2026

“Teeth ’N’ Smiles” at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Lots of people from David Hare’s generation never got over the protests of 1968. For the 50th revival of this play, the hangover the Soixante-huitards felt in the early the 1970s is clear enough but it is, understandably, diluted. There’s still enough in Teeth ’N’ Smiles to engage. The piece raises questions about the role – and price – of art that are interesting, even if they feel like old ground.

Director Daniel Raggett’s production keeps the play’s bold moves. The action revolves around a rock concert at a Cambridge May ball (cue lots of predictable remarks about class). But the observations on the band’s members – who are toxic to a man – are sharp. The performances, from an ensemble who all exaggerate a little too much, do nothing to redeem this collection of man children. The humour grates and the substance abuse bores. I’m sure it’s deliberate… but it isn’t nice. There’s a similarly sinister, you could argue clichéd, manager who delivers a more successful villain. It’s a perfect role for Phil Daniels, who makes the part look very easy, which is a skill.

The band and their singer Maggie have a cult following, so we’re never really sure if they are actually any good. That creates a smart tension and it is with the role of tragic troubadour that the show takes off. Maggie is a fantastic creation, troubled to mythic proportions and furiously smart; one of those selfish and flawed characters you still admire. Taking the role, Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) shows strong acting skills and fantastic singing.

It is Taylor’s performance that makes the musical interludes work. The songs are mostly period pieces, written by Nick and Tony Bicât with additions from Taylor, and not to all tastes. But they fit well and the formidable energy behind them provides a commentary on Maggie’s wish to keep moving.

Arguably, Teeth ’N’ Smiles’ boldest move is to carry this investigation into progress to its love story. Maggie’s song-writing ex-boyfriend, a role we might align with that of the playwright, becomes a mere foil. It’s a shame for Michael Fox, who does well as the male lead, but a smart move for the play. Our heroine was always more interesting and talented than the men around here and, while the play might seem to end in the tragedy of an arrest, there’s a sense of triumph that Maggie is finally breaking free.

Until 6 June 2026

www.teethnsmilesplay.com

Photo by Helen Murray

2026

“It Walks Around The House At Night” at the Southwark Playhouse

If you like a good ghost story, then this is for you. Tim Foley’s play uses traditional elements, such as a haunted house and creepy strangers, but brings them smartly up to date and provides plenty of unexpected turns. Neil Bettles’ direction is tight and the production – with lighting, video and sound design from Joshua Pharo and Pete Malkin – first class. Best of all, It Walks Around The House At Night embraces the stage and live performance, proving there’s nowhere better than the theatre to get a good scare.

Foley gives us a very contemporary narrator called Joe and George Naylor makes the most of the role. At first, he brings out a lot of humour, some of it surprisingly gentle (Naylor is hugely endearing). But there are depths here that provide shocks and make the character fulsome. An out-of-work actor and writer, Joe is hired to perform as a ghost at a haunted house. The neat scenario turns sinister quickly and in every way you might imagine, including a potential romance between actor and producer. The steps to increase tension are piled on and add excitement as the ‘ghost’ walks night after night.

Foley’s structure is strict, with a firm knowledge of the genre – a creepy painting and picnic, as well as hallucinations, are always good. But he appreciates the importance of clever twists. So, the jump scares are grand and the spooky details effective, but it’s the addition of dance that is most welcome. I’m not quite sure about an obsession with class, although it’s a clever observation that “those bastards in their mansions” do feature large in supernatural stories. But the chip on Joe’s shoulder, while understandable, isn’t as eloquent as the rest of the play.

That shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying such strong writing. Foley builds momentum deliciously and Bettles controls the action while Pharo and Malkin rise to the clear ambition. The action gets more physical and Naylor, joined by dancer Oliver Baines, pull off some very neat moves. Concern about the fate of Joe’s ex-boyfriend and the vivid inclusion of his friends, none of whom we see, indicate how wrapped up in the story I became. By the end, there are fewer effects. The team knows the need for them subsides – a storyteller on a stage is enough.

