Arts Reviews
Murder in the Cathedral at Southwark Cathedral
The play 'Murder in the Cathedral' by TS Eliot is beginning a nationwide tour at Southwark Cathedral to mark the 850th anniversary of St Thomas Becket's death.
Fanny & Alexander at The Old Vic
This adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's 1982 film is visually impactful but fails to translate successfully to stage.
The Lorax at The Old Vic
Zany, unpredictable, gaudy and still packing an environmental punch, Dr Seuss's Lorax made a half-term pilgrimage back to the Old Vic Stage prior to a much anticipated North American tour next year.
A Day by The Sea at Southwark Playhouse
A Coronation year West End success has been revived at Southwark Playhouse.
Girl from the North Country at The Old Vic
Conor McPherson has created a hit which will appeal to fans of Bob Dylan and non fans alike
Woyzeck at The Old Vic
The Old Vic's star hire John Boyega lives up to his top billing but the rest of the production unfortunately does not match it.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at The Old Vic
Fifty years after its first production at The Old Vic Tom Stoppard's classic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead has been reinvigorated in its latest production directed by David Leveaux.
Art at The Old Vic
Art's original director, now artistic director at the Old Vic, has decided that it's due a revival.
King Lear at The Old Vic
As she returns to the stage after a long absence, this is Glenda Jackson's show to steal - and she does so triumphantly.
Hunted: 'pervasive theatre' in the streets of SE1
If you see people emerging from Waterloo Station wearing headphones and appearing to follow the direction of voices in their head, they may well be taking part in CoLab Theatre's new 'pervasive theatre' show.
No's Knife at The Old Vic
Lisa Dwan's performance in No's Knife is truly incredible but good luck enjoying it if you're not familiar with Beckett's work.
Groundhog Day at The Old Vic
A musical of such excellence and joy imbued with the very best in talent that any London stage can surely offer right now - the Old Vic has just given birth to a sensation. Hot ticket doesn't come into it.
Jekyll and Hyde at The Old Vic
The McOnie Company stuns the audience with a brilliant take on Jekyll and Hyde, as dance returns to the Old Vic stage.
The Caretaker at The Old Vic
Timothy Spall maintains an extraordinary and convincing character as he imposes himself on a dysfunctional household in The Caretaker at The Old Vic.
The Master Builder at The Old Vic
David Hare's lively adaptation of Ibsen's classic brings this complex multi levelled play right into the 21st century.
Necropolitan Line: SE1 history inspires Leeds art installation
An art installation inspired by the stories of a Southwark burial ground and a railway that carried coffins and mourners from Waterloo to Surrey is on show at a Leeds gallery.
Dr. Seuss's The Lorax at The Old Vic
A Dr Seuss classic is brought to the stage for the Old Vic's festive offering.
The Hairy Ape at The Old Vic
The Old Vic is back on form. After an and uncertain start with his opening production Future Conditional new Artistic Director Matthew Warchus must know that his second production has upped the game.
Steve Hollingshead's 1001 photographs
A mosaic of 1001 black and white images 'defining the distinctive creative character of London' has gone on show.
Future Conditional at The Old Vic
Where was the element of originality?
Song from Far Away at the Young Vic
A powerful portrayal of a troubled young man, attempting but unable to escape his past. The main stage at the Young Vic is big space. And it feels particularly big when there is a cast of only one.
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2015
This year's RA Summer Exhibition is sure to make people talk.
High Society at The Old Vic
High Society at The Old Vic is the farewell party for Kevin Spacey.
Eric Ravilious and Morley College remembered at Dulwich
The famous but now lost work by Eric Ravilious at Morley College is recalled in a major exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Ah, Wilderness! at the Young Vic
Ah, Wilderness! is humorous but curious in its modernity and ultimately lacks impact.
Golem at the Young Vic
Deeply serious yet profoundly silly, this is quite unlike anything else you will see on stage.
Electra at The Old Vic
Kristin Scott Thomas as Electra provides the Old Vic with a compelling and thoroughly memorable opening to its new season.
A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic
A confident, standout version of Streetcar.
The Crucible at The Old Vic
A terrifying and entirely believable rendition of Miller's best known work.
Red Forest at the Young Vic
Belarus Free Theatre has created a play which is all anger and no narrative.
A View from the Bridge at the Young Vic
One of Arthur Miller's greatest plays retains its power through the outstanding performance of the actor at the heart of its story.
Oh My Sweet Land at the Young Vic
A brutally honest, yet sensitive personal perspective on the war in Syria.
Other Desert Cities at The Old Vic
Other Desert Cities at The Old Vic is the first of a series of productions to offer a more intimate experience than the theatre's proscenium arch usually affords.
Sizwe Banzi Is Dead at the Young Vic
A play which comes loaded with history but fails to live up to expectations.
