Impressive writing, outstanding performances, but perhaps packing in too much

The Old Vic

Probably best known for his Dylan musical Girl From The North Country, Conor McPherson has written his first original play in 12 years, which he has also directed. The Brightening Air is, said Nick Curtis in The Standard, a ‘hilarious and achingly moving slice of dysfunctional rural Irish family life in the 1980s with broad seams of mysticism and superstition running through it’. All reviews agreed the writing is strong, with more than a nod to Chekhov. There are outstanding performances from Rosie Sheehy, Chris O’Dowd and Brian Gleeson as three siblings. Some found there was too much going on.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ★★★★

Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski called it ‘deft stuff, a slow-burn, bittersweet drama about a family finally disintegrating under forces that have been pulling at it for decades.’ Dave Fargnoli for The Stage said it ‘remains gripping thanks to McPherson’s typically sparkling dialogue, dripping with vibrant Irish idiom and loaded with humour and profundity.’ For him there was a standout performance: ‘Sensitively and convincingly portraying a character living with an autism spectrum disorder, Sheehy is a fascinating knot of tensions, often bluntly outspoken, other times stiff and uncomfortable in her own skin’.

The Standard’s Nick Curtis found it ‘audacious’. He picked two actors from a ‘splendid ensemble’: ‘O’Dowd returns to the stage for the first time in four years with a heroically detestable performance as the tauntingly feckless, faithless Dermot. And Rosie Sheehy adds to her unbroken run of transfixingly vivid roles as his sister Billie’. Dzifa Benson for the Telegraph called it ‘a play that is by turns, convulsively funny, bleak and puzzling but it’s Sheehy that my eyes kept seeking out’.

3 stars ★★★

Sarah  Crompton of WhatsOnStage observed, ‘McPherson’s writing is pin-sharp, a rare combination of the riotous and the elegiac…But he simply tries to cram too much in.’ Therefore, ‘It’s a frustrating play, always watchable, so nearly great, so nearly soaring, yet somehow held earthbound by the weight of its intent.’ For Alice Saville at The Independent, ‘The real magic here comes from the beautifully woven speeches McPherson gives his characters as they rebel against tedium, death, and the heavens.’

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar declared, ‘An incredibly strong cast is gathered: O’Dowd is a delight as the family’s self-regarding eldest brother and Sheehy, as always, is a standout force. She plays a largely comic character but infuses Billie with great emotion. The idea of love and its yearning is shown with delicacy.’ She was smitten by the design: ‘Rae Smith’s set is beautiful, full of diaphanous, overlying images of trees, water, misty mountains, sky, conjuring a vivid sense of place but also carrying a certain otherworldly magic. Sometimes this production lifts off, as if it is about to enter into the sublime, but is strangely dragged down by too many elements jostling to take flight.’

Anya Ryan of LondonTheatre decided, ‘It doesn’t quite make the impact McPherson might have hoped for then, but the play is still brimming with more fantasy and good fun than most. And for the true brilliance of each actor, this is a play worth a few hours of your time.’ Dominic Maxwell in The Times was ‘not sure it quite adds up, but it’s far more interesting than plenty of plays that do.’

Critics’ Average Rating: 3.3⭑

Value rating 44 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)

The Brightening Air is at The Old Vic Theatre  until 14 June 2025. Buy tickets from the theatre here.

If you’ve seen The Brightening Air is at The Old Vic Theatre, please add your review and rating below

 

 

The worst reviews of the year greet this ‘misconceived’ musical

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

The worst reviews of the year so far greeted this musical version of the Oscar-winning movie Midnight Cowboy. It’s to find any praise for Francis ‘Eg’ White‘s score, Bryony Lavery‘s book, or Nick Winston‘s direction of this story of two misfits in the dark world of 1980s New York.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Paul Vale for The Stage summed up, ‘Lavery and White’s treatment brings very little that’s new to the table. Winston’s production is stylishly presented, with capable performances, but dramatically it tends to mirror the source works, rather than open them out and explore their themes.’ The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar gave one of the kinder reviews: ‘The pace of the production is choppy and it feels too long overall but it presents an unvarnished portrait of an urban underclass that still resonates.’ Nevertheless she tore into the music: ‘A few songs fly, such as Don’t Give Up on Me Now and Blue Is the Colour, but most feel wordy and generic.’

