West End shows and London theatre reviews from the UK newspaper The Telegraph.
Here’s a selection of reviews of London shows from the theatre and arts critics at The Telegraph newspaper.
The chief theatre critic at The Telegraph is Dominic Cavendish. Also Claire Allfree writes reviews for the Telegraph.
See below for a full run-down of star ratings and theatre opinions about West End shows in London from The Telegraph.
The Good Person of Szechwan at the Sheffield Theatres & Lyric Hammersmith (2023)
★★★
"Timely Brecht revival with cartoonish characters but moreish designs (Crucible, Sheffield)" "The characters are too broadly drawn in this 80th-anniversary…
Marjorie Prime at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2023)
★★★
"A fascinating AI fable that could do with an upgrade" "This revival of Jordan Harrison's unnerving Pulitzer-shortlisted drama is welcome,…
Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre (2023)
★★★★★
"A theatrical extravaganza that explodes every which way" "Nick Hytner's new promenade staging of this much-loved classic fizzes with energy…
A Doll's House at the Hudson Theatre, New York (2023)
★★★★
"Jessica Chastain shines in this bold Broadway take on Ibsen" "Nothing in the Oscar-winner’s incisive and immediate performance registers as…
The Great British Bake Off Musical at the Noel Coward Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A sugary soufflé that rises nicely" "This slick, colourful musical adaptation of the all-conquering TV contest has an irresistibly sure…
The Merchant of Venice 1936 at the Watford Palace (2023)
★★★
"This East End Merchant of Venice is potent – but it could be peerless" "Tracy-Ann Oberman makes history as the…
Sleepova at the Bush Theatre (2023)
★★★
"More snap and pace, and this endearing ode to black womanhood could really fly" "Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini’s latest explores unusual…
Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York's Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Sheridan Smith is a retro triumph as Shirley Valentine" "The charismatic actress might be the perfect casting in Willy Russell’s…
Oklahoma! at the Wyndham's Theatre (2023)
★★★★★
"Oklahoma!: an absolute knockout? Yes siree, I stand by that" "The antithesis of the National’s much-loved revival a generation ago,…
Song From Far Away at the HOME Manchester (2023)
★★★
"Will Young’s long, wry goodbye is a heartbreaker" "The pop star's personal loss gives his brave performance in Simon Stephens’s…
The Winter's Tale at the Shakespeare's Globe (2023)
★★★★★
"Shakespeare’s ‘problem’ play? Not in this stupendous staging" "Deploying both the Globe's main stage and its Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, this…
Grenfell: System Failure at the The Playground Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Urgently highlights structural shortcomings of the modern British state" "This verbatim recreation of the inquiry into the Grenfell disaster has…
Women, Beware The Devil at the Almeida Theatre (2023)
★★
"A bewildering brew of half-baked ideas" "Rupert Goold's Almeida production promises temptation and terror, but it is ultimately hard to…
Romeo and Julie at the National Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A casual but gut-punching reworking of Shakespeare’s star-cross’d romance" "Swapping Verona for a bedsit with a pram, Welsh playwright Gary…
Bootycandy at the Gate Theatre (2023)
★★★★★
"The most startling show in London – and a lesson for the Arts Council" "Robbed of its arts council funding,…
Trouble in Butetown at the Donmar Warehouse (2023)
★★★★
"Smart writing and two terrific debuts in this tale of racial tension" "Samuel Adewunmi and Rita Bernard-Shaw seem to fall…
The Rhinegold at the London Coliseum (2023)
★★★★
"Lycra and sequins: the ENO’s new Rhinegold is a cheap delight" "The second part of the company’s Ring cycle is…
Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World at the Birmingham Rep (2023)
★★★★★
"Spitting Image ‘live’? Mission impossible – yet accomplished" "Ian McKellen hammily presides over the theatrical frolics and a quest emerges,…
Medea at the @sohoplace (2023)
★★★★
"Sophie Okonedo is a mythic, otherworldly Medea" "Okonedo and The Crown's Ben Daniels bring terrific intensity to Dominic Cooke's production…
Sylvia at the The Old Vic Theatre (2023)
★★★
"The suffragettes meet Hamilton – with a pantomime Churchill" "There are anachronistic joys in this musical, anchored by Beverley Knight…
Standing at the Sky's Edge at the National Theatre (2023)
★★★
"Shining a spotlight on Sheffield's brutalist Park Hill estate" "This musical, now playing at the National, has an intriguing concept…
Winner's Curse at the Park Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Can Clive Anderson heal the Middle East? Just maybe" "This curious new play about the political and personal ramifications of…
