny Opera
A coming-of-age for Rufus Norris, a wholly credible, cheekily interventionist Threepenny Opera with a few devastating critiques
Review: Dancing in the Dark
Inspired off-centre situationist drama from acclaimed Wired Theatre about family, grief and sexual identities.
Review: First Love
Conor Lovett lightens his pitch Becket’s exploration of lust, sexual disgust and the intolerable consequences of generation.
Review: The End
Conor Lovett rivets with a naturalistic pitch in this cut-down stand-up Beckett diminuendo of an ex-inmate’s prospects. More tour de force in a tour de farce of Beckett’s genius.
Review: 1 in 3
1 in 3 is a brave, thoughtful and heartfelt new play which explores the deep and truthful world of chemotherapy
Review: And the Rope Still Tugging Her Feet
Compelling, downright funny yet tragic true narrative of the Kerry Baby affair of 1984. Caroline Burns Cooke triumphs as writer and actor.
Review: The Marlowe Papers
A diamond in Shakespeare’s or Marlowe’s ruff? Ros Barber’s novel adapted for the stage, starring vaulting Jamie Martin.
Review: A Good Jew
Keenly-anticipated new play by Jonathan Brown breaks new territory; it’s both theatrically challenging and disturbing.
Review: Limelight
Showstopping numbers stud this heartwarming, touching new play with numbers by Liz Tait.
Review: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour
Lee Hall’s and Vicky Featherstone‘s sell-out Edinburgh Fringe musical comes to the Theatre Royal. It more than bears out the accolades heaped on it.
Review: The Beckett Trilogy
Conor Lovett stuns in this cut-down stand-up Beckett-novels-for-beginners-and-enders three-hour whistlestop. A tour de force as well as a tour de farce of Beckett’s genius.
Review: The Bald Prima Donna
Spirited pacey revival of Ionesco’s first play, with one stand-out performance and superbly idiomatic one. A perfect introduction to the playwright.
Review: Boy
A superbly bleached-out vision of a seventeen-year-old’s prospects on a stunning conveyer-belt set. Not a comfortable but necessary seventy minutes.
Review: A Dirty Get-Away!
Brilliantly silly and profound meditation on the nature of memory loss as innocence
Review: Persona
Clean focused reading by Bexelei Theatre's young talent of Jon Barton's new play on trolling
Review: An Enemy of the People
Howard Davies directs a fine cast led by Hugh Bonneville in Chichester's generously human revival of the ultimate whistleblowing drama
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: Thorn
Tremendously energised one-man play about an Australian minister's son on a mission, but which one?
Review: Airswimming
Superb revival of Charlotte Jones’s play abut two women incarcerated for fifty years for bring different.
Review: Menkind
A well-produced show that holds the attention and provides plenty of laughs along the way.
Review: Altered Minds, Altered Realities.
A solo play about the problems facing people with mental health
Review: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
feel the female power of Crookshank, representing the women in our century
Review: Broken Glass
Superb revival of Miller's late classic. Jerry Lyne's production is one of NVT's finest.
Review: Groomed
Patrick Sandford's groundbreaking play, acted by himself, of his own childhood abuse, acted alongside a sax player...
Review: Distortion
Disquieting premiere about sexual abuse torturing the memories of a child, her adult self, and her abuser
Review: Glengarry Glenn Ross
Riveting must-see revival of Mamet's breakthrough play at the Rialto directed by Roger Kay
Review: The Caretaker
Timothy Spall leads a strong cast in this magisterial, beautifully-orchestrated revival of Pinter's breakthrough play.
Review: Cyprus Avenue
Devastating drama about the DNA of bigotry; and it all starts in surreal farce
Review: King Lear
Michael Pennington triumphs in his tragedy in this superbly clear King Lear directed by Max Webster. Gavin Fowler’s Edgar rises with him.
Review: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Dominic Cooke's revival of August Wilson's breakthrough play shows what we've been missing: a master American dramatist. Sharon D Clarke presides as Mother of the Blues
Review: X
Vicky Featherstone brings a little science friction to McDowall's science fantasy world, as he moves from his familiar lair
Review: The Maids
A sister-blister ferocity stalks this tautly oppressive – and political - Jamie Lloyd revival of Genet’s breakthrough play. Uza Aduba excels in a strong cast.
Review: The Father
Florian Zeller's masterpiece now touring with ATG, with Kenneth Cranham giving the performance of his career so far
Review: Cleansed
Stunning if interventionist revival of Sarah Kane's astonishing 1998 play directed by Katie Mitchell, with a towing performance from Michelle Terry
Review: International Waters
An intriguing evening of disaster, mayhem and murder in a cocktail frock
Review: The Silent Treatment
Scotland's leading integrated theatre company deliver an evening you should not keep quiet about
Review: Gertrude. The Cry.
A minimalist production of Howard Barker's visceral rewriting of 'Hamlet'
Review: Humming
Youth Theatre commentary on the essentials of life, the universe and an apprenticeships in painting and decorating.
Review: Sound & Fury’s ‘Lord of the Thrones’
A reluctant hero, an assortment of creatures and characters, a quest and plenty of chaos!
Review: Beowulf: The Blockbuster
How do you impart life’s lessons to a nine-year-old boy? Through Beowulf and Steven Spielberg!
Review: Experience & the Girl
A story about how love, lust and everything in between can transcend religion.
Review: Bruce
As our bumbling protagonist Bruce hurtles towards the Earth in a space shuttle, he reflects on the life events which lead him to this predicament.
Review: The appointment: stories from the salon
For hilarious stories and answers to some awkward questions, book your appointment today!
Review: Cock
An exploration of sexuality within the 21st century confines of unconfined and ill defined relationships.
Review: How You Gonna Live Your Dash?
How are you going to spend your life, in 70 minutes of event that might change your mind.
Review: At least we can laugh about it
A full hour of laughter and fun from an Icelandic performer that tickles, amuses and makes you guffaw liberally.
Review: Daughter
The funeral of a daughter, on the side of Loch Lomond is carefully choreographed by the corpse whilst she is still living.
Review: We Always Knew This Day Was Coming
One man’s journey from fireman to girlfriend to boyfriend as told in 1 minute episodes
Review: A Christmas Carol at The Spire
One of the best staged versions of A Christmas Carol I have ever seen
Review: The Great Train Race
A ribald romp through the 19th Century following the railway expandsion and race to Aberdeen.
Review: The Choir
An evening of song, drama and sheer joy that sits in your head long after the curtain calls
Review: Hector
An enthralling little known tragic Victorian tale told sympathetically in a polished performance.
Review: Donald Robertson Is Not A Stand-Up Comedian
A clever deconstruction of the art of stand-up comedy
