London Reviews

Writers: Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper Director: Andrew Beckett Reviewer: Stephen Bates it feels quite liberating to go to a Christmas panto without facing the annual controversy about what is or isn’t fit to serve up for the kids. Above the Stag’s offering is just what it says on the poster – “an adult pantomime”. More specifically, it is “LGBTQ+ ...

Writer/Director: Ginger Johnson Reviewer: Karl O’Doherty The slightly ramshackle style of sci-fi stories with silver costumes, shaky sets, ridiculous monsters and strangely sexy encounters has a very specific appeal. Ignoring the genre’s limits completely, Ginger Johnson and the rest of her (inter)stellar cast have worked a little Christmas magic in generating a screamingly funny show that presents this sci-fi weirdness ...

Music and Lyrics: Max Martin et al. Book: David West Read Director: Luke Sheppard Reviewer: Richard Maguire A new musical that updates Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the music of Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys doesn’t bode well, and many a reviewer must have travelled to the Shaftesbury Theatre with a heavy heart and a pen full of pithy ...

Writer and Music: Milos ORSON Stedron. Director: Jan Frič Reviewer:  Richard Maguire Or, Everything You Want To Know About Václav Havel, And A Little Bit More! One of the most interesting facts about the Czech President and playwright is that he was a heavy smoker – Chesterfields, this irreverent cabaret suggests – and to add some authenticity to the show the ...

Writer: Tue Biering Director (London): Lise Lauenblad Reviewer: Karl O’Doherty Pushing the audience to use its imagination, breaking down the barriers between those sitting comfortably and those standing at the front, and provoking strong cognitive reactions are all applaudable in a theatre. The ambition of Land Without Dreams is also applaudable – a wide-ranging swipe at the fears we have ...

Choreographers: Paul Reinoso Pontus Lidberg, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Christopher Bruce Reviewer: Maryam Philpott If you think of Cuban dance it tends to be salsa, rhumba maybe mambo, exotic Latin rhythms that fit the ballroom style, but Carlos Acosta has changed all that using his dance company Acosta Danza to showcase an exciting programme of contemporary pieces fused with ballet, Latin ...

Writer: Willy Russell Director: Bill Kenwright and Bob Tomson Reviewer: Dan English It is an emotional tour de force at the Orchard Theatre as Blood Brothers reaches Dartford as part of its current UK tour. Caught up among the class struggles of 1960s Liverpool, Mrs Johnstone finds herself caught in an impossible situation, carrying twins with little money or security ...

Writers: Pippa Hill and Sophie Ivatts, based on the book by Can Dündar Director: Sophie Ivatts Reviewer: Scott Matthewman In 2015, Turkish newspaper editor Can Dündar greenlit a shocking exposé for publication. The country’s national intelligence organisation was smuggling arms out of the country to arm rebel fighters in Syria, in shipments disguised as humanitarian aid. The revelations caused a ...