A brilliantly imagined meeting of literary titans

Having only lasted two weeks on Broadway in 2002 Amour has finally moved across the pond to try its luck closer to its French setting, with its London debut at the Charing Cross Theatre. Its hard to work out who to attribute blame to in this stoney production, but with moments of brightness it isn’t a completely wasted evening. Following bank clerk Dusoleil (Gary Tushaw), whose lonely existence is transformed by the ability to walk through walls, the story is ...

Pros: The topic is relevant for a diverse audience. Cons: The venue might have been better suited to the intimate nature of this play. Old age is a scary beast. Scary for those who approach it – as it carries uncertainty – and scary for those who watch it from a distance, because it’s hard to understand. So is Birdie (Su Pollard) scary, because nobody wants to get close to her. They prefer to observe her from a distance, like ...

Songs packed with humour and pathos make the difference in an otherwise routine treatment of a mainly true story.

Sondheim aficionados will love this collection of rarely used pieces that all have the classic hallmark style of their celebrated creator.