First staged in 1985, just before the AIDS epidemic had fully entered public consciousness, Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart rails against the refusal of US authorities to acknowledge anything was wrong.
‘A fun, frothy play in part carried by its status as a West End institution’: THE MOUSETRAP – West End
Are you allowed to call yourself a theatre fan if you haven’t seen The Mousetrap, the West End’s longest-running play? Possibly. But I’ve ticked that box now.
PHOTOS: Original star returns as Tiny Room revs up rehearsals for new Loop dates
David Richardson, who appeared in the original London runs of Peter Mulligan’s acclaimed play LOOP, rejoins the cast as the Tiny Room production prepares for new November dates on its debut tour. Time to get booking!
‘Surprisingly hilarious about a not-so-hilarious subject’: YELLOWFIN – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
What would you do if all the fish suddenly vanished? It’s a question that would have sounded faintly ridiculous a few years ago, but as climate change grips the world, a mass extinction event doesn’t feel that far off.
‘Lots of fun!’ REVENGE: The Horror Cabaret – Pleasance Theatre
A fun-filled hour of horror-themed musical theatre numbers comes wonderfully unstuck as its creator can’t bring herself to share the spotlight with the other cast members.
‘What can a theatre production do? Ram it home, that’s what’: GRENFELL – VALUE ENGINEERING – London & Birmingham
There was a spate of criticism when Richard Norton Taylor’s dramatisation of the Grenfell Inquiry was announced, despite it being a not-for-profit enterprise, set in and for the neighbourhood which grieves the disaster.
PHOTOS & VIDEO: In the rehearsal room with Philip Ridley’s Tender Napalm
Performances begin this week for Lidless Theatre’s revival of Philip Ridley’s “jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, expectation-topping” play Tender Napalm. We caught up with the company in rehearsals.
NEWS: Lockdown hit Doing Shakespeare gets live London premiere at Bridewell
Following a series of multi-award-winning online plays throughout the pandemic, the Northern Comedy Theatre Company has adapted its much-loved Doing Shakespeare for the stage and is bringing it to London next week, starring Coronation Street’s Steven Arnold.
‘The denouement is among Agatha Christie’s finest’: WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION – County Hall
Lucy Bailey’s site-specific production of Agatha Christie’s courtroom drama has returned to London County Hall, after a lengthy, if unplanned adjournment, and remains one of the most effective theatrical settings in London.
‘The promenade performance offers a tour of the exciting new spaces’: RED – Polka Theatre
Polka Theatre has finally reopened its doors after two and a half years, following major refurbishment works which coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic.
INTERVIEW: Guy Masterson on bringing The Shark is Broken to the West End
Director Guy Masterson chatted to Love London Love Culture’s Emma Clarendon about bringing The Shark Is Broken to the West End’s Ambassadors Theatre.
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri Paddock for one-woman hit Empty in Angel
As part of her resumed post-show talk series, Mates founder Terri Paddock will chair a discussion following the evening performance of James Woolf’s new play Empty in Angel at London’s Old Red Lion Theatre on Saturday 20 November 2021. Time to get booking!
‘Any actor that can purposely act badly deserves credit’: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG – Touring ★★★★★
Since the play began in 2012 on the stage in the Off West End venue The Old Red Lion, The Play that Goes Wrong has gone from strength to strength and spent nine years in the West End and is currently back out on tour.
‘Heartbreaking & fascinatingly staged’: LOVE & OTHER ACTS OF VIOLENCE – Donmar Warehouse ★★★★
This fascinatingly powerful new play from Cordelia Lynn examines the vicious cycle of politics, history and discrimination through the eyes of one couple.
‘Sometimes entertaining in a despairing way, sometimes alarming’: WHITE NOISE – Bridge Theatre ★★★★
This feels like a howl of baffled frustration, from a millennial generation unable to deal with the emotional legacy of a long-ago slave trade.
‘An enjoyable evening, superbly acted’: HOW TO SURVIVE AN APOCALYPSE – Finborough Theatre ★★★
Jordan Hall’s multi-award-winning Canadian comedy, in a smart staging by Proud Haddock artistic director Jimmy Walters, is so engaging you don’t really need a glass of overpriced wine to enhance your experience.
‘A wonderful insight into how culturally diverse London is’: A PLACE FOR WE – Park Theatre
Through the decades, three families try to navigate their way through an ever-changing environment for Talawa Theatre in Archie Maddocks’ new play.
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri Paddock for Philip Ridley’s Tender Napalm
As part of her resumed post-show talk series, Mates founder Terri Paddock will chair a discussion following the performance of Lidless Theatre’s tenth-anniversary revival of Philip Ridley’s provocative Tender Napalm, at London’s King’s Head Theatre on Tuesday 7 November 2021. Time to get booking!
REVIEW ROUND-UP: White Noise at the Bridge Theatre
On LoveLondonLoveCulture, Emma Clarendon rounds up the reviews for Polly Findlay’s European premiere production of White Noise, by Pulitzer Prize-winning US playwright Suzan Lori-Parks.
NEWS: RSC reopens Royal Shakespeare Theatre with new productions in spring 2022
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has released details of its Spring 2022 activity including Shakespeare returning to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage and the announcement of a ground-breaking national new writing project.