4 Star Shows

The Girls of Slender Means

The delightful wit with its dark undertow of Murial Spark’s The Girls of Slender Means is caught brilliantly in this adaptation by Gabriel Quigley, directed by Roxana Silbert.

James V: Katherine

A brilliant gem, witty, gallus (cheeky) James V: KATHERINE by Rona Munro (a Raw Material and Capital Theatres Production) pulls no punches.

Community Service

Review
★★★★
Richard Beck
UK Regional & Tours
Multiple Venues
16th Apr, 2024

Stan’s Cafe Theatre, Birmingham, is rooted in the community, so it’s no surprise that they have taken the local story of Trevor Prince, a gospel guitarist and one of the first bl…

Besa

What an extraordinary and charming play this is, courtesy of De Insomniis Theatre.

Iain Stirling - Relevant

Iain Stirling's Relevant is undeniable proof of not only of his talent as a comedian and ability to entertain across generations, but also the level of his comedic reflexes, in…

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

A hopelessly romantic modern musical that'll leave you beaming throughout, Two Strangers is all you could want from a feel-good evening of musical theatre.

Underdog: The Other Other Brontë

In the same way that, for many, Destiny’s Child is Beyonce, the Brontë Sisters is (are?) Charlotte (Jane Eyre).

The Dream of A Ridiculous Man

An one-man adaptation of the Fyodor Dostoevsky short story of the same name, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man comes to the Marylebone Theatre stage with all the pertinent of its day: …

Duke Bluebeard's Castle

Duke Bluebeard’s Castle is a one-act Hungarian opera saturated in symbolism.

Blue Beard

Emma Rice is a genius - we know this from her stage adaptations of classic texts - but when it comes to a wholly original play written by Rice herself, how does she fare?The play i…

Rika’s Rooms

Rika’s Rooms is the second in the series of four works that form the Playground Theatre’s season of plays by Gail Louw and features Emma Wilkinson Wright in the eponymous solo …

Marx in London

Unlike Marx's great work Capital, the one thing you cannot describe this boisterous comic Opera as, is boring.

The Duchess of Malfi

Director Rachel Bagshaw has created a vibrant and vivid production of John Webster’s tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi, at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre that revels in the candlelight se…

On Before Carlos Acosta

For charisma, no other male dancer can beat Carlos Acosta, one of the greatest classical dancers of our times, still spell-binding at fifty.

Hadestown

It’s taken a hell of a time to get here, but finally, Hell has arrived in London’s West End.

Two Sisters

We live in turbulent and deranged times.

King Lear

Danny Sapani (Misfits, Killing Eve, Black Panther, the National Theatre’s Medea) is King Lear in this intricate, striking production directed by Yaël Farber.

When You Pass Over My Tomb

You know you’re in for a wild night at the Arcola Theatre when one of the content warnings is ‘Mentions of necrophilia’.

The Gentleman of Shalott

Set in a secluded tower, this play is a queer adaptation of Alfred Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott, a poem detailing the life of said Lady, who is locked away, spending her days w…

Ingoldsby Legends

There is something gorgeously comforting about a show that within five minutes of beginning you know you can relax and enjoy, because even the things that are ad libbed and unscrip…

Ķīn

Has the National Theatre put the Lyttelton on Airbnb? In October, we had the city-break-length two-week run of Alexander Zeldin’s The Confessions (quite long enough, in my opinio…

9 to 5 The Musical

Before the titular, double-Grammy-awarded opening number begins, we are exposed to a soundscape of cheesy 80s commercials for domestic products that serve to highlight some of the …

Jekyll and Hyde

Is there anyone who hasn’t seen at least one version of this story, a version filled with gore, elaborate story lines and ostentatious special effects? This production of Jekyll …

Cinders!

Is Cinders a male or a female? Audiences won’t know until the curtain rises on a particular night.

SPY MOVIE: The Play!

The protagonist of Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey’s new comedy farce almost says,“The name’s Blonde, Jane Blonde”.

Infinite Life

The human brain doesn’t allow us to remember pain.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Mischief Theatre is back again with Peter Pan Goes Wrong, an effortlessly hilarious show where magic and mayhem coexist.

Sunshine on Leith

At first blush, it may seem a strange choice for a festive show but this latest incarnation is bang on the money.

And Then There Were None

Agatha Christie called And Then There Were None the most difficult to write book of her career, but staging her play comes with challenges of its own.

The Witches

A fatal car crash, generational genocide, and child mortality.

The Barber of Seville

As comedy vehicles go, this is a Rolls Royce.

Passing

Thought provoking, touching and incredibly true-to-life, Dan Sareen’s Passing provides thoughtful insight into the cultural conflicts that can come with the biracial experience.

Aladdin

After great success in London’s West End, Aladdin heads on a UK tour, enthralling all that come with tale of the street rat-turned-prince as charms the princess.

The Loaf

Head to the Bridge House Theatre, Penge for an evening of delightful storytelling and charming performances in Alan Booty's two-hander, The Loaf.