Happy Days at the Young Vic
A perfectly staged version of Beckett's challenging work.
Beauty and the Beast at the Young Vic
A show which is mesmerisingly beautiful and laugh-out-loud funny in equal measure.
Fortune's Fool at The Old Vic
It has taken almost twenty years for Mike Poulton's adaptation of Turgenev's tragi-comedy to reach London, having premiered at Chichester in 1996 and won Alan Bates an award on Broadway.
The Scottsboro Boys at Young Vic
Unlike Rosa Parks or Little Rock, the Scottsboro Boys haven't entered the lexicon of pivotal moments in the American civil rights movement - at least not in the UK.
Much Ado About Nothing at The Old Vic
The star names of Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Mark Rylance make this a must-see production. But poor initial reviews led to the SE1 critic attending with trepidation.
The Lightning Child at Shakespeare's Globe
'This performance contains filthy language and bare flesh,' says a notice outside Shakespeare's Globe where The Lightning Child is being staged.
Gabriel at Shakespeare's Globe
Gabriel is an unusual unfolding of post-Shakespearian themes of London life, the position of women and the role of the trumpet in the works of Henry Purcell.
A Season in the Congo at the Young Vic
No piece of theatre could fully convey the horrors and injustices of the fight for Congolese independence.
Sweet Bird of Youth at The Old Vic
This may not be a flawless production but its characteristics reflect those of its own characters; imperfect, compelling and beautiful.
The Alchemist at the Rose Theatre
Try as it might, this production is unable to turn a dud play into something more fantastic.
A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe
This outstanding production doesn't require sun in order to shine.
Tanzi Libre at Southwark Playhouse
"Welcome to the all new Southwark arena," declares the the 'DJ' opening Tanzi Libre at the new Southwark Playhouse.
Public Enemy at the Young Vic
You would be hard pushed to guess that Public Enemy was written in 1882 if you did not know it to be an Ibsen.
The Tempest at Shakespeare's Globe
The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most bizarre plays combining a lightness of touch with much darker themes.
My Perfect Mind at the Young Vic
One man's extraordinary on-stage portrayal of his stroke and subsequent recovery.
The Winslow Boy at The Old Vic
Terence Rattigan's play The Winslow Boy at The Old Vic is a pre-World War One story with many 21st-century resonances.
Forest Form at the Stone Theatre Gallery
The little-known Stone Theatre Gallery under the railway arches off Hercules Road is for a month filled with huge marble sculpture and large forest photographs.
Above Me The Wide Blue Sky at the Young Vic
Fevered Sleep's evocative ode to a lost rural idyll, performed in an unconventional manner.
Dido, Queen of Carthage at Rose Theatre Bankside
Christopher Marlowe's first play is also his weakest; and this is, unfortunately, reflected in the Rose's production.
Chess: The Musical at Union Theatre
An impressive revival of a long absent musical, but one which leaves you questioning why it was revived at all.
Hamlet at Rose Theatre Bankside
A fast-paced Hamlet which still manages to surprise, despite the play's familiarity.
Feast at the Young Vic
A spectacular journey through the history of the Yoruba diaspora.
Top Story at The Old Vic Tunnels
It was always going to be hard to pull off a comedy which combines the mundane with the supernatural. This is a valiant effort, but it ultimately fails to match its own high ambitions.
Fair Em at the Union Theatre
This modern world premiere of a play once (wrongly) attributed to Shakespeare is entertaining in itself. But its illumination of the genius of the world's most famous Bard provides the greatest appeal.
Kiss Me, Kate at The Old Vic
A faultless show from the doyen of musical theatre and Shakespeare.
Theatre Uncut at the Young Vic
If you didn't catch 'Theatre Uncut' at the Young Vic, then you're already too late. For this year at least.
Blackta at the Young Vic
A bold play, making a bold statement, but one which doesn't quite hit the mark.
Fireface at the Young Vic
Are happy endings ultimately disappointing? Does the audience feel short changed if, after all the drama, a play finishes with all loose ends tied up and order restored?
Hedda Gabler at The Old Vic
Such is the magnificence of Anna Mackmin's new production of Hedda Gabler, the only thing really missing was the kind of climactic sense of total catastrophe which Ibsen obviously intended.
Three Sisters at the Young Vic
This contemporary take on the much-performed classic retains its original profundity and humour, whilst displaying beautiful execution and innovative staging.
Richard III at Shakespeare's Globe
Mark Rylance ensures that one of Shakespeare's most convoluted and challenging plays brings the audience down with a brilliant blend of laughter and sorrow.
A Doll's House at the Young Vic
It's appropriate that a major Edvard Munch retrospective is currently on show at Tate Modern, just down the road from the Young Vic.
