BroadwayWorld.com • 29th February 2024

Review: CASTLE OF JOY, Barbican

In the dimly lit theatre, the audience is transported into the mysterious world of Castle of Joy a production by Det Ferösche Compagnie, a Faroese theatre company. Directed and written by the multi-talented Búi Dam, with Kristina Sørensen Ougaard leading the cast, this experience is as enigmatic as it is haunting.

Castle of Joy draws inspiration from the life and work of Pól Jóhannus Poulsen, also known as Joy, a figure born in 1925 in a small village in the Faroe Islands – an island off Denmar

BroadwayWorld.com • 29th February 2024

Review: A FAMILY BUSINESS, Omnibus Theatre

In a world shadowed by the persistent threat of nuclear war, A Family Business presented by China Plate and Staatstheater Mainz, delivers a poignant and immersive exploration of the human narrative behind the struggle for nuclear disarmament. Written and performed by the talented Chris Thorpe, under the deft direction of Claire O'Reilly, and developed with the creative input of Rachel Chavkin and Lekan Lawal, this production captivates from the moment you step into the theatre.

From the outset,

Theatre Weekly • 15th August 2023

Edinburgh Review: After The Act (A Section 28 Musical) at Traverse Theatre

We are taken back to 1986, where a legislative designation for a series of laws across Britain that prohibited the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities. It was called Section 28, the most hated legislation of all time introduced by Margaret Thatcher.

Performed at the New Diorama Theatre in London earlier this year; is a musical by Breach Theatre company. Live music is performed onstage at the back with electro music that transports us right back to the 80’s. Entwined with verbatim th

BroadwayWorld.com • 15th August 2023

EDINBURGH 2023: Review: VANYA IS ALIVE, @theSpace, Symposium Hall

is inspired by letters from the frontline of the Second World War written by Natalia Lizorkina and performed by Nikolai Mulakov; both from Russia and who are currently in exile due to their anti-war positions. This brave and momentous play gives us a glimpse into the life of people who breach the ‘code of silence’ in Russia.

Set in a blank, black draped studio performance venue at the Edinburgh Fringe with no set, props, costume or make up. This is a one hour, one-man show told by Mulakov who g

BroadwayWorld.com • 15th August 2023

EDINBURGH 2023: Review: #SINCE1994, Taiwan Season, Assembly Roxy

Led by all woman artists, Eye Catching Circus’ #Since1994 is not just a highly skilled display of circus acts but a message much deeper. What does It mean to be a woman and how does one navigate this in a modern society overflowing with expectation?

We are taken through the story of the various stages of a woman’s life in episodes. Told by four women and an androgynous man, the five explore emotions of desire, rage, jealousy and femininity using highly skilled acrobats and interactive performan

Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe • 14th August 2023

Mervyn Stutter's 'Pick of the Fringe'

Our team of arts professionals go out on to the Fringe to review shows, looking for the really good stuff to invite onto our 'Pick of the Fringe'. Those that are considered good enough are invited on to Mervyn's showcase but, with only 133 slots available during the run, not all the excellent shows we see get to perform for us. This year we are listing all the shows that our reviewers thought worthy of a recommendation, breaking them down into the 'HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED', and the 'EXCEPTIONA

BroadwayWorld.com • 8th August 2023

Review: FAMILY TREE, Brixton House

Stepping into the recently opened cultural beacon, Brixton House I was immediately inspired by the feeling of freshness, modernity and innovation the architecture and design had. It is welcoming, comfortable and clearly a unique space.

Family Tree, directed by Matthew Xia, is about Henrietta Lacks; a woman who made one of the greatest medical contributions after her cells were taken from a cervical-cancer biopsy. "HeLa" cells became the first immortal human cell line to reproduce infinitely in

BroadwayWorld.com • 8th August 2023

Review: BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH IAN McEWAN, Barbican Hall

In this special and one-off event led by the BBC Proms, author of Atonement and one of the finest writers of his generation, Ian McEwan collaborated with the BBC symphony Orchestra and read extracts from his own works with music curated around his readings and a special guest appearance from jazz singer Emma Smith.

