Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre empire braced for Reeves’ tax hike Business Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre empire has warned it is bracing for the “notable impact” the hike in employer’s National Insurance contributions (NICs) when it comes into force next month. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her Budget in October 2024 that NICs would rise by 1.2 per cent from April to 15 per cent in [...]
The Seagull review: Cate Blanchett camps it up at the Barbican Life&Style The Seagull | The Barbican | ★★★★☆ “I know that’s not what you expected,” says Zachary Hart’s Simon as he dismounts from his quad bike. Neither did I expect him to whip out a guitar and start belting out Billy Bragg’s The Milkman of Human Kindness. But this is not your run-of-the-mill Chekhov adaptation. This [...]
Punch at the Young Vic: A powerful look at restorative justice Life&Style Punch | The Young Vic | ★★★★☆ Jacob was “itching for some fucking action”. So begins this dramatisation of the true story of Jacob Dunne, who killed 28-year-old paramedic James Hodgkinson in an unprovoked attack on a drunken New Year’s Eve with one fatal blow. Jacob did not mean to kill James, but in the [...]
I hate immersive theatre. Can the British Pullman’s murder mystery change my mind? February 21, 2025 The British Pullman's latest offering invites guests to solve a murder mystery on board. Can it win over haters of immersive theatre?
Much Ado About Nothing: Tom Hiddleston stars in glitterbomb show February 20, 2025 Much Ado About Nothing | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | ★★★★★ Jamie Lloyd’s production of Much Ado About Nothing is a blockbuster of such proportions the entire street outside the Theatre Royal Drury Lane was closed so fans could gather en masse to catch a glimpse of Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell. The festival vibe [...]
9 amazing things to do in London this week, from film festivals to juggling February 17, 2025 9 amazing things to do in London this week, from new cinemas to clubbing at an iconic London institution The blue skies have begun the week with optimism in the air, but with an unseasonably cold spell due to land later in the week, it’s time to book a midweek treat to distract from the [...]
Unicorn play review: Mike Bartlett as sharp as ever with Stephen Mangan throuple play February 14, 2025 Unicorn play review and star rating: ★★★★ Through plays like King Charles III and Cock, Mike Bartlett has delivered some of the freshest-feeling contemporary writing about the way we live our lives today, particularly to do with sexuality and dating. Cock with Jonathan Bailey became one of the hardest tickets to land in the West [...]
Three Sisters at The Globe: Tragedy reimagined as farce February 13, 2025 The bijou, candlelit stage at The Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse gives the feel of a doll’s house to this production of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Dressed in puffy, floaty period costume and framed against exquisite wood panelling, the actors seem like they’ve been picked up and placed on the stage to read their lines rather [...]
Elektra starring Brie Larson is a strange, boring play February 7, 2025 Elektra at the Duke of York’s Theatre | ★★☆☆☆ After two and a half millennia, Sophocles can still pull in a crowd. This week saw the opening of Oedipus at the Old Vic, in which professional Creepy Lil’ Guy Rami Malek drawled his way through a thrilling evening of EDM and interpretive dance. In recent [...]
Oedipus at the Old Vic review: A freaky fever dream February 6, 2025 You can perform impossible feats, be a wise and respected leader, even solve the riddle of the Sphinx – but if you end up shagging your mum, that’s the only thing people will remember. This delirious reimagining of Sophocles’ tragedy of Oedipus, king of Thebes, is a freaky fever dream, told here from the point [...]