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What are we going to do when this is all over? A very good question indeed and I certainly wasn’t expecting the answer!W...
16/10/2026

What are we going to do when this is all over? A very good question indeed and I certainly wasn’t expecting the answer!

Written and performed by Alexander Millington, with his wife, Helen, accompanying him on stage, this unusual two-hander proves to be far darker and more disturbing than its premise initially suggests. What appears, at first glance, to be a play about memory loss and dementia gradually unfolds into something altogether more sinister.

The play within a play introduces us to Helen and Alexander, both teachers. From the outset, it becomes apparent that Helen is struggling with her memory. Initially, her symptoms appear consistent with the brain fog that can accompany menopause. When hormone replacement therapy and antidepressants fail to alleviate her symptoms, a diagnosis of dementia follows.

Alexander tries to help Helen by providing written prompts to assist her in learning her lines for the play.

Disturbing, shocking and deeply uncomfortable, this is not an easy play to watch.

The first someone to do something is often worthy of note, and this play celebrates Cadel Evans, the first Australian to...
16/10/2026

The first someone to do something is often worthy of note, and this play celebrates Cadel Evans, the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

A passion project for Aussie actor and keen cyclist Connor Delves, the performance takes place almost entirely on a (fixed) bicycle with the impressively fit Delves pedalling at a fair lick throughout. Being able to deliver any lines at all, let alone a 65-minute monologue, is impressive enough, but to present such a skilful and compelling performance this way is truly remarkable.

The play presents a fairly linear biography of Evans from his first bike at age 2 to his Tour de France victory at age 34 in 2011. Evans grew up in the Australian outback, leading a peripatetic lifestyle as his parents moved from town to town and often cycling ridiculous distances to and from the nearest school. Eventually his skill was recognised by the Australian Institute of Sport, and he represented his country at the Olympics in mountain biking.

A very competent and slick piece of entertainment.

Judging by the well-filled theatre on press night, many people must be interested in British politics of the 1970s, espe...
16/10/2026

Judging by the well-filled theatre on press night, many people must be interested in British politics of the 1970s, especially the larger-than-life characters who make up The Gang of Three in Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky's fascinating, well-written play.

Roy Jenkins, Tony Crosland and Denis Healey stood out in an era when political titans were far more common than they are today. They had undoubted charisma, and their knowledge, intelligence, and the complexity of their opinions were far greater than those of more recent figures such as Gavin Williamson, Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss!

Each was seen as a potential prime minister, but all failed to reach the very top, mainly because, although great friends, none of the trio would give way to one of the others. Their influence, however, was huge and continues to be so.

At its best, The Gang of Three is not only very funny, it is also perceptive and educational.

This Christmas, Oli Savage’s Lost Library of Leake Street returns to The Glitch in Waterloo. It’s a truly enchanting sho...
16/10/2026

This Christmas, Oli Savage’s Lost Library of Leake Street returns to The Glitch in Waterloo. It’s a truly enchanting show in which a young woman stumbles into a convincingly realised archive, packed with curious and alluring items. As she moves around, she comes across various items, each of which holds a story, a story she will learn from an unintentionally creepy librarian. Despite some heavy themes, The Lost Library of Leake Street is a feel-good play.

And this Halloween (or near enough), Uncle Monty’s Antique Shop (Pither Productions) arrives at the Lion and Unicorn in Kentish Town. A young woman stumbles into a not remotely convincing ‘antique shop’ which, curiously, doesn’t seem to have many antiques. As she moves around, she comes across various items, each of which holds a story, a story she will earn from an exaggeratedly camp librarian. So far so similar – and one could also point to similarities with the 1974 Amicus portmanteau horror film, From Beyond the Grave.

It’s a truly enchanting show... I look forward to whatever they come up with next.

It says something about the discernment of audiences when there is laughter rippling through the auditorium at the absur...
16/10/2026

It says something about the discernment of audiences when there is laughter rippling through the auditorium at the absurdity of some of the plot holes in this show. As this play would have it, Tyler Blake, an unseen character and a schoolboy, called Julie Robson (Anne-Marie Duff) a derogatory term on a platform at a railway station. When asked to clarify what he said, Robson being in a state of shock at the sudden insult, he repeated it. Robson challenged him further and she tried to find out the boy’s name from other pupils also at the station, but the train pulled in and in the melee of people disembarking and embarking the reply didn’t register with her.

