Judi Dench Theatre is a fitting tribute to the great dame June 17, 2026 On Tuesday, the Shaftesbury Theatre, the largest independent theatre in the West End, announced that it was changing its name. As of February 2027, following a renovation which will include restoration of its unique opening dome, it will be the Judi Dench Theatre, in honour of the 91-year-old actress who boasts an Academy Award, a [...]
Under the Shadow at Almeida: Psychological horror set against Tehran’s 1988 bombing June 11, 2026 Under the Shadow | Alneida Theatre | ★★★★☆ This has been quite a year for horror theatre. In January we saw the UK debut of the Paranormal Activity stage show, dragging the voyeuristic, found-footage franchise kicking and screaming into the West End. And soon after the Hampstead Theatre premiered a more fringe-y affair in the [...]
Beetlejuice musical review: I’ve never heard West End fans scream this loud May 28, 2026 Beetlejuice musical review and star rating: ★★★ It’s rare to experience screaming so loud that it feels as if some terrible force is pressing against your eardrums. It happened at Taylor Swift’s show Wembley Stadium and last night at Beetlejuice: The Musical’s West End premiere, where after every song – whether it was good or [...]
The West End works as one economy – policy should catch up May 27, 2026 The West End functions as an integrated economy, yet policy continues to govern it in fragments, writes Ros Morgan.
This shocking West End play is like Netflix’s Adolescence but live May 21, 2026 Equus play review and star rating: ★★★★ If a psychological drama about a teenager with an erotic fixation on horses sounds controversial, imagine how the idea landed 53 years ago. Peter Shaffer’s Equus is still platforming taboo-breaking conversations around mental health 53 years after its world premiere, which is probably more a criticism of our [...]
Krapp’s Last Tape sees Gary Oldman at his most captivating May 14, 2026 Krapp’s Last Tape | ★★★★★ | Royal Court As you watch Gary Oldman’s ageing Krapp slowly, methodically eat a banana, and then slowly, methodically eat a second banana, the silence – or rather the lack of silence – is deafening. Every sound in the theatre is amplified: audience members shifting in the Royal Court’s leather [...]
Avenue Q is wonderfully lawless chaos (with very rude puppets) April 17, 2026 Avenue Q review and star rating: ★★★★ Could brainrot actually be good? Well, no: but if it were to take an IRL form, in many ways it would be Avenue Q. The puppet musical has no significant overarching narrative. Instead, its main goal is to stitch together as many very silly jokes about willies and [...]
The Capitalist: Ian Mckellen goes off-script at Olivier Awards April 16, 2026 Dispatch from the Olivier Awards, Jeremy King and AI sermons; catch up on the latest gossip in this week's The Capitalist.
Inter Alia play review: spring’s must-book West End ticket April 9, 2026 Inter Alia play review and star rating: ★★★★ When Inter Alia sold out its run, garnering a swathe of positive reviews at the National Theatre last summer, the idea of the ‘Manosphere’ felt fairly fringey. Adolescence had just come out, which proved to be a thorough and fascinating examination of misogyny and its tendrils within [...]
Les Liaisons Dangereuses review: Aiden Turner is even sexier than Poldark April 2, 2026 Aiden Turner and Lesley Manville are as compelling as they are repulsive as a pair of meddling aristocrats in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.