East Is East review – the classic cross-cultural comedy is as sharp as ever Thirty years on, Ayub Khan Din’s play about dual-heritage life in the 70s is revived for a tour with an exceptional cast The Guardian - UK · Sep 9
Who Killed Marilyn? at the Emerald Theatre review: This inept non-exposé is my first ever zero-star review 0.5/5 Evening Standard · Aug 21
High Society: Helen George gives star turn opposite Felicity Kendal 3/5 This adaptation of Cole Porter’s musical at the Barbican is ruled by the Call the Midwife star Evening Standard · Jun 4
50 First Dates the Musical review – This adaptation of the Noughties romcom about a woman with amnesia is suitably forgettable 2/5 The trend of putting films from 20 years ago on stage and throwing in some songs continues – but there’s only so far the nostalgia factor can carry an audience The Independent UK · Sep 26, 2025
Starter for Ten review – David Nicholls adaptation features some of the best musical numbers of recent years 4/5 Musical adaptation of the ‘One Day’ author’s debut novel makes for a delightful night at the theatre The Independent UK · Sep 18, 2025
How Clueless the Musical went from a ‘full-on Monet’ to a ‘total Baldwin’ IN FOCUS: With a fresh script and songs by KT Tunstall, the all-singing, all-dancing adaptation of the seminal Nineties teen movie starring Alicia Silverstone has finally hit the West End… starring actors who weren’t even alive when the film was released. Annabel Nugent meets them, along with writer/director Amy Heckerling The Independent UK · Mar 14, 2025
The Last Laugh at the Noel Coward Theatre review: gags, gurning, and a supremely lazy script 2/5 Impressive impersonations of Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse are undercut by cheap lines Evening Standard · Feb 27, 2025
Starlight Express review: A neon fever dream you’ll watch with your mouth wide open Andrew Lloyd Webber’s singing, roller-skating steam trains are back for a night of absolute maximalism. Yes, it’s more spectacle than sense – but your inner child (and actual children) will be delighted The Independent UK · Jun 30, 2024
The Gap review – Denise Welch and Matthew Kelly swing low in 60s Soho Jim Cartwright’s riches-to-rags comedy reunites an abrasive northern couple who turned to sex work for survival in a hedonistic London adventure The Guardian - UK · Feb 15, 2024
The week in theatre: Northanger Abbey; The Most Precious of Goods – review Zoe Cooper’s vivaciously queer take on Jane Austen will make readers and audiences think twice. And Nicolas Kent distils a Holocaust fable to its chilling bare bones The Guardian - UK · Jan 28, 2024
Northanger Abbey review – Janeites, be warned! Austen gets a fanfic makeover Writer Zoe Cooper and director Tessa Walker reignite Jane Austen’s early novel with hilarious physical storytelling and a fizzing cast, though the romance sputters out too soon The Guardian - UK · Jan 26, 2024
Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical review – peppy return of toxic teenage liaisons There are some excellent performances in an uneven adaptation of the hit film, staged with songs by No Doubt, Ace of Base and Placebo The Guardian - UK · Jan 19, 2024
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch review – a chaotic camp delight The Divine-inspired villain of The Little Mermaid and her rag-tag band of gay sea creatures reclaim their narrative in a boundlessly energetic, beautifully belted musical parody The Guardian - UK · Jan 12, 2024
Cinderella: A Fairytale review – Ella and her prince bond over shared passion, not money or status This production rows back on panto excess, but boisterous audience interaction and bright songs keep it lively The Guardian - UK · Dec 10, 2023
Evening Standard · Nov 26, 2023 Miranda Cooper on going from writing pop bangers to musicals, and working with the 'super punk' Girls Aloud The pop songwriter – who wrote all of Girls Aloud's biggest hits – talks reunion tours, potential new music, and heading into the world of musical theatre with Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World
The Guardian - UK · Nov 3, 2023 Lizzie review – ferocious rock opera revisits 1892 double murder case Strong voices, polished direction and pop choreography boost this uneven account of Lizzie Borden, accused of killing her father and stepmother
The Guardian - UK · Oct 29, 2023 To Wong Foo the Musical review – fabulous fantasia keeps it frothy Adapted from the 1995 film, this musical about three drag queens stuck in a US small town is low on tension but has plenty of heart – and wigs
The Guardian - UK · Oct 8, 2023 Flowers for Mrs Harris review – sweetly unassuming musical with dreams of chic Jenna Russell gives a shining performance of quiet resolve in this musical adaptation of Paul Gallico’s novel about a widowed cleaner in gloomy postwar London who sets her sights on purchasing a Dior dress in Paris
The Guardian - UK · Sep 15, 2023 The Little Big Things review – big-hearted musical is a true-story tearjerker This adaptation of a memoir by a 17-year-old aspiring rugby pro paralysed by a holiday accident has catchy songs, strong performances and schmaltz
Evening Standard · Jul 13, 2023 New play Disruption at The Park Theatre tackles the big questions around AI The black comedy, which stars It’s A Sin’s Nathaniel Curtis, is one of several new plays asking questions about the world-changing technology
The Guardian - UK · Jul 5, 2023 Chester’s Mystery Plays: good v evil parables at their most elemental Director John Young energises this medieval community-theatre tradition with a dynamic and dreamlike journey from the crucifixion to the last judgment
The Guardian - UK · Jun 25, 2023 Blonde Bombshells of 1943 review – boogie-woogie bugle girls reporting for duty A group of hastily recruited ‘sisters’ achieve harmony in Alan Plater’s charming play about music and laughter as a relief from war
Chronicle Live · Jun 1, 2023 Still raw, real and relevant - review of I, Daniel Blake at Northern Stage The first stage version of the Bafta-winning film is having a sell-out world premiere run at Northern Stage in Newcastle ahead of national tour - so what does the story have to say to us today?
The Guardian - UK · Jun 1, 2023 I, Daniel Blake review – Kafkaesque benefits story rekindles righteous anger Politicians’ glib statements frame the struggles of one man confounded by a bewildering welfare system, in an adaptation of the Ken Loach film that both moves and provokes
The Guardian - UK · May 10, 2023 The Suspicions of Mr Whicher review – true crime classic turned into tense drama Kate Summerscale’s Victorian potboiler is deftly condensed in a production that brings out the misogyny and class snobbery of the era