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Review of ‘The Oresteia’ (Bridge Theatre, 2026): “Modern remake of ancient classic is equally immortal”
This is the kind of play you should avoid at all costs if you’re not looking to be shocked. Or gripped. Or pleasantly aghast. It will not feature ancient deities or unpronounceable names. But it will still capture the spirit of the original (no pun intended). With a contemporary setting, Simon Stone’s adaptation of Aeschylus’s…
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Review of ‘HOLE!’: “Weak arse-nal turns promising comedy into a bummer”
It’s exactly what you’re thinking about. Why you were thinking about it is between you and your therapist, however. But yes — this is a show about orifices. The kind we all have. The kind we all use. And the kind some of us have learned to use in a different yet pleasurable manner. Not…
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Review of ‘Tender’:”Scarring romance leaves no mark on its audience”
Don’t trust the title — for better and for worse. There’s nothing smooth about two wounded characters falling for each other, only for their story (spoiler alert) to break into pieces at the end. And it’s not like the script makes it too easy to masticate it either. There’s nothing inherently wrong about Eleanor Tindall’s…
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Review of ‘The Smile of Her’: “Scant narrative is off the beam”
This is a true story. It is her story. Our theirs. Maybe everyone’s, too. To be fair, Christine Lahti seems to have trouble deciding who the real protagonist is in her autobiographical play. The term itself should clear the air. But it doesn’t. Perhaps ego may have got in the way of a potentially poignant…
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Review of ‘Shanay Holmes In Concert’: “Heartfelt performance is remarkably pulsating”
She knows how to shine. And for the most part, that’s all she did. There are many things to praise about Shanay Holmes’s last week’s solo performance at the Cadogan Hall, whose hit-studded repertoire and overall excellent execution were received with a well-deserved standing ovation. From hopeful Disney Princess solos to swanky Bob Marley anthems,…
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Review of ‘Hit Machine’: “Josh Radnor and Noah Galvin score in music-themed family drama”
Every story has been told. This one is no exception. And it makes little effort to be.
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Review of ‘Blue Mist’: “Enticing premise ends up going up in smoke”
I keep thinking that the most interesting aspects about this play are the ones that never made it. I’m not getting metaphysical. It’s a plain observation. There’s so much that this piece offers. But there’s even more that could have been brought into it. A lot more. The germ for an absorbing drama remains latent…
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Review of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (2026, West End): “London Palladium is blessed with a heavenly production, but Sam Ryder is far from divine”
We’ve come a long way since Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s third collaboration became the cultural phenomenon that took the 70s by storm and almost single-handedly defined a whole generation. Its progressive rock score and unfiltered lyrics perfectly encapsulated the essence of the era — a time that advocated for change, nonconformism, and the…
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Review of ‘The Ballad of Johnny & June”: “Jukebox bio flashes the Great Cash, but it’s flatter than a Tennessee top box”
If you enjoyed the world-renowned musical biography about the rise and fall of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, I suggest you stick to it and avoid this one at all costs. Regardless of its “from the director of” slogan, which I’m sure will put a few extra bums on the seats, this isn’t even…
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Review of Fantasia Orchestra’s ‘From Mahler to Manhattan’: “Tribute to golden classics shines with its own gilt”
It’s hard to describe beauty when it transcends words. And that’s the ongoing struggle that, as a critic, I often face when reviewing a classical music concert — especially when there’s so much brilliance in it. As my second encounter with the young but fast-growing Fantasia Orchestra, my expectations for high quality were reasonably cemented.…
