By Aline Mahrud
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Saturday 2 April, opens 9 April, booking to Saturday 28 May 2022
RUNTIME: 157 minutes (including 15-minute interval)
‘Chameleon’ is the word best used to describe actor Bertie Carvel, the winner of 2 Oliviers and a Tony for roles including Rupert Murdoch in Ink.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Sunday 20 March 2022, booking to 17 April 2022
RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including 20-minute Interval)
There’s a lovely moment towards the end of this celebration of songwriters Stephen Sondheim, Marvin Hamlisch and Michel Legrand when its star Friedman, who worked with them all, encourages the audience to sing with the cast.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Saturday 20 March (matinee), runs to 9 April 2022 RUNTIME: 70 minutes without interval
Wilson is on the phone and onstage in a rectangular box behind see-through glass in her 1st West End role since her Hedda Gabler at the National was Olivier Award-nominated in 2017.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Saturday 12 March, opens 31 March, runs to 13 August 2022
RUNTIME: 180 minutes (including 20-minute interval)
‘We can’t go on like this,’ repeats Rafe Spall’s lawyer Atticus Finch during this hard-hitting rewriting of Harper Lee’s classic 1960 novel for the stage by Aaron (The West Wing) Sorkin.
By Neil Durham
WHERE?: Ambassadors Theatre, London
WHEN?: Saturday 5 March, booking to 4 June 2022 RUNTIME: Usually 105 minutes (no interval)
We’re at the 1st preview of this Mike Bartlett revival and 90 minutes in Egerton faints onstage, a doctor is called from the audience and the curtain goes down for 40 minutes.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Saturday 19 February (matinee), booking to 27 November 2022
We’re here because Lucie Jones, 1 of the UK’s greatest musical theatre actresses and former Eurovision contestant, has been cast in a musical we haven’t seen since it opened in the West End way back when in 2006.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: **** RUNTIME: 90 minutes (no interval)
WHEN?: Opening night Tuesday 22 February 2022 (press ticket), runs to 26 March 2022 Update: transfers to @SohoPlace in London’s West End 15 March through 4 May 2024 Tickets Update: returns to Bush Theatre and runs 12 to 30 September 2023 Tickets
Williams-Stirling plays Jackson Marchetti, a head boy and swimming champion in Netflix’s TV series Sex Education and it’s a role light years from his part in this coming of age story set on a football pitch not far from this west London venue.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Saturday 12 February (matinee), runs to 19 March 2022
It’s Steven’s birthday, he’s in a restaurant with his partner and their best friends – and a secret is uncovered.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN?: Thursday 3 February (matinee), running to 5 March RUNTIME: 120 minutes (including 20-minute interval)
Zmitrowicz made our Best Theatre Actress shortlist in 2020 for The Welkin at the National and during her impressive body of work we have already described her as ‘captivating in a role that we felt should have been better explored’ by the author.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2
WHEN?: Sunday 30 January 2022
We 1st saw this musical co-written by Boy George around 20 years ago on its arrival to London’s West End at what is now Leicester Square Theatre and was then The Venue.
