Saturday, November 1, 2025

The Line of Beauty, Almeida Theatre review - the 80s revisited in theatrically ravishing form by Matt Wolf

Alan Hollinghurst novel is cunningly filleted, very finely acted Alan Hollinghurst's 2004 novel The Line of Beauty finds a distinct beauty all its own in this long-awaited Almeida Theatre …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 11:24AM
Thursday, October 30, 2025

Wendy & Peter Pan, Barbican Theatre review - mixed bag of panto and comic play, turned up to 11 by Helen Hawkins

The RSC adaptation is aimed at children, though all will thrill to its spectacle On paper, this RSC revival of Ella Hickson’s 2013 adaptation sounds just the ticket: a feminist spin on the…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 08:12PM
Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Hedda, Orange Tree Theatre review - a monument reimagined, perhaps even improved by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ HEDDA, ORANGE TREE THEATRE Plenty of liberties taken, but it sure pays off Scandinavian masterpiece transplanted into a London reeling from the ravages of war and the inexor…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 09:02AM
Monday, October 27, 2025

The Assembled Parties, Hampstead review - a rarity, a well-made play delivered straight by Helen Hawkins

Witty but poignant tribute to the strength of family ties as all around disintegrates There’s a line in the late Richard Greenberg’s 2013 play that refers to a recently elected showbiz t…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 03:36PM
Sunday, October 26, 2025

Mary Page Marlowe, Old Vic review - a starry portrait of a splintered life by Matt Wolf

Tracy Letts's Off Broadway play makes a shimmeringly powerful London debut I came late to the Old Vic's shimmering production of Mary Page Marlowe, Tracy Letts's Off Broadway play from 2018…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 05:54AM
Friday, October 24, 2025

The Unbelievers, Royal Court Theatre - grimly compelling, powerfully performed by Matt Wolf

Nick Payne's new play is amongst his best Change, we're often told, is the engine of drama: people end up somewhere markedly different from where they began. So the first thing to be said a…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 09:06AM
Thursday, October 23, 2025

Little Brother, Soho Theatre review – light, bright but emotionally true by Aleks.sierz

This Verity Bargate Award-winning dramedy is both entertaining as well as thought provoking Niall is unwell. Very unwell. Very, very. There’s a lot going on in his head. He can’t really…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 12:18PM
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

The Maids, Donmar Warehouse review - vibrant cast lost in a spectacular-looking fever dream by Helen Hawkins

Kip Williams revises Genet, with little gained in the update except eye-popping visuals Jean Genet’s 1947 play has been quite a clothes-horse over the years, at times a glamorous confectio…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 12:18PM
Thursday, October 16, 2025

Ragdoll, Jermyn Street Theatre review – compelling and emotionally truthful by Aleks.sierz

Katherine Moar returns with a Patty Hearst-inspired follow up to her debut hit Farm Hall Oh yes, I actually do remember Patty Hearst. She was the American publishing magnate William Randolp…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 10:54AM
Friday, October 10, 2025

Troilus and Cressida, Globe Theatre review - a 'problem play' with added problems by Gary Naylor

★ TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, GLOBE THEATRE Hard to understand and even harder to watch  Raucous and carnivalesque, but also ugly and incomprehensible The Globe’s authenticity is its USP, so…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 04:54PM
Thursday, October 9, 2025

Clarkston, Trafalgar Theatre review - two lads on a road to nowhere by Gary Naylor

★★ CLARKSTON, TRAFALGAR THEATRE Star casting puts pounds on prices but adds little to moribund play   Netflix star, Joe Locke, is the selling point of a production that needs one If …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 09:06PM
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Ghost Stories, Peacock Theatre review - spirited staging but short on scares by Gary Naylor

★★★ GHOST STORIES, PEACOCK THEATRE Resurrected horror show might be best left buried Impressive spectacle saves an ageing show in an unsuitable venue In the framing device, a profess…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 08:54PM
Saturday, October 4, 2025

Rohtko, Barbican review - postmodern meditation on fake and authentic art is less than the sum of its parts by Rachel Halliburton

Łukasz Twarkowski's production dazzles without illuminating It’s truly thrilling to see the Barbican embracing big concept long-form theatre again, seeking out productions that are as con…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:06AM
Friday, October 3, 2025

Hamlet, National Theatre review - turning tragedy to comedy is no joke by Demetrios Matheou

Hiran Abeyeskera’s childlike prince falls flat in a mixed production The National’s latest production of Hamlet opens with a bang: a sureness of style, atmosphere and refreshing comedic …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:12PM

Lee, Park Theatre review - Lee Krasner looks back on her life as an artist by Gary Naylor

★★★ LEE, PARK THEATRE Earnest treatment of a substantial artist lacks excitement  Informative and interesting, the play's format limits its potential Like fellow New Yorker, Lee Mill…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 02:54PM
Thursday, October 2, 2025

