Theatre Reviews
Alys, Always, Bridge Theatre review - mildly perverse but rather dispiritingThursday, 07 March 2019
Okay, so this is the play that will be remembered for the character names that have unusual spellings. As in Alys not Alice, Kyte not Kite, etc. Read more... |
Inside Bitch, Royal Court review - brave, hilarious yet very slenderWednesday, 06 March 2019
Dear Clean Break, Thank you very much for your latest, called Inside Bitch, a show which is billed as "a playfully subversive take on the representation of women in prison". It's a great celebration of your 40th anniversary. I saw this at the Royal Court tonight and I will remember it because the cast were clearly having great fun, and so was the audience. And I could see why. Read more... |
We're Staying Right Here, Park Theatre review - rough and not entirely readyMonday, 04 March 2019
We're Staying Right Here, Henry Devas's debut play premiering on the smaller of the Park Theatre's two stages, carries a trigger warning on the theatre website: "May be affective for people coping with mental health issues". Read more... |
The Son, Kiln Theatre review - darkly tragicThursday, 28 February 2019
Well, you have to give it to French playwright Florian Zeller — he's certainly cracked the problem of coming up with a name for each of his plays. Basically, choose a common noun and put the definite article in front of it. Read more... |
The Animals and Children Took to the Streets, Lyric Hammersmith review - enchanting graphic novelTuesday, 26 February 2019
Whenever I hear the word "cosmopolitan" I think of Europe in the 1920s: German Expressionism, Russian Constructivism, Czech eccentricity, Swiss DaDa, Italian Futurism and French Surrealism. With music from Weimar cabaret and visuals by Soviet agit-prop. Let's take an imaginary train journey from Paris to Berlin to Zurich to Prague to Milan. This is the world evoked by The Animals and Children Took to the Streets. Read more... |
Follies, National Theatre review - the Sondheim spectacular returns, better than everSaturday, 23 February 2019
This is a golden age of London Sondheim revivals, with Marianne Elliott’s thrilling Company still playing in the West End, and Dominic Cooke’s Follies getting a hugely welcome second run at the National – both testament to a director’s transformative vision. Read more... |
Eden, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs review - thoughtful commentary on people and principlesSaturday, 23 February 2019
"It's gonna be the best golf course in the world," a man in an Aertex shirt and a bright red baseball cap is assuring us. "The best. I guarantee it." You can tell he's the kind of person who thinks talking quickly and loudly is the same thing as being right. Read more... |
Equus, Theatre Royal Stratford East review - thrilling physicalityFriday, 22 February 2019
There is no doubt that Peter Shaffer's Equus is a modern classic. But does that justify reviving this 1973 hit play in our current social circumstances? And what can it say to us today? Read more... |
Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, Young Vic review - shards of power amidst much that is overwroughtFriday, 22 February 2019
An entirely electric leading performance from the fast-rising Ukweli Roach is the reason for being for revisiting Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, back in London for the first major production since the late Philip Seymour Hoffman brought his acclaimed Off Broadway premiere of it to the Donmar in 2002. Read more... |
Tartuffe, National Theatre review - morality-heavy version of the comedy classicFriday, 22 February 2019
Here's a recipe for a successful National Theatre production: take a well-loved classical comedy, employ an outstanding young director and a talented writer (so much the better if they have a proven track record together) and cast gold-standard actors, including, if possible, someone with a screen presence. What could possibly go wrong? Read more... |
Pages
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 10,000 pieces, we're asking for £3.95 per month or £30 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take an annual subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
latest in today
Emily Atack, Clapham Grand review - I'm a Celebrity......
Most people know Emily Atack from The Inbetweeners, where she played Charlotte, the object of Will's desire. More recently, she found new...
Rokia Traoré: Dream Mandé: Djata, Brighton Festival 2019 rev...
Rokia Traoré’s passage through this year’s Brighton Festival has been central, binding it to her Malian identity in a series of gigs....
Igor Levit, Wigmore Hall review – full-spectrum Bach from a...
You seldom hear a Champions League-level roar of approval at the Wigmore Hall. Last night, though, Igor Levit drew a throaty collective bark of...
Cannes 2019: Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood review - sun-s...
Moments before Quentin Tarantino’s blistering, outrageous work screened at...
The Lehman Trilogy, Piccadilly Theatre review - stunning chr...
Mammon and Yahweh are the presiding deities over an epic...
Aladdin review - live-action remake in classic Disney mould
Next up in Disney’s parade of live-action...
Manga, British Museum review - stories for outsiders
Manga, the Japanese art of the graphic novel, took its modern form...
CD: Morrissey - California Son
Unfortunately, it’s now reached the point where it’s impossible to mention Morrissey without...
Tribe//Still I Rise, Brighton Festival 2019 review - an even...
Maya Angelou’s iconic poem Still I Rise is a good starting point for many things in life. But it’s a particularly good beginning for a piece of...