American Psycho musical at the Almeida review: Bloody brilliant February 3, 2026 American Psycho at the Almeida | ★★★★★ A lot has happened over the years Rupert Goold has been artistic director of the Almeida. In 2013 he opened his tenure at the Islington theatre with this wickedly amoral musical: six British Prime Ministers and one pandemic later, he completes the oroborus with the same riotous show. [...]
Ballad Lines review: A muddled musical with moments of brilliance January 30, 2026 A Jacobean vicar’s wife, a pregnant Presbyterian teen and a 21st-century New York lesbian walk into a bar – Ballad Lines is the result.
High Noon play review: New ground for the West End’s Westerns January 26, 2026 High Noon review and star rating: ★★ Westerns feel ripe for the stage, although very few have been staged as plays. The musicals are famous West End fodder: Oklahoma! was given a provocative, horny reimagining at the Young Vic in 2022, but while High Noon has some musical numbers courtesy of Bruce Springsteen’s back catalogue, [...]
This Soho pub is putting on a ‘problematic’ show about a drunkard January 23, 2026 The Coach and Horses in Soho is one of central London’s most storied boozers. It was a favourite of Peter O’Toole, who famously once got so drunk he climbed onto the roof and refused to get down until he was served more booze. The late landlord from the 1980s heyday, Norman Balon, earned the nickname [...]
Ariana Grande tickets for London musical ‘could easily go over £300’ January 16, 2026 “Dynamic pricing” has forced some West End ticket prices as high as £400 – will Ariana Grande’s new production of Sunday in the Park with George cost as much as an all-inclusive break in the Med? While some figures including Andrew Lloyd Weber have criticised dynamic pricing – the act of putting prices up in [...]
Paranormal Activity brings thrills and scares to London stage January 15, 2026 Paranormal Activity | ★★★★☆ | Ambassador’s Theatre Given the endless churn of lacklustre sequels, it’s easy to forget just how scary the original Paranormal Activity was. A found footage successor to The Blair Witch Project, it brought the same flavour of supernatural horror into a chillingly recognisable domestic setting that could be your own home. [...]
Ariana Grande to make London theatre debut with Wicked co-star January 14, 2026 The musician Ariana Grande is making her West End debut. The singer will perform in the musical Sunday in the Park with George alongside Bridgerton co-star Jonathan Bailey. Bailey and Ariana Grande recently worked together in the Wicked movies. The show has music and lyrics by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. The book is by James Lapine and [...]
A Ghost in Your Ear is the scariest show in London January 9, 2026 A Ghost in Your Ear | ★★★★★ | Hampstead Theatre Theatre has evolved remarkably little over the centuries – plonk Shakespeare in the front row at the Almeida and he’d immediately recognise what’s going on. One area that feels ripe for exploration is the use of audience headphones to introduce another dimension to productions. The [...]
London arts sector must learn to speak corporate to save itself January 9, 2026 To protect the vital arts sector, London's creatives must learn the corporate walk and talk, writes Austin Casey.
Sheridan Smith dazzles in psychedelic Woman In Mind January 8, 2026 Woman In Mind | ★★★☆☆ | Duke of York’s Theatre Sheridan Smith’s stage work over the last decade has been a case of art imitating life. In 2016 she pulled out of a run of performances of Funny Girl suffering from anxiety and burnout, triggering a tabloid feeding frenzy. Since then she has led a production [...]