Covid continues to present major challenges to the performing arts. Thank you to everyone who perseveres in mounting theatre productions, online and offline, during these unprecedented times. The Mates are with you! If we can help promote your project, give us a shout!
MyTheatreMates is a portal for independent theatre bloggers in London and around the UK. We have dozens of bloggers whose sites and content are regularly featured here. Find out more about all our Mates and access their posts.
Terri Paddock co-founded MyTheatreMates in 2015 with the help of leading theatre critic and industry commentator Mark Shenton, a mate for life! Find out more about the original ethos behind the website.
Featured shows
‘A fantastic night of debate to expand one’s mind’: FREUD’S LAST SESSION – King’s Head Theatre ★★★★
25th January 2022Kings Head Theatre, London – until 12th February 2022 Guest reviewer: Emily Cliff Sigmund Freud, one of the most renowned neurologists of his time, changed the way the world thinks with his views and published works on, love, god and… .. Read more
‘I am trying to paint pictures in the heads of the audience’: Debs Newbold on the power of sound in Lost in Blue
20th January 2022One-woman show Lost in Blue, the gripping story of a man in a coma as told by the daughter who helped to put him there, comes to London's Lion & Unicorn Theatre from 15 to 26 February 2022. In the first… .. Read more
Other recent articles
‘Illuminates the struggle to pursue an almighty artistic vision’: HOLST – The Music in the Spheres – Jack Studio Theatre
27th January 2022Jack Studio Theatre, London - until 19 February 2022 It should come as little surprise that Arrows & Traps Theatre’s return to live performance takes the form of an ambitious and inventive repertory season. Written and directed by Ross McGregor,… .. Read more
FROM DOWN UNDER: The Australian premiere of Jagged Little Pill
27th January 2022Electrifying new musical Jagged Little Pill commands attention, breaks hearts and, ultimately, inspires hope in this thrilling Australian premiere season. The relatively rare musical that is completely of its time, Jagged Little Pill arrives in Australia just two years after… .. Read more
‘Is it spectacular spectacular? Yes, absolutely’: MOULIN ROUGE! The Musical – West End ★★★★★
26th January 2022Is it over the top? Is it jam-packed with pop songs? Is it spectacular spectacular? Well, yes, absolutely – the sheer theatricality of Alex Timbers' production is supremely dazzling – while maintaining the heart and soul of the film (based… .. Read more
‘A masterclass in succinct & intensive storytelling’: THRILL ME The Leopold & Loeb Story – Jermyn Street Theatre
26th January 2022Jermyn Street Theatre, London - until 5 February 2022 A hundred years ago, not long after another worldwide pandemic, Nietzsche’s concept of the Superman took hold and inspired two 19-year old students to kill a child for the thrill of… .. Read more
‘There’s razzle-dazzle, glitz, glam & hugely sumptuous chorus numbers’: MOULIN ROUGE! The Musical – West End ★★★
25th January 2022Piccadilly Theatre, London The West End premiere of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 musical Moulin Rouge has been a long-awaited adaptation. After a number of delays, it has finally opened and is certainly a spectacle to behold. There's razzle-dazzle, glitz and glam… .. Read more
‘An intelligent & enjoyable example of contemporary political theatre’: THE 4th COUNTRY – Park Theatre
24th January 2022Park Theatre, London - until 5 February 2022 History is a prison. Often, you can’t escape. It imprints its mark on people, environments and language. And nowhere is this more true that in Northern Ireland, where the long history of… .. Read more
‘Just allow the sensuousness to wash over you’: Moulin Rouge & Cabaret immerse West End theatregoers
24th January 2022After two rounds of press performances were cancelled in December, MOULIN ROUGE finally opened at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre last week. Not since Hair’s Good Morning Starshine, with lyrics like “dooby ooby walla/ dooby abba dabbaEarly morning singing song”,… .. Read more
FROM DOWN UNDER: Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s The Comedy of Errors
23rd January 2022The border control comedy we didn’t know we all needed, The Comedy of Errors is Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s convivial contribution to the welcome wave of theatres reopening. Cocooning the audience from early evening traffic, the blessed tranquility of St Kilda… .. Read more
REVIEW ROUND-UP: Force Majeure at the Donmar Warehouse
23rd January 2022On LoveLondonLoveCulture, Emma Clarendon rounds up the reviews for the stage adaptation of Ruben Östlund’s film Force Majeure, now at London’s Donmar Warehouse until 5 February 2022. Exeunt Magazine: “Longhurst’s production gets at something about the couple’s alienation from each other, the… .. Read more
Year in review: My favourite digital shows 2021
23rd January 2022 Despite the fact that theatres were once again up and running for about half the year (varying from place to place), there was still a massive appetite for digital productions going into 2021. The digital revolution has been a… .. Read more