Two self-aware murder mysteries crammed with puns and clever dialogue. A must for fans of Agatha Christie, P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy L. Sayers.

Pros: Quirky characterisation of four daters, and fair scrutiny of the modern dating scene. Cons: Audience numbers and logistics affect the speed dating process, which feels slightly disjointed from the plays. The Finnish connection isn’t obvious, either. This show belongs to the Start to Finnish events programme, celebrating Finland’s culture in honour of 100 years of Finnish independence. However, it’s hard to see traces of Finland in the script of these two interconnected plays, except in references to one character’s love ...

Pros: Captures the era with plenty of funny moments. Cons: Too convoluted to follow. Inspired by film noir of the 1940’s, including classics Mildred Pierce and The Third Man, Fatale Femme give us America’s No.1 Detective Agency, a comedic outing to the world of private eyes, gangsters, and the seedier side of Hollywood. Vivian O’Connell was the best detective this side of Los Angeles. Until, that is, the Wallace Case exploded, and Bobby Monroe took her title and all the good cases ...

A well-written piece of laugh-out-loud theatre that isn’t as deep as it might want to be, but is funny enough that that really doesn’t matter.

One of the funniest and freshest plays you’ll see all year, led by a feisty cast with perfect comedic timing. Alex Ferns, in particular, is a riot.

Pros: Two fantastically observed, tender and thought-provoking monologues. Cons: The lighting in such a confined space was occasionally directly in the faces of the audience. Odd Man Out is a double bill of shows on the theme of….the odd man out and we were certainly presented with characters out of place and awkward in the world. Other than this there was little similarity between the two pieces, other than the characters’ love of literature. That’s not a criticism; I enjoyed the juxtaposition and ...

Pros: Strong ensemble and direction Cons: Disjointed plot, zero pace Steeped in history, The White Bear theatre pub has been in the heart of south London since 1780. Being a proud south Londoner I found this fact harrowing as I’d never heard of it or seen any of their productions before. As I ordered my pale ale I was also informed that The White Bear has just completed an impressive refurbishment which was clear to see as this glorious old boozer is now a ...

An immensely enjoyable immersive production of a classic play that makes you think as much as it makes you laugh.

A funny and somewhat educational course in British culture during WW2, featuring a fair bit of audience participation along the way.

Pros: Light hearted King Kong romp which should keep older children amused for an hour and a half. A couple of ‘for the parents’ moments. Cons: Old jokes delivered in a shouty style which started to be annoying towards the end. On arrival at the small underground theatre, The Vaults, we sat on the old cinema-style seats listening to an eclectic mix of appropriately themed music (The Banana Splits, The Monkees – you get the picture). I had no idea there were so many ...