2 star ⭑⭑

Julia Rank for WhatsOnStage was critical for the score: ‘The music and lyrics by three-time Ivor Novello Award-winning pop songwriter Francis ‘Eg’ White (in his musical theatre debut) demonstrate a lack of theatrical understanding as the undistinguished, heavily synthesised soft-rock numbers lack any kind of trajectory and struggle to develop plot, character or atmosphere’ and Bryony Lavery’s book ‘which moves from scene to scene with little momentum and the characters remain caricatures.’

Franco Milazzo at BroadwayWorld listed the musical’s faults: ‘Chunky and clunky dialogue is smoothed out with the occasional zinger but it feels eternally rough around the edges…The score from Francis “Eg” White fares only slightly better…it is Nick Winston’s direction, though, that takes the biscuit and the tin it came in. The first half has stop-start pacing that distracts from any sense of forward motion and the sex scene between Joe and Cass is possibly the least erotic thing seen on a London stage for quite some time.’

Lindsay Johns writing for the Telegraph called it ‘disquieting, distasteful and at times even disgusting.’ (This last in reference to a sex scene.) She said the original songs: ‘feel banal, and occasionally descend into painful, atonal caterwauling.’ She concluded with another string of negative adjectives: ‘Notwithstanding a couple of strong performances, this curate’s egg of a production feels uneven, unsatisfying and wholly gratutitous.’

1 star ⭑

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis accused the musical of ‘ coarsely, slapping largely indifferent songs over the action seemingly at random.’ He found that ‘one smashes repeatedly up against the incongruity of score and subject matter, as Joe descends to turning gay tricks in movie theatres and fleapit hotels, Ratso gradually collapses, and Winston treats it all as a gaudy, carnivalesque entertainment.’ Gary Naylor at The ArtsDesk called it ‘misconceived’.

Critics’ Average Rating 1.86★

Midnight Cowboy can be seen at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 17 May 2025. Click here for tickets direct from the theatre. 

If you have seen Midnight Cowboy at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, please give your review and rating below

 

Critics disappointed by tale of women in communist China

Kiln Theatre

Amy Ng‘s new play, directed by Katie Posner, tells the story of two Chinese women, one of whom became the wife of Chairman Mao, the other a leading theatre director. The critics found it underpowered and confusing. The reviews expressed disappointment rather than venom but were still some of the worst reviews of the year.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Julia Rank at LondonTheatre felt ‘If it doesn’t fully come to life, it does provide a window into a terrifying period of history where friendships counted for very little in the pursuit of power.’ For WhatsOnStage‘s Sarah Crompton, ‘It feels too rushed, reducing the scenes between the two women to melodramatic statements of intent and great gobbets of plot.’ The Standard‘s Nick Curtis was forgiving: ‘though it’s not a great piece of drama it tells a great story briskly and efficiently.’

Loretta Monaco at LondonTheatre1 damned with faint praise: ‘While Shanghai Dolls is worth seeing, and it nudges us to learn more about Jiang Qing, Sun Weishi, and their influence on today’s modern China, the answer may be in a restructured version, if not, its enormous power will remain unleashed.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar found it confusing: ‘It is not always immediately clear what has happened, how it has affected them or who they have become.’ She found that ‘In the early scenes especially, they seem like mouthpieces for their political positions and this hampers emotion or intimacy from building.’ Clive Davis in The Times called it ‘didactic and oddly confusing’. Helen Hawkins at TheArtsDesk noted, ‘it’s a dense subject requiring much more granular scrutiny if we are to understand these characters, let alone engage with them.’

Ella Duggan for The Independent was disappointed: ‘The source material here is undeniably compelling – a cautionary tale of resentment and repression. But this production falters in its execution, opting for a melodramatic, borderline cheesy tone that undercuts its own message.’ Over at BroadwayWorld, Franco Milazzo found it ‘hard work to grasp the nuances of the bigger picture as we move along.’

The Stage‘s Sam Marlowe was damning: ‘this is clumsy, flimsy work that not only doesn’t deliver as drama, but fails to come anywhere close to doing justice to history.’