Phaedra at the National Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Janet McTeer’s fatally attracted politician crowns a night of visionary elan" "Aided by a first-rate cast, director Simon Stone has…
The Lehman Trilogy at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A gripping tale of rags to riches to ruin" "Brilliantly directed by Sam Mendes, Stefano Massini's chronicle of the banking…
Linck & Mülhahn at the Hampstead Theatre (2023)
★★★
"The extraordinary story of an 18th-century woman charged with sodom" "Linck and and Mulhahn, an intriguing new play at the…
The Tempest at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Alex Kingston shines in one of the RSC’s most confident evenings in ages" "The former Doctor Who star serves up…
2:22 A Ghost Story at the Lyric Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Cheryl spirits up new possibilities in gripping debut" "Cheryl, it says on the billboards outside the Lyric, the name spiriting…
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2023)
★★★
"Tantalising despite limitations" "After countless ‘hack’ words, how teasingly neat of stars Jenna Coleman and Aidan Turner to join forces…
Sound of the Underground at the Royal Court Theatre (2023)
★★★
"A bit of a mess, but not a drag" "Coherent arguments are not the strong point of this celebration of…
Noises Off at the Phoenix Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"The perfect, subtly infernal foil for the winter blues" "Felicity Kendal heads a star cast in this hilarious revival of…
The Unfriend at the Criterion Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"The laugh-out-loud tale of a decidedly terrifying interloperr" "This story of a couple whose life is invaded by a brash…
Alex Edelman: Just for Us at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2023)
★★★★
"The funny side of a Jewish comedian infiltrating a group of White Nationalists" "Premiered in Edinburgh in 2018, and delayed…
George Takei's Allegiance at the Charing Cross Theatre (2023)
★★★
"The Star Trek legend lights up the stage, but the child’s-eye view is missing" "Inspired by his bitter wartime experience…
A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A heartstopping revival that grips with the intensity of a bad dream" "It’s no surprise that the run at the…
On The Ropes at the Park Theatre (2023)
★★★
"This tale of a Windrush boxer isn’t light enough on its feet" "Vernon Vanriel’s stirring story of injustice ought to…
Watch on the Rhine at the Donmar Warehouse (2023)
★★★
"A tale of spirited resistance that’s more curio than classic" "The Donmar's revival of this wartime drama about sacrifice has…
The Fir Tree at the Shakespeare's Globe (2022)
★★★
"A festive eco-fable that may make you pity your Christmas tree" "Hans Christian Andersen’s obscure fairy tale about a talkative…
Derren Brown: SHOWMAN at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Derren Brown is still the greatest showman, but his emotional honesty is even more spellbinding" "Brown's latest tour has arrived…
One Woman Show at the Ambassadors Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"All hail Liz Kingsman, the comedian superbly puncturing an over-inflated Fleabag" "Kingsman’s One Woman Show is a magnificent satire on…
Hey Duggee at the Royal Festival Hall (2022)
★★★★
"Hey Duggee on stage proves a delight - though if you're over 30 you will feel like you're on drugs"…
As You Like It at the @sohoplace (2022)
★★★
"Rose Ayling-Ellis is eloquence itself, but why the annoying Shakespeare-shearing elsewhere?" "The beloved Strictly winner and EastEnders star’s use of…
Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium (2022)
★★
"This limp Jack and the Beanstalk proves the Palladium panto formula has grown stale" "Even Julian Clary's smut has been…
Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre (2022)
★★★★
"A marvellously musical, disarmingly sincere take on Dickens" "Cold Feet alumnus Robert Bathurst is an iron-fisted Scrooge in Parton's homespun,…
Paradise Now! at the Bush Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"This clever satire of modern feminism might well be the best new play of the year" "Bush Theatre’s excellent show…
Merrily We Roll Along at the New York Theatre Workshop (2022)
★★★★
"Daniel Radcliffe works musical magic in this inspired rescue of Sondheim’s infamous flop" "Maria Friedman's acclaimed London revival of Merrily…
A Christmas Carol at the Rose Theatre Kingston (2022)
★★★
"An irritatingly framed Christmas Carol succeeds in spite of its adaptation, not because of it" "Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's plodding new…
Mother Goose at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Sir Ian delivers eye-rubbing wow-factor as the greatest of panto dames" "If this is to be Ian McKellen's swansong, then…
