After their hugely successful run on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre and at the London Palladium in the West End, The King and I is back in all its glory to showcase Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical in its finest hour. Directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, this hugely popular classic from the golden age of musical theatre dazzles and astonishes in every way.  The King and I is a tale of love in so many forms; for children, for lovers, for those lost and for those who puzzle us most. Despite being written over 70 years ago, these themes remain as timeless as ever ..read more

The musical 42nd Street ran for five years at Drury Lane from 1984 and has been regularly revived for regional tours and West End outings ever since, so it is no surprise to find the latest production arriving in Woking on a tour that will last well into 2024 (with a Christmas trip overseas to Toronto) and to find another full house of fans looking for an entertaining feelgood night out. The real delight is that the leading lady Nicole-Lily Baisden, playing Peggy Sawyer, the chorus girl who makes good, is absolutely brilliant in her movement and dance and outshines the bigger names in the ca ..read more

History buffs will instantly recognise Lady Emma Hamilton as an enduring figure who is a gift to any dramatist. Born in 1765 she became a hostess to the great and good in Georgian society. But her notoriety was assured when she became the mistress of Lord Horatio Nelson. The liaison was under the nose of husband Sir William Hamilton who served as Envoy to the Kingdom of Naples. April De Angelis has fashioned a compact two-act play that delves into the machinations of a woman who was both mesmerising and enigmatic. Three generations of women populate the narrative and shed new light on a blac ..read more

Yasmina Reza’s (translated by Christopher Hampton) unassuming but vicious satirical unmasking of the modern-day middle class, God Of Carnage, has stirred up attention since it first premiered in 2008. Boasting as a hit on Broadway and The West End, its anticipated revival has been met with great expectation. In this new version directed by Nicholas La Barrie, the question I was left asking, however, is why this play now? God Of Carnage introduces us to two middle-class, pre-middle-aged couples who are brought together by the act of violence between their two eleven-year-old children Ferdina ..read more

Wils Wilsons’ most recent adaptation of Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre was refreshing in its tradition. Though a far cry from a pit and candles true to Shakespeare experience, compared to some of the brash attempts at refreshing the classics that the RSC and others have presented in the last few years, this production was purposeful and effective. The scene is set with conviction as Alasdair Macrae’s brass score echoes around the auditorium and the witches (Amber Sylvia Edwards, Eilidh Loan, and Dylan Read) twist and contort their way around the stage. This was to be a sombre tra ..read more

It's not often that cast and principal creatives appear on the same stage. But Spiral has that rare distinction with author Abigail Hood starring alongside director Kevin Tomlinson. This new production follows an initial run at the Park Theatre in 2018 and has now earned a revival at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Spiral tells the story of two relationships; one wrecked by trauma and the other defined by controlling behaviour. Gill and Tom (Rebecca Crankshaw and Jasper Jacob) are a couple still coming to terms with the disappearance of their 14-year-old daughter. Tom seeks solace in the company ..read more

Thames Television was at the height of its creative powers in the late Seventies and early Eighties and under the wonderful Verity Lambert (1935-2007) produced many iconic shows including The naked civil servant (1975), The Sweeney (1975-1978), Minder (1979-1994), Widows (1983-1985), Rumpole of the Bailey (1978-1992) and Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978), all classic TV dramas of the period. In 1976/1977 she produced a 12-episode (2 series) show called Rock Follies which made stars of Charlotte Cornwall, Rula Lenska and Julie Covington and its themes of an independently minded three-girl rock ba ..read more

The 1959 hit musical Sound of Music has one of the best scores ever written with wonderful Richard Rodgers tunes that tug at the heartstrings, delightful moments of gentle humour from Oscar Hammerstein II and an authentic grim context that still resonates today with the daily news of invasions. It would be tough to fail in mounting a revival of this glorious musical but equally difficult to escape the memory of Julie Andrews's performance in the 1965 film. Chichester Festival’s wonderful revival directed by Adam Penford certainly manages to not only do the stage show full justice but also be ..read more

In a world filled with familiar shows that pedal out the same old story time and again, Ride shines as a beacon of originality, artfully weaving the little-known history of Annie Londonderry into the most extraordinary and exciting musical experience. Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams have skillfully crafted a captivating narrative that transcends time and place, touching on subtle feminist themes, the power of storytelling, and the complex relationship between reality and self-perception. But don’t worry; it’s done in a fun, fascinating, and fabulously fantastic way that makes the story ..read more

The towering sheets of the steel frame of Titanic covered the backdrop of the New Victoria Theatre and coated the proscenium. The atmospheric lighting (designed by Howard Hudson) highlighting Mr Thomas Andrews, Titanic’s leading architect as he scrawled his designs in silence while the audience took their seats. As the music started, we were instantly transported to April 11th 1912; the day passengers embarked for Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage. Cast flooded the stage and the aisles, bringing bustling energy through the auditorium. Good luck finding a single person who knows nothing about t ..read more