Everything Theatre

Hilarious characterisations, poignant commentary on shyness and blowjob ballet sums up Isobel Renner’s brilliant, from the heart examination of a Shy Girl’s mission to overcome her social anxiety and face her fears.

An ambitious but underdeveloped production with a lot of heart.

This absolute gem of a show delivers up a (snow)storm, in a deceptively clever, superbly surreal contemplation of the confusing world of fake news and conspiracy theories.

Bold but uneven, Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen suffers from clumsy direction and clunky writing, but is still worthy of celebration by musical theatre fans.

A dark comedy set in The Troubles that is both shocking and gripping. Female rage takes the forefront as two sisters reconnect and enact revenge.

A tender portrait of care, exhaustion and love filled with dark humour

A classic ghost story beautifully presented.

A big success for Hot Mess

A deeply generous contemporary dance piece exploring parallel stories of the immigrant experience.

An orchestra without a conductor blends Telemann, Rebel, and Vivaldi with dance and storytelling to celebrate the energy and intimacy of live orchestral music, enveloping the audience in a symbiotic relationship.

Theatre Peckham’s Young, Gifted and Black season celebrating young Black artists opens explosively, with acerbic writing and feverish performance from Ty’rone Haughton.

This darkly atmospheric drama keeps up the suspense as threats from both the human world and beyond are revealed.

This ambitious, impressive gothic tale offers drama, humanity and authenticity, portraying a monster just like Mary Shelley envisaged.

A pyschological horror that's packed with great performances but overstuffed with too many ideas.

An anthology of fascinating, dark stories full of drama and tragedy, where the rotating cast completely draws you into four distinct, vivid, brought-to-life worlds.

It’s great to see GrimFest spread its wings further this year. From its humble start as a week-long run at Old Red Lion Theatre to celebrate the spooky season, its third year sees it now running across three venues for much of October. Which makes it all the more embarrassing that it’s taken me over half the month to catch my first show!  That first show is The Constant Cold, and it’s very much the sort of show you expect for October. Which is no bad thing, we are here for ghost stories after all. Meg (writer Zoë Cooper) returns home in a state, sure she was being followed. Except not by a man, but by something she can’t describe, explaining it was more of a feeling. Her housemates, Elena and Ethan (Sian Marie Oliver and Benjamin Robinson), offer different responses. Ethan claims she has always imagined things and manufactures anxiety, whilst Elena offers a more sympathetic response, at least early on. Even when things start to go bump, there’s not much belief in her fears. In fact, Ethan turns even colder towards her pleas that something is outside.  It’s very clear that The Constant Cold is about the fear…

In a play that feels in development yet still manages to entertain, female friendships and family ties are examined in original, sometimes gruesome ways.

A faithful rendition of Macbeth that fits perfectly with the Halloween season, but underdelivers on its promise of innovation.

A visually stylish The Maids that captures Genet’s obsession with image, but loses the dark tension that makes his play truly unsettling.

A heavy metal ballet that is a fan-pleasing tribute.

A powerful story of a family shattered by the disappearance of a 15-year-old child, lifted by the strength of its performances.

A thrilling tribute to Michael Jackson’s music.

The Machine of Horizontal Dreams is a powerful collaboration that, whilst excellent in its individual parts, remains disconnected from the spectator.

An all-encompassing dance piece that exudes creative mastery.

John McGrath called for a theatre that gave people “a good night out”. The Choir of Man delivers just that — with added harmonies and a very decent pint.

A mismatched double-bill of dance demonstrating great talent but with mixed results.

A sharp, spooky night out with good laughs and plenty of things that go bump in the night

One of Shakespeare’s least performed plays reimagined for contemporary audiences in a raunchy, comedic light. Mythic heroes become celebrity figures for an examination of toxic masculinity, ego and power.

English National Ballet’s R:Evolution showcases ballet’s breadth and variety, though uneven technique weakens the night as a whole.

This sensual, intense production of Wilde's debut play is easily one of the best shows of the year.

Elisabeth Gunawan on Prayers for a Hungry Ghost, playing at Halloween