Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond

Dario FoTranslated by Lino Pertile, adapted by Bill Colvill and Robert WalkerDirected by Jelena Budimir★★★★ Pros: A fun play from a Nobel prize winning playwright. Great comedy with impressive rough-and-tumble slapstick. Cons: The venue is at the top end of the Piccadilly Line (possibly the slowest line of them all) so give yourself plenty of time to get there, and then some! Our Verdict: A night of hilarity from a tremendous, forward-thinking company who are on the up. Courtesy of ...

Roger MossDirected by Peter Snee★★ Pros: Some good performances and character interaction. Cons: A clichéd evening where the acting, direction and script didn’t quite create the perfect recipe overall. Our Verdict: Not great I’m afraid, but a decent attempt at the (extremely difficult) on stage horror which may get better with time. Courtesy of The Space When I finally found The Space in East London, it was last thing I think I expected. I had disembarked the train at Canary ...

Conall QuinnDirected by Alice Malin★★★ Pros: A funny and beautifully poetic script with some fantastic characters. Cons: The action is occasionally too loud and grandiose for such a tiny venue and some of the accents are not quite right. Our Verdict: A fairly decent (ish) production of an excellent script. Courtesy of The Public Reviews The White Bear is an intimate theatre hidden at the back of a lovely, cozy pub near Kennington tube station in South London. It is ...

Intrepid Explorers Tour (Adults)Presented by the Battersea Arts Centre★★★★ Pros: A thought-provoking, inclusive and friendly production. Cons: Could perhaps have been a little shorter; at times a little unpolished. Our Verdict: Story-telling turned on its head. Certainly worth the trip down to South London! Courtesy of the BAC The Battersea Arts Centre, affectionately known as the BAC, probably doesn’t look like you’d expect it to. Based in a grade two listed Victorian town hall, it is an imposing but welcoming ...

Jean Racine in a new version by Alan HollinghurstDirected by Josie Rourke★★ Pros: Passionate performances by Anne-Marie Duff and Stephen Campbell Moore. The set was visually striking and the quality of the production at the Donmar is excellent. Cons: This play is hard going. The plot is simple and dull, the dialogue is long winded and tedious. Not a lot happens in one hour and thirty five minutes – it was very difficult to stay awake. Our Verdict: Don’t see ...

Lolita ChakrabartiDirected by Indhu Rubasingham★★★★ Pros: Lolita Chakrabarti’s script allows audiences to see a flawed yet brilliant man let down by London. Cons: It’s a shame about the last thirty seconds before the lights go dark at the end. The last scene is the only really weakness in the entire show. Our Verdict: A very important man has been left out of the history books because he was black. A brilliant, succinct show with neat yet complex characters that mirror ...

Presented by SOOPDirected by Nathan Chapman★★★★ Pros: Highly talented and dynamic cast, clever and simple design, interesting subject. Cons: The stakes of the story often took a back seat to the comedy, leaving something to be desired from the conclusion. Our Verdict: A fantastically funny and clever tribute to some unsung heroes of World War II – a history lesson without the lecture! Courtesy of The Space The first thing you should know about SOOP’s production of Scallywags at The ...

Jack ThorneDirected by Sam Miller★★★★ Pros: Simple, effective, easy to ‘get’, thought-provoking, funny and stylishly executed. Cons: I needed clarification on the plot in some places (but I’m not that bright, so…) Our Verdict: Great stuff once again from this excellent young company. Worth every penny of the measly £10 cost. Courtesy of All The Pigs I know we’ve raved about All The Pigs before now: our review of Scooter Thomas was so gushy that I could understand people believing ...

Euripides, in a new version by Mike BartlettDirected by Mike Bartlett★★★★ Pros: Bartlett seldom puts a foot wrong, and his adaptation of Medea is no exception. Cons: Perhaps overly and unnecessarily keen to keep some of the aspects of the classic tragedy format intact. Our Verdict: A brilliant introduction to a timeless classic, with an incredibly strong central performance from Rachael Stirling. Courtesy of Manuel Harlan for The Guardian Mike Bartlett has, to be honest, had a pretty awesome few ...

Presented by Smoking Apples Theatre★★★ Pros: The show boasts lots of very interesting and original ideas. Cons: The actors overstretch their abilities making the show seem amateurish in places. Our Verdict: An interesting show with some great ideas. Credit: Jax Braithwaite Situated off Camberwell Road in South London, the Blue Elephant is a vibrant arts venue offering a variety of award-winning, multi-cultural performances from every genre imaginable. Founded in 1999, this hidden gem has staged a huge amount of successful, ...