West End Theatre reviews from the UK newspaper The Times & Sunday Times.
Here’s a selection of reviews of London shows from the theatre and arts critics at The Times newspaper.
The chief theatre critic at The Times is Clive Davis.
Also Dominic Maxwell writes theatre reviews for The Sunday Times, and comedy reviews for the Times and Sunday Times.
See below for a full run-down of star ratings and theatre opinions about West End shows in London from The Times & The Sunday Times.
The Lives of Others at the Adelphi Theatre (2026)
★★★
"Packed with bravura flourishes and in-jokes, but fails to fully engage." "As the adaptor and director, he imposes his aesthetic…
Martin Guerre at the Old Vic (2026)
★★★
“The large, northern-accented ensemble performs too well and the songs are too sumptuous for this to be boring.” “Definitive or…
The Cherry Orchard at the The Harold Pinter (2026)
★★★
As the wayward landowner Ranevskaya, Scott Thomas conveys a persuasive portrait of a woman who is driven by her own…
Rent at the Tom Stoppard Theatre (Formerly Duke of York's) (2026)
★★★★
"This musical still burns brightly. " "Rent is an imperfect show with a tangle of storylines, but the score still…
Into the Woods at the Noël Coward Theatre (2026)
★★★★
"It’s spellbinding" "In Jordan Fein’s utterly bewitching revival of Into the Woods, the Stephen Sondheim fairytale musical getting a West…
Hay Fever at the Wyndham's Theatre (2026)
★★★
"There is fun to be had in this starry revival of Noël Coward’s artfully pointless country house comedy." "Christine Baranski’s…
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the @sohoplace (2026)
★★★★★
"There’s so much to admire here, but too little range. This Woolf needs sharper fangs to avoid feeling a good…
The Standard of Living at the Theatre Royal Haymarket (2026)
★★★
"It’s no classic. Graham hasn’t found the form to turn so much content into a drama with a compelling hook."…
Tru at Menier Chocolate Factory at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2026)
★★★
"If you want to see a really fine performance, go see Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Truman Capote in Tru. "…
The Last Ship at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (2026)
★★★
"It starts strikingly, ends triumphantly. Moment to moment its great strength is Sting’s ingenious, idiosyncratic songs" "Only those entirely immune…
Thelma & Louise: The Musical at the The Old Vic (2026)
★★★
“Callie Khouri, who wrote the original screenplay, has now provided the book for Trip Cullman’s production at the Young Vic,…
Kimberly Akimbo at the Hampstead Theatre (2026)
★★★★
"Lindsay-Abaire and Tesori — the duo behind Shrek the Musical — blend themes of illness and mortality with an unabashed…
The Story at the National Theatre (2026)
★★
“The convoluted storyline flits from one improbable twist to another without adding much to the conversation.” “All the restless activity…
Electra/Persona at the National Theatre (2026)
★★★
“Blanchett remains such an icily charismatic presence that you’re reluctant to look away even when the pace sags.” “Still, as…
Who Killed Marilyn? at the Emerald Theatre (2026)
★
“The writer Sharleen Cooper Cohen — whose credits include An Officer and a Gentleman: The Musical — rummages through no…
As You Like It at the Shakespeare's Globe (2026)
★★★
“Crazy Restoration wigs and courtly capers mark the opening of the Globe’s latest production of As You Like It, introducing…
Abigail's Party at the Harold Pinter Theatre (2026)
★★★★
A skilful revival of the suburban classic at the Harold Pinter Theatre makes Mike Leigh’s dialogue sound freshly minted.“ "Abigail’s…
Death Note The Musical at the Barbican Theatre (2026)
★★★★
“Veterans and novices alike will be enchanted.” “Ivan Menchell has constructed a clean and simple book framework telling a single…
How the Other Half Loves at the The Old Vic (2026)
★★★★
" Allam delivers a masterclass in comic timing. Every pause, every hesitation, every bumbled phrase is a delight. " "…
Game of Thrones: The Mad King at the Royal Shakespeare Company (2026)
★★★
“This family-friendly pagan venture has War Horse-style puppetry and stylised battle sequences that hint at mayhem without resorting to oceans…
I’m Every Woman - The Chaka Khan Musical at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre (2026)
★★★
"the music lifts the spirits. Burke is in commanding form on the vocals, and the songs from Khan’s years with…
Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Shakespeare's Globe (2026)
★
"Shakespeare's wordiest play becomes a crass dumbshow." "The result... is a crude cacophony of impenetrable Spanish accents, punctuated by groin…
Jesus Christ Superstar - London Palladium at the London Palladium (2026)
★★★
"Sam Ryder… at his charismatic best when in full song — Gethsemane is sensational." "Tim Sheader's production is somehow both…
PRIDE The Musical at the National Theatre (2026)
★★★
“There is plenty to celebrate and some absences to mourn in this endearing, efficient, often very entertaining musical of the…
Cyrano de Bergerac at the Noël Coward Theatre (2026)
★★★★★
“There is much other fine comedy here, but the ticket price is worth it for the tragic final 20 minutes…
Sinatra The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre (2026)
★★★
"A brassy band and a star with swagger." “Joel Harper-Jackson captures the swagger of the young crooner from Hoboken and…
The Truth at the Apollo Theatre (2026)
★★★
“The French playwright has assembled a polished piece of machinery which, as it unfolds at the Apollo, resembles an old-fashioned…
The Misanthrope at the National Theatre (2026)
★★
“Sandra Oh struggles, but so would anyone in the fatally cluttered romp that is Martin Crimp’s revision of a revision…
Much Ado About Nothing at the Shakespeare's Globe (2026)
★★★
"A slick sitcom of love and mischief." "This pair of frenemies function like opposing magnets whose push-me-pull-you attraction… grounds the…
Glengarry Glen Ross at the The Old Vic (2026)
★★★
"Indira Varma and the American actress Rosa Salazar lead an all-female cast through the barrage of testosterone-charged profanities and racial…
High Society at the Barbican Theatre (2026)
★★★★★
"This is the show of the summer" “Helen George, Freddie Fox and Felicity Kendal dazzle in a show of pure…
War Horse at the National Theatre - Olivier Theatre (2026)
★★★★
"The National’s thoroughbred hit deserves another canter." "If you aren’t one of the millions who have seen this on stage,…
Beetlejuice at the Prince Edward Theatre (2026)
★★★
“Prepare to be pummelled. The stage version of Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s 1980s gothic comedy about spooky goings-on in a big…
Equus at the Menier Chocolate Factory (2026)
★★★
"Toby Stephens shines in an intense and balletic revival" "Lindsay Posner’s staging of Peter Shaffer’s drama at the Menier Chocolate…
Mother Courage and Her Children at the Shakespeare's Globe (2026)
★★
“The lumbering version of Mother Courage and Her Children at Shakespeare’s Globe in London is not going to do much…
1536 at the Ambassadors Theatre (2026)
★★★★
“The hype is justified.” “This is Henry VIII’s England. And these women talking in a very 21st-century way risk being…
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Main photo: The Times
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