The Mousetrap (St Martin’s, London) Rating: Verdict: Creaky but kind of fun Love Letters (Theatre Royal, Haymarket) Rating: Verdict: Touching romance April in Paris (touring) Rating: Verdict: Good Godber The first show to open in London this week was also the first to close in March last year: The Mousetrap. And in the intervening period, … Read more
The Mousetrap (St Martin’s, London) Rating: Verdict: Creaky but kind of fun Love Letters (Theatre Royal, Haymarket) Rating: Verdict: Touching romance April in Paris (touring) Rating: Verdict: Good Godber The first show to open in London this week was also the first to close in March last year: The Mousetrap. And in the intervening period, … Read more
The Visiting Hour Rating: Verdict: A game of cat and mouse Faith Healer Rating: Verdict: Lyrical healing We have the Irish to thank for keeping the music in the English language alive on stage over the past century. Two of the greatest exponents of this are Frank McGuinness and Brian Friel. McGuinness has a new … Read more
A Splinter Of Ice (originaltheatreonline.com; and touring) Verdict: Well worth a sneaky peek Rating: Julius Caesar (Bridge Theatre; ntathome.com) Verdict: Mob-handed Rating: Cold War British spy and Russian double agent Kim Philby was a great lover of cricket. On a visit to him in 1987, shortly before his death in Moscow (reimagined in this fascinating new play … Read more
Romeo & Juliet (Sky Arts/NowTV) Verdict: A little too grown up Rating: An Elephant In The Garden (barntheatre.org.uk) Verdict: Animal healing Rating: Where The Bugaboo Lives (littleangeltheatre.com) Verdict: Puppets enchant Zoom Rating: Prince Charles playing Romeo? Well, not quite, but it was a little disconcerting this week to see the features of the heir apparent in the … Read more
Sitting (BBC4, Wednesday 2.30pm) Verdict: You’ll be drawn in Rating: Scaramouche Jones (stream, theatre) Verdict: Richie re-born Rating: Sadie (BBC iPlayer) Verdict: Gritty but powerful Rating: People worry about the wrong things when they’re being painted. They think they’ll get bored, or restless. But what should really concern them is what they’ll say when they … Read more
Adventurous (Jermyn Street Theatre; stream.theatre) Verdict: Lovable stereotypes Rating: The Picture Of Dorian Gray (Barn Theatre, Cirencester; pictureofdoriangray.com) Verdict: Not-so-lovable stereotypes Rating: Stereotypes have had a bad rap in this age of woke, but I’ve got a lot of time for them. My only caveat is that someone should make sure they receive a regular refresh. … Read more
Three Sisters (NT at Home) Rating: Verdict: Wonderful women Stevie Smith: Black March (deadpoets.live) Rating: Verdict: Audio-visual delight Back in the day, brimming with idealism at university, I tried to join the Feminist Society. The woman at the freshers’ fair desk objected on the grounds that I was clearly a man — only to be overheard … Read more
Hymn (almeida.co.uk) Rating: Verdict: Sing the praises! The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (stream theatre) Rating: Verdict: Genial musical needs a little more charm The Secret Society of Leading Ladies (barntheatre.org.uk) Rating: Verdict: Gamey musical jukebox Praise be and rejoice: a new play! They’ve been increasingly rare this past year, so it’s a real treat to come across … Read more
Romeo And Juliet (romeojuliet2021.com) Rating: Verdict: Polished but too polite Good Grief (originaltheatreonline.com) Rating: Verdict: Good but glib grief This Valentine’s Day is likely to be a more restrained occasion than usual. With restaurants and bars closed, it’s either the kitchen or the living room for that romantic date. So maybe it makes sense that … Read more