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

The Union's latest classic revival makes for a disappointing night out.

Championing new work from under-represented voices is surely now standard for all right-thinking theatre makers. Perhaps also a key responsibility is the task of revisiting under-represented work from the past. Coastal weekly rep company Frinton Summer Theatre and The Park, who co-produce here, deserve recognition therefore for this revival of Lesley Storm’s work. Black Chiffon, written in 1949, was a hit by any measure, easily equal to the work of her male contemporaries – 400 West End performances, no less, ...

some of Broadway’s best songs will delight musical theatre lovers.

With theatre access and diversity issues continually in the headlines lately, it’s worth remembering Chickenshed has been blazing a trail for inclusiveness for over forty years now. As well as championing the under-represented on stage, they have clearly learned a thing or two about creating crowd pleasing work over that time too.  Mr Stink, first seen last year and now returning as a slightly slimmed down touring production, is an uncomplicated affair perhaps, but, by gosh, it is a gloriously ...

Star power shines in an otherwise heavy-handed tale of aging, unrequited love and Sci-Fi.

Kudos to the Pleasance for snaffling this big, brash and brilliantly executed Australian export for us lucky Londoners. It’s timely too, providing a perfect antidote to the doom-laden predictions dominating our current news agenda.  The show sets out its desire to perk us up and help us find our mojos by having Haddaway’s classic ‘What is Love?’ pumping over speakers as we take our seats. OK, it’s mashed up with Australian political speeches, but it’s that kind of evening.    ...

A winning romp of a musical

Is mental health funny? Is it acceptable to laugh about depression? Fledgling Theatre, makers of Neck or Nothing, definitely vote yes.  The good news is they have created a warm, accessible and laugh-out-loud show as a result. It might well prompt a few of the ‘checking in’ conversations men are increasingly encouraged to have with their mates too. This is presumably why charity CALMZone has backed the project and why there are Q&As with them about the issue planned at ...

At a time when Westminster, it seems, can’t look as far as next week with any confidence, asking a group of fifteen young people from Deptford to look fifty years into the future feels a timely political act. Indeed, WOW Everything is Amazing is a headliner of Battersea Arts Centre’s Homegrown: Occupy Festival which focuses on under-represented communities. So far so worthy. It seems, however, the ‘worthy memo’ didn’t quite reach the show’s diverse ensemble (aged 12-21) who devised the performance as ...

Sitting in a busy Jackson’s Lane auditorium five minutes in to Proteus Theatre’s Macbeth I was smiling, totally convinced by the setting and excited about what was to come. Presumably thanks to the involvement of movement consultant, George Mann, the opening was a tightly choreographed recreation of a 1980’s financial trading floor, full of wit and in-your-face charm. Twenty minutes in, however, an uneasy feeling was growing that the evening might have already peaked. By an hour in, impressive physical ...