The Kaspar Hauser Experiment

Winston Churchill’s famous expression, “It’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…” could accurately be applied to the subject of The Kaspar Hauser Experiment a…

The Gods Are All Here

Review
★★★★
Tom Shortland
UK Regional & Tours
Multiple Venues
1st Nov, 2023

Touring the UK in Black History Month and into November is Philip Okwedy’s The Gods Are All Here, a one-man show about the performer's distant relationship with his parents a…

Dracula: Mina's Reckoning

What would you do if you were offered god-like powers? That's the final dilemma faced by Mina in this adaptation of the Dracula story by Morna Pearson.

fell

The current transformation of the postage stamp stage of Barons Court Theatre, located in the cellar vaults of The Curtains Up pub, has been wrought by Designer Jane Linz Roberts, …

The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria

The play’s excessively long title has a folktale ring to it and with only limited knowledge of Balkan history sounds like a work of comic fantasy.

Lessons on Revolution

Billed as ‘documentary theatre’ Lessons on Revolution at the Hope Theatre is a fascinating excursion into performance and the creative process that challenges the traditional i…

The Red Lion

Religious fervour and football fanaticism have much in common, so it seems entirely appropriate that Patrick Marber’s changing-room drama, The Red Lion should open to the sound o…

Mathew Bourne's Romeo + Juliet

Rape, homophobic bullying, knife crime and murder in a mental health/correctional institute, Mathew Bourne’s Romeo+Juliet is probably the most shocking and bold of his re-imaginin…

Mess Maker

We’re all familiar with mess in one form or another, but for most of us dealing with it is probably not an all-consuming activity in the way that it is for writer and performer Jen…

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

The contribution of Stephen Sondheim to musical theatre was commemorated in a one-off tribute show last year, following his death in 2021.

Strategic Love Play

Strategic Love Play offers a tragic and often hilarious mirror to the fears and hopes of the vast majority of us who harbour a fear of dying alone.

Dead Dad Dog and Sunny Boy

It was a low turnout at the intimate Finborough Theatre for John McKay’s Dead Dad Dog, but we were all clearly in the mood for a fun night out.

An Afternoon with Anton Du Beke and Friends

An Afternoon with Anton Du Beke and Friends, and what an afternoon; Du Beke gives a hilarious and dazzling show filled with humour, dance and song.

Harriet Dyer: Mother

Review
★★★★
Laura Tucker
Edinburgh Fringe
Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Hive) / Monkey Barrel Comedy (The Tron)
24th Aug, 2023

Keeping stand-up weird since 2013, Harriet Dyer is everything I love about the Fringe.

Life is a Dream

There’s a great, restless energy in Director Declan Donnellan’s production of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s seventeenth century Spanish classic Life is a Dream.

Bluebeard's Castle

Director Daisy Evans draws the audience not only into the dark corridors of a mysterious castle in her revival of the Bela Bartok opera Bluebeard’s Castle.

Beyond Boundaries

Three distinct dance acts bring the unexpected to the stage for Beyond Boundaries, a show billed as a time-travelling showcase of Scottish hip-hop dance.

Irrepressible

Gillian Lacey-Solymar, Carrie Penn and Toby Huelin’s Irrepressible, whilst a compelling story seems to rehash old messages without leaving us with a sense that we should do somet…

The Sorcerer

St Andrews University’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society is in sparkling form with their presentation of this little known show.

The TUNEabomber

Another in the seemingly endless flow of musicals about unlikely subjects that prove successful.

Pippin (2013 Broadway Revival Musical)

An exceptionally enthusiastic and talented youth theatre put on a revival of the 2013 version of Pippin.

Tandava

Tandava – the cosmic dance of Shiva – symbolising time; existence; non-existence and so much more.

Julius Caesar Must Die

Julius Caesar Must Die is a little misleading, as initially it appears to be an absurdist original dramatisation of the assassination of Julius Caesar.

how to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit musical 'cats'

How to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit musical ‘cats’ is as bonkers as it sounds, whilst still adding to the philosophical debate on how to live a good lif…

Magical AF!

Review
★★★★
Frodo Allan
Edinburgh Fringe
PBH’s Free Fringe @ Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse
24th Aug, 2023

Sam Hurst leaps onto the stage in a black sequin suit and skull-covered tie ensemble that screams “entertainer”.

Do Rhinos Feel Their Horns or Can They Not See Them Like How We Can't See Our Noses

Do Rhinos Feel Their Horns or Can They Not See Them Like How We Can't See Our Noses may be in the running for the Fringe’s wackiest title and the show itself is an equally pl…

Shakesperimental

Edinburgh University’s Shakespeare Company present the chilling tale of Hekabe, a reimagined translation of Euripides’ original Greek tragedy.

The Night of the Musicals

The Night of the Musicals is a dazzlingly fun, exceptionally energetic hour of musical entertainment.

Wet

When you think of cabaret you might think of bawdy strip teases, caricatures of femininity, and lewd jokes.

Bird

Relating the most horrible experience a woman can go through portrayed in the most beautiful form, Amina Khayyam Dance Company return to the Fringe with a stage version sequel to t…

SKETCHES/GLISK

This double bill is a treat of depth of talent performing across a huge range of scope – all compressed within a single hour.