The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House (2022)
★★★★
"The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker is a gleaming Rolls-Royce of a production" "Peter Wright's 1984 staging never succumbs to sickly sweetness…
Mandela at the The Young Vic (2022)
★★★
"Mandela’s inspiring words ring out in song – but this new musical has nothing to say" "The Young Vic premieres…
Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty at the Sadler's Wells (2022)
★★★★
"Matthew Bourne’s vamped-up Sleeping Beauty makes a lively return" "If not quite top-flight Bourne, this revived 2012 production still has…
Kerry Jackson at the National Theatre (2022)
★★
"Not even Fay Ripley can save this bafflingly lame comedy about class in modern Britain" "Playwright April De Angelis wants…
Hex at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A captivating mix of magical and macabre" "Norris's production seems equally determined at all costs to entertain: the set pieces…
Orlando at the Garrick Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Emma Corrin is riveting as Virginia Woolf’s sex-switching Orlando" "The breakout star of The Crown makes a dazzling West End…
Mother Goose at the Hackney Empire (2022)
★★★★
"From a giant twerking fowl to jibes about Liz Truss, this Mother Goose delivers the panto goods" "Hackney Empire's panto…
Othello at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Fleet, potent and makes strides for diversity – but too gloomy by half" "The NT's new staging has a great…
It's A Wonderful Life at the London Coliseum (2022)
★★★★
"ENO faces down possible extinction with a feel-good Christmas opera" "This exuberant – and somewhat ironic – production updates Frank…
Best of Enemies at the Noel Coward Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"The original culture-war punch-up on stage" "Best known for his Spock in the Star Trek films, Zachary Quinto is a…
Jack and the Beanstalk at the Lyric Hammersmith (2022)
★★★★
"A zesty mix of giants, Titanic and Greggs sausage rolls" "The Lyric Hammersmith’s panto is a slick, gag-rich affair, heavy…
Henry V at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (2022)
★★★★
"Henry V thrillingly retooled as a Macbeth-style psychodrama" "Holly Race Roughan’s production is fast and slick, digging deep beneath the…
A Christmas Carol at the The Old Vic (2022)
★★★
"This Scrooge is a little too nice for his own good" "The fine actor Owen Teale has irascibility in spades…
Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial at the Wyndham's Theatre (2022)
★★★
"She’s behind you! The new Wagatha Christie play is less Two Angry Women, more panto" "This piece of rapid-response verbatim…
Matilda The Musical (2022)
★★★★★
"Emma Thompson gives Matilda The Musical a deranged villain to remember" "Miss Trunchbull rules this film, adapted from the musical…
The Sex Party at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2022)
★★★★
"Terry Johnson is back on top with this risky trans bedroom comedy" "It’s one risk to make trans lives a…
Blackout Songs at the Hampstead Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"A dark, witty, indispensable drama (at a theatre the Arts Council completely stripped of funding)" "Joe White’s new play, at…
From Here To Eternity at the Charing Cross Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Tim Rice’s musical sidesteps the famous surf frolic but delivers on the song’n’dance" "This reworking of James Jones’s novel skims…
A Christmas Carol at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Adrian Edmondson proves a joyously propulsive Scrooge in this lavish RSC revival" "He may no longer be a Young One,…
Not One of These People at the Royal Court Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A triumph of deep-fakery? Yes, really.... a work of exceptional ambition" "The performative challenge lies in Crimp speaking the lines…
Fisherman's Friends: The Musical at the Theatre Royal Bath (2022)
★★★
"An enjoyable trawl story that needs more Sturm (and Drang)" "Provided you love the yo-ho-hoing sound of sea shanties, this…
Mary at the Hampstead Theatre (2022)
★★
"A suffocatingly claustrophobic study of Mary, Queen of Scots" "Rona Munro's James Plays are magnificent, but her new take on…
Tammy Faye – A New Musical at the Almeida Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Feels too much by numbers and lacks revelations" "It isn’t a hell of a show in the wrong sense, but…
My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) at the Garrick Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"The bittersweet tale of a boy desperate to be Belle" "Rob Madge’s breakthrough solo show is heavy on the emotion,…
@sohoplace at the @sohoplace (2022)
