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

2026

“Safe Haven” at the Arcola Theatre

Documentary dramas are a challenging genre and this valiant effort from Chris Bowers cannot be considered a full success. Let’s start with what works. Bowers provides a history of the invasion of Kuwait, Saddam Hussein’s persecution of the Kurdish people and the international intervention to aid them. As well as being an important subject, the events are described in detail and from several perspectives. All good. 

The credentials behind the show are impressive. Bowers is a former diplomat and Consul General in Iraqi Kurdistan. And he used the memoir of one of his characters alongside his considerable knowledge. It is a lot to condense and, to the script’s credit, a sense of individual voices is preserved. The action is clear – a big achievement – aided by the capable direction of Mark Giesser, who makes the most of designer Jida Akil’s split stage. 

It is when we get to the drama that we encounter problems. There’s so much exposition that the dialogue is clunky and characterisation suffers. The frightfully posh chap from the British Foreign Office, beautifully spoken by Richard Lynson, ends up looking stupid. And that can’t be fair. Surely he would appreciate the problems of dispatching aid by air (I’m not sure even the audience needs it explained)? It’s the same for the American General (again, great accent work from Stephen Cavanagh) who you can almost hear thinking. The play’s heroine, Catherine, suffers too and that’s a real shame for Beth Burrows, who has a great go at expressing how awful events were. Trouble is that the disappointment with everyone around her comes across like reading a poor prep school report. When she gets to lay down the law, she does so like an Eton Dame. Maybe that’s accurate and a good way to deal with these fellows, but it doesn’t work on stage. And when it comes to a scene explaining the play’s title it’s just too much like the characters are doing a crossword. 

Thankfully, the Kurds in the piece are more engaging. They have a more emotive story, of course, but it is handled sensitively and without sensationalism. Eugenie Bouda and Lisa Zahra make an inspiring pair as they cross the mountains searching for safety. Similarly, a second heroic figure, Dlawer, who campaigned for his people while a doctor in London and then searched for his sister back in Iraq, is thoroughly admirable. The performance from Mazlum Gül (who also impresses with a second role as UN Ambassador Al-Tikriti) is a highlight. There’s a strong blend of reserve, determination and passion in the character that reflects the piece’s strengths. Safe Haven is admirably even-handed and well-intentioned, but it doesn’t quite work as drama.

Until 7 February 2026

www.arcolatheatre.com 

Photo by Ikin Yum 

2026

“Our American Queen” at the Bridewell Theatre

This sophisticated historical drama by Thomas Klingenstein examines Kate Chase, daughter of a presidential wannabe hoping to depose Lincoln during the American Civil War. The history is fascinating and the view of politics as “the art of ‘it depends’” insightful. The show balances romance and political ambitions well, showing how they connect without too much judgement. You might want more or less of the love stories, but the script, and direction from Christopher McElroen, are both admirably controlled.

The Chases, father and daughter, are great roles for Darrell Brockis and Wallis Currie-Wood. Both performers generate sympathy for characters who aren’t particularly likeable, taking the audience on a detailed and enjoyable emotional journey. It is easy to view Kate as “regal but cold”, yet Currie-Wood shows a lot of repressed emotion and gives the character’s self-sacrifice a certain dignity. Brockis has a good line in gravitas, too. I spent a lot of the play admiring this Secretary to the Treasury, persuaded by his humour and humility. But he is also ruthless figure. How much Kate becomes an “indispensable nag” to her father for his own sake, to progress his career, becomes an increasingly open question. And how much she is allowed to make this sacrifice adds further debate. Father and daughter have a lot to work out – if Klingenstein veers a little close to a therapy session at times, their relationship is always layered, intriguing and well performed.

Supporting roles are slightly less successful. Christy Meyer and Haydn Hoskins both do well as Mrs Eastman and General McClellan. But they are too obviously foils for the main characters and don’t convince as romantic interests for father and daughter. That’s partly deliberate – neither couple gets together. Kate’s heart is taken not by the General (an old flame) or her off-stage fiancé, but by Lincoln’s secretary John Hay, admirably performed by Tom Victor. Hay is a poet, and the love of literature he shares with Kate is the sweet basis of their relationship (Klingenstein gets a lot of mileage out of Whitman and Dickens – discussions of Great Expectations are a nice touch until they become laboured.) The wish for a happy ending works well, though, and is touching and thought provoking.

Although the piece is a static affair, the staging is strong. A video screen is made good use of, and McElroen does a great job injecting tension into staging a dinner party. The event is part of Kate’s strategy for her father’s campaign and leads to a fine theatrical moment – a great surprise – when tension explodes. A piece so wordy and cerebral isn’t to all tastes but Our American Queen is a quality affair: an interesting take on Great Men in history providing a valuable perspective with a clear intelligence. Does Kate get her happy ending? Well, it’s a truism that political careers always end in failure. But Klingenstein and Currie-Wood did raise my hopes, and that’s an achievement.