The last time I came to the Dorfman Theatre at the National, a character spoke at length in the last section of the play and rattled on with his bizarre and extreme views for so long the audience started getting more than a little restless.

The cast do well with what they are given, but what they are given is all over the place. A mixed bag if ever there was one.

Love, lust, hockey, and a whole lot of “Girl!” Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody takes the most iconic mom...
15/10/2026

Love, lust, hockey, and a whole lot of “Girl!” Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody takes the most iconic moments from the hit series and transforms them into a hilarious, unapologetically camp musical that had me laughing from beginning to end.

At the heart of the story is the irresistible connection between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. These two hockey rivals hate each other on the ice, but behind closed doors, their relationship tells a completely different story. What begins as competition develops into a passionate, complicated romance filled with desire, vulnerability, and feelings neither of them can easily admit. I loved how the production captured this contrast between their public rivalry and private intimacy. The tension, chemistry, and sexual energy between them make this a genuinely hot and sexy show! It is not just about physical attraction; it is also about two men learning to trust each other and finding a place where they can be themselves.

Come for the rivalry, stay for the romance, and prepare to laugh your heart out.

There were a couple of production decisions that made me raise my eyebrows. When Regina (Cecilia Appiah) takes a lamp in...
15/10/2026

There were a couple of production decisions that made me raise my eyebrows. When Regina (Cecilia Appiah) takes a lamp into the front room of the house once owned by the late Captain Alving and since (presumably) passed to his widow Helene (Flora Montgomery), the visibility in the room doesn’t change much, and when she takes it out of the room some time later, it is still nighttime according to the dialogue, but again, one wouldn’t have known otherwise. The limited stage space in this studio theatre worked well for the character of Helene’s son Oswald (Joe Pitts), who had his reasons for feeling trapped in the family home. Not so much for Regina, however, who didn’t seem to be mad over much, even if the play was set at a time before domestic service went into decline.

As ever, though, there was much to unpack in this show. Certain plays are popular and performed often for a reason – chiefly, they are rather good.

As ever, though, there was much to unpack in this show. A faithful rendering of this intense and powerful play.

There have been at least thirty stage and screen adaptations of Oscar Wilde's 1890 Gothic novel, so any new version shou...
14/10/2026

There have been at least thirty stage and screen adaptations of Oscar Wilde's 1890 Gothic novel, so any new version should throw new light on this well-known story: well-known even if you have never read the book!

For those who don't know(!), the story revolves around a portrait of Dorian Gray (Jack Crumlin) painted by his friend Basil Hallward (Mark Oxtoby), infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic view of life, so much so that he decides to sell his soul and asks for the portrait to age rather than himself. We see him then pursue an immoral and libertine life, meanwhile staying young and beautiful whilst his portrait visibly ages.

In Seán Aydon's version, we do not see the portrait at all - it is a mirror.

Sinead O'Callaghan has put together an impressive educational pack for this tour and the lavish programme is well worth reading.

For its 40th anniversary celebration, Talawa Theatre Company took the audience right back to the very, very beginning: v...
14/10/2026

For its 40th anniversary celebration, Talawa Theatre Company took the audience right back to the very, very beginning: video footage showed Yvonne Brewster OBE (1938-2025) talking about how she was encouraged to apply for performing arts funding from the Greater London Council, and to do so that year, as Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government had legislated to abolish the GLC, the abolition taking effect as of 31 March 1986. Brewster thought she had nothing to lose, so applied, not really expecting anything, but when she was successful, her husband wanted to know what name and address appeared on the paperwork. Well, what other name and address would she put but her own? The husband wasn’t at all happy with the potential for business interests and personal assets to be entangled, so insisted she set up a company. Who should the directors be? She had enough friends who wanted to play their part. What should it be called?

A very varied evening that demonstrated that Talawa cannot be categorised, departmentalised or stereotyped.

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