London theatre reviews, previews and news
MC Admiral Crawley raps on the dangers and pleasures of manatees. However you spent your Valentine’s Day, we do hope you enjoyed it. If you happened to spend part of it in the theatre under St. Bride’s, you shared the company of seamen and shadow …
Transition Opera have got a winning combo just in time for Valentine’s Day: Venus and Adonis, a snappy, jaunty modern dress opera that is emotionally satisfying too, in the gloriously battered and atmospheric Wilton’s Music Hall. The 1683 opera is about Venus falling in love …
Take your chances queuing for a seat for Measure for Measure at the Rose Theatre. The Rose, I hear you say? Yes. Forget the Globe, the remains of the Rose live opposite the Globe’s original Shakespearean site on Park Street, set back from today’s Southbank. …
Three Days of Rain stars Lyndsey Marshal, Nigel Harman and James McAvoy When Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain first played in London 10 years ago, it boasted a scrumptious-sounding cast of Colin Firth, Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey. Now it’s back, with Lyndsey Marshal …
Image of the Orange Tree Theatre courtesy of Jim Linwood under a Creative Commons licence Are you under 26? Broke? Up for a bit of culture? You could be in luck. The Arts Council is launching a scheme to give away theatre tickets to people …
Amanda Hale (Cordelia) and Pete Postlethwaite (Lear). Photo by Stephen Vaughan Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite plays Lear under hot young director Rupert Goold (his Macbeth won awards, you know) as part of Liverpool08: how exciting? Imagine the swell of anticipation on learning they’re bringing the whole …
Douglas Hodge as drag queen Albin in La Cage Aux Folles Zorro, La Cage Aux Folles and lots of Shakespeare productions are on this year’s shortlist for theatreland’s Laurence Olivier Awards. Fantastic, feelgood campfest La Cage Aux Folles is a clear frontrunner, despite the oversized …
At its official world première after two years in gestation, Brazilian-British collaboration Hotel Medea is about as far as one can get from an ordinary night at the theatre. The performance by Zecora Ura and the Urban Dolls Project announces itself with an unapologetic challenge: …
Complicit plays at the Old Vic until 21 Feb Last night finally saw the delayed opening of the World Premier of Complicit at the Old Vic; a new play by Joe Sutton, directed by Kevin Spacey himself. Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, Ben Kritzer (Richard Dreyfuss), has …
Image courtesy of gia_s under a Creative Commons licence Political theatre is nothing new (think of Stuff Happens, My Name Is Rachel Corrie, Gethsemane, Playing With Fire) but it usually takes so long to get political commentary to the stage that some of the impact …
The West End had a record year in 2008. 13.8m people parked their bums, according to the Society of London Theatre’s figures, an audience increase of 1%. We’re plumping more for musicals rather than plays and old, established favourites at that. We Will Rock You, …
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