Until 7 February 2026

www.sbf.org.uk

Photo by Lidia Crisafulli

2026

“High Noon” at the Harold Pinter Theatre

It might seem a little odd to hold the world premiere of a Western, set in sun-drenched New Mexico, in wintry London. This new play by Eric Roth, based on the Oscar-winning 1952 film, feels like a labour of love that has questionable appeal. But it manages to entertain and, pretty much, convince.

The creative teams’ credentials are impeccable. Roth is no stranger to Academy Awards himself. This foray on to the stage is competent, if unimaginative, with strong characters and clear themes. It helps that the story is good, with recently retired Marshall Will Kane rejected by the town he served when he needs help the most. Thea Sharrock’s direction is tight, making the most of the idea that the action is in ‘real time’ and giving the impression that the cast is much larger than it actually is. Tim Hatley’s unfussy set also deserves praise, aiding some pretty clunky scene changes.

The casting is great, too. Movie star Billy Crudup takes the lead role and is suitably inspiring, making an asset of his character’s vulnerability. West End favourite Denise Gough is his love interest and benefits from the slightly more interesting role of Amy. Gough, always good with angst, gets the most out of her character’s religious questions and there’s a powerful chemistry between the leads. Their age makes the story slightly different, and both performers lean into this commendably. There is strong support from a hard-working James Doherty, who takes on three roles, including the show’s villain out for revenge. And there’s another nicely written role for Rosa Salazar as no-nonsense local businesswoman Helen Ramirez – she even manages to inject some much-needed humour into the show. You wait a long time for a scene between her and Gough. Thankfully, when it arrives it is a highlight.

Reservations arise, though. Having some singing in the show isn’t a bad idea. Gough’s voice is impressive. But her character’s refrain isn’t memorable and there are also recorded tracks that jar. It’s hard to avoid the notion that someone at some point wanted this to be a musical and then gave up on the idea. Some nods to the immorality of leaders lack subtlety and the need to make the piece ‘relevant’ doesn’t convince. But the moral of the tale isn’t as simple as it might be. Twists with Amy’s conscience are neat moves and the overall message of standing up for what you believe is suitably rousing, but also complex. To that end, the elevated story makes this show worth watching.


Until 6 March 2026


www.highnoontheplay.com

Photos by Johan Persson

2026

“Dressing Gown” at the Union Theatre

After a successful run at the Tabard Theatre, Andrew Cartmel’s farce has relocated to Southwark to provide more laughs and light relief. The suitable silly premise has a theatre director who can’t get dressed because his producer, writer and leading lady won’t leave him alone. Each interrupts his precious Sunday morning: accusing him of having an affair, gossiping about him having an affair, or trying to start an affair with him. And the poor man has a play to put on!


Of course it’s predictable (that’s part of the comedy), and it pushes credulity to the limit, which some people really don’t like. But Cartmel’s script is well written and he has some good lines. The physical comedy is minimal – there are no slamming doors and only one race around a sofa (which is a bit disappointing), so you can imagine the show as a radio play a little too easily. Nonetheless, director Jenny Eastop has done a great job injecting energy into the piece and keeping the action swift.


A top-notch cast makes the most of it all. Leading man Jamie Hutchins allows exasperation to get the better of him, but only a couple of times. And he is great at showing the too-smooth director’s conniving edge. Ryan Woodcock is credible as his nice but dim producing chum – it’s a sweet touch to make him so believably in love. Even theatre producers have hearts you know. Freya Alderson, as the temperamental writer with a hearing difficulty, does ditzy well, so it’s a shame this is the weakest role. In my opinion, Rosie Edwards takes the gold as a needy actor with some very odd ideas about revenge as she made me laugh the most. But you’re welcome to disagree and speculate about which character you identify with the most.


There’s a lot of fun around these theatrical types and the play they are struggling with. The conceit adds a neat layer to the drama. Yes, of course they are stereotypes, and rather retro ones at that. Some of the views expressed seem a little, well, 1970s. It’s part of an old-fashioned feel to the whole piece that is a little puzzling. I’m not sure if this is a knowing nod to the tradition of sex comedies or an endearing oddity. Not that it matters, Dressing Gown is entertaining and well executed.


