London Theatre Review and News
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Becky Bond’s Disposable is a mixed bag. After a grimly awful 40-minute first half, you may well head for the bar, craving a stiff drink and an escape from five of the most smug, self-righteous, insufferable characters you will see on stage this year. But Bond has been playing us. Return after the [...] The post Disposable. Union Theatre. appeared first on John Cutler .
The Sea Horse, Edward J Moore’s grim slice of mid-century realism, debuted to solid reviews off-Broadway in 1974. Since then, the two-hander has mostly disappeared from the repertory, and the piece seems never to have had a professional UK production until now. Hats off then to producers Mark Cheng and Vicky MacRae, and [...] The post The Sea Horse. Golden Goose Theatre. appeared first on John…
Emperor penguins’ shortish treks between sea and nesting sites are about as peripatetic as your average Thameslink commuter. Garry Starr: Classic Penguins arrives at the Arts Theatre with considerably more air miles, having justifiably picked up multiple comedy awards in Australia and enjoyed sell-out runs at Soho Theatre, Underbelly Boulevard and the Edinburgh [...] The post Garry Starr: Classic…
When, upon entering an auditorium, you are told, ‘Take as many pictures as you like, but mind the ceramics,’ it is a good indication that you are in for something that blurs the lines between traditional theatre and something else entirely. Artist and somatic traumatologist Stefan Jovanović Kaasa’s solo performance piece, When the [...] The post When the Clarion Came to Call. Cockpit Theatre.…
Writer Sam Danson’s well-received, semi-autobiographical debut single-hander BI-TOPIA explored the experience of coming out and living as a bisexual man. His latest, Daddy's First Gay Date, sees the writer pair up again with director Rikki Beadle-Blair to address a similar theme, this time within the framework of an odd-couple, emotional triangle. There are [...] The post Daddy’s First Gay Date.…
In Chinese mythology and Buddhist beliefs, the hungry ghost symbolises the dangers of human excess. A lifetime of greed, deceit, and unchecked desire leads to an afterlife of unending hunger. Food turns to ash in their mouths, leaving them with an insatiable appetite and thirst. Think of negative karma reborn as an eating [...] The post KISS WITNESS: Prayers for a Hungry Ghost. Barbican Theatre.…
Honey pushes her boyfriend, Christopher, over the edge of a frozen crevasse in Antarctica. Unfortunately, Christopher grabs hold of her, and now both of them are trapped at the bottom of a ravine 15 metres below the surface, without water, food, or a means to keep warm. Jessica Norman’s debut play, This Little [...] The post This Little Earth. Arcola Theatre. appeared first on John Cutler .
The show blurb for director Igor Golyak’s production of The Wanderers quotes a review from The Wall Street Journal describing the piece as “the finest play of the year”. No offence to that esteemed organ, but one wonders which year and which universe. It certainly is not London, 2025. Seemingly, that review was [...] The post The Wanderers. Marylebone Theatre. appeared first on John Cutler .
Nick Payne’s first new theatre work in 6 years, The Unbelievers, explores a woman’s determined, near psychotic inability to move on after her 15-year-old son goes missing. The mother, the testy, mercurial, in-your-face Miriam — a powerhouse performance from Nicola Walker — seldom leaves the stage, and there are hints that the fractured [...] The post The Unbelievers. Royal Court. appeared first on…
Aversion therapy, once used in mid-century Britain to ‘cure homosexuality’, reached its height in the 1950s and 60s. In psychiatric wards, patients were instructed to visualise homoerotic encounters while being dosed with emetics or given mild electric shocks. It is a grim and shameful slice of British medical history, and one that Julian [...] The post F*ggotjacket. Canal Café Theatre. appeared…
