Occasionally, I have time to write about productions where I haven’t chaired post-show talks and perhaps even thoughts on topics that have nothing to do with theatre. You can find these ramblings here, including my still very popular What I Learned Today series.
Life of Pi: Breathtaking puppetry and philosophy create stage magic
Not long left to catch Life of Pi in the West End. If you possibly can, I recommend you beg, borrow or steal to get one of the last remaining tickets – or plan ahead now for the five-time Olivier Award-winning play’s 2023/24 tour.
The Lesson: If knowledge is power, does ignorance kill?
How do you cope in a world gone mad? That seems to me to be the central question in two of Romanian-French playwright Eugene Ionesco's one-act plays, The Lesson and The Chairs, written in the aftermath of the Second World War
Operation Mincemeat: Oh my god, this World War II escapade actually happened?
I have a sneaking suspicion that we have not seen the last of this little musical gem, which is - incredibly - inspired by a real-life World War II espionage episode demonstrating British pluck and eccentricity in spades.
A Christmas Carol: It’s easy to see why this production has become an Old Vic tradition
I love Christmas. But for the past several years, I have struggled to summon the Christmas cheer that used to kick in for me the day after Thanksgiving (or, after so many years in the UK, by 1 December at the latest).
The Shark Is Broken: This play has helped me conquer a life-long fear
I was fascinated by the story behind the play telling the story behind the film. The Shark Is Broken is the brainchild of Ian Shaw who co-wrote it and stars as his own late father Robert Shaw.
The Choir of Man: Dedicated to the 2000 pubs closed during lockdown
Here's a sobering statistic: 2,000 pubs closed during lockdown. Lost forever. The scale of that loss really struck me when I heard performer and (brilliant) poet Ben Norris recite it during The Choir of Man at the Arts Theatre. And, in fact, it's likely an underestimate.
Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of): Serving up Jane Austen with a karaoke twist
There are some shows with modest beginnings that seem to have all of the industry behind them, willing them to succeed. Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is one of them.
Back to the Future: Nostalgic screen-to-stage sci-fi custom-made for superfans
This is not a project born of outsiders wanting to cash in, but rather a long-held ambition, some 16 years in the making, of Back to the Future's creators.
The Last Five Years: The piano is the new star in Jason Robert Brown’s two-hander
There's a line in The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown's semi-autobiographical musical two-hander about a relationship breakdown, that gets me every time.
Frozen: Disney’s big-budget blockbuster musical melted my heart
While London has had to wait a long time for Disney’s own screen-to-stage adaptation, its September arrival makes it feel as if Christmas has come early to the West End.