Note: These are old reviews and the cast has now changed!! The cast I saw consisted of Lyn Paul, Keith Burns, Andy Snowden and Mark Hutchinson. Lyn Paul, as Mrs Johnstone, has joined after playing the role in the national tour, and she is perfect in the part. Her singing voice is just right, and all the emotion she put into the show seemed real. Her laugh when Mickey and Eddie went off to see "Nymphomaniac Nights" and "Swedish Au-pairs" could have been genuine, and if it wasn't, her tears during...
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London Theatre Reviews
Read the latest London theatre reviews on the newest openings across the West End and beyond. Discover more about the latest must-see West End shows, Off-West End productions, and why you need to see shows in London. Scroll through our full theatre reviews listings of London musicals, plays, and live events from our London Theatre critics.
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This year sees the silver jubilee of one of the most successful musicals ever - 'Les Misérables'. It's almost beyond imagination to conceive of a musical lasting a staggering 25 years in one city (London) and touring and playing in dozens of other cities all over the world. But such is the phenomenal success of 'Les Misérables'. To celebrate its anniversary, a new touring production of the show has landed at its original home, The Barbican, and so we now have the unique situation of 2 versions...
Next Review by Sven Verlinden Nov 2000 Last week, Scott was off so Richard Halton did all the shows and of course now was the time to see this wonderful actor as the Phantom ! I had been waiting so long for this to happen, and Saturday's matinee I sat dead center Front Row. WONDERFUL seat !!! (B10) Anyway, it turned out to be an "understudies only" day, coz Charlotte, Matt, Scott of course, Shan Cothi, Lee David Bowen and Donald Francke were all off. The 2nd cover Chirstine was on (Ana Marina)....
- Review of Noises Off
Noises Off
When I first saw Jeremy Sams' production at the National Theatre 16 months ago I said, "This is farcical comedy at its very best with some of the most incredible timing I have ever seen by a cast." Unfortunately, after transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre and now to the Comedy with a completely new cast the quality of the production has seriously diminished.This 1980's hit comedy by Michael Frayn of theatrical antics and disasters is in three acts. A theatrical company are performing in a play...
Conceived by Robert Lepage, the play is in 7 acts covering the period from the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 to the present day. Lepage used video and images to great effect mixed in with opera singing and some very bizarre scenes.The first four acts are simply superb and gripping . However it's down hill from then on. There were still some great theatre to be had but the last few acts were getting a little off subject and a little harder to understand. I thought all the acts would be connected...
Last week, I saw 'Much Ado About Nothing' at the Globe, and now here's another version playing at Wyndham's, right in the heart of the West End. Comparisons are often invidious, but here's a rare chance to compare two productions of the same play, both on at the same time.This version has the added glamour and audience pulling-power of TV stars in the lead roles. TV comedian and character actress Catherine Tate is Beatrice and a former Dr Who, David Tennant, is Benedick. With a time traveller in...
This is a review of the 2014 production. For the 2018 production starring Kit Harington, click here. Originally premiered in 1980 in San Francisco and first produced in the UK at the National in 1981 with the late Bob Hoskins and Antony Sher, Sam Shepard's True West is now an established contemporary masterpiece, and much beloved of actors wanting to test their acting mettle. I saw the National's production, and have since seen the pairings of Mark Rylance and Michael Rudko (at the Donmar...
Ghost The Musical
3.5/5Any production which focuses on a love story needs careful handling if it is not to become mawkish. With 'Ghost, The Musical', there's an added complication and that lies in the plot which asks the audience to believe in ghosts. Combine those two elements, and you could easily be looking at a recipe for total disaster. However, even though I had been expecting something overtly sentimental and possibly a little corny, this new musical turns out to be both interesting and impressive.Based on the...
As escapist fantasies go, Raymond Briggs' book is a perfect seasonal treat for children. It's now developed into something of a colourful Christmas institution as this musical adaptation returns for a 6th year at the Peacock Theatre. A boy embarks on a magical adventure with his snowman, the pair venturing to the North Pole for some festive frolics before returning home in time for Christmas morning.Containing all the right ingredients to delight the under sixes, the show's big pluses are Paul...
Launching what Shakespeare's Globe romantically calls its 'season of star-crossed lovers' is the tragedy most oft associated with this phrase, Romeo and Juliet. Its perennial popularity as a set text is attested by the enthusiastic hordes attending on a wet spring evening, the dismal weather failing to dampen their infectious good humour; an energy the cast heartily imbibed, demonstrating just why the Globe has such singular appeal with its special, symbiotic relationship between actors and...