AFTER ALL

Don’t be put off by the topic - this dance show about death is far from gloomy.

Dimanche

In an era where anthropogenic climate change is not only an abstract global concern, but also becoming a lived reality for countless people, the joint production of Belgian puppetr…

The Stall

The Stall by Jack Twelvetree is an abstract show that uses a childhood memory of flying as an extended metaphor to explore grief, loss, regret and mental health.

Atalanta

Expecting a retelling of the Greek myth, the office set is initially a little confusing.

Dazzling

Dazzling is a one-woman show following Alix, a quirky twenty-something living through the obligatory suffering which comes with discovering oneself, especially in the shadow of her…

2020 The Musical

2020 the musical follows main characters Emily Goodhand and Adam Pictor, two musical theatre performers who have faced a lot of rejection, finally get their big break in a show tha…

A Chorus Line

A Chorus Line - and what a chorus line! I was wowed by this performance of A Chorus Line presented by the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group.

Lies All The Way Down: A New Chamber Musical

This completely original chamber musical by Shaye Poulton Richards is a darkly charming piece of new writing.

Rhys James: Spilt Milk

No use crying over spilt milk is a very commonly used proverb, and its familiarity and any possible connection to it is at the forefront of our minds as we watch this show.

What If They Ate The Baby?

There’s something really unsettling about 1950s suburbia, and What If They Ate The Baby? really taps into that feeling as it plunges deeply into the aesthetic of a stereotypical …

Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship

This show is light-speed FAST.

Watch List

If you’ve been handed a flyer for Watch List in the street, you might expect what’s written on it –a show about an insecure police officer on a journey to clean up the street…

Nicole Travolta is Doing Alright

Nicole Travolta is Doing Alright is Travolta’s debut show that tells the story of her crippling shopping addiction and how she manages to abscond a steadily increasing mountain o…

Attachment: The Leech Show

The premise of Attachment: The Leech Show is very simple: it’s a play devised and performed for the sole benefit of impressing a single specific audience member; a prominent thea…

Locusts

We begin, as most trauma does, in the distant past.

Les Millénniables

A classic story for a modern age, Les Millénniables is a self-aware and uniting musical, because it satirizes the generational divide, and understands its own ridiculous nature.

Shoot From The Hip

The improvisational sketch group Shoot From The Hip bring their spontaneous hour of games and tomfoolery to the Fringe this year.

The Town Cryer

Brooke Finegold is masterful in her hour of live poetry, spoken word and stand up comedy.

Crash and Burn

Examining the clashing forces on climate change, from eco-activists to oil barons and airheaded celebrities trying to make a change, Crash and Burn not only delivers on a very funn…

Darren McGarvey’s Common People

On a sunny afternoon in the mid-90s, a young ginger-haired boy is making his way across town to reach his psychologist appointment.

The Devil's Passion

I thought I knew what to expect from The Devil’s Passion.

Paul Black: Nostalgia

Social media star Paul Black returns to the Fringe this year with his new stand-up show, Nostalgia, a look back into his childhood as a gay wee boy growing up in Glasgow as the son…

I Heart Musicals

The best way to express what this show represents, is to say it is like a classic cabaret crossed with a night with Mr Rogers.

As Far As Impossible

The show is derived from interviews with humanitarian aid workers about the Impossible.

Paul Merton's Impro Chums

Paul Merton’s infamous Impro Chums return to the Fringe after a four year hiatus and is warmly welcomed by the Pleasance Grand’s 750 seat capacity bursting at the seams.

Siblings and Family Friends

These girls are batshit crazy and I love it.

A Shark Ate My Penis: A History of Boys Like Me

It’s hard to imagine that any show called, in full, A Shark Ate My Penis: A History of Boys Like Me could be weirder or more fun than it sounds.

Spring Awakening

The 2006 musical Spring Awakening, based on the book of the same name, tells the story of teenagers at a strict religious school in late 19th century Germany, struggling as they di…

Death by Shakespeare

Hurly Burly’s Death by Shakespeare is a stylised ode to Shakespeare, that lifts and showcases his best-known characters in a tumultuous yet entrancing way.

A Trilogy: box.

How do you summarise a whole life? Is it in the knick knacks and curios we collect? Do the objects we surround ourselves with truly represent who we are inside? And even if you lov…

14-18 Cyrano de Bergerac

Students from Westcliff High School for Boys, Essex, have arrived in Edinburgh with 14-18 Cyrano de Bergerac, an exciting re-imagining of Edmund Rostand’s 1897 classic tale writt…

Reclaim

This circus, dance and music show accepts no boundaries.

David McIver: Small Boy Trapped in a Wellness Retreat

It is genuinely difficult to keep track of all the wellness tips that you’re supposed to follow to have a healthy body and mind.

Edges

The students of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s MA Musical Theatre programme are a staple at the Fringe, and they never let us down!Edges, a song cycle written by Benj Pasek an…

Patrick Spicer: Yes Haha What

The room in the Brewdog Doghouse that Patrick Spicer occupies brings with it an air of informality that helps to set the tone for Spicer’s Yes Haha What.

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