William Shakespeare Directed by Grassroots Shakespeare London ★★★★  Pros: Say what you like about Shakespeare, but he knew how to write a play. Romeo is excellent and Juliet lends a bit of spice to a role that can be bland when performed with less skill. This production is energetic and entertaining. Cons: Not all performances were as strong as they might have been and the music was, at times, distracting. Our Verdict: When performed well, Romeo and Juliet is funny ...

Ben SeagerDirected by Sam Carrack ★★★ Pros: Enjoyable and entertaining, with some great potential. Good acting from all and a great performance from lead actor Jeff Lewis. Cons: There wasn’t much movement on stage. Our Verdict: A great initiative with a family atmosphere set in a flashy new space with some serious potential. What else would you want on a Thursday night? Courtesy of All the Pigs I was glad to be invited to this event at the New Diorama, a recently welcomed ...

Ayad Akhtar Directed by Nadia Fall ★★★★★  Pros: Brilliant performances. Explosive, intelligent and gripping to watch. Cons: Starts out a little too abstract and intellectual; the set-up–a dinner party between four people of four different ethnic and religious backgrounds—feels a little contrived. Our Verdict: A must-see! Disturbing, sharp, important. Stays with you long after you leave the theatre. Courtesy of timeout.com Disgraced starts with Amir (Hari Dhillon) standing in his swanky New York apartment, with no pants on, being painted by his ...

Martin Malcolm, Dan Horrigan, Nathan CrossDirected by Marta Noguera-Cuevas★★★ Pros: A tremendous performance venue with fantastic atmosphere. Cons: The production’s point of interest is that the three plays all supposedly take place on the same night. There is little to connect them, however, so the idea is a bit hit and miss.Our Verdict: An interesting hour of entertainment with some compelling performances. Courtesy of Fox Trotter Theatre Used mainly as a photography studio, the characterful Simulacra Studios  is snuggled under ...

Doug Lucie Directed by James Hellier★★★★  Pros: An excellent young cast dazzle in this still relevant play about both being in your early twenties and the inequality of modern society. Cons: While the set contributes much to the atmosphere of the play, the actors are still finding their feet with the clutter and consequently it can sometimes act as a barrier rather than a tool. Our Verdict: Once again the Finborough produces great work, with a young cast we should watch ...

Federico Garcia LorcaDirected by Zoe Ford★★★ Pros: Some strong cast members offer passionate and realistic performances. Cons: The surrealism surrounding the final act may be off putting for some. Seating arrangement made it hard to see some of the action. Our Verdict: The first and final acts leave much to be desired however this is more to do with the play itself than this production of it. Courtesy of Hiraeth Artistic Productions Hiraeth Artistic Production‘s version of Lorca’s Blood Wedding is ...

Amaara Raheem ★★★ Pros: Engrossing, poetic commentaries on stories that span continents. Lovely music to accompany the narrative. Cons: Incomprehensible dancing at points that felt disjointed from the rest of the piece. Our Verdict: Good production value that successfully creates an intimate feel and absorbs the audience in the tales that are told. Courtesy of Ovalhouse Set in the Ovalhouse Theatre, Shield by Amaara Raheem encompasses the mediums of movie, music, movement and monologue to portray three stories. One is an ...

Gaetano Donizetti and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Directed by Darren Royston★★★ Pros: Rarely staged operas sung by new operatic talent. Cons: Occasionally hard to follow due to inter-weaving storylines and lack of surtitles. Our verdict: Innovative, fresh and intimate night of opera in an unusual space. Courtesy of Pop Up Opera Pop up Opera’s productions are the modern day theatrical equivalent of a warehouse party. Not quite site specific, their productions are, for lack of a better term, pre-packaged and performed for us in ...

Aisling Foster Directed by Cherry Cookson ★★ Pros: Some great accents and beautiful scene change music produced a lovely sounding show. Cons: The actors were very wobbly on their lines and the show didn’t run straight. Our verdict: Sadly, an interesting topic based on true events is let down by the lacklustre performance and script that would be better as a novel or article. Courtesy of Ciaran Cunningham for Giant Olive Theatre When the Bolsheviks and the Irish were trying ...

Devised TheatreDirected by John-Michael MacDonald★★ Pros: Unusual and visually intriguing, with some innovative stylistic direction.Cons: The improvised nature meant the piece fell flat at times – it might be too weird for some people.Our verdict: A strange and unnerving production, which seemed to be conflicted between a conventional linear play and a physical interpretative performance. Every so often, I get night terrors. Once I dreamt I was in a room full of wardrobes, and these Courtesy of the Blue Elephant ...