Until 28 March 2026


www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

2026

“The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin” at the New Diorama Theatre

There are lots of puzzles in this new piece from TG Works, written and directed by Tommaso Giacomin. We can all guess the play isn’t really about the famous actor. Rather, this is Alec Baldwin as a kind of Everyman figure, with a bit of Jean Paul Sartre thrown in. It becomes clear (a little too slowly) that something bad has happened to this Alec. He’s in a sorry state and trying to work things out with A.I. As experiments go, the character’s therapy, and this absurdist comedy, are confusing but fun.

The humour is a surprise as there’s a lot of angst here. And while the opaque narrative is deliberate, it is still frustrating. Spoilers ahead, which is a shame, but the trauma is peculiar. I get recounting the price of a pint in The Fitzrovia Tavern can be disturbing. But what about a man with a hoover? A polyglot woman covered in blood? Or a guy with a Bertie Basset style head wearing just his pants (that one  might ruin my Christmas Liquorice Allsorts).

Head-scratching aside, the performances are admirably committed. A quintet – James Aldred, Stefanie Brucknerm, Manuela Pierri, Mathias Augestad Ambjør and Bartel Jespers – perform with gusto. And while the set slows down the action (a giant armchair takes too long to inflate) the show contains memorable imagery. The exploration of A.I. is witty.  And a couple of intense scenes (aided by Aldred’s video and sound design) with social media clips and a live news feed are unpleasantly effective.

Unfortunately, the puzzle about what went on isn’t quite powerful enough. It all comes down to a general anxiety disorder, akin to ‘the overwhelm’ beloved by Guardian editorials, which makes the experiment undertaken too generic. This problem is intimated in the way the piece doesn’t quite know how to end. Should it be the nice dance number everyone joins? That’d be jolly. Or the eloquent soliloquy from Alec? Instead, we end with the revelation about what happened to him. But the tragic conclusion doesn’t convince, it just depresses.  

Until 24 March 2026

www.newdiorama.com

2026

“Blink” at the King’s Head Theatre

We are told from the start of Phil Porter’s play that it is a love story. And the character who tells us, Jonah, isn’t lying. But this is an odd romance, as much about grief for lost parents and a search for identity as the peculiar affair that Jonah starts with Sophie. It is to the credit of the production, as well as Porter, that the piece moves and entertains as much as it does. It’s a puzzle how it manages to do either. It’s cute, but also creepy, and loses credibility often.

The romance starts as Jonah watches Sophie in his flat, via a baby monitor. The twist is that she sent him the device. Although he doesn’t know it comes from her, this is still stalking… right? Then, while following Sophie around the streets, which she doesn’t mind, there’s an accident. Jonah holds vigil in hospital and takes over Sophie’s rehabilitation. It should be just disturbing. But, somehow, there are moments that it feels sweet.

Porter complicates his play further with yet more oddity. Sophie’s grief for her father is profound. Jonah’s whole backstory, and his startling naivety, isolate him. The script’s poetic touches, moments of fantasy and obsessive descriptions (in particular, about a TV soap opera) add a claustrophobic feel. It all makes the performances commendable. Abigail Thorn and Joe Pitts do a great job of making us care – and be scared for – the characters. But it also makes it very hard to take them seriously.

Director Simon Paris’ revival does a great job of calming down how strange what’s going on really is. Paris knows this is the key to creating real tension and, for a self-proclaimed romcom. the drama is intense. Blink wants to tackle the idea of parasocial relationships and Sophie talks about “being seen” a lot. Such serious buzzwords can be tedious. But Porter’s skill is to put flesh on the ideas – to show complexity – and the result is a sense of dialogue and an invitation to learn something from the play. It’s a nice surprise, neatly delivered.

Until 22 March 2026

www.kingsheadtheatre.com

Photo by Charlie Flint

2026

“Bird Grove” at the Hampstead Theatre

Alexi Kaye Campbell’s new play, about the life of Mary Ann Evans before she ‘became’ George Eliot, is admirable in many ways. Focusing on a father and daughter relationship, neatly balancing humour and emotion, it’s a biography that makes a case for its subject’s relevance without straining too hard.

There’s an interesting decision not to give the audience any background, to assume we all know a lot about Eliot. Lazy, maybe? But it frees the script of clunky exposition. And you could easily enjoy Bird Grove without the history. Some might have a bigger problem with how static it all is, although director Anna Ledwich makes an effort to inject energy and the production looks great. Might it be useful to provide more context as to how rebellious Eliot was? How conservative her milieu? A few cheap gags about Coventry seems unfair. But the piece does well to give an impression of the period, avoiding parody despite the verbosity of the characters.