Critics’ Average Rating 2.4★

Shanghai Dolls can be seen at the Kiln Theatre until 10 May 2025. Click here for tickets direct from the theatre. 

If you have seen Shanghai Dolls at The Kiln, please give your review and rating below

A hunt around the head of a murderous man

Royal Court

Robert Icke is lauded for his interpretations of classics (the most recent being his glorious Oedipus) but Manhunt is his first original play. In trying to get inside the head of the notorious killer Raoul Moat who went on the run in 2010, Icke, who also directed, mixes factual events and made-up scenes and conversations. Some critics liked this approach, while others felt it ‘couldn’t make its mind up’. All praised the performance of Samuel Edward-Cook in the lead role and Hildegard Bechtler’s ‘gun metal’ set design. The critics reached out to an unusual number of other works in their efforts to convey the flavour of the play and its subject: Jerusalem, Taxi Driver, Heart of Darkness, Moby Dick, Clockwork Orange, and the recent Adolescence and Punch.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Sarah Crompton at WhatsOnStage admired it but had reservations: ‘Manhunt is sophisticated in structure and thought, and its treatment of its damaged protagonist is never less than interesting … But in its attempts to be fair to both Moat’s tortured psychology and the suffering of his victims it doesn’t quite land as cogently and powerfully as you might hope.’ She complimented the design: ‘On Hildegard Bechtler’s set, stainless steel beaten panels reflect Azusa Ono’s subtle light, imprisoning Moat in his thoughts; when he goes on the run through his beloved Northumberland countryside, they resemble a thundery sky. ‘

Dave Fargnoli for The Stage felt, ‘Without ever attempting to excuse or explain Moat’s dreadful actions, this challenging, shattering and strikingly humane play from celebrated writer-director Robert Icke (uses) Moat’s grim story to frame potent questions about toxic masculinity.’ He praised the lead: ‘Samuel Edward-Cook is mesmerising as Moat, unflinchingly exploring the killer’s horrible, yet disturbingly recognisable, motivations. He frequently reveals flashes of sensitivity or vulnerability, then shamefacedly hides them.’

Time Out‘s Andrzej Lukowski noted that, once Moat arrives in the countryside, ‘the play really clicks, warping from something quite literal into something borderline metaphysical, a sort of psychographic journey into the hinterlands of toxic masculinity rather than an attempt to literally explain what happened.’ He ended, ‘Manhunt may spell things out a bit much, but it’s also emotionally vivid and compellingly other, blessed with great performances and an unnerving grandeur as Moat’s cracked, Kurtz-like odyssey takes him towards his own heart of darkness.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

The Standard’s Nick Curtis wrote, ‘It’s a tense and unnerving 100 minutes, driven by a frankly terrifying performance from a pumped-up, bullet-headed Samuel Edward-Cook as Moat.’ He was unhappy with the many conversations and events that ‘never happened’:  ‘Icke is one of the most gifted theatre artists working today … but for all its intensity, Manhunt feels like it’s hedging its bets. Or worse, can’t make its mind up.’

Alice Saville in The Independent found ‘it lacks Icke’s usual ability to winnow complex source material into one coherent message.’ She ended: ‘Manhunt is completely engrossing to watch, like watching a tiger prowl up and down in its cage – Hildegard Bechtler’s set design creates a metal prison for this trapped man. But like a mismanaged zoo, it’s ultimately not as compassionate as it makes itself out to be.’

While describing it as ‘thought-provoking’, Olivia Rook at LondonTheatre  There’s no doubt Manhunt stretches the bounds of artistic licence, with one of the play’s most engaging moments being an imagined conversation between Moat and Gascoigne (who, in reality, was denied access at the scene). But in some ways the show’s fascinating, real history also seems to limit it, with the recreation of events often feeling expositional.

