Friday, January 12, 2024
Southwark Playhouse Elephant, LondonThe Divine-inspired villain of The Little Mermaid and her rag-tag band of gay sea creatures reclaim their narrative in a boundlessly energetic, beautifull…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AMMonday, December 4, 2023
With 10 shows on and 1m tickets sold, Evolution are panto gods. But how do you work a giant? What will 50kg of glitter cover? And why did a bench almost cause a riot?
The giant takes a lumb…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AMSunday, December 3, 2023
Finborough theatre, LondonA mix of sweet observations about female friendship and cheeky brazenness about sex, Kat Rose-Martin’s play finds two young women at a crossroads in their lives
I…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42PMBush theatre, LondonKwame Owusu’s language dances on the tongue of athletic performer Tienne Simon in this monologue about a young, sci-fi-loving gay man’s struggles to fit in and find l…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:03AMFriday, November 10, 2023
Royal Court theatre, LondonA trust-fund kid losing his family castle to an oligarch provides enough satire for some strong performances, but the concept is overstretched
Rory Mullarkey’s e…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:36AMWednesday, November 1, 2023
Camden People’s theatre, LondonDressed as the creature, Hester Stefan Chillingworth live-dubs the 1931 movie and reframes the narrative
The 1931 movie Frankenstein plays silently on the ba…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AMWednesday, October 18, 2023
Almeida theatre, LondonMarina Carr’s play is beautifully bleak and Alison Oliver’s central performance as a woman lost in grief is matched by a mighty cast
The preoccupation with death i…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:07AMTuesday, October 17, 2023
Electrifying shows at Glasgow’s international festival include Brazilian artist Carolina Bianchi putting her body on the line to highlight violence against women
A teenager in a balaclava …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:13AMSunday, October 8, 2023
Rose theatre, KingstonA demanding director drives his cast into discomforting areas in this clever play critiquing the patriarchal power structures of the movie business
The clench of a gun…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:07AMThursday, September 21, 2023
Kiln theatre, LondonIra Mandela Siobhan plays a pachyderm in Lynn Nottage’s indictment of the ivory trade, leaving traces on those who murdered him and sold his tusks
The gargantuan tusks …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:25PMSaturday, September 9, 2023
From the magician who stops his show to serve at the bar to the actor who drives entire plays around in his car, for these theatre-lovers small really is beautiful
When a producer rings up a…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:43AMTuesday, August 22, 2023
Coming-out tales, ventriloquism, a musical set in a public loo and glamorous late-night cabaret are among the festival’s uplifting LGBTQ+ shows
No one ever pays attention when you’re han…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:13PMSunday, August 20, 2023
Growing out of the Lionesses’ success, the Edinburgh fringe play Pitch uses interviews gathered from LGBTQ+ grassroots football teams across the country
With muddy knees and soggy feet, we…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:13AMSaturday, August 19, 2023
Summerhall, EdinburghThe conceit that nothing we do can distract from our existential crisis falls flat amid an awkward set of audience participations in this solo show
It doesn’t bode wel…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:43AMThursday, August 17, 2023
Summerhall, EdinburghGig-theatre blends beguiling music with warm storytelling to retell the story of Phaeton’s theft from the sun god
In an airless basement room, Wright and Grainger weav…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:49PMZoo Southside, EdinburghBelgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed create a sombre, dreamlike atmosphere in this piece about funeral rites and mourning
We queue up to give the names of our dead…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:49AMWednesday, August 16, 2023
Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghUsing verbatim interviews, Ell Potter and Mary Higgins turn their attention to how relationships end – including their own
The boldest, bravest and strang…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:07AMMonday, August 14, 2023
Magic and mentalism abounds at this year’s festival. But how are the tricks done? Some of the best performers remain tightlipped – while others reveal all
“That feeling you have right …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:55AMThursday, August 10, 2023
Lyttelton theatre, LondonA love affair between participants in a drug trial is staged by Jamie Lloyd with a stellar cast including Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell
Senses are sharpened in Ja…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AMTuesday, August 8, 2023
In her Edinburgh festival show, LA comic and clown Courtney Pauroso plays a latex-clad humanoid pleasure device. But are fringegoers ready to restart her?
The last time I saw Courtney Pauros…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:19PMMonday, July 3, 2023
From kicking out the teeth of a dead cow onstage to popularising the prefix Mx, the performer has blazed a trail. Now 60, Bond talks about channeling rage into comedy – and nonconformity i…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:19AMFriday, June 30, 2023
Kay Dick’s novel They was almost forgotten – but its dark predictions are eerily prescient. Perfect fodder for Peake and her new company to bring to life in Manchester
In the dead of nig…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:19AMFriday, June 9, 2023
Kiln theatre, LondonTender portrait of a woman caring for her love – joy and affection seep through performances that ache with the tragedy of seeing your partner slip away
Es and Flo danc…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:25AMFriday, June 2, 2023
From Cabaret to Streetcar, the West End’s hottest director has a reputation for finding leads who put bums on seats. ‘I just go on my gut,’ she says
How do you tell a story to an audie…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AMMonday, May 29, 2023
In the run-up to the festival, our writers will choose new productions that have caught their eye – but here’s a selection of those we’ve already reviewed
Richard Marsh has clearly see…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24AMTuesday, May 23, 2023
Shakespeare’s Globe, LondonThis bright, bold show tries to balance humour and darkness but tends to land on the silly side of things
Michelle Terry’s Puck is an agent of chaos. She slink…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AMMonday, May 8, 2023
Theatre Royal BrightonSearing collection of diary excerpts, brought to life by prominent queer voices, recalls the devastation of Aids with fury and frankness
A mesmeric reckoning with the d…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:32AMWednesday, May 3, 2023
Southwark Playhouse, LondonMaltese duo use firsthand interviews – and warm humour – to highlight the lack of reproductive rights on the island
When Marta Vella says “I love Malta” th…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:42AMSunday, April 30, 2023
Soho theatre, LondonThis debut from disability-led theatre company FlawBored is not afraid to make us squirm as it skewers virtue signalling and corporate buzzwords
What starts as an audio-d…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:32AMThursday, April 20, 2023
Royal Court theatre, LondonTatenda Shamiso sings delighted duets with the person he once was and considers the logistical hurdles he has jumped to access treatment
Warmly lit on a cluttered …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:36AMFriday, April 14, 2023
Donmar Warehouse, LondonStephen Mangan and Rachael Stirling bare their teeth in a show that dials up the violence and sometimes struggles to navigate the humour
Love is a tempestuous, abusiv…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:12AM 