Because what is said is interesting. The arguments between father and daughter are intelligent and Eliot’s views on life and religion investigated. It’s neat to give the best line to her friend: “Love is not a feeling but an intelligence”. I could have done with the interval at that stage to have a good think.

While Eliot’s frequent anger is justified, and always smart, there is a danger we see all debate from her perspective. Yes, it’s hard not to – but the result is that other characters feel flat. It works for the comic relief of Evans’ suitor, a nice role for Jonnie Broadbent. But her brother (Jolyon Coy) and her “purposeful” friends, played by Tom Espiner and Rebecca Scroggs, fail to convince. The always excellent Sarah Woodward is criminally underused as Evans’ former tutor.

Thankfully, there are great parts for the leads. The focus on Eliot’s father is almost strong enough to make him work as a stand-alone figure, and the character’s success is secured by the performance of Owen Teale. But, of course, the show belongs to Eliot, and Elizabeth Dulau is terrific in the role. Making some of these lines sound like natural conversation is an achievement itself. That the ideas are conveyed so clearly and with emotion is even better.

Kaye Campbell’s affection for his subject shines through and is contagious. Like Eliot, he gets a lot of ideas into his fiction, and that is exciting. That the ideas aren’t any kind of revelation might seem a churlish complaint. And pointing out that, for all the writing’s sophistication, it is strong performances that secure the piece’s success, may appear meanspirited. But Bird Grove is smart enough to give us a hero without hagiography – a tricky task accomplished stylishly.

Until 21 March 2026

www.hampsteadtheatre.com

Photo by Johan Persson

2026

“The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Michael David Rosenberg, who performs under the stage name Passenger, is far from the first singer-songwriting star to explore musical theatre. At least his score here is new music, rather than a back catalogue, and it’s sure to please fans of soft rock folksy tones. The story is also original (not something from the big screen), adapted by Rachel Joyce from her own novel. So, we should all want to like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It’s a shame that I ended up grumpy about it.

The story and the structure are a little too simple, too obvious and too long. The titular lead undergoes a tiresome late-life crisis, walking across the country to see a dying former friend, attracting attention – and even more inexplicably, followers – along the way. He meets all sorts and we get to hear their songs. And, eek, while I think we’re supposed to learn something from them, the mix of “lived experience” and homespun philosophy is mostly twee and often silly.

All the eccentrics Harold encounters allow a hard-working cast to shine. There are enjoyable performances here, even if the characters are flat. As expected from a show arriving from Chichester, the production is great. Katy Rudd’s direction is slick, the design from Samuel Wyer strong and lighting from Paule Constable as excellent as ever. There is good puppetry, too (although alarm bells should ring for Rudd when one of them starts to steal the show).

To be fair, there’s an effort to stop it all being too sickly. There’s an intriguing balladeer character – an exciting West End debut for Noah Mullins – but his identity is kept a secret for too long. And there’s a past that Harold isn’t proud of, which is the core of the drama but doesn’t quite convince. Harold’s trauma leads to strong theatrical moments, but the emotion is manipulative and gets lost in surrounding nonsense. Mark Addy takes the title role and, while it isn’t a surprise he can make the character endearing, any angst just seems odd for too much of the time. I spent much of the show frustrated with him and more sympathetic toward his wife – a woefully, criminally, shockingly underused Jenna Russell.

Regrettably, all this isn’t the biggest problem for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. While the songs aren’t bad, although the effort to add variety and bring the sound together for a show is half-hearted, the lyrics are dire. You can award points for the use of expletives (and Bratislava), but there are so many clichés that listening is painful. And the rhymes are horribly predictable: Fry, cry, fly, why. With all the easy emotion and quick efforts at inspiration, it ends up boring and feels cheap.

Until 18 April 2026

www.haroldfrymusical.com

Photo by Tristram Kenton

2026

“Edgar in the Red Room” at the Hope Theatre 

Hello and welcome to The Shylock Project, a company from Syracuse New York, who are visiting London for two weeks. Their piece about Edgar Allan Poe is an appealing oddity. There are questions and flaws around the staging. But writers Matt Chiorini and Greg Giovanini have smart ideas and the show is full of invention. 

