Author: The Reviews Hub - London

Creators: Compagnia Bellanda, Emma Houston, Joseph Toonga, Kaner Scott and Rock Force Crew Usually, Breakin’ Convention’s annual takeover of Sadler’s Wells is the biggest party of the year, but this ‘Friction’ focused programme for 2026 feels unusually lacklustre. The acts are fine if not energised, the auditorium hasn’t sold out for its weekend launch event, the mosh pit is more than half empty and older members of the audience openly have loud and lengthy chats during the performances; someone is even playing chess on their phone. Regular host and co-founder Jonzi D is doing his best to manufacture some atmosphere,…

Choreographers: Wayne McGregor, Odette Hughes, Louis McMiller, Jessica Wright, Rebecca Bassett-Graham, in collaboration with the dancers Director: Wayne McGregor At Sadler’s Wells East, Augmented: Dance powered by MAM + AISOMA brings together dancers from Rambert School and Juilliard School in a collaboration guided by Wayne McGregor. The result is an hour of highly physical, entirely abstract dance that places two leading training institutions within a distinctive choreographic framework. It is refreshing to see such pure dance inhabit the stage at Sadler’s Wells East. Sometimes an abundance of theatrical devices or effusive programme notes can muddy the essence of a work.…

Writer: Dave Harris Director: Matthew Xia Dave Harris’s play may not be subtle – the four characters are certainly larger than life – but it’s impossible not to be swept up in the drama of three male strippers who discover that their act isn’t as good or unique as they thought. If this is how the men in the nearby Magic Mike show feel, then they should be queuing at the door for Soho Theatre’s examination of masculinity and performance. It’s not just our tickets that we have to show on entry to the main house; we have to present…

Writer: Fran Kranz Director: Carrie Cracknell Mass tells the story of two sets of parents meeting to confront the devastating aftermath of a tragedy that irrevocably binds their children. Anna Yates’ hyper-realistic design of an Apostolic church provides the ‘neutral’ ground for this encounter. The space is introduced through Brandon, a young church helper, as he semi-automatically clears up the empty mugs before Judy enters and meticulously prepares the room for what lies ahead. This slow opening underscores the significance of the setting as a facilitator of reconciliation, though it feels slightly overemphasised as it lingers, for instance, on details…

Writer: Deane McElree Director: Sophia Golan Sophia Golan directs Brief Play About Rage, a one-act play that comes to Omnibus Theatre after a successful run at the Camden Fringe. The production is fast-paced, hysterically funny and pitch-perfect. The three actors and one musician keep the audience on their toes throughout. A motorcycle helmet-clad cellist pulls a bow across their strings as the audience take their seat, and they remain playing throughout the tense production. Self-titled as an “absurdist comedy”, Brief Play About Rage is set around a visit from Nell (Clare Stenning) to old friend Val (Samantha Begeman) and husband…

Writer: Tim Graves Director: Jason Marc-Williams Aged, dementing, far-right-wing homophobe Frank lives in a decrepit cottage called “Forget-Me-Not” somewhere in a pub-less village in deepest, darkest rural Norfolk. Someone reminisces about being “in the garden surrounded by fireflies,” suggesting that rural Norfolk has benefits, though, unfortunately, there is no phone signal or Uber service to enjoy. “I’m a death’s door… here today and gone tomorrow… just waiting to pop my clogs”, Frank (Christopher Poke, grumpy, sandal-clad) tells us. The character is gifted with manically fluid dialogue comprised mostly of slang and Essex idiom, with an occasional borrowed song lyric thrown…

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Emily Lim Two things immediately stand out when you encounter Emily Lim’s vision of Shakespeare’s summer comedy. The first is audience participation: from the outset, audience members are brought into the play’s company of amateur theatricals, invited to audition on the Globe’s stage and with an involvement that continues to the very end. The second is the design aesthetic. Aldo Vásquez’s set design and Fly Davis’s costume design concepts reek of charity-shop chic. The court of Athens is lined by plastic box hedges, which snap open to reveal multicoloured florals as the action moves into the…

Writer: David Hare Director: Jeremy Herrin What is theatre for? A question Dave Hare might well have asked of himself when penning this slightly scattered depiction of the careers of Ellen Terry and Henry Irving, the darling partnership of the late Victorian stage, focusing on their time at Lyceum Theatre, along with parallel tracks for her illegitimate adult children. Grace Pervades arrives at the Theatre Royal Haymarket following its initial run at the Theatre Royal Bath, but struggles to find a purpose for this performance amidst its heavily expositional debates. Inviting her to join his new company at the Lyceum…