Measure for Measure, RSC, Stratford review - 'problem play' has no problem with relevance by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ MEASURE FOR MEASURE, RSC STRATFORD Crystal clear storytelling in a (surely) landmark production Shakespeare, in this adaptation, is at his most perceptive An opening video m…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 09:12PM

The Importance of Being Earnest, Noël Coward Theatre review - dazzling and delightful queer fest by Aleks.sierz

West End transfer of National Theatre hit extravaganza stars Stephen Fry and Olly Alexander Star casting has, since the pandemic, done much to restore the fortunes of commercial theatre. An…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 05:54AM
Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Get Down Tonight, Charing Cross Theatre review - glitz and hits from the 70s by Gary Naylor

★★★★ GET DOWN TONIGHT, CHARING CROSS THEATRE KC and the Sunshine State If you love the songs of KC and the Sunshine Band, Please Do Go! In a fair few bars around the world tonight, …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:54PM
Monday, September 29, 2025

Punch, Apollo Theatre review - powerful play about the strength of redemption by Rachel Halliburton

James Graham's play transfixes the audience at every stage For the first part of Punch it feels as if you’re riding a roller coaster, watching the world speed and loop past as you see it f…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 07:02AM
Saturday, September 27, 2025

The Billionaire Inside Your Head, Hampstead Theatre review - a map of a man with OCD by Helen Hawkins

Will Lord's promising debut burdens a fine cast with too much dialogue What would it be like to be driven by OCD urges into idolising Elon Musk and aspiring to be one of his tribe of tech b…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 02:18AM
Friday, September 26, 2025

Lacrima, Barbican review - riveting, lucid examination of the forces of globalisation through a dress by Rachel Halliburton

A visually virtuoso work with the feel of a gripping French TV drama So often the focus – in the coverage of a royal wedding – is the story of the woman wearing the bridal dress. While e…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 10:54AM
Thursday, September 25, 2025

50 First Dates: The Musical, The Other Palace review - romcom turned musical by Gary Naylor

★★★ 50 FIRST DATES: THE MUSICAL, THE OTHER PALACE Forgettable, but comforting Date movie about repeating dates inspires date musical About halfway through this world premiere, I re…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 08:42PM

Entertaining Mr Sloane, Young Vic review – funny, flawed but welcome nonetheless by Aleks.sierz

Lively star-led revival of Joe Orton’s 1964 debut is fun, but raises uncomfortable questions Playwright Joe Orton was a merry prankster. His main work — such as Loot (1965) and What the…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 01:02PM
Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Bacchae, National Theatre review - cheeky, uneven version of Euripides' tragedy by Heather Neill

Indhu Rubasingham's tenure gets off to a bold, comic start The word "after" can be elastic when a modern writer is inspired by a classic. Nima Taleghani here stretches it to breaking point, …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 09:36PM

The Harder They Come, Stratford East review - still packs a punch, half a century on by Gary Naylor

★★★★★ THE HARDER THEY COME, STRATFORD EAST Great story, songs and performances Natey Jones and Madeline Charlemagne lead a perfectly realised adaptation of the seminal movie The …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 10:36AM
Sunday, September 21, 2025

The Weir, Harold Pinter Theatre review - evasive fantasy, bleak truth and possible community by David Nice

Three outstanding performances in Conor McPherson’s atmospheric five-hander Why are the Irish such good storytellers? The historical perspective is that the oral tradition goes way, way ba…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 08:06AM
Friday, September 19, 2025

Dracula, Lyric Hammersmith review - hit-and-miss recasting of the familiar story as feminist diatribe by Helen Hawkins

Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's version puts Mina Harkness centre-stage If a classic story is going to be told for the umpteenth time, there is a good bet it will come with a novel spin on it. So it…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 03:42PM

The Lady from the Sea, Bridge Theatre review - flashes of brilliance by Matt Wolf

Simon Stone refashions Ibsen in his own high-octane image Like the lighting that crackles now and again to indicate an abrupt change of scene or mood, Simon Stone's version of The Lady from…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:54AM

The Code, Southwark Playhouse Elephant review - superbly cast, resonant play about the price of fame in Hollywood by Helen Hawkins

Tracie Bennett is outstanding as a ribald, riotous Tallulah Bankhead Hot on the heels of Goodnight, Oscar comes another fictional meeting of real entertainment giants in Los Angeles, this t…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:54AM
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Reunion, Kiln Theatre review - a stormy night in every sense by Gary Naylor

★★★ REUNION, KILN THEATRE New play brings a family's old enmities to the surface Beautifully acted, but desperately grim drama If you ever wanted to know what a mash up of Martin McD…

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 09:18PM

Romans: A Novel, Almeida Theatre review – a uniquely extraordinary work by Aleks.sierz

Alice Birch’s latest is a wildly epic family drama that is both mind-blowing and exasperating OMG! I mean OMG doubled!! This is amazing! Or is it? Can Alice Birch’s Romans: A Novel at …

SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 02:48PM

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