The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe 2012 season continues with Simon Paisley Day in a riotous version of The Taming of the Shrew
The Fix at Union Theatre
The Union Theatre in Union Street has become more Union Square for a US election musical.
Democracy at The Old Vic
Michael Frayn's Democracy is a slow-burning piece focusing on the strained politics of late 1960s/early 1970s West Germany.
Minsk, 2011 at the Young Vic
'Minsk, 2011' represents a wake-up call to the realities of life in 21st century Belarus and challenges our complacency about the state of democracy in a forgotten corner of Europe.
Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe
Timothy West declaimed the opening lines of William Shakespeare's Henry V in Southwark Cathedral during Southwark's Diamond Jubilee civic service last week.
The Suit at the Young Vic
A poignant portrayal of love, life and death in 1950s South Africa, set against a backdrop of growing oppression and violence.
Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical at the Union Theatre
This musical twist on an old classic successfully transfers from Broadway to Bankside. But something of the original tale is inevitably lost within all the songs and set pieces.
Wild Swans at Young Vic
With elaborate set designs, dozens of props (including a giant aubergine), video projection, puppetry, live music, song, dance and a cast of approximately 37 performers on stage each night, Wild Swans is an ambitious theatre production to say the least.
The Duchess of Malfi at The Old Vic
A theatrical tour de force, heightened by a visual spectacular conjured up by The Old Vic, which hides its weaknesses within a powerful mix of high drama and dark beauty.
Bingo at the Young Vic
Patrick Stewart gives a stellar performance as the world's most famous Bard, but this is Shakespeare as you've never seen him before.
The Changeling at the Young Vic
This exaggerated take on a classic is so barely recognisable from its original form that farce has replaced tragedy.
Without Warning at The Old Vic Tunnels
An extremely well executed piece of experimental theatre, this production fails to realise its ambitious aims.
King John at the Union Theatre
Despite being one of Shakespeare's least known plays, this production bursts at the seams with passion, humour and drama.
Noises Off at The Old Vic
The Old Vic’s Christmas show ‘Noises Off’ brings tears of laughter to the eyes even after 30 years. Michael Frayn’s 1982 classic has been revived many times and has been seen by most theatre aficionados.
Murmurs at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre
An alternative to the festive but familiar pantomimes and ballets, which all ages will appreciate as the perfect post-Christmas treat.
Orpheus in the Underworld at the Young Vic
A commendable attempt to broaden the appeal of opera, but one that unfortunately is more likely to turn the audience off rather than on.
Hamlet at the Young Vic
Michael Sheen does not disappoint in the title role as the tortured prince, but the production falls short of breathing new life into this oft-staged play.
Bound at Southwark Playhouse
Bound is a voyage into the heart of a dying industry, told through the souls of proud men.
The Playboy of the Western World at The Old Vic
Considering this dark, funny, thoroughly miserable Irish tale of deceit, villainy and disappointment was first performed at the Abbey Theatre Dublin in January 1907 it anticipates the genre of sitcom with remarkable wit.
Street Scene at the Young Vic
A Broadway classic, which successfully blends operatic high-drama with all-singing, all-dancing musical comedy.
The Belle's Stratagem at Southwark Playhouse
A little bit of history is required to fully appreciate The Belle's Stratagem.
The God of Soho at Shakespeare's Globe
Does this provocative production represent a step too far for Shakespeare's Globe, asks Alice Dickerson.
Globe Mysteries at Shakespeare's Globe
The Globe Mysteries at Shakespeare's Globe opens with a group of hoodies who soon show their faces as many characters in an exciting three hour religious tableau.
Marcia Mar at Nolia's Gallery
Acrylic, oil, brush, ink, music and a novel. All together. That is what you will find at the Care Revolution exhibition at Nolia's Gallery by the artist, writer and musician Marcia Mar.
Song of the City at Southwark Playhouse
Inspired by the music, art and poetry of one of India’s greatest literary figures Rabindranath Tagore, Song of the City was developed with an underground space in mind and works in tandem with the evocative Vault space at Southwark Playhouse.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Young Vic
This dark comedy proved so popular on its first run, it has returned to the Young Vic for a second dose of shock-a-minute drama.
Four Nights in Knaresborough at Southwark Playhouse
Paul Webb's medieval play returns to London with a burst of power chords and a clash of powerful performances at the atmospheric Southwark Playhouse.
The Gift of Lightning at Waterloo East Theatre
Almost every audience member laughed during the opening scenes of David Gilna's The Gift of Lightning.
In the Penal Colony at the Young Vic
This production by an independent Palestinian theatre company imbues Kafka's short story with modern day resonance and makes a statement without being too overtly political.
Richard III at The Old Vic
Marauding, evil, stylish and, being the sum of so many contradictions, brilliant, Kevin Spacey's Richard III is one of those theatrical moments of stunning magnitude.
