West End shows awarded Four Stars by The Times London theatre critics.
Further than the Furthest Thing at the Young Vic Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A vivid elegy for a vanished world" "For once, the trigger warnings underdo it... there is a steady strangeness and…
The Great British Bake Off Musical at the Noel Coward Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A fluffy show that’s risen beautifully" "This show has put on a tiny bit of weight since it opened in…
Sleepova at the Bush Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A teenage pyjama party that bursts with life" "Between the PJs-with-attitude and the popcorn, the hormones and the Haribos, there’s…
Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York's Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Sheridan Smith’s charm conquers all" "Smith turns out to be a perfect fit for the role in the director Matthew…
Oklahoma! at the Wyndham's Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"A brutal, controversial revamp with jagged edges" "Daniel Fish’s Tony award-winning production... is just the kind of experiment to set…
Grenfell: System Failure at the The Playground Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"The banality of corporate evil" "Grenfell: System Failure is the latest in a series of political plays that are nothing…
Romeo and Julie at the National Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"The lovers get a witty, gritty, working-class update" "As it turns out, this witty, gritty yet generous rom-com by Gary…
The Rhinegold at the London Coliseum (2023)
★★★★
"ENO’s Ring has lift-off in this witty, cheeky show" "Yes, only one performance is world-class — Christine Rice’s magisterially sung…
Medea at the @sohoplace (2023)
★★★★
"Sophie Okonedo’s hellish descent into darkness" "In the end, it’s the auditorium that emerges as the most potent presence of…
Phaedra at the National Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Succession meets Peep Show in stunningly sharp update" "It’s Phaedra, kind of, but Simon Stone’s rivetingly black-comical psychodrama is also…
Carmen at the London Coliseum (2023)
★★★★
"Bizet with extra dollops of sex and violence" "Bieito’s more pretentious conceptual junk — the dour focus on the tacky,…
2:22 A Ghost Story at the Lyric Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Haunted Cheryl makes a confident West End debut" "Danny Robins’s gripping ghost story is as verbally spiky as it is…
Noises Off at the Phoenix Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Frayn’s immortal farce is an antidote to winter gloom" "... even if sinking into the door-slamming, trouser-dropping netherworld of a…
The Unfriend at the Criterion Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"Steven Moffat’s comedy hits the funny bone" "... with Alan Ayckbourn’s West End supremacy a distant memory and good farces…
Cirque du Soleil: KURIOS at the Royal Albert Hall (2023)
★★★★
"A weird and wondrous spectacular" "Together, they encourage a gently spooky sense of joy. There are capering conjoined twins, men…
George Takei's Allegiance at the Charing Cross Theatre (2023)
★★★★
"George Takei brings the spark to a sentimental journey" "We first meet Sammy as an old man looking back six…
The Fir Tree at the Shakespeare's Globe (2022)
★★★★
"A witty reboot of Hans Christian Andersen" "... Hannah Khalil’s adaptation doesn’t shy away from all references to death and…
Derren Brown: SHOWMAN at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Britain’s favourite magician conjures another hit" "He brings his own life on stage and fuses raw honesty with prestidigitation, misdirection…
One Woman Show at the Ambassadors Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Much more than a Fleabag spoof" "People, most importantly, have seen it and laughed, laughed, laughed. Its mix of the…
As You Like It at the @sohoplace (2022)
★★★★
"Cerebral and playful . . . there’s a lot to like" "Josie Rourke’s enchanting production, a shimmering blend of the…
Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium (2022)
★★★★
"Camp innuendo, Dawn French and a singing cow" "Dawn French having more fun as “juicy old Dame Trot” — the…
Sons of the Prophet at the Hampstead Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Grief and grievances in a brilliant tragicomedy" "... a show that, never mind the BlackBerries wielded by its mid-2000s protagonists,…
Mother Goose at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Ian McKellen delivers knockabout fun in a cheerfully chaotic show" "Ian McKellen had no end of fun in this cheerfully…
Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty at the Sadler's Wells (2022)
★★★★
"Matthew Bourne’s zany rewrite is still a riot" "Matthew Bourne’s zany rewrite of The Sleeping Beauty — that most luminous…
Othello at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A cold-eyed Iago and a menacing chorus dominate this tragedy" "In the end, the cascade of arresting visuals wins you…
