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 ...

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

The Last Five Years is an emotional and powerful musical, artistically depicting the ups and downs of a relationship, told from two perspectives.

An immensely likeable version of the Samuel Beckett classic with some real laugh out loud moments.

A fun pastiche of classic film noir mixed with a good whodunnit, but with a somewhat outdated plot.

A wonderful and emotional one man show which gives an insight into the unique father-son relationship behind one of Hollywood's finest leading men.

Small and perfectly formed: La Poule Plombée features top-notch music, comedy and storytelling.

Pros: A bright script, with some sparkling one liners and an excellent cast, led by the redoubtable Maureen Lipman. Cons: Although it pays tribute to the strength and stoicism of women, the story doesn’t really pick up the equality issues to which it frequently alludes. Before watching My Mother Said I Never Should, ever the history buff, I was drawn to the programme notes and a timeline entitled ‘100 years of progress’. Major developments in women’s rights were listed, from the ...

A perceptive study of family dynamics, delivering an important message about sibling rivalry and relationships in general.

A well-intentioned and professionally faultless production, invested with personal significance by the actor, but dramatically underwhelming.