"Never mind its uninspiring name – @sohoplace is both welcoming and full of wow-factor, its opening show a life-affirming treat"…
Marvellous at the @sohoplace (2022)
★★★★
"The West End’s first new-build theatre in 50 years gets off to a Marvellously silly start" "Never mind its uninspiring…
Local Hero at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A beloved film turned into a remarkable musical comedy" "The strength of this production of Local Hero is that it…
My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A vital power surge of Anglo-Japanese creative electricity" "It’s a pleasure to report that what fans loved about Hayao Miyazaki's…
The Doctor at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Juliet Stevenson is riveting in this brilliant interrogation of cancel culture" "The Doctor hurtles a neglected classic of Austrian drama…
The Upstart Crow at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Laugh-til-it-hurts panto pleasure" "After a hit 2020 premiere, this exuberant hybrid of Shakespeare in Love and Blackadder went dark for…
The Band's Visit at the Donmar Warehouse (2022)
★★★★★
"The Band’s Visit is a magical, bijou musical to send the soul soaring" "Even without any big numbers, this tale…
The Boy with Two Hearts at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★
"A heavy-handed production that treats its audience like children" "Superfluous narration and blunt dialogue undermines what could have been a…
Tosca at the London Coliseum (2022)
★★★★
"Puccini's melodramatic masterpiece soars in this bold reimagining" "The staging doesn't always work, but Christof Loy's production eschews mawkishness to…
Blues For An Alabama Sky at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A breathless whirl of Jazz Age joy and Blues at the National Theatre" "This revival of Blues for an Alabama…
Iphigenia in Splott at the Lyric Hammersmith (2022)
★★★★
"Euripides goes to credit crunch Cardiff in this down and dirty ‘skank’ monologue" "It hit the stage with the force…
John Gabriel Borkman at the Bridge Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Not even Simon Russell Beale can shore up Ibsen’s financial-crisis drama" "The Bridge Theatre's staging of this play about the…
Noises Off at the Theatre Royal Bath (2022)
★★★★
"Felicity Kendal heads a cracking cast in this classy, hilarious revival" "Whether or not we strictly need another production of…
Woman in Mind at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Ayckbourn’s Middle England drama feels stuck in the past" "The humour still works, but in Chichester Festival Theatre's revival, this…
Jews. In Their Own Words at the Royal Court (2022)
★★★
"A Leftie mea culpa that leaves a lot to be desired" "Following an anti-Semitism row, the Royal Court has given…
The Crucible at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Gripping revival of Arthur Miller’s masterpiece speaks to us with urgent force" "Erin Doherty confirms herself as one of our…
Eureka Day at the The Old Vic (2022)
★★★★
"This anti-woke satire is exactly what the Old Vic needed" "Oscar-winner Helen Hunt makes her London debut in a revival…
Rose at the Park Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Maureen Lipman brings charm and pluck to this one-woman odyssey" "The much-loved actress is outstanding in Martin Sherman’s ambitious-but-flawed monologue…
Handbagged at the Kiln Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"I was transfixed and moved by this uncanny portrait of the late Queen" "It's worth queueing round the block for…
The Clothes They Stood Up In at the Nottingham Playhouse (2022)
★★★
"A loving take on Alan Bennett's novella about middle-class manners" "This Nottingham Playhouse production is a hoot - even if…
The Clinic at the Almeida Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Social and domestic drama that’s sometimes brilliant, sometimes baffling" "This new play about a middle-class British Nigerian family has a…
Gabriel Byrne: Walking with Ghosts at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"This enthralling evening is one of Gabriel Byrne’s greatest achievements" "The veteran Irish star finds numinous wonder amid accreted nuggets…
Antigone at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Pours a provocative gallon of petrol on the play’s eternal flame" "Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is mounting the first…
Silence at the Donmar Warehouse (2022)
★★
"This Partition drama is gruelling for the wrong reasons" "The testimonies from British South Asians are harrowing, but the specifics…
The Mousetrap (2022)
★★★★
"A delightfully absurd Mousetrap send-up that has its cheese and eats it" "Director Tom George's star-studded, knowing, very funny new…
Gary Barlow - A Different Stage at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Gary Barlow reveals his darkest secrets – via a cheery singalong" "In his new show, A Different Stage, the ex-Take…
