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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.…
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Review of ‘Arcadia’: “Revival of Stoppard classic is a theatrical locus amoenus”
This might not be the most gripping plot you’ll ever find. But that doesn’t make the writing any less exquisite. For some, that’s what defines a Tom Stoppard play. And that may be part of his genius. Stories that do not necessarily brim with excitement but whose introspective power makes up for anything else you…
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Review of ‘-320°F’: “Frozen-in-place narrative doesn’t send shivers down audience’s spine”
I commend art that challenges its audience. But that shouldn’t mean trying their patience. Sadly, that’s all you get after sitting through a two-and-a-half-hour Japanese-spoken performance — with no available break and a persistently obstructed screen as the only means to understand what the actors are saying. If you consider the fact that the story…
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Review of ‘Malory Towers’: “Low-grade adaptation barely has a pass”
The mob has spoken. Or so they claim. It’s not like the theatre was packed on the night I attended. Yet, I will admit there was a considerable number of children- girls, primarily -holding their favourite editions of Enid Blyton’s popular book series, ready to immerse themselves in the magic of a 1940s Cornwall boarding…
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Review of ‘Archduke’: “Regicidal comedy doesn’t seize the crown”
Someone’s plotting murder on the Royal Court stage this month. And someone has got away with it. So far, nobody’s been killed. But something has — repeatedly. Those who have sat through this tongue-in-cheek political drama dealing with the assassination of Austrian royalty, Franz Ferdinand, might have already guessed what I’m talking about. And chances…
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Review of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Regent’s Open Air Theatre, 2026): “Rustic production comes out too mechanical”
Comparisons are odious. But what else can you do if two major productions of arguably Shakespeare’s most popular comedy are running in London at the same time? Especially, if one of them is faultless and all you can say about the other, if you want to be kind, is that at least they tried. And…
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Review of ‘Relics’: “Family-matters play is rather urkel”
Money brings out the worst in people. And sometimes, the worst in art, too. That is, if anyone is able to find it in Ben Ockrent’s latest attempt at dark comedy, whose thought-provoking premise fails to translate into compelling storytelling, and whose soap-operatic style confuses grip and variety with campiness and an overloaded plot. Four…
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Review of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ (2026, West End): “Amusing performance doesn’t have a nose for pathos”
It’s not like they went to great lengths to make his suffering resonate. Or his passion. There are other prominent features- as it would have been expected -but poignancy isn’t really one of them. That doesn’t translate into an instant veto. In fact, there’s praise to be given to this latest adaptation of Rostand’s classic,…
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Review of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ (Royal Albert Hall, 2026): “Enchanting production has no dormant talents”
You can’t go wrong with Tchaikovsky, except perhaps if you’re listening to the 1812 Symphony. And you can hardly go wrong with the English National Ballet. It doesn’t take another genius to realise that combining the two will likely result in a tour de force. But it might take a trip to the Royal Albert…
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Review of ‘Sinatra, The Musical’: “Baubles, bangles and beads show doesn’t do it the right way”
He was a legend. A singer. An actor. A father. A husband. An adulterer. A thug. An alcoholic. He tried to end his life several times. And he made the lives of those around him miserable, while his unparalleled gift brought so much joy to others. From this, you would gather that a musical biography…