Finding it too long, The Times’ Clive Davis concluded, ‘Icke has so many good ideas – yet he needs a better editor, too.’ He didn’t always feel this way: ‘For the first hour of this hallucinatory drama, Icke creates an almost unbearably intense portrait of a drifter who is a combination of volcanic anger and paranoia.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar took a similar view to other critics but was more damning: ‘(T)his production is strangely plodding, a rather too expositional synthesis of events, despite the theatrical flourishes. It is neither revelatory nor emotional enough,’ declared Arifa Akbar in The Guardian. She concluded, ‘This story hangs in the air, unsure of – or opaque in – its intentions. Is this an anatomy of a breakdown? An investigation into the ways Moat was failed? Or a portrait of white, northern, working-class masculinity in extreme crisis? It seems like a bit of all, but not enough of one.’

Gary Naylor for BroadwayWorld found Icke’s ‘approach too close to Enid Blytonesque exposition salted with repetition’. He described it as ‘a production that resurrects a man only to bury him again 100 minutes later, having said far less than it might have. And, more pertinently, far less than it should have.’

Critics’ Average Rating 3.1★

Manhunt can be seen at the Royal Court Theatre until 3 May 2025. Click here for tickets. 

If you have seen Manhunt at Nottingham Playhouse or The Young Vic, please give your review and rating below

A terrific show or an excruciating show off?

Almeida Theatre

The critics agreed that director Omar Elerian has taken Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist comedy about conformity by the scruff of the neck and added all kinds of funny business. They then divided between those who thought this was a show to be savoured or was simply showing off. Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, best known for Gangs of London, leads a cast who relish the comedy.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

‘(T)his revival of Eugène Ionesco’s playfully absurd 1959 drama is terrific,’ said Nick Curtis in the Standard. He found this version ‘has a knowing wit and a Pythonesque surrealism. It’s lo-fi and technically precise at the same time. True, it starts to drag some time before the end, but then Elerian pulls off a truly devastating final image.’

Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski said, ‘Adaptor-director Elerian’s take both deconstructs Ionesco and feels reverentially respectful to him. Excerpts from books about him are literally read out, so we all know how great Ionesco was. His stage directions are read out. And indeed, Brecht looms equally large here – Elerian never lets you forget for a second that you’re watching a play, but never stops having fun reminding you.’

Aleks Sierks at TheArtsDesk  agreed that Omar Elerian ‘provides an excitingly wild new version of this classic political play.’ He wrote, ‘Elerian takes this story and both restages it, and deconstructs it. Mixing Brechtian devices with the absurdist text, he has characters who are a deliberate affront to naturalism: they look like cartoons, their hair stands on end, they act oddly.’

For The Independent’s Alice Saville, ‘A production like this is a rare beast on London’s stages – with its gleeful non-naturalism, witty physical theatre and tooting kazoos – and it deserves to be appreciated.’

The Observer’s Susannah Clapp pointed out: ‘Insisting on the one theme without ever quite making an argument, Rhinoceros can easily become both heavy-footed and elusive: a pachyderm peeping flirtatiously from behind a fan. And yet. Here is Omar Elerian’s production, making the play seem weirdly true.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Sarah Crompton in WhatsOnStage, having described in detail all the extra funny business, decided it ‘sets its humour around it, rather than arising from the script’. She noted, ‘it’s up to Dìrísù to hold the centre of the play, and he does so with a befuddled gravity, a constant sense of slow-moving bemusement as he attempts to understand why the world sees something so differently from him.’

The Times’ Clive Davis decided it was ‘all quite entertaining in its manic way, except that the newly devised material pushes the running time well beyond the two-and-a-half-hour mark and leaves you even more aware of the fact that the original text itself is slender stuff. Yes, you can take it as an allegory on conformism, as Elerian does in the programme notes, but all the circular wordplay, the chit-chat about syllogisms and whether Socrates was a cat, soon begins to pall.’

’it’s the stuff of appreciative applause, and ticked-off checklists, not headline-making ovations,’ declared The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish. Anya Ryan for LondonTheatre was impressed that ‘even today, this play digs into society’s darkness and humanity’s weakness.’

2 stars ⭑⭑

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar thought it was ‘too clever, teeming with good ideas, but slack in pace and tone.’

Alexander Cohen at BroadwayWorld didn’t like the direction: ‘His brand of maximalist metatheatre greedily hogs the limelight, a crusade to deconstruct Rhinoceros within an inch of its life.’ He didn’t hold back: ‘My interpretation of Rhinoceros for 2025: the rhinoceroses are theatre directors, one by one transforming into Avant Garde-ists whose continental inspired anti-theatre relentlessly prioritises style over substance.’