I, Joan at the Shakespeare's Globe (2022)
★★
"Too little at stake for this 21st-century Joan of Arc" "The idea of Joan as trans is a fertile subject…
The Narcissist at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★
"The ghost of Trump haunts the stage again" "Harry Lloyd stars as an electoral strategist in a new work which…
All's Well That Ends Well at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon (2022)
★★★
"All’s Well That Ends Well with adolescent lust and social-media fever – or does it?" "Shakespeare’s ‘problem’ play is given…
Into The Woods at the Theatre Royal Bath (2022)
★★★★
"Terry Gilliam’s hallucinogenic take on Sondheim rises from the ashes of cancellation" "Axed by the Old Vic, the ex-Python's first,…
The Trials at the Donmar Warehouse (2022)
★★★
"The new play putting adults on trial for their climate-change sins" "The Trials, by Dawn King, sees the younger generations…
Cruise at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A hymn to the illicit pleasures and dangers of 1980s Soho" "Jack Holden’s one-man play is a mixture of eulogy…
All of Us at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★
"An enlightening, infuriating plea for acceptance" "Comedian Francesca Martinez's play about the effect of austerity on the disabled is witty…
South Pacific at the Sadler's Wells (2022)
★★★★★
"Succumb to the siren call from this island paradise of a musical" "Daniel Evans's 2021 production of Rogers and Hammerstein's…
The Great British Bake Off Musical at the Everyman Theatre Cheltenham (2022)
★★★
"Eminently digestible, but where’s the flour power?" "This tongue-in-cheek homage at the Cheltenham Everyman has a few terrific showstoppers yet…
Identical at the Nottingham Playhouse (2022)
★★★★★
"Identity-swap musical that’s ingenious to the point of genius" "Directed by Trevor Nunn, the Nottingham Playhouse's new tale of reunited…
The Tempest at the Shakespeare's Glob (2022)
★★★★
"Three Lions, blow-up lobsters and Prospero in a pair of budgie smugglers" "Sean Holmes's modish adaptation has gimmicks aplenty, but…
The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"British theatrical verve at full pelt" "First seen in 2017, Sally Cookson’s marvellous stage adaptation – now at the Gillian…
Chasing Hares at the Young Vic (2022)
★★★★★
"Family duty and political zeal clash in this enlightening new play" "Bhattacharyya’s play does wear its political heart on its…
101 Dalmatians at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A bit of a dog’s dinner, but a very tasty one too" "This long delayed musical version of the Dodie…
Jack Absolute Flies Again at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Light-hearted levity, rather than world-conquering phenomenon" "The result is a qualified triumph of an evening, one that pitches from the…
Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Blissful revival of a conveyor-belt classic" "There are moments during Simon Godwin’s blissful revival of Much Ado, when the evening…
Crazy For You at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"A magnificent revival with songs that knock you for six" "Watching this magnificent new staging at Chichester – directed as…
Billy Elliot The Musical at the Curve Theatre Leicester (2022)
★★★★
"This feel-good tale of a boy who loves ballet still has legs" "With strikes in the headlines, the Curve's remounting…
Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the Royal Albert Hall (2022)
★★★★
"Erivo proved to be a 21st-century leading lady in her element" "On Sunday night, 35-year-old Erivo was a homecoming queen…
Peaky Blinders: The Rise reviews at the Camden Garrison (2022)
★★
"A handsome immersive experience in search of a challenging plot" "Beyond the muddle of subplots, Katie Lyons’s script feels risk-averse,…
Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"An incandescent revival" "Ellis is still a seductive presence – a sassy, wise-cracking temptress who finds the wistful subtext in…
Patriots at the Almeida Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Tom Hollander delivers firecracker Boris Berezovsky lead performance" "There are echoes of The Crown’s confident sweep down the years and…
The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Bath (2022)
★★★
"Deborah Warner's male-dominated production gives an intimate account of Shakespeare's late play" "Nicholas Woodeson, 72, gives us a dowdy, shifty,…
The Seagull at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2022)
★★
"Emelia Clarke’s wings are clipped by this ascetic Chekhov staging" "The Game of Thrones star isn’t given the chance to…
Richard III reviews - RSC Stratford at the Stratford Upon Avon (2022)
★★★★