Jack and the Beanstalk at the Lyric Hammersmith (2022)
★★★★
"Pun-filled, udderly brilliant panto" "This Jack and the Beanstalk is a sequin-clad riot of kick-ass choreography, streetwise silliness and jokes…
A Sherlock Carol at the Marylebone Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A very merry mashup of Dickens and Doyle" "As a murder mystery, it’s a tad convoluted, admittedly, yet the production…
Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial at the Wyndham's Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Wagatha Christie play hits back of the net" "Vardy v Rooney proved to be a high-wire act, all right, but…
A Christmas Carol at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Adrian Edmondson makes an excellent Scrooge" "Adrian Edmondson takes the role of Scrooge this time, and it’s a pleasure to…
Fisherman's Friends: The Musical at the Theatre Royal Bath (2022)
★★★★
"This heart-on-sleeve show is quite a catch" "Crammed with sea shanties, this heart-on-sleeve portrait of the fishing community in Port…
Elephant at the Bush Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Brief but intense play addressing the intricacies of colour and class" "Lucas has a sharp ear for the vocabulary which…
A Single Man at the Park Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Isherwood’s tale impresses on stage" "Tom Ford’s film of Christopher Isherwood’s novel added layer after layer of designer gloss to…
Marvellous at the @sohoplace (2022)
★★★★
"A life-affirming show that’s true to its name" "I can feel the adjectives queueing up in my head, ready to…
My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Animated whimsy takes to the stage with aplomb" "If you’re an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli movies, you’re almost…
Good at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Tennant’s nice then Nazi in this insidious revival" "In this hugely rewarding revival of CP Taylor’s 1981 play about Nazi…
The Band's Visit at the Donmar Warehouse (2022)
★★★★
"Musical finds gentle harmony in desert tale" "These characters seem to be on the long and winding road to nowhere.…
Eureka Day at the The Old Vic (2022)
★★★★
"Helen Hunt adds star power to satire of liberal sanctimony" "This is the play that would have helped to keep…
Handbagged at the Kiln Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A flight of fancy in Queen’s encounters with Thatcher" "... if Buffini’s satire is full of mischief and gossip, it…
The P Word at the Bush Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A tremendous two-man rom-com" "... The P Word delights on pretty much every level. Akhtar has the two men each…
The Clothes They Stood Up In at the Nottingham Playhouse (2022)
★★★★
"Alan Bennett with delightful barbs" "The humour is delicious, as you would expect, but there’s a streak of raw pain…
Gabriel Byrne: Walking with Ghosts at the Apollo Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Entertaining tale of booze, burn-out and stardom" "In a monologue based on his unusually fluent autobiography, published two years ago,…
101 Dalmatians at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Wild woofs of approval" "Kate Fleetwood makes a full-throated villain, and in Timothy Sheader’s jaunty production the political subtext (there’s…
Jack Absolute Flies Again at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"The National has a comic hit on its hands" "Kerry Howard is superb as her sharp-tongued maid, Lucy, who indulges…
Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Bruised lovers charm amid simmering Italian chic" "In John Heffernan and Katherine Parkinson, we get a charming pair of slightly…
Crazy For You at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Be dazzled by this infectious Gershwin musical" "With Susan Stroman, who created the original choreography, at the helm as director,…
Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the Royal Albert Hall (2022)
★★★★
"A Hollywood star from London conquers the Proms" "Starring in her own BBC Prom was a useful way to remind…
The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Bath (2022)
★★★★
"A touch of opera gives Deborah Warner’s Shakespeare real magic" "Nicholas Woodeson’s Prospero .. doesn’t hit a false note" "In…
The Southbury Child at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Our thespian prayers answered" "There are some plays that keep you talking well into the night. Stephen Beresford’s study of…
Jitney at the Old Vic Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"A funny, fractious dive into the lives of 1970s American taxi drivers" "Tinuke Craig’s fluid and absorbing revival oozes an…
Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] at the Park Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Harry Hill’s manic humour demolishes the former PM" "To call Harry Hill and Steve Brown’s portrait of the former prime…
ABBA Voyage at the ABBA Arena (2022)
★★★★
"Captivating.. Out of this world" "This was captivating, and celebratory in a rather innocent fashion. Who doesn’t love dancing along…
Legally Blonde The Musical at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Go with an open mind and you’ll be blown away" "Moss has repackaged the show in a way that brings…
Oklahoma! at the Young Vic Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Stirring singing in a reworked classic" "In the final moments, Arthur Darvill’s Curly, decked out in a white suit and…
Much Ado About Nothing at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Shakespeare’s sparring lovers start the Globe’s new season in style" "Something about Much Ado’s sprawling mix of the cheering (flirtation,…
Macbeth at the Longacre Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Daniel Craig swaps Bond for the Bard" "The director Sam Gold gives us an irrepressibly imaginative modern-dress production that is…
Prima Facie at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Shapeshifter Jodie Comer takes the stage by storm" "If you’ve seen Jodie Comer play the murderous Villanelle in Killing Eve…
The Corn is Green at the National Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Escaping the valleys in a tale of its time that can still seduce" "Nicola Walker impresses as Miss Moffat, a…
To Kill A Mockingbird at the Gielgud Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Rafe Spall is stunning in new take on classic" "Hats off to Aaron Sorkin. While the official title may be…
Maria Friedman & Friends - Legacy at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2022)
★★★★
"Musical theatre’s most insightful star pays homage to the greats" "Now that Barbara Cook is no longer with us it’s…
The Collaboration at the The Young Vic (2022)
★★★★
"Day-glo portrait of two pop art titans packs a real punch" "If there are comic moments, the play — soon…
Bring It On: The Musical at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (2021)
★★★★
"Cheerleading musical will put smiles on faces" "Inspired by the film series of the same name, Bring It On here…
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Playhouse Theatre) (2021)
★★★★
"Sinister Redmayne and sumptuous set are a seductive combination" "Eddie Redmayne may be the star — and he’s mesmerisingly good…
West Side Story (2021)
★★★★
"Spielberg buoyantly reboots Bernstein’s classic" "Typical Spielberg. Only he could manage to remake arguably the greatest musical of all without…
A Chorus Line at the Curve Leicester (2021)
★★★★
"The classic musical about Broadway hoofers still packs a punch" "Although its cultural references are dated, A Chorus Line remains…
The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York's Theatre (2021)
★★★★
"Only for the brave - screams galore await" "The ghoulery is done well, a team of anonymous, black-clad performers carrying…
Frozen The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (2021)
★★★★
"A visual feast to warm even the coldest of hearts" "The first thing to say about Michael Grandage’s elegant production,…
Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (2021)
★★★★
"Fairytale ending for show that must go on" "With a book by Emerald Fennell, who won an Oscar for the…
Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre (2021)
★★★★
"It’s been a while, but this nanny goes down a storm" "There are plenty of reasons to go for a…
Magic Goes Wrong at the Vaudeville Theatre (2020)
★★★★
"Revelling in the art of the complex cock‑up" "It’s a magic show. It starts going wrong. It keeps going wrong,…
DEAR EVAN HANSEN at the Noel Coward Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"Witty songs light up tale of teenage trauma" "if the prospect of spending an evening contemplating the perils of peer…
Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (2019)
★★★★
"Jean Paul Gaultier’s life story is fabulously tongue-in-cheek" "Landing in London after a run at the Folies Bergère in Paris,…
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium (2019)
★★★★
"Jac Yarrow is a great Joseph" "Is this a show or a cult? As I left, the entire audience was…
The Starry Messenger at the Wyndham's Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"Star quality shows in this entertaining life lesson" "There are laughs, real ones that you remember, but you have to…
Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2019)
★★★★
"The stripped-back stage leaves the exquisitely cast Zawe Ashton, Charlie Cox and Tom Hiddleston with nowhere to hide" "The casting…
Billionaire Boy at the NST City, Southampton (2018)
★★★★
“An imaginative, irreverent adaptation of David Walliams’s book captures the story’s fun and its heart” “Good news for Robbie Williams:…
Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre (2009)
★★★★
"There are wisecracks galore ("we'll be nothing but skin and silicone", moans Tick after that desert breakdown) and songs you'll…
📷 Main photo: The Times
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