Political lesson on the dangers of populism fails to hit home Loud madcap comedy morphs into mime and flops when it should fly When Rhum + Clay conceived this show, the idea of a comic becom…
Abigail Graham's pacy production focuses on the moneylender's fate A supposed 'comedy' gives the moneylender Shylock pride of place The Merchant of Venice is a comedy, you say? Shakespeare,…
Dennis Kelly's 2005 play presses many 2022 buttons Lockdown, #MeToo and Ukraine give new urgency to a dystopian fable Mark was teased about the fallout shelter at the bottom of his garden …
Another musical based on a movie hits London, with a moral guaranteed to please audiences Wave your pom poms for a show with its heart in the right place We open on "Seventeen is Swell", the…
Few concessions to 21st century sensibilities, but a great night out Iconic film on stage heats up the West End Wind the clock back 45 years and the Big Apple was bankrupt, the lights had go…
Plodding book detailing a poet's sentimental education falls flat on stage Somewhere in the world right now, one can hear Mister Mister's AOR hit, "Broken Wings" on an MOR radio station, cap…
★★★ THRILL ME:THE LEOPOLD & LOEB STORY Child killers seduce us with charisma and song Child killers seduce us with charisma and song There's a lot of True Crime stuff a…
Sir David Suchet reflects on his extraordinary career Sir David Suchet takes us from school days to sleuth days In the 80s, An Audience With... gave a television studio to an actor who …
★★★★ THE TIGER LILLIES' CHRISTMAS CAROL: A VICTORIAN GUTTER, SOUTHBANK CENTRE Melancholy musical retelling laced with wit and political venom  The Tiger…
★★★ THE GOOD LIFE Nostalgic comedy with a surprising resonance 45 years on Tom, Barbara, Jerry and Margo are back in the '70s, but with a message for today "Off-grid…
★★★ A Christmas Carol - Immersive Dickens production not quite a Christmas cracker Stephen Mangan's Scrooge learns his lesson in imbalanced Dickens adaptation Four year…
★★★★ VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE Comedy mines Chekhov for laughs and finds some rich seams Super London debut for Russian-inspired Broadway comedy Van…
★★★★★ FOOTFALLS AND ROCKABY, Beckett's ferocious contemplations on the ebbing of life Double bill finds the Irish master at his most raw Like all great art, …
★★★★ MILK AND GALL, Baby turns New Yorkers' lives upside down, while Trump has a tantrum or two No holds barred comedy lays bare the unsentimental side of pare…
★★★ THE CHOIR OF MAN, Decent blokes sing old school hits in an old school pub Lots of songs and lots of sugary sentimentality Like a previous occupant of this venue, Six…
★★★ THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE A musical about trust and hope, and an unexpected elephant An elephant awakens an emotionally shattered town Trig…
★★ VANARA, HACKNEY EMPIRE Falls well short of its West Side Story inspired ambition Two tribes feud over fire in a post-apocalyptic world's last surviving forest Two tribes, …
★★★★ WHAT IF IF ONLY Caryl Churchill's short play considers the despair of grief and the optimism of hope A beautifully staged reflection on the pain of confronting l…
★★★★ BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL, ADELPHI THEATRE A spectacular West End show to delight fans old and new Whether you've seen the movie ten times or never, thi…
★★★★ THE LAST FIVE YEARS, GARRICK THEATRE Jason Robert Brown's semi-autobiographical show gets a West End upgrade Flaws remain, but audiences will lap up the g…
★★★ BLITHE SPIRIT, HAROLD PINTER THEATRE Jennifer Saunders delights her fans in classic comedy Jennifer Saunders delivers a fine turn as the celebrated Madame Arcati in …
★★★ STATEMENTS AFTER AN ARREST UNDER THE IMMORALITY ACT, ORANGE TREE THEATRE Timely revival of Athol Fugard's searing indictment of Apartheid Forty-nine years on, Fugard…
★★★★★ BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS, MARLOWE THEATRE, CANTERBURY Dazzling Disney rewrite Beloved Angela Lansbury film is in sure, safe theatrical hands Bedknobs …
★★★ CINDERELLA, GILLIAN LYNNE THEATRE A spectacular show that hits and misses A good night out, but with unrealised ambition to be rather more than that Belleville has l…
★★ 2:22 A GHOST STORY, NOËL COWARD THEATRE A big name cast wring all they can from a flawed script A few shocks and laughs but lacking in character-led credibility Danny Rob…