Until 23 January 2026

www.uniontheatre.biz

2025

“Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” at the Young Vic Theatre

It is to playwright Rajiv Joseph’s credit that his absurdist war drama packs a punch. Set just after the Gulf War, with Saddam Hussein and his sons dead, the piece focuses on the aftermath of bombing and is filled with ghosts. There is plenty that is powerful but, regrettably, not quite enough that is credible. While the mayhem and the murder around the conflict is clear, not enough time is spent on anyone’s motivation for the piece to convince.

Ammar Haj Ahmad plays a gardener turned translator for the army, troubled by the ghosts of his sister and Uday Hussein, who he used to work for. Patrick Gibson plays a soldier who comes to be haunted by his comrade, played by Arinzé Kene, after the latter has a nervous breakdown because he, in turn, is haunted by the tiger of the title. Director Omar Elerian manages to make the story clear, which is no small achievement, and the supernatural elements are staged well. But there are too many actions and responses from characters that don’t quite make sense.

The stories are interesting and the elements of horror intriguing. Lots of people lose a hand. There’s no need to go into details. It is fair to say that the play deals with extremes but, at times, the cast struggle with this intensity. In their respective roles, Haj Ahmad can show little more than anguish and Gibson only has anger to offer. Kene has a happier time of it as his character changes after death to become a polyglot intellectual – the alteration is handled with confidence but, again, it leaves too many questions.

The most notable spectre is the tiger himself, the most interesting character by far, and the play lags too much when he isn’t around. In the afterlife, the tiger becomes philosophical and brings a lot of discussion about nature and religion to life. Peter Forbes is fantastic in the role, his achievement all the more impressive given that he took on the part at the last moment (due to the indisposition of David Threlfall and after Kathryn Hunter filled in on press night).

Forbes gets laughs too but, overall, there are problems with the play’s humour. Not that it is too dark, which is to be expected, but that it is repetitious. Sayyid Aki has a good go at Uday, his caricature bringing a welcome break in the pace. But too much time is taken up with crudity and poor jokes about language differences. The problem is in keeping with a script that is too laboured, even if Elerian does a great job of injecting speed.

It isn’t that the metaphors here are bad, more that they are overused. I guess it’s easy to counter that there is nothing subtle about war. But Joseph struggles to tell us anything new. That war is bad and trauma has an impact are important lessons, but ones few can say they haven’t heard before. The frustration is that nobody seems to listen. I think the tiger would agree – but Joseph doesn’t explore this.

Until 31 January 2026

www.youngvic.org.uk

Photo by Helen Murray

2025

“Oh, Mary!” at the Trafalgar Theatre

Revising history has never been as much fun as this ridiculous reimagining from Cole Escola featuring Mary Todd Lincoln in the days before her husband’s assassination. The huge Broadway hit is a hoot – who knew the president’s wife used to be a showgirl? The former cabaret star is now a frustrated first lady and, to distract her Abe hires an actor to give her drama lessons. A romance starts, but Mary loses her lover. And her mind. Actually, that went long ago.

Mary is a monster, albeit an appealingly vivid one. Her flaws make her sympathetic and the lack of self-pity is refreshing but, make no mistake, she is every vice combined. This is a tremendous role that exercises every comedic skill. For this London premiere, Mason Alexander Park makes the most of Mary, refusing to hold back and getting to show off their voice in the startling – hilarious – finale.

While Escola has written a great star vehicle, smaller roles, such as Mary’s chaperone or her husband’s assistant, allow Kate O’Donnell and Oliver Stockley to also shine. The always excellent Giles Terera plays Lincoln and, while the play just calls him ‘Mary’s Husband’, he gets time in the spotlight. Terera scores a lot of laughs at Lincoln’s guilt about being gay – it really is a giggle. Finally, to avoid spoilers, let’s just say there’s a lot going on with that acting tutor. Dino Fetscher is perfectly cast and does a great job.

A lot of the jokes come from the historical figures swearing or having sex – the play is very rude. There are also plenty of gags about alcoholism and depression… and how ignorant Mary is. It’s all rather childish and stupid, so lots of it probably shouldn’t be funny. And I cannot understand why referring to a portrait of George Washington as her mother works so well. It really is a laugh a minute. 

The brilliantly exaggerated movements in director Sam Pinkleton’s production are part of the superb physical comedy. The lighting design from Cha See and costumes from Holly Pierson excel at aiding the humour. Mary’s hoop skirt deserves its own round of applause. 

The theatre itself is a big joke, too. And there’s a challenge here. Leaning into ‘low’ comedy and cabaret, it could be tempting to dismiss the play, especially with its sketch-like structure. But the short scenes end with plenty of punchlines that surprise and have an emotional edge. The action builds nicely to the night of Lincoln’s death – in a theatre, of course. And if you’ve never wondered who shot who, then perhaps you should?

Until 25 April 2025

www.ohmaryplay.co.uk

Photo by Manuel Harlan