The Aubrey review: Good vibes, but could feel more Japanese May 10, 2022 Sitting down for dinner at The Aubrey, I’m told by a waiter that the restaurant is an ode to “the laidback izakayas of Japan, the country’s answer to relaxed eateries like pubs.” I’ve visited Japan and can attest that izakayas are indeed a bit like pubs. I ate at one in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where men [...]
Oklahoma review: Sexy, edgy production has highs and lows May 7, 2022 It’s hardly the world’s best-kept secret that the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein, such as South Pacific and The Sound of Music, are crusty as hell. Written over 75 years ago, musical naysayers would call them sexist and perhaps even say their writing is banal – but many have retained a level of fame and [...]
House of Ife review: Effective balance of grief with levity May 5, 2022 You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family, goes the old saying. House of Ife is a damning case for why we feel this way. We’re presented with a split of explosively divisive personalities in the Ife family, showing how far removed we can be from the people we’re birthed by, or [...]
UK’s first queer museum founder: ‘It’s not just another bar, you know?’ May 5, 2022 Queer Britain, the UK’s first ever queer museum opens its doors today, taking over the grand old industrial building in King’s Cross’s Granary Square that was once home to the House of Illustration. The intimate space is the first iteration of Queer Britain, with director and co-founder Joseph Galliano hoping to gain funding for a [...]
Can Mayfair’s Park Chinois combine dinner and cabaret and make it good? May 4, 2022 There are lots of things in life that could reasonably be described as ‘a lot.’ Visiting the in-laws can be ‘a lot,’ as can indulging your drunk uncle in conversation when he’s offering his take on cancel culture. Marzipan is also ‘a lot’, and so is trifle. All of these over-stimulating experiences pale by comparison [...]
Jerusalem review: Mark Rylance proves he is the leading actor of a generation in juggernaut play April 30, 2022 After Jerusalem premiered at the Royal Court in 2009 it began to generate a reputation as the greatest play of the 21st century. It’s hard to do justice to the level of prestige which has surrounded the show since; within theatre circles it is untouchable and nothing since – at least, no plays – have [...]
Prima Facie review: from Villanelle to victim, Jodie Comer is a ferocious force on stage alone April 28, 2022 Jodie Comer became one of the world’s most popular British acting exports as psychopathic predator Villanelle in Killing Eve, dispensing of victims with garden hoses, piano tuners, and dressed as a clown. In her West End debut in Prima Facie, a new play by Suzie Miller, Comer has done what all self-respecting A-Listers do when [...]
Koko founder on £70m relaunch: ‘Camden’s always gonna have edge’ April 28, 2022 Camden’s iconic Koko venue – closed for three years and the victim of a devastating fire in 2020 – finally reopens tomorrow following a £70m renovation. To put that into context, that’s one fifth of the cost the original contractor quoted for building The Shard. It’s a staggering renovation for the historical venue, which has [...]
Scandaltown review: Satire on cancel culture falls flat April 25, 2022 Imagine having three plays opening in London at once. Mike Bartlett, writer of the huge TV hit Doctor Foster, is that guy right now. Cock, starring Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, is on in the West End, and he’s also commanding two of the biggest off-West End theatres with The 47th at the Old Vic and Scandaltown [...]
Cabaret review: A riot, old chum – with or without Eddie Redmayne April 21, 2022 Fresh from breaking the record for the most amount of Olivier Awards ever won by a revival, Cabaret strides confidently forwards with an excellent new cast This new revival of Cabaret had West End critics fighting to publish their five star reviews first when it first opened in November 2021. Seeing homegrown A-List talent Eddie [...]