Mr Happiness and The Water Engine at The Old Vic Tunnels
The Old Vic Tunnels' two-for-the-price-of-one offer presents two beautifully evocative dramas, but risks delivering style over substance.
Government Inspector at Young Vic
Government Inspector at the Young Vic is a heady mix of surrealism, slapstick and satire.
Tom Crean Antarctic Explorer at Waterloo East Theatre
It is difficult to understand how the trials and tribulations of Irish explorer Tom Crean went unnoticed. Perhaps his mistake lay in not keeping a diary like Scott. And Shackleton.
Kafka's Monkey at the Young Vic
It is tempting to emerge from a play which finishes within the hour and feel slightly cheated.
I Am The Wind at the Young Vic
This is not a play that gives you time to get comfortable in your seat. The Young Vic’s production of I Am The Wind runs for 70 minutes straight through, and not a minute is wasted.
Forty-Seven Roses: An Evening with Peter Sheridan at Waterloo East Theatre
The passing of Peter Sheridan's father is at the centre of this one-man show and acts as a catalyst for a multitude of anecdotes about the intricacies of family life in 1960s Dublin.
Joan Miró at Tate Modern
Miró's first exhibition in London for over 50 years brings an unprecedented amount of work to the Tate Modern. But can the exhibition live up to the Tate's previous successes?
Terminus at the Young Vic
'Terminus'; end of the road. And this is where all three of the characters of Terminus find themselves, staring into oblivion and deciding to leap, with nothing to lose.
Cause Celebre at The Old Vic
The new production of Terence Rattigan's Cause Celebre at the Old Vic is a highlight of the Rattigan centenary events.
Theatre Uncut at Southwark Playhouse
Theatre Uncut is a national theatre event created in response to the most severe spending cuts seen in Britain since World War II.
Tatchell and Shortstuff at Waterloo East Theatre
Adam Smith has been to see two of the plays in the 'WET Rep' season at Waterloo's newest theatre.
Barclays bikes, spinning seats and an Elephant & Castle cardboard cut-out
The pick of this year's best designed buildings, products and projects has gone on show at the Design Museum.
Once Upon A Wartime at the Imperial War Museum
A new family friendly exhibition takes a fun look at best-loved children's books which bring war conflicts to life.
The Boy James at Southwark Playhouse
This short play, based on the imagined coming-of-age of Peter Pan creator J. M. Barrie is a curious affair – and worth seeing for its unexpectedness if nothing else.
Anansi: An African Fairy Tale at Southwark Playhouse
The Anansi tales travelled with those who were enslaved in Ghana and west Africa to the Caribbean. Here they were retold to keep the flames of home alive.
A Flea in her Ear at The Old Vic
The Old Vic has a winner with its Christmas show this year. Feydeau’s A Flea in her Ear, starring a brilliant Tom Hollander, whirls along with split second precision and timing, not to mention mounting humour.
Striking 12 at Waterloo East Theatre
Striking 12 is a modern day musical version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl. The score and lyrics were written by Groove Lily, an American trio that seeks to fuse classical music, musical theatre, jazz and rock.
Gauguin: Maker of Myth at Tate Modern
Tate Modern's Gauguin show, the major winter exhibition which may break attendance records, has opened for a three and and half month run.
Design for Living at The Old Vic
Noel Coward's wit still sparkles in this lively but long new production of his 1933 comedy Design for Living by Anthony Page.
The Human Comedy at the Young Vic
For sheer effort, exhuberance and movement, this UK premiere of Galt MacDermot's The Human Comedy cannot be faulted.
Bedlam at Shakespeare's Globe
Nell Leyshon's fictional Bedlam is inspired by Bethlem Hospital, originally established in London in 1247.
Sunset Bitch at Waterloo East Theatre
It's a brave decision to set up another theatre in SE1, whose seemingly ever-growing collection of theatres rivals the West End in stature as well as number.
Scorched at The Old Vic Tunnels
The Old Vic Tunnels lend themselves gloriously as a venue to this engaging, professionally executed if, at times, predictable first UK performance of Wajdi Mouawad's Scorched.
Don Juan in Love at The Scoop
Spanish high society comes to The Scoop in Steam Industry Free Theatre's production of Don Juan in Love.
Toad Hall at The Scoop
The well-known Wind in the Willows story has been adapted for the stage by Steam Industry Free Theatre.
Fuente Ovejuna at Southwark Playhouse
I've never been part of a lynch mob before. Tangram Theatre's production of Lope de Vega's Spanish Golden Age play works the audience into a vengeful frenzy.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Young Vic
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, a 1996 piece written by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh is being revived at the Young Vic this summer.
No Idea at the Young Vic
The Maria at the Young Vic is playing host to this show devised by Lisa Hammond and Rachael Spence.
Elephant 21 at Theatre Local, Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre
