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

Pros: Whilst Elizabeth Chan and Timothy Knightley head the cast, Amy Molloy’s portrayal of Minnie Vautrin, a missionary in Nanking, is a show stealer. Cons: Besides the bleakness of the topic, at times the show can be a little muddled and it’s hard to follow what writer Chistophen Chen is aiming for with some scenes. Into the Numbers is a brave play. It takes not one but two horrific events and ties them together, trying to comprehend both, whilst making it clear ...

An original fairy tale adaptation with a catchy musical score. Ideal for a family who want a West End experience without the big price tag.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest theatrical venture, the transforming of the St James Theatre in Victoria into The Other Palace, this year opened its doors with the gin-soaked jazz age musical The Wild Party. It featured a cast of 15, cavorting around an exuberant three-storey set that also housed the eight-piece orchestra. It was, by any standards, a spectacular production. Yet for all the spectacle, glamour and glitter, it was one of the dullest shows of the year. With tunes that you forget even while you’re ...

In late November I saw the world premiere of the contemporary opera Marnie at the London Coliseum. In addition to the dozen or so principals, I counted a chorus of 37 who appeared variously as office workers, funeral mourners and party guests. Plus 10 dancers who doubled as scene shifters, and four additional Marnie alter egos. That made an on-stage cast of over 60; add in the orchestra, the lighting engineers and the rest of the backstage crew, and it meant that well over 100 ...

Clare Annamalai picks her top shows of 2017.

Eva de Valk runs down the big theatre news of 2017.

Pros: The plot makes a good point about empathy and self-pity. Cons: Too many scene changes in the first half disrupt the flow of the play. Set in an unnamed British town, The Oppression Olympics shows the lives of some of its residents crossing paths as they compete to establish who is the most miserable among them. In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, all the characters eventually come together to show empathy, but, ultimately end up causing even more ...

A piece of immersive theatre where the audience is part of a surprise wedding party for a pair of unsuspecting newly-weds.

A fresh, funny and fantastic new comedy musical that shines amongst London’s theatre

A mind-bending, imagination-blowing adaptation of the cult classic TV series, laced with humour and hidden depths; Suitable even for sci-fi refuseniks.