London Archives - North West End UK

22Jul

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Alice in Wonderland – Riverside Studios

Neon-bright, fast-paced and generally faithful to Lewis Carroll's original, Penny Farrow's version of Alice in Wonderland is a joy. It's somehow simultaneously fresh and modern while remaining a classic. There are very convincing puppets for some of the characters (think Avenue Q meets the Muppets) but director Nate Bertone has not been tempted to shoehorn in any of the current theatrical gimmicks like digital screens and steadicams to distract from the action. All the favourite characters of this beloved tale show up, portrayed by a terrifically talented ensemble who give it their all and then some, with on-point comic timing. Bored Alice is feisty, curious and played with the perfect degree of sweetness by Ailsa Erskine. When she chases Clare Brice's energetic ...

The Hidden Dangers of Camping – Theatre Royal, Windsor

22Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Hidden Dangers of Camping – Theatre Royal, Windsor

Liesl Wilke’s ‘The Hidden Dangers of Camping’ arrives at Theatre Royal Windsor for its world premiere with an intriguing premise and an impressively large production. The story begins with a family crisis in the present that pulls Casey (Jess Nesling) back into memories of a childhood camping trip, gradually revealing that this apparently idyllic weekend was anything but. The result is an absorbing, visually accomplished drama which examines the damage carried through families and the lasting effects of being exposed to adult behaviour at an impressionable age. Director Bronagh Lagan handles the movement between past and present particularly well. Casey’s therapist (Sandra James-Young) becomes an effective portal into her memories, allowing the play to slip between timelines with clarit...

20Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Gruffalo – Lyric Theatre

As a child of the early noughties, I remember Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo as a distinctive cultural touchstone of my formative years. A couple of decades later, it’s been a while since I engaged with the classic British tale, so I was very happy to pop along to the Lyric Theatre on a sunny Sunday morning to watch Tall Stories’ musical adaptation in celebration of its 25th anniversary. Our storytellers are Rianna Kellman, Niall Hemingway, and Jordan Cottle, who introduce us to the deep, dark wood – in a beautiful set by Isla Shaw that feels like the perfect homage to Axel Scheffler’s iconic illustrations – where Mouse (Kellman) now resides. On the hunt for the perfect tasty nut, Mouse has to outwit the sneaky Fox, Owl, and Snake (all played by Cottle) before meeting the frightening Gr...

Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (of Sorts) – Barons Court Theatre

20Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (of Sorts) – Barons Court Theatre

Part academic presentation, part confessional and part chaotic and confusing cabaret, ‘Pup Play: A Queer Pseudo-Lecture (of Sorts)’ is certainly unlike anything else currently appearing on London’s fringe theatre circuit. Written and performed by Dr. Noah Alfred Pantano, the production explores pup play, BDSM and queer identity through the highly eccentric persona of Professor Handler David. What begins as an enthusiastically delivered lecture soon expands into a deliberately unruly mixture of personal testimony, audience interaction (be prepared to bark like a dog), puppetry, multimedia and punk-infused musical interludes. Pantano’s research forms part of his doctoral work, and the production is most successful when it draws upon that academic foundation. It offers an interestin...

18Jul

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Firebird – Southwark Playhouse

My friend Eric, an Egyptian Muslim pulled me aside last week. He dragged me out of earshot from his mother, who eyed us both suspiciously while adjusting her hijab. ‘Can I ask you something?’ Eric whispered, fizzing with anxiety. ‘Is it true what they say about Muslim grooming gangs?’ I sighed, weary at a right-wing narrative that’s now fuelling doubt in the community it seeks to demonise. It’s a live situation, unfolding in real time. ‘Yes, Eric,’ I replied, cautiously. ‘But it’s complex and toxic. Sex offenders of Muslim heritage DO exist, but they get outsize media attention. Waaaaaay more than white British groomers. AND it’s a social media shitstorm for clicks and clout.’ Eric could barely look at me. My careworn brain reeled with grisly memories of drunken, ugly fights wi...