We are taken on a journey through fiction and music where McEwan combines freedom and pleasure and an imagined world drifting through our senses by sound. He explores his most prolif

Theatre Weekly • 13th July 2023

Review: Cuckoo at Royal Court

Doreen and her two grown up daughters sit at the table squabbling over their lives and how to deal with her grand-daughter Megyn; the culprit of a social media crazed brainwash system that has got her so devastated about the climate crisis she has submerged herself into her room and hasn’t left for a month.

Michael Wynne’s is a living room drama examining a scouse mother-daughter-granddaughter-sister relationship and the generational impacts of their time. It is mixed with matters about the cli

Theatre Weekly • 29th June 2023

Review: Duck at Arcola Theatre

We all had those childish fantasies, when we are young, of what we wanted to be when we grew up. In written by maatin and playing at Arcola Theatre, we meet Ismail, a fifteen-year-old cricket fanatic desperate for the limelight and who is a charmer to everyone. Do we watch him reach the stars or see a dream shatter?

In this one hander and for a full 85 minutes, Ismail, acted with comedic ease by Omar Bynon, shares his story of a cricket career that wasn’t to be. The start of the play suggests a

Theatre Weekly • 14th April 2023

Review: Terrible Thames

On a cloudy and blustery Friday afternoon, I wrap up warm and head down to an unusual review request; a Horrible Histories boat and ! Eager to see what this experience would bring, I was not disappointed.

This is a 45-minute boat tour that sails from Tower Bridge Quay to Big Ben and back again. Heaped in with numerous tales, music, sound effects and riotously silly jokes! Brought to us by award-winning theatre producers the Birmingham Stage Company and Wood’s Silver Fleet. This entertainment is

Theatre Weekly • 6th March 2023

https://theatreweekly.com/review-terrible-thames/

We walk out of this dark comic thriller with the line; ‘the public will always be interested in those who betray;’ which speaks truth of why this tale could be of audience interest. As the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement approaches this is a timely tale. relevantly prompts us toward Northern Ireland’s stormy history and tells us a story about the people who deceived it. Ultimately this is a dedication to the troubles and Playwright Tim Edge’s grasp of affection toward the people in

BroadwayWorld.com • 11th January 2023

Review: THE MANNY, Kings Head Theatre

Masculinity, vulnerability and meaning are neatly entwined in this world premiere production of Sam Mcardle's show, which brings to mind 'When you durst feel it, then you were a man,'. We ask ourselves the question; should men finally have feelings?

If that sounds at all preachy, well yes it could be but writer and charismatic, sentimental performer Sam Mcardle's quick-witted dialogue and humble approach manages to bring us into the lens of Manny, a male nanny. He gently meanders his way throug

BroadwayWorld.com • 16th December 2022

Review: NICE JEWISH BOY, Hope Theatre

Anthony Sher, the British actor, writer and theatre director of Jewish, South African origin exclaimed ' You constantly have to question who you are, what you are and whether you have the courage to be who you are' which collectively nourishes the essence of this play.

Produced by Springbok production house, director Jake Samson meanders through this riotous, soul-searching tale of Josh (Josh Maughan) the pleasant and affable boy that hasn't put a foot wrong. As the play unravels he bears his m

BroadwayWorld.com • 28th November 2022

Review: CINDERELLA, Theatre Royal Stratford East

Musician and lyricist Robert Hyman dedicated this adaptation of the classic tale, Cinderella, to the late and much-admired performer, Jo Melville. She once said, "there's nothing like this, that sheer euphoria that theatre, that panto can give" and yes, hats off to that.

Director Eva Sampson flips the classic tale of a girl's rags to riches by adding the magic of Cleopatra's ancient Egypt. The evil stepmother, Gigi Zahir is the new and improved, sassed-up Cleopatra. Alex Wadham is a riotously f

Theatre Weekly • 23rd November 2022

Review: We Were Promised Honey! at Soho Theatre

Transferred from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with multiple praise, Sam Ward’s play hits London with this interactive hour-long monologue that questions the choices we make and provokes philosophical thoughts. If you are a dreamer, settle in.