Combining Poe’s biography with his stories and poems means that there is a lot going on. The structure is sound and, as directors, Chiorini and Giovanini handle the action well. There’s a temptation to prefer just an adaptation of Poe’s tales (or even the well-managed mash-up we have here). But the biography is meaty. We get two sides of the man – his genius and his tragedy – and the investigation offers insight. And there’s a neat touch, indicative of a playful humour underlying the show, to remind us that Poe is “sus”. 

Much rests on having two people perform as Poe, so that he can comment on his writing while also being placed in the action of his own tales. Sammy Overton and Morgan Smith take the role and tackle the idea well. I enjoyed ticking off elements in the stories: mysterious summons, haunted house, unreliable narrator and buried treasure. Support comes from Kilian Crowley, Maya June Dwyer and Moxie Dwyer who add mania, melodrama, hysteria and horror as and when required. 

Edgar in the Red Room is fun, but there are flaws. While the movement work is strong, special praise for Dwyer here, it is often fussy and comedic touches are overused. A bigger problem comes with the music. Billed as a ‘Burial Chamber Musical’ (nice) the songs are not strong and add so much less than intended they become uncomfortable. Fear not, the projections and shadow play on offer are excellent and save the day. A lo-fi approach like this, illustrating creativity so literally, is often a winner. The powerful imagery goes a long way to dispel drawbacks. 

Until 14 February 2026 

www.thehopetheatre.com 

Photo by Greg Giovanini 

2026

“Mrs President” at the Charing Cross Theatre

Historical dramas are usually a safe bet. All the better if they look at a lesser-known figure, as John Ransom Phillips does in his play about Mary Todd Lincoln. There should be plenty to learn, insight to gain and lots of atmosphere to enjoy. Not here, I fear. Although director Bronagh Lagan injects energy into this confusing script, the piece falls so far short of its ambition that it feels a particular disappointment.

The first problem is that a lot of audience knowledge about the subject is assumed. Yes, there’s the irony that the success of Oh Mary! (which does not pretend accuracy) has increased knowledge about Lincoln’s wife. But you need to check Wikipedia before seeing Mrs President and that’s never a good thing. The action is a muddle, held together mostly by the excellent lighting design. There is a risk of learning little about Mary Todd Lincoln.

Instead, as the setting of a photographic portrait studio makes clear, we are looking at Todd Lincoln’s image as much as her life. Fair enough – that’s an interesting subject, too. But Phillips’ version of photographer Mathew Brady is a strange one. It isn’t so much the odd qualification of his poor eyesight (which needs elaborating on). Or that his skipping around and slipping into other characters is clumsy, despite the efforts of Hal Fowler, who takes the role. The problem is the photographer’s omnipotence. He never questions how important he and his pictures are. In fact, he is rather a bore about it.

Mary shares this image-obsessed conviction. It’s no surprise that she isn’t happy with her portrait sittings, as each one relives a trauma for her (not great customer service on Brady’s part). Broadway star Keala Settle takes the title role, and getting to see her in London is a thrill. But there is little Settle can do with such a hampering structure. This character doesn’t develop – things just happen to her. Emotional moments shock (at least screams woke some people up), but they do not move.

It’s nice to see Mary stand up to Matthew and, to be fair, she does that from the start. But the conflict between them doesn’t go anywhere and gets tiresome quickly. For a lot of the time, Todd Lincoln and Brady aren’t talking to each other, instead addressing themselves or the audience. This doesn’t make the action easy to follow. But the big problem is that both characters are lecturing. The dialogue is dire: a mix of semiacademic ideas about representation and identity that are not new and are nearly all superficial or nonsensical. Grandiosity is aimed for, with big ideas and performances. The misplaced ambition can be forgiven, but not how dull it is.

Until 8 March 2026


www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk


Photo by Pamela Raith

2026

“Already Perfect” at the King’s Head Theatre

Writer, composer and performer Levi Kreis might take the idea of loving oneself a little too far for a London audience. His show is a look back at his life, with his younger self appearing and joining in his songs. It is very easy to see 100 minutes of self-reflection culminating in self-acceptance as self-indulgent. But it is important to note that Almost Perfect is also very good.

