Reviews
Reviewing is at the heart of what we do. Here you’ll find all the reviews that our wonderful team have written. If you want to find something more specific, why not pick a genre of show instead from the menu.
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Shield, Ovalhouse Theatre
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…
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Rita/La Serva Padrona, The Sun Tavern (site-specific)
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…
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Luck Penny, Lion and Unicorn Theatre
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…
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The Nighmare Dreamer, Blue Elephant
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,…
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The Cripple of Inishmaan, Noel Coward
Martin McDonaghDirected by Michael Grandage★★★★ Pros: Visually stunning, unabashedly hilarious, and flawlessly performed by an excellent cast including world-famous Daniel Radcliffe. Cons: Whether due to direction or flow of the script, some scenes dragged and lacked the same energy as…
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Tonight Is Your Answer, Theatre Royal Stratford East
Sarah Rutherford Directed by Dawn Reid ★★★★ Pros: A play about women, with an A-list cast, female director and author, that asks important questions about race. Cons: Perhaps the play could have gone further in certain areas, but more of…
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Surprise Theatre, Royal Court
Inua EllamsDirected by Thierry Lawson★★★★★ Pros: This is a wonderful piece of theatre from an incredibly talented writer/performer. Not knowing what you are seeing until the curtain goes up ensures you appreciate it without preconceptions. Cons: None really, although the…
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Hear a Pin Drop Here, Battersea Arts Centre
Holly Rumble★★★★ Pros: An interesting topic is used to explore the sights and sounds of London living. Cons: Only a small cog in the wheel of a much larger project. Our Verdict: A lovely project that has taken a very…
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Adventure/Misadventure, Ovalhouse
Written and directed by Nick Field ★★ Pros: Poetic writing, memorable original music and the theatre even lay on sushi and saki. Cons: The performance lacks polish; aspects of the show felt gimmicky and I felt the play’s message to…
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Happy New, Trafalgar Studios
Brendan Cowell Directed by Robert Shaw ★★★ Pros: This play has it all: comedy, drama, ups and downs. It will have you laughing at one moment and in tears the next. It is impossible to be bored. Cons: It takes…