By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Saturday 27 May 2023 (last night)
There’s a moment during this dark Noel Coward revival when Stephen Mangan’s Elyot expertly plays his wordless response to Rachael Stirling’s ex-wife Sibyl (The Way You Look Tonight) on the piano and it’s absolutely exquisite.
By Aline Mahrud
WHEN?: Saturday 20 May, runs until 17 June 2023.
WORTH A LOOK?: *** RUNTIME: 140 minutes (including a 20 minute interval)
Southwark Playhouse is currently running theatres in 2 different south London locations and tonight we mistakenly pitch up at the new Elephant rather than the old Borough site which is our bad but gives a little insight into the rather haphazard nature of this venue.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Wednesday 24 May, runs until 1 July 2023 RUNTIME: 135 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
The most emotional moments during this 1-woman performance of the Dickens coming of age classic are when Izzard, who plays all the 20-or-so parts, conveys the heartache of not being the choice of someone loved by main character Pip.
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Saturday 22 April (matinee), running to 29 April 2023 RUNTIME: 130 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
Leading man Lewis Brown took over from writer/star Danny Lee Wynter midway through this run after the creator withdrew for personal reasons and it’s all credit to this production that you could never tell.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Sunday 7 May, runs until 21 May and then tours until 14 October 2023 RUNTIME: 120 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
We’re reminded of musical The Book Of Mormon by 2 of TV’s South Park creators during this show’s finale as the lead sings: ‘The Whole Wide World is run by assholes.’
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
WHEN?: Wednesday 10 May, runs until 12 August 2023
Songwriter Dan Gillespie Sells and director Jonathan Butterell have reunited after the success of musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to create something quite understated, haunting and beautiful with their take on Brokeback Mountain.
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Saturday 29 April (matinee), running to Saturday 29 April 2023 (evening) and then touring the UK until autumn 2023 RUNTIME: 70 minutes (no interval)
Lydia West’s (It’s A Sin, Channel 4) stage debut is a curious mix of uncomfortable audience interaction and despair at mankind-inspired climate change and species extinction.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Saturday 22 April, opens 2 May running to 15 July 2023 RUNTIME: 160 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
Mark Gatiss (ITVX’s Nolly) is 1 of our finest character actors and here plays Sir John Gielgud directing Richard Burton in Hamlet in 1964 on Broadway.
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Sunday 16 April (matinee), running to 7 May 2023 RUNTIME: 130 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
WHERE?: Apollo Theatre, West End, London
Can theatre save lives?
By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Saturday 8 April (matinee), runs through 5 August 2023 RUNTIME: 220 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
It’s hard for us to appreciate the popularity of this play because it is based on a best-selling 2015 book by Hanya Yanigihara we’ve not read and stars a much in-demand actor we’re not especially a fan of.
monstagigz 