Doctor Faustus review
Jamie Lloyd's revamped version of Doctor Faustus is a strong case of not getting what is advertised on the tin, or in this case, the poster. In fact, it's a case of not getting what you asked for and definitely not getting what you wanted. Lloyd’s Faustus is a production that rides on...
Show Boat review
After a successful run at the Sheffield Crucible, Hammerstein musical Show Boat sails into the New London Theatre with all of the grace and gusto that the West End needs. Following the departure of the highly acclaimed War Horse, the musical has big shoes to fill in the expansive venue. Although...
Sunset Boulevard review
Dramatic, delusional and diva-esque are just some ways to describe Norma Desmond, the protagonist in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard. Hollywood icon Glenn Close plays the fictional fallen star with perfection, as she makes her West End debut at the London Coliseum. Based on the...
NotMoses review
On paper, NotMoses sounds like the perfect comedy; a wailing baby is cast back into the Nile by a Princess, in favour of a quieter kid. One becomes Prince Moses, whilst the other becomes NotMoses, a disgruntled slave at the receiving end of every joke. There’s potential there, partly because...
Motown the Musical review
Even with a list of supporting characters including the likes of Gladys Knight, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Jackie Wilson, there’s no mistaking that the star of Motown the Musical is Berry Gordy, not least because he wrote the book to the show. As the founder of the Motown record label,...
Bad Jews review
Funerals tend to be a time when families are brought closer together. But not for this set of Jewish cousins… Bad Jews is comprised of only four cast members; Jewish brothers Liam and Jonah, Melody, Liam’s girlfriend, and Daphna, their handful of a cousin. A swish Manhattan studio apartment,...
Nell Gwynn review
Jessica Swale’s play Nell Gwynn was a big success for Shakespeare’s Globe last autumn, so it is of little surprise to see it transfer to the West End in the superb production directed by Christopher Luscombe. Full of warmth and real wit, an intelligence about the role of women in theatre and a...
The End of Longing review
More and more, commercial theatre is becoming a playground for producers who prefer stunt-casting over inventive productions that push boundaries and surpass expectations. Sure, Matthew Perry wrote as well as stars in The End of Longing, but the sheer fact that he supposedly penned the script in a...
Hangmen review
The opening scene of Hangmen takes place in a 1963 prison cell, minutes before the execution of a man hysterically proclaiming his innocence. Despite the desperate protestations the chief hangman, Harry Wade, played by David Morrissey, commands his team to proceed, and so concludes a truly...
Harlequinade review
Under the title of “Playbill”, Rattigan’s comedy Harlequinade was originally the companion piece to his more serious drama The Browning Version. Here, Kenneth Branagh presents his own Rattigan double-bill as Harlequinade plays alongside the rarely performed monologue All on Her Own....
