Selected reviews by David Benedict, Chief London Theatre Critic for Variety.
David Benedict is a writer and broadcaster, and the chief London critic for US entertainment publication Variety.
He is also a contributor to The Stage, and has written for or been theatre editor of many major UK publications including the Independent and the Observer. He is also a regular guest on the BBC, and is currently writing the authorised biography of Stephen Sondheim.
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Rebecca at the Charing Cross Theatre (2023)
"Musical’s English-Language Debut Is a Remarkable Debacle" "Daphne du Maurier’s beloved, near-Gothic romance centers on a mystery – but the…
Variety
Dr Semmelweis at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2023)
"Mark Rylance’s Compelling Performance Outshines an Overworked Bio-Drama" "All the elements are there: a forgotten but fascinatingly tragic, true-life story…
Variety
Mrs Doubtfire The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre (2023)
★★
"Cumbersome and charmless" "Musical based on the popular Robin Williams movie is loud, cumbersome and charmless" "Here, then, it is…
The Stage
The Third Man - A Musical Thriller at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2023)
"Theatrical Hitmakers Can’t Make This Misbegotten Thriller Sing" "As it turns out, the mystery at the heart of the show…
Variety
Romeo and Juliet at the Almeida Theatre (2023)
"‘Ted Lasso’ Star Toheeb Jimoh Is the Expressive Heart of Rebecca Frecknall’s Passionate Production" "Having the audacity to harness stabs…
Variety
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant (2023)
"Good-Hearted Musical Is Long on Incident but Short on Drama" "Smartly refusing to be doggedly faithful, bookwriter and director Jethro…
Variety
Aspects of Love at the Lyric Theatre (2023)
"Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Torpid, Semi-Forgotten Musical Gets an Unconvincing West End Revival" "... [For] the whole queasy, quasi-romantic story to…
Variety
Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre (2023)
"An Explosively Thrilling Production of a Masterpiece in London" "Since Nicholas Hytner, former artistic director of the National Theatre, is…
Variety
Carmen at the London Coliseum (2023)
★★★★★
"Grab tickets while you still can" "Shimmering production is a stunning testament to this company’s strengths" "It is a male…
The Stage
A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida Theatre (2023)
"Paul Mescal Is Explosive in Rebecca Frecknall’s Staggering Revival" "Williams’s carefully detailed, literal two-room apartment is never shown. Instead, heralding…
Variety
Mandela at the The Young Vic (2022)
"New Musical Biography Drowns in Good Intentions" "Delivering songs demanding freedom not only for the characters but the whole country…
Variety
Orlando at the Garrick Theatre (2022)
"Emma Corrin Lights Up an Outstandingly Imaginative Look at Gender and Identity" "The entirely beguiling lightness of touch is remarkable.…
Variety
It's A Wonderful Life at the London Coliseum (2022)
★★★
"Vigorously heartwarming" "Passionate performances drive the drama in a new work of rich orchestral colour" "Jake Heggie’s operas include the…
The Stage
Tammy Faye – A New Musical at the Almeida Theatre (2022)
"New Elton John Score Doesn’t Yet Live Up to a Terrifically Entertaining Production" "... composer Elton John, lyricist Jake Shears…
Variety
Local Hero at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
"A Sweetly Delightful New Musical, Despite Lackluster Songs" "Charm, a sadly rare theatrical quality, is scarcely a fashionable theatrical virtue,…
Variety
My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Theatre (2022)
"Inventive, Visually Thrilling Adaptation of the Studio Ghibli Favorite" "... adapting so revered an anime title posed a huge risk.…
Variety
The Doctor at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
★★★★
"Vital" "Juliet Stevenson is all ice and fire in an immensely timely study of identity politics" "It’s all in the…
The Stage
Eureka Day at the The Old Vic (2022)
"Timing Is Almost Everything for This Vaccine Comedy Starring Helen Hunt in London" "... in its sharp U.K. premiere starring…
Variety
Jack Absolute Flies Again at the National Theatre (2022)
"A Knockout New Comedy by the Writer of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’" "As his stakes rise, so does the already…
Variety
Patriots at the Almeida Theatre (2022)
"Tom Hollander, Will Keen Crackle in Story of Russian Oligarch Who Tangled With Putin" "Revelling in his authority, Hollander has…
Variety
The Seagull at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2022)
"Emilia Clarke, Indira Varma Shine in a Production That Doesn’t Fly" "an uneven production more willful than wonderful." "On the…
Variety
Mad House at the The Ambassadors Theatre (2022)
"David Harbour, Bill Pullman Make Theresa Rebeck’s Chaotic Melodrama Seem Better Than It Is" "You can see why actors of…
Variety
The Southbury Child at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2022)
"‘Well-Meaning Production Can’t Cover a Schematic Script" "Beresford is attempting to put new wine into old bottles. Nicholas Hytner’s deft…
Variety
The Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York's Theatre (2022)
"Underpowered Amy Adams Leads a Slow-Burn Rethink of Tennessee Williams’ Classic" "Director Jeremy Herrin is faithful to multiple elements of…
Variety
My Fair Lady (2022)
★★★
"Lead performances outshine the production" "The musical’s biggest switch is Eliza’s from flower girl to lady, a transition made convincing…
The Stage
The 47th at the The Old Vic (2022)
" Bertie Carvel’s Transformation Into Shakespearean Trump Is Hypnotic" "Bartlett’s audacity — plus the fact that Tunie, Wilson and especially…
Variety
Straight Line Crazy at the Bridge Theatre (2022)
"‘Ralph Fiennes Plays Robert Moses in David Hare’s Talky New Play" "Everything is elegantly staged by Hytner on Crowley’s expansive…
Variety
Cock at the Ambassadors Theatre (2022)
"Taron Egerton, Jonathan Bailey Lead a Blistering West End Production" "Without dropping a moment of the play’s seriousness, laughter is…
Variety
The Collaboration at the The Young Vic (2022)
"‘Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope Can’t Make Drama Out of This Bio" "From “The Theory of Everything” to “The Two…
Variety
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Playhouse Theatre) (2021)
"Eddie Redmayne Dazzles in Triumphant West End Revival" "This is no directorial flourish. It’s typical of the production’s immense authority…
Variety
Best of Enemies at the The Young Vic (2021)
"Behind the Scenes of 1968’s Revolutionary TV Debates" "For so sophisticated a writer, there are surprising lapses in subtlety. He…
Variety
The Book of Dust at the Bridge Theatre (2021)
"‘His Dark Materials’ Prequel Is a Triumph of Theatrical Storytelling" "For such an episodic story, the surprise of the night…
Variety
Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre (2021)
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That, largely speaking, appears to be the mantra behind the London production of…
Variety
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) at the Criterion Theatre (2021)
"A Smashingly Smart Austen Adaptation" "Adding karaoke to the 19th century’s blueprint rom-com may sound like a translation too far…
Variety
Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre (2021)
"West End Musical Is Lots of Fun Despite Flaws" "The pastiche songs work best, as when Lorraine falls for “Calvin”…
Variety
& Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre (2019)
"Knockout vocals drive a camp revamp of “Romeo and Juliet," featuring the songs of Max Martin" "Silly and serious, “&…
Variety
Sister Act The Musical at the London Palladium (2009)
"Is "Sister Act" great theatrical art? No. Is it hit entertainment? Oh, yes"
Variety
Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre (2009)
"There's competition in London's current hit revival of another grand-scale, truly gay musical, "La Cage aux Folles." But judging by…
Variety
📷 Main photo: Critics - David Benedict
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