Performer and writer, Sam Ward’s unfamiliar composition oscillates from story-telling to audience interaction. Both in tandem with each other ultimately revealing the same truth; our uncertain future. The story tells the account of a baggage handler, Richa

4th November 2022

Mervyn Stutter's 'Pick of the Fringe'

Our team of arts professionals go out on to the Fringe to review shows, looking for the really good stuff to invite onto the 'Pick of the Fringe'. Those that are considered good enough are invited on to Mervyn's showcase but, with only 140 slots available during the run, not all the excellent shows we see get to perform for us. This year we are listing all the shows that our reviewers gave four and five star reviews so you know all the shows we recommend.

Theatre Weekly • 3rd November 2022

Review: Yaga at The Drayton Arms Theatre

Since 2017, UK based Little Lion Theatre company have been bringing top quality Canadian writing to International audiences. , this Slavic myth is written by the award-winning playwright Kat Sandler and is her seventeenth play.

Baba Yaga; the iconic witch known as the elderly woman living alone in the woods and torturing the cruel. After the disappearance of a young man; a detective finds themselves on the search for where he is. We are then driven through the interrogation of numerous people w

Theatre Weekly • 3rd November 2022

Review: Yaga at The Drayton Arms Theatre

Since 2017, UK based Little Lion Theatre company have been bringing top quality Canadian writing to International audiences. , this Slavic myth is written by the award-winning playwright Kat Sandler and is her seventeenth play.

Baba Yaga; the iconic witch known as the elderly woman living alone in the woods and torturing the cruel. After the disappearance of a young man; a detective finds themselves on the search for where he is. We are then driven through the interrogation of numerous people w

Everything Theatre • 21st October 2022

Review: Branded, Bloomsbury Theatre

Review: Branded, Bloomsbury Theatre Directed by Jesse Roberts, Branded is a one-woman show about Nina, a social media influencer with a staple as a feminist. The show asks how far someone will go to advertise an idealised image of themselves, even at the expense of their own true self. Through themes of social media, feminism, cancel culture, shame, guilt and intervention we are led through a bouncy and brave account of Nina’s life. Social media is definitely the zeitgeist of this era, so to see

Everything Theatre • 7th October 2022

Review: Dmitry, Marylebone Theatre

Review: Dmitry, Marylebone Theatre Critically acclaimed writer, Peter Oswald has a name for thinking big. He definitely fulfils his legacy with Dmitry, an adaptation of the notorious Friedrich Schiller play Demetrius, which was left unfinished after the playwright’s death in 1805. This is Oswald’s attempt at bringing it back to life. His latest production plays at the impressively designed new Marylebone Theatre, located at the Rudolf Steiner House. Inspired by true events of the early 17th Cent

Everything Theatre • 3rd October 2022

Review: Growing Pains, The Hope Theatre

Review: Growing Pains, The Hope Theatre Growing pains takes us through the life of Kitty as she navigates the world, from young childhood to University. Mixed with her relationships to her past, we see a heartfelt and likeable character’s journey unfold. From the very start, it’s as if we are sitting in a room with Kitty. Played energetically by the captivating and skilful Stephanie Manton, we soon learn of about her worries and her interests, all via her magnetic imagination. Writer and directo

Everything Theatre • 7th August 2022

Review: Brown Boys Swim, EdFringe 2022

Review: Brown Boys Swim, EdFringe 2022 Pleasance Dome The North Wall’s production Brown Boys Swim is set in Oxford, where best friends Kash (Varun Raj) and Mohsen (Anish Roy) have been invited to a party hosted by the cool girl of the school, Jess Denver. However, it being a pool party the two have realised they have an issue, as neither can swim. Director John Hoggarth then takes us on their journey to learn how, inbetween chats in the changing room, cold showers and leaping into the water. We

Everything Theatre • 5th August 2022

Review: Afghanistan Is Not Funny, EdFringe 2022

Review: Afghanistan Is Not Funny, EdFringe 2022 Gilded Balloon Teviot Afghanistan Is Not Funny is an extraordinary tale about Henry Naylor’s 2002 trip to Afghanistan, alongside his friend and war photographer friend Sam Maynard. The trip was to see post war Kabul and research a satire he went on to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe at the time. This new show takes us further into the trip, consisting of Naylor, alone on stage for 60 minutes, with a backdrop of journalistic photography and a captiv