The Stage’s Sam Marlowe was equally unequivocal in her reaction: ‘it is overlong, self-indulgent and entirely lacking in any sense of menace or jeopardy to offset its fantastical antics.’ In case she hadn’t made herself clear, she concluded: ‘This material requires far more nimbleness and a much defter touch. As it is, it’s excruciating.’

Critics’ Average Rating 3.2✭

Rhinoceros can be seen at The Almeida until 26 April 2025. Click here to buy direct from the  theatre 

If you’ve seen Rhinoceros at The Almeida, please add your review and rating below

Spectacular puppetry in adaptation of classic anime

My Neighbour Totoro is a popular Japanese anime children’s film. The Royal Shakespeare Company stage adaptation, said the critics, is spectacular, offers superb puppets, is faithful to the film, and will appeal to adults as well as children. They also said it was a little light on plot, which essentially is about two sisters who move to the countryside and discover magical creatures in a nearby forest. Below are extracts reviews from its earlier runs at The Barbican.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Stage’s Sam Marlowe pointed out, ‘It could so easily be tacky or saccharine. Instead, it’s exquisite, every detail of design and execution painstakingly considered.’ She summed up, ‘It’s unadulterated joy: a huge, healing hug of a show, generous and utterly beguiling.’

Arifa Akbar in The Guardian, compared it to the film and decided the theatre show is ‘just as enchanting and perhaps more emotionally impactful’. She continued, ‘The puppetry by Basil Twist creates much of the magic. Farm animals bring comedy, especially a mop-head of characterful hens, while otherworldly creatures supply the wow factor: the soot sprites are black pom-poms on sticks that move like a murmuration while Totoro is formidable, rumbling, eerie, comic and endearing at once.’

The Financial Times‘ Sarah Hemming took a similar view, describing how ‘The stage responds with its number-one asset: the audience’s imagination. The result — in the hands of playwright Tom Morton-Smith, director Phelim McDermott, designer Tom Pye, lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun and puppeteer Basil Twist — is a gorgeous, uplifting tribute to the link between theatre and the imaginative realm of children’s play.’

Gary Naylor of BroadwayWorld is a huge fan of the film, so what he said was praise indeed: ‘The acid test for Phelim McDermott’s production is the iconic bus stop scene, one of the greatest in movie history, the moment Setsuko learns to trust her sister and discovers the true nature of Totoro and what it can summon. I could watch that scene every night of the run and not tire of its beauty, nor of its underpinning of one of the film’s central messages – that we must trust the mysteries of nature, give them protection and they will, in turn, protect us.’

Will Stone for The Morning Star had his favourite memories: ‘ it is Tom Pye’s tremendous set, which has a live band and singer Ai Ninomiya perform atop treehouse-like platforms, and Basil Twist’s breathtaking puppetry, from the Totoros of varying sizes to the soot sprites and even the flock of funny hens, not to mention the Catbus that is in danger of knocking out the front row, that leave the most indelible mark.’

The Observer‘s Susannah Clapp noted, ‘As the sisters, adult performers Ami Okumura Jones and Mei Mac have to do some big Child Acting – massive smiles and scampers – but end by transmitting real warmth.’

Saskia Baron at TheArtsDesk called it ‘a dazzling show’ and enthused, ‘Over the course of the evening, we are treated to beautifully choreographed puppeteers manipulating ingenious creations’. She said, ‘Musicians play live perched high on tree-house platforms in full view, while Ai Ninomiya dazzles on stage, singing in both Japanese and English.’

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Times’ Clive Davis enjoyed it but disagreed with Saskia Baron at TheArts Desk (above): ‘it’s just a pity that the music itself – including songs performed by Ai Ninomiya – (is) so insipid…Would I recommend this family-friendly show to neutrals? Yes, with reservations.’

Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski said, ‘it’s a faithful transposition of the film… every set piece you’re willing to be a stunner, is a stunner, an endless cavalcade of sweet, strange joy.’

