The Entertainer review
Once again Kenneth Branagh treads the path of Laurence Olivier, topping the bill of his Season at the Garrick with a role in John Osborne's melancholy The Entertainer. After a year of plays, it only seems right that Branagh headlines the final farewell, in a role that sent his acting idol...
Breakfast at Tiffany's review
At a time when new writing is blossoming on the West End, it's actually quite refreshing to hear that a classic is being brought back to the stage. Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's is well-known for starring the iconic Audrey Hepburn, and now modern popstar Pixie Lott dons the black gloves...
The Bodyguard review
Jukebox musicals are no longer a rarity on the West End, what with Thriller, Sunny Afternoon, Mamma Mia and Let It Be all paving the way to a new brand of musical that can be enjoyed by a very particular audience. In 2012 we saw a musical adaptation of the hit 1992 film The Bodyguard, starring...
Funny Girl review
It's a wonder that Jule Styne's beloved Funny Girl is not one of the most revived musicals in London. It has a sparky female lead and sumptuously dreamy score, much like Styne's other masterpiece Gypsy; the real challenge is finding an actress who can take on Barbra Streisand's iconic...
Hobson's Choice review
Harold Brighouse’s Hobson’s Choice was first shown in London in June 1916, and almost exactly 100 years later, the comedy has stormed back in to the Big Smoke at London’s Vaudeville Theatre. Laughs and cheers echoed around the auditorium during this witty revival, with beloved British actor...
Aladdin - Disney's New Musical review
It’s often performed as a village hall panto, with sub-standard sets and sneering villains peering from behind the curtain, but Casey Nicholaw’s spectacular Aladdin is a big-budget extravaganza that quite literally outshines every other West End production. Bob Crowley’s wondrous sets are so...
The Go-Between review
It seems that British musicals are the current West End fad, first with Mrs Henderson Presents and now with a long-awaited arrival of LP Hartley's 1953 novel-turned-musical The Go-Between, which recently received a charming page-to-screen debut with the BBC. But although there are moments of...
Romeo and Juliet review
Transported into a sharp-suited, effortlessly chic 1950's Verona, Kenneth Branagh's latest Shakespearean offering packs a promising punch. Choosing a starry cast to tell the star-crossed lovers tale, Branagh's Romeo and Juliet is quite unlike other versions of the tragic classic, in a way that...
The Comedy About A Bank Robbery review
Continuing their takeover of the West End, Mischief Theatre prove once again that they are well worthy of their Olivier Award, with The Comedy About a Bank Robbery stealing the hearts, and laughs, of London. Whilst The Play That Goes Wrong books into its third year, it seems the LAMDA graduates...
Show Boat review
After a hugely successful run at the Sheffield Crucible, Daniel Evans' revival of the marvellous musical Show Boat sailed into the New London Theatre. Opening for previews on April 9th, Show Boat enjoyed an official press night on April 25th. Already impressing audiences and critics alike, the...