16Jul

By Saloni SanwalkaNo Comments

London

The Oresteia – Bridge Theatre

The Oresteia begins with a 360-degree revolution of its stage—a two-story glass-walled house— and the slow reveal of its inhabitants. It is an arresting sight which instantly fixes the audience to their seats. Over the course of three and a half hours, writer and director Simon Stone brings Aeschylus’ eponymous trilogy to the modern day with a script that is intense and astonishingly funny. Coupled with an award-worthy ensemble performance, The Oresteia more than matches the scale of its ambition. The play centres on a wealthy British family— the Middeltons, standing in for the House of Atreus— and follows their violent unravelling across one decade. While the idea of adapting a story about double matricide to 21st century norms seems absurd, Stone succeeds in the endeavour with marvell...

Ali in Wonder(Eng)Land – Jacksons Lane Theatre

15Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Ali in Wonder(Eng)Land – Jacksons Lane Theatre

This rather clumsily titled play is the “rabbit hole” to a rather fascinating 75 minutes of devised drama by the LegalAliens Theatre’s Tottenham Project which reimagines Lewis Carroll's famous Alice in Wonderland as the experience of an immigrant trying to negotiate the English immigration system and cultures. Directed by Lara Prlmiani the play was first created in 2023 and has now been updated for the current production at the Jacksons Lane Theatre. Each successive cast, all of whom are immigrants from a wide range of countries, bring their own perspectives of their challenges in settling in England to the text. The use of Lewis Carroll's famous story as a template was an inspired idea since nothing could be more English and yet it is very effectively and humorously used to illus...

14Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Tender – Bush Theatre

Haunted houses aren’t just the decaying, cobwebbed old mansions we’ve seen in popular culture for decades. In a similar vein (and even colour scheme) to A24’s hugely successful 2026 horror movie Backrooms, Eleanor Tindall’s Tender explores the fear that can lurk in the walls of even the most seemingly ordinary spaces. Part psychological thriller, part queer love story – with sprinkling of body horror for good measure – Tender tracks the lives of young women Ivy (Nadi Kemp-Sayfi) and Ash (Francesca Amewudah-Rivers) as they become intertwined after a chance encounter on a night out. Ivy’s existence looks perfect from the outside, admitting to herself that “everything is in place” – the nice flat, the stable boyfriend, the pleasant job running an overpriced cafe. But from the offset we kno...

14Jul

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Heathers – The Arts at Marble Arch

Based on the cult film from 1989, Heathers the Musical has returned to London ahead of a wider UK tour. Dealing with teen mental health and the pressures of high school, the show is billed as the ‘darker, dirtier cousin’ of High School Musical. However, it's much more of a precursor to Mean Girls, with three popular girls, all called Heather, transforming Veronica (Gerardine Sacdalan) from likeable nerd into a member of their clique, until she realises the mistake she’s made. In Heathers, however, her revenge takes the form of murder staged to look like suicide, encouraged by her angst-ridden boyfriend, JD (Louis Hearsey). Awash with examples of toxic males and females, the musical attempts to inject some humour into its gritty subject by turning the characters into caricatures. Fathers...

12Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Princess Sparkles – Museum of Comedy

If Disney ever collided with a psychological breakdown, the result might look something like ‘Princess Sparkles’. Lily Maryon's debut solo show is gloriously unhinged, unapologetically absurd, and one of the most confidently bonkers princess character comedies I've seen in quite some time. The premise is deceptively simple, Princess Sparkles is a princess-for-hire expecting a room full of excited five-year-olds. Instead, the audience becomes those children, willingly swept into an increasingly chaotic birthday party as reality slowly unravels beneath the glitter. Her repeated insistence that she is "definitely not a Disney princess", something that is totally believable, only makes the comparison even funnier. Maryon demonstrates remarkable command of the room throughout the hour...