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish wrote, ‘It’s a pleasure to report that what fans loved about the film has been beautifully served in this stage version’. He was particularly impressed by the friendly furry giant creature of the title: ‘The wow-factor of his spectacular appearances, worth the price of admission alone, is matched by the hallucinogenic, 12-legged ‘Cat-bus’, a bright yellow, internally lit inflatable sight to behold, with search-light eyes and serrated grin.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

The Standard’s Nick Curtis said it was ‘full of dazzling visual magic but short on plot’.

Critics’ Average Rating: 4.5⭑

Value rating 46 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)

My Neighbour Totoro is at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, currently booking until 29 March 2026. Buy tickets from the theatre here.

If you’ve seen My Neighbour Totoro at The Gillian Lynne Theatre or The Barbican, please add your review and rating below

 

New star plays old star in triumphant transfer

Apollo Theatre

Ryan Calais Cameron‘s Retrograde, which centres on a pivotal moment in Sydney Poitier‘s early career, appears to have gone even better at the West End’s Apollo Theatre than it did when first seen at The Kiln. Some reviewers returned for a second bite, some media sent new writers, and The Guardian opted out, deeming one review back in 2023 to be enough. All the critics loved the script and the star Ivanno Jeremiah who plays the great actor. In the play, Poitier arrives at a Hollywood office expecting to sign a simple contract for a new film only to come under pressure from both a lawyer and a scriptwriter friend to sign an oath of loyalty and to denounce the activist and prominent black performer Paul Robeson. There are clear but unstated parallels with today when people are under pressure of ‘cancellation’ if they don’t conform with the views of influencers or indeed President Trump.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars ★★★★★

The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish declared: ‘This darkly comic three-hander … is still a must-see piece of theatre’. ‘The piece brilliantly builds and builds,’ he continued, ‘combining fact with fiction, and fusing jittery wisecracking worthy of Mamet into something nerve-shredding, with seismic ramifications about US culture, and who owns it.’ As for the cast, ‘As well as showcasing Ivanno Jeremiah’s performance as Poitier, Oliver Johnstone and Stanley Townsend now take on the pincer-like roles of screen-writer Bobby and studio lawyer Mr P`rks – and find more detail, nuance and wit in them.’

Maygan Forbes at WhatsOnStage wrote, ‘Balancing precision with fluidity, every movement feels intentional and emotionally charged. Even throughout the comedy, there is an upset that hovers over the stage and a fear that something is about to go very wrong.’ She concluded, ‘Calais Cameron consistently shows up as a writing force to be reckoned with. The acerbic one-liners, the comedy underpinned by threat, and the witty playwriting not only captivates, but also confronts and challenges the audience to address their own societal blind spots. His status as a trailblazing voice in contemporary theatre echoes Poitier’s own groundbreaking journey.’

4 stars ★★★★

‘Retrograde is fast on its way to becoming another vital and vibrant classic,’ declared Anya Ryan for LondonTheatre, calling it ‘a complex, knotty play with zingy, quick-fire dialogue.’ She continued, ‘Amit Sharma’s production is a slow-burn conversation. But the high stakes of the drama are always there’.

Nancy Durrant for The Observer praised the writing: ‘Calais Cameron’s script, echoing the fast-talking, wise-cracking style of the era’s movies, fairly crackles. It’s talky but funny, entertainingly sweary (never Poitier, at least almost never) and saturated with what we’d now call micro-aggressions, not all of which are all that micro.’ Of Ivanno Jeremiah she said, ‘It is a stonking performance – you can’t take your eyes off him, and when Poitier allows his emotions to propel him, Jeremiah commands the stage completely.’

Time Out (no reviewer credit) picked out the star performance: ‘it’s Ivanno Jeremiah as Poitier who is completely transfixing. He’s one of those actors that has proper presence, captivating the moment he steps on stage. One of those actors who can take a long stretch of silence – Sidney considers whether to sign a piece of paper – and make it one of the most riveting moments of the play.’

‘it’s part thriller, part melodrama — the wisecracking, racially-charged dialogue full of heightened cinematic crackle and snap,’ declared Nick Curtis in  The Standard. Anya Ryan for LondonTheatre called it ‘a complex, knotty play with zingy, quick-fire dialogue.’ She continued, ‘Amit Sharma’s production is a slow-burn conversation. But the high stakes of the drama are always there’.

The Independent‘s Alice Saville decided, ‘This isn’t a morally complicated story, really. But it’s a hugely satisfying one – a well-crafted period piece with lots to say about the present-day pressures on minority artists at the mercy of corporate agendas. And it’s lit up with so many moments of pure, awkward, hilarity, too: as when a mortified Bobby is forced into a rendition of Belafonte’s “Day-O” by his silver-tongued boss – realising just how uncomfortable it is to sing along to someone else’s tune.’

‘Is there grandstanding in the script?’ asked Dominic Maxwell in The Times, ‘A bit. But the evening earns it not just with the righteousness of Poitier’s perspective but also with the wit of the writing and playing.’

Laurie Yule for The Stage pointed out: ‘There are nods to cinema: snappy lighting from Amy Mae; a moment of interminable silence where Sidney is under pressure to sign a loyalty oath; and Beth Duke’s sound design uses a ticking clock to build tension.’ He ended’ ‘It’s a passionate work that ends with a clarion call to artists to hold to their principles and harness their potential for change – and it achieves that rare feat of being fun, cerebral and poignant.’

Alexander Cohen at BroadwayWorld found: ‘It’s curiously old school: slap happy dialogue is soaked in vinegary wit unfolding in real time over a snappy ninety minutes.’ Chris Omaweng at LondonTheatre1 noted: ‘the implications – and applications – of the decisions faced by Poitier back then still resonate today: to what extent is it appropriate to compromise in order to realise one’s ambitions? There are no clear cut answers in this nuanced and engaging production.’

You may be interested that Arifa Akbar gave retrograde at The Kiln 4 stars in her Guardian review.

Critics’ average rating 4.2 ★

Value rating 56 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)

Retrograde is at the Apollo Theatre until 14 June 2025. Buy tickets from the theatre here.

Read Paul Seven Lewis’s review of retrograde at The Kiln here.

If you’ve seen Retrograde at The Apollo Theatre or The Kiln, please add your review and rating below

 

Vampire musical lacks bite

Menier chocolate factory Theatre

Originally seen off-Broadway, Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen is given its English premiere. James Daly, who originated the role of Dracula back in New York, is joined by Charlie Stemp, Dianne Pilkington, Safeena Ladha, and Sebastien Torkia. The cast were praised but while WhatsOnStage enjoyed their ‘pleasure at the sheer preposterousness of it all’, The Standard detected ‘you feel they’d all rather be elsewhere’. Only one review scored four stars but many quite liked its ‘batty’ humour. It seems you’ll probably enjoy it if you like silly jokes, but the more critical reviews suggested even those could have more bite.  Titanique seems to be the benchmark.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ✭✭✭✭

Let’s start with the good news. Cindy Marcolina of BroadwayWorld  loved it: ‘This is the lovechild of Mel Brooks and Monty Python, a side-splitting, rib-tickling, neck-biting, hysterically racy show….You’ll be screaming with laughter.’

3 stars ✭✭✭

Sarah Crompton at  WhatsOnStage commented, ‘A lot of the humour arises from the cast’s sheer glee at their lightning-quick changes of costume and character, their pleasure at the sheer preposterousness of it all. Their timing is excellent, their delivery ironic. It’s all very silly, you might even say totally batty. But gently enjoyable all the same.’

‘Presiding over the whole affair is James Daly’s wickedly hot, pansexual vampire,’ said Sarah Hemming in The Financial Times. ‘Charlie Stemp brings sharp timing to the naive Jonathan Harker’ ‘Battiest of all is Dianne Pilkington’s double turn as both stuffy Dr Westfeldt (the girls’ father) and one of his eccentric patients, which at one point obliges Pilkington to hurl herself out of a window and turn up dressed as the other character almost instantly — deservedly drawing a round of applause.’

The Guardian‘s Arifa Akbar pronounced: ‘The performances are superb all round, full of fun and mischief, but the low-hanging jokes of the script short-change the actors’ talents. This comedy needs sharper fangs.’