Taking place in Kreis’ Broadway dressing room, the backstage cabaret scenario is neat. But, overall, Kreis’ book, with additional material from the show’s director Dave Solomon, needs trimming. The dialogue is often cheesy and pauses are rarely as profound as they aim to be. Yet the story is great. Kries has had a life full of incident, with a Tony Award along the way. And he tells the tale not just with the repeated refrain of conviction, but with a harsh view of himself that generates sympathy.

Kreis is joined by two talented performers. Killian Thomas Lefevre plays his younger self, enjoying the development of the character as he grows up and sounding great throughout. Yiftach ‘Iffy’ Mizrahi has a harder role as Kreis’ sponsor – the effort made to fill the character out isn’t enough and the idea of him being the same guy who introduced the younger Kreis to drugs seems odd. Mizrahi does well with comedic moments but, while there are good jokes, the humour doesn’t gel well with the trauma recounted. Understandably, addiction, abuse and gay conversion therapy overwhelm the piece.

Such tough subjects are hard to write songs about, let alone generating a final number that aims to have us leaving the theatre uplifted. And here is where reservations must pause. Kreis has a very powerful voice. He could probably make anything sound great (and he does have to do that a couple of times here). But the songs are good – the mix of country, gospel and 90s pop is interesting and the lyrics are sophisticated. Kreis has poured his heart into the music and created a show to be proud of.

Until 15 February 2026

www.kingsheadtheatre.com

Photo by Pamela Raith

2026

“Cable Street” at the Marylebone Theatre 

Tim Gilvin and Alex Kanefsky’s musical is marked by its ambition. The show, telling the story of the 1936 protest against a fascist march in London’s East End, is big in scope and full of ideas. This comes at a price, and there are snags despite this being the third iteration to be staged. But using the history – indeed, expanding on it to provoke serious thought – and a strong score make this a grand, impressive affair.  

Three strong leads are the focus. Isaac Gryn plays a local Jewish youth, Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly an Irish girl and Barney Wilkinson a young man new to London from the north of England. They all cover a lot of ground, sound great with difficult songs and illustrate, effectively, the complexity of the community the action is set in. The really smart move is to include a wannabe fascist among the trio. Giving time to his concerns – his radicalisation, you might say – is a brave move that benefits the show hugely. 

The stories are opened out by a hard-working cast. We get perspectives from each of the younger characters’ families (parents get strong songs) and there are some neat combinations of roles. The cast does a lot of doubling up and, despite its efforts and super-speedy costume changes, this is not always successful. It’s greedy of me, I know, but the production could really do with a couple more bodies. Director Adam Lenson’s work is commendable (he knows the power of a cascading leaflet from his work on Ordinary Days!), but the constant changes left me, if not the cast, a bit breathless. 

Kanefsky’s slightly baggy book is full of great ideas. A framing device of an East End walking tour is good but overused. Similarly, having one of our central characters as a part-time poet has mixed results. And I wonder if it might have been stronger to avoid a romantic subplot altogether? Songs flesh out the story better, and one about newspapers is a highlight (not least for Ethan Pascal Peters and Romona Lewis-Malley as The Daily Mail and The Times). But credit where it’s due: Kanefsky gives us even more after the interval. We don’t just get that famous battle (Lenson does very well here) and its aftermath, but rent strikes in the area are also included. Highlighting another topic that continues to be relevant is a powerful move.  

Most importantly, Gilvin’s music and lyrics are a huge achievement. The score uses all kinds of styles and the words are intelligent and demand attention. There are some wild moments to enjoy: the inclusion of rap and the ‘¡No pasarán!’ slogan from the Spanish Civil War are both excellent, though imagining the BUF as a boy band is hampered by its execution. But the show relies on a collection of solid songs that tap into a current mood of unrest while acknowledging the history of protest. Convinced about the power of musicals, the whole team carries the crowd with it. Cable Street is guaranteed to give you goosebumps. 

Until 28 February 2026 

www.marylebonetheatre.com/productions/cable-street 

Photo by Johan Persson