"This Richard III is historic and stylish – but why trim Shakespeare’s best lines?" "Given Hughes’s relative inexperience in Shakespeare,…
Mad House at the The Ambassadors Theatre (2022)
★★★
"David Harbour stars in a darkly comic play about his own mental health" "As the damaged man-child, Harbour delivers the…
That Is Not Who I Am at the Royal Court Theatre (2022)
★★
"Cyber thriller is more mess than mystery" "The Royal Court teased us with the promise of a premiere by an…
The Southbury Child at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Hugely cathartic, this is the play of the year so far... blissfully funny and ineffably touching" "Stephen Beresford’s heaven-sent new…
A Dolls House, Part 2 at the Donmar Warehouse (2022)
★★★★★
"How on earth do you follow up Ibsen’s masterpiece? Exactly like this" "Lucas Hnath's audacious sequel to the pioneering 1879…
Jitney at the Old Vic Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Jitney is precisely the sort of project that could save Britain’s theatres" "This is a tremendous staging of August Wilson's…
The Car Man at the Royal Albert Hall (2022)
★★★★
"Matthew Bourne pulls it off with this smart, sexy revival" "This terrific, libidinous amalgam of Carmen and The Postman Always…
Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] at the Park Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Begins promisingly, then outstays its welcome" "Harry Hill and composer Steve Brown’s musical is intermittently inspired but winds up echoing…
Britannicus at the Lyric Hammersmith (2022)
★★★★
"From incels to Putin, Racine's dusty old play feels oddly relevant" "This assured revival at the Lyric Hammersmith is the…
The Unfriend at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Effortlessly entertaining, and maybe the most ‘promising’ debut in ages," "It’s hardly a profound evening but it’s a perceptive one."…
The Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Amy Adams is heartbreaking.. I loved her performance" "To be blunt, I loved her performance. It’s clear, simple, believable, and…
ABBA Voyage at the ABBA Arena (2022)
★★★★
"A mind-blowing celebration of some of the greatest pop music ever made" "Swedish icons' CGI spectacular at the Abba Arena…
Murder On The Orient Express at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Watch out, David Suchet, there's a superb new Poirot in town" "Henry Goodman is mesmerising in Chichester Festival Theatre's handsome…
The House of Shades at the Almeida Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A disturbing drama" "This is a highly satisfying, old-fashioned play that serves the audience with a rich mix of the…
My Fair Lady (2022)
★★★
"A watershed production, but not a benchmark" "Amara Okereke flowers opposite Vanessa Redgrave, but the staging is underpowered"
Grease at the Dominion Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Peter Andre shines with a small but prominent part"
Oklahoma! at the Young Vic Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Punchy, playful and sexy, this Oklahoma! is an absolute knockout" "First seen in New York, this revelatory production, now at…
Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends at the Sondheim Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Judi Dench proves the first among equals in this bravura tribute" "From Dench to Damian Lews, Imelda Staunton to Petula…
Much Ado About Nothing at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Much Ado About Nothing marks a welcome return to innovation and inspiration at the Globe" "The ideological obsession that has…
Macbeth at the Longacre Theatre (2022)
★★
"Daniel Craig fails to shake or stir, but Ruth Negga provides a quantum of solace" "You have to admire the…
Jerusalem at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Mark Rylance still rules the kingdom" "This revival of Jez Butterworth's masterpiece, first staged in 2009, remains a crucial theatrical…
The Corn is Green at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Nicola Walker is unmissable in this riveting production" "The National Theatre’s revival of Emlyn Williams’s 1938 play is crowned by…
Marys Seacole at the Donmar Warehouse (2022)
★★★
"A challenging, time-bending introduction to the other Florence Nightingale" "This frustrating, compelling drama at the Donmar boasts a fantastic lead…
Punchdrunk: The Burnt City at the One Cartridge Place (2022)
★★★
"Not quite a theatrical Trojan horse" "This major new work by the immersive pioneers has some good ideas, but lacks…
Scandaltown at the Lyric Hammersmith (2022)
★★
"Mike Bartlett's modern-day Restoration comedy, feels like champagne gone flat" "It's a good premise: a boisterous satire on the lazy…
The 47th at the The Old Vic (2022)
★★
"Bertie Carvel’s perfect Trump impression can’t save this superficial play" "Mike Barlett's latest "near-future" play imagines Donald Trump re-running for…
To Kill A Mockingbird at the Gielgud Theatre (2022)
★★★★★
"Aaron Sorkin’s revelatory adaptation blazingly captures the zeitgeist" "Harper Lee's famous 1960 novel comes rivetingly to life at the Gielgud…
Straight Line Crazy at the Bridge Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Ralph Fiennes exudes brute force as New York's master builder" "The actor captures the muscularity of Robert Moses in a…
The Human Voice at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2022)
★★
"Ruth Wilson deserves better than this voyeuristic portrait of a woman on the verge" "The 'Affair' star tries hard, but…
Cock at the Ambassadors Theatre (2022)
★★★
"Mike Bartlett’s sexuality-crisis drama still just about measures up" "'Rocketman' star Taron Egerton is under-used in the Ambassadors' revival of…
Maria Friedman & Friends - Legacy at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2022)
★★★★
"It’s as if Sondheim is in the room with us – corny, but true" "The Menier Chocolate Factory's touching tribute…
The Collaboration at the The Young Vic (2022)
★★★★
"Paul Bettany brings agony and ecstasy to the role of Andy Warhol" "This Young Vic production imagines the unlikely -…
Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"The perfect way to celebrate our post-pandemic freedom" The spectacular, Tony-winning adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's much-loved film is short on…
Bring It On: The Musical at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (2021)
★★★
"This Lin-Manuel Miranda musical doesn't dazzle like Hamilton, but the routines are great" "If you can forgive the superficial politics,…
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Playhouse Theatre) (2021)
★★★★★
"Eddie Redmayne dazzles in the kill-for-a-ticket theatrical triumph of 2021" "Rebecca Frecknall’s staging of the 1966 Kander and Ebb classic…
Best of Enemies at the The Young Vic (2021)
★★★★
"Witnessing the birth of televised political discussion as blood-sport" "James Graham's dramatisation – at the Young Vic – of the…
West Side Story (2021)
★★★★★
"Spielberg’s magnificent remake is his finest film in 20 years" "The director's first musical feels as definitive as the previous…
The Book of Dust at the Bridge Theatre (2021)
★★★
"A promising adaptation cursed by its daemons" "Nicholas Hytner's new Philip Pullman adaptation at the Bridge Theatre has plenty going…
Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre (2021)
★★★
"Wicked is packed with spectacular coups de theatre and some magical lighting effects" "At times the show undoubtedly slips into…
The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York's Theatre (2021)
★★★★★
"British theatre at its gob-smacking best" "Young and old alike will be entranced by the return of this illusion-packed Neil…
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) at the Criterion Theatre (2021)
★★★★★
"Austen would have loved this smart, silly, laugh-out-loud show" "This full-bodied, all-female adaptation of Austen's masterpiece at the Criterion is…
A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story at the Nottingham Playhouse (2021)
★★★★★
"Nothing humbug about Mark Gatiss’s fabulous take on Dickens" "This irresistibly theatrical new production at the Nottingham Playhouse does the…
Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical at the Lyric Theatre (2021)
★★★★★
"A brilliant show that gives Bob Marley back his bite" "The reggae star's songs have been made toothless by ubiquity.…
Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre (2021)
★★★★★
"The car's the star in this feelgood triumph" "Great Scott! This musical based on the Eighties classic shouldn't work -…
Frozen The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (2021)
★★★
"The venue puts the show in the shade. "The newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane is jaw-dropping, but this stage…
Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (2021)
★★★★
"Happy ever after for Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-awaited show" "Magical, crowd-pleasing musical at the Gillian Lynne Theatre is one of…
Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre (2021)
★★★★★
"The Most delightful West End show in a long time" "Richard Eyre's 2004 musical is back at the Prince Edward…
The Phantom of the Opera at the Her Majesty's Theatre (2021)
★★★★
"Lloyd Webber's epic tearjerker is back in all its kitsch, gothic glory" "The hit musical has returned to the place…
Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre (2021)
★★★★★
"A show that will make you gasp in wonder and laugh till it hurts"" "The Barbican's joyous revival of a Cole…
Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre (2020)
★★★★★
"Perfect theatre, in a perfect theatre" "Prepare for a fresh outbreak of Les Mis mania."
Cirque Du Soleil - Luzia at the Royal Albert Hall (2020)
★★★
"The splendour and scale of the venue elevates the epic, dreamlike quality of the action" “Some stunning visual set pieces.…
Magic Goes Wrong at the Vaudeville Theatre (2020)
★★★★
"A terrific new helping of the art of comic incompetence" "their commitment to the character-comedy and the skill they deploy…
Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse Theatre (2019)
★★★★★
"I defy anyone not to fall in love with it." “James McAvoy proves a revelation in a super-smart stripped-back Cyrano…
& Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre (2019)
★★★
"It's essentially glorified panto" "While this show isn’t in the same league as Mamma Mia! by fellow Swedes Abba, those…
DEAR EVAN HANSEN at the Noel Coward Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"A star is born as the Broadway hit comes to the UK" "Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered in 2015 and…
Groan Ups at the Vaudeville Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"Growing pains of the most painfully funny kind" "The script deftly unites moments broad and silly with elements wistful and…
Groan Ups at the Vaudeville Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"Growing pains of the most painfully funny kind" "Yes, the scenario is a bit scribbled on a bus, trades on…
The Girl Who Fell at the Trafalgar Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"A cracking new play … outrageously funny"
Lungs at the The Old Vic (2019)
★★★★
"Claire Foy shines and Matt Smith glints in doomsday play." "Both actors cope brilliantly with the technical and tonal challenges,…
Vassa at the Almeida Theatre (2019)
★★
"A rare misfire from north London’s creative powerhouse" " Redmond contends admirably enough, chilling the temperature with an Anne Robinson-esque…
A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg at the Trafalgar Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"Both savage and compassionate" "Simon Evans's super-starry production, featuring Toby Stephens, Claire Skinner and Patricia Hodge, is both worthy tribute…
Solaris at the Lyric Hammersmith (2019)
★★★★
"Terrifyingly strange, beautifully staged sci-fi" "Hyemi Shin’s remarkable, improbably versatile, white set is a star of the show. Assisted beautifully…
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium (2019)
★★★★
"It’s a boon to see Smith treading West End boards again" "No one can argue that Joseph – which owes…
Wife at the Kiln Theatre (2019)
★★★★
Ibsen’s A Doll’s House renovated and extended to inspiring effect. In Wife, Samuel Adamson ingeniously revisits the play, and springboards…
The Starry Messenger at the Wyndham's Theatre (2019)
★★★
"A play that wistfully acknowledges the passage of time and onset of middle-age"
Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"Tom Hiddleston displays a hypnotic sensitivity in this modern masterpiece" "In common with all his best work – including, yes,…
Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre, (2019)
★★★★
"A meaty musical packed with delicious filling" "I have to confess to craving a slice of humble-pie after watching Waitress...a…
Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre (2019)
★★★
"Glossing over the trauma of 9/11" "Their musical phenomenon - which opened on Broadway in 2017 to ecstatic reviews -…
9 to 5 The Musical at the Savoy Theatre (2019)
★★★
"Bonnie Langford is employee of the month in this feelgood but flimsy musical" "For power-jacketed professionalism, you can’t fault Caroline…
All About Eve at the Noel Coward Theatre (2019)
★★★
"Lily James lacks peculiarity in uninspired screen-to-stage affair" "Van Hove loves to strip things back, so we get minimal Broadway…
True West at the Vaudeville Theatre (2018)
"Kit Harington proves his mettle in Sam Shepard's bleak battle of wills" "The late Sam Shepard’s True West is a…
Fiddler On The Roof at the Meniere Chocolate Factory (2018)
★★★★
The tears ring true in Trevor Nunn's exuberant revival. 'Despite its rather rudimentary story-line, the show remains as fresh as…
Hole at the Royal Court Theatre (2018)
★★
‘I wish I liked Hole more than I did’ ‘Kendrick’s script not only has the choric feel of ancient Greek…
Billionaire Boy at the NST City, Southampton (2018)
★★★★
"A hugely enjoyable take on David Walliams's so-so novella" “I could have done without shopkeeper Raj’s End of Pier stand-up…
Hadestown at the National Theatre (2018)
★★★
"Enjoyable winter-warmer that's a near myth" "Those seeking “value for money” can’t complain given that they’re treated, over more than…
Company at the Gielgud Theatre (2018)
★★★★★
"Sublime" "Gender-switched Sondheim proves a sublime down-the-rabbit-hole cocktail of entertainment. "This is astonishing in so many ways it feels as…
The Girl On The Train (2018)
★
"Criminally bad stage adaptation" "Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel’s version is as appealing as a British Rail sandwich: it has…
Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at the Aldwych Theatre (2018)
★★★★★
"Beautifully designed and roof-raisingly well-sung" "Born in the USA, made in England. That’s the thesis of this slickly choreographed, beautifully…
Sister Act The Musical at the London Palladium (2009)
★★★★
"I suspect this musical comedy about a nun on the run could prove habit-forming"
Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre (2009)
★★★★
"The fastidious and the squeamish should avoid this show like the plague. Everyone else will have a terrific drag ball."
Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (2009)
"As most of us get poorer in coming months, this production is going to make producer Cameron Mackintosh even richer.…
Thriller Live at the Lyric Theatre (2009)
"A glitzy concert of song and dance...a great night out" "... within its narrow limits, the show works well. What…
📷 Main photo: The Telegraph