The show got it in the neck from a few critics but The Times’ Clive Davis conceded, ‘If you abandon yourself to the Mel Brooks-style mood of excess, you can still have a jolly time .’

Matt Wolf for LondonTheatre made a similar point, adding an incentive: ‘Resist its go-for-broke loopiness, and the play, performed without an interval, may seem a long sit. But those who go along for the ride will encounter the best scene of sex in a horse-drawn carriage you are likely ever to see.’

2 stars ✭✭

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis got his fangs out: ‘Toothless, bloodless and lacking in bite, this arch spoof of Bram Stoker’s vampire tale is not nearly funny enough…This sort of stuff requires absolute conviction in order to land properly, and it doesn’t get it here. Though there’s some fun to be had from the cleverer bits of business and the grandstanding hamming of the talented cast, you feel they’d all rather be elsewhere.’

Critics’ Average Rating 3.0✭

Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors can be seen at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 5 April 2025. Click here to buy direct from the  theatre 

If you’ve seen Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors at The Menier, please add your review and rating below

Football drama scores again in extra time

Olivier at NatiOnal Theatre

James Graham’s Dear England, telling the story of Garteh Southgte’s term as manager of the England men’s football team, has returned to the National Theatre with a new cast and a new ending. The reviewers were as enthusiastic as ever, with 4 star reviews across the board with the exception of one full house

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars ★★★★★

Fiona Mountford in i-news reassured us: ‘Dear England remains a towering achievement. Graham and director Rupert Goold, each the best of their kind working today, remain a dream team of a strike force, with Graham’s lively and often larky dialogue matched by Goold’s gloriously kinetic production.’

4 stars ★★★★

Ben Dowell for The Times confirmed, ‘That it remains powerful and poignant theatre is a sign of how convincingly the play speaks to profound themes beyond results on the pitch. The idea of an England manager being a storyteller is obviously a playwright’s fantasy but it remains a beguiling one.’

’it is consistently, relentlessly entertaining,’ declared Time Out’s Andrjez Lukowski.

The Standard’s Nick Curtis found ‘A return fixture proves James Graham’s end-to-end, heart-in-mouth football drama a winner.’ ‘this is a team effort, which captures the communal joy and heartache of sport, while taking a sharp look at our national identity. The lads done good. Again.’

Abbie Grundy for BroadwayWorld called it ‘a powerful and punchy production’.

Mark Lawson for The Guardian decided, ‘Rupert Goold’s staging (with Elin Schofield credited as revival director) is slicker and swifter than ever and movement directors Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf – in sequences re-creating matches, penalty shootouts and changing room dance-offs – extraordinarily put the ball into ballet.’

LondonTheatre’s Aliya Al-Hassan found ‘You do not have to know very much about football to be caught up in the whirlwind of emotion in the production, from the delirious joy of a win, to the hope and expectation weighing on such young shoulders, and the disturbing racism inflicted on Black players.’

‘Gwilym Lee makes a fantastic Southgate: he looks and sounds eerily like the manager, and captures that perplexed, rabbit-in-headlights demeanour, the ticks of discomfort with the limelight, as well as the thoughtful, articulate sincerity’, opined Demetrios Matheou at TheArtsDesk.

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish noted, ‘The way Graham marshals information is a wonder – here a stat, there a gag; the way Goold co-ordinates his (mainly recast) players a wonder too, combining fancy footwork (with mimed footballs), laddish horseplay and telltale unease as these barely-men are asked to open up, under the aegis of Liz White’s shrewd psychologist Pippa Grange.’

Chris Omaweng for LondonTheatre1 pointed out ‘It’s a crowd-pleaser, whilst acknowledging the individual and collective pains, not only of the players but of their supporters. In the end, the dramatic tension is there, and so is the enthusiasm and dedication of those committed to the beautiful game.’

Critics’ average rating 4.0 ★

Value rating 50 (Value rating is the Average Critic Rating divided by the typical ticket price)

Dear England is at The National Theatre until 24 May 2025. Buy tickets from the theatre here. Dear England will perform at The Lowry in Salford 29 May – 29 June 2025, then on a national tour in the autumn.

If you’ve seen the revised version of Dear England at the The National Theatre or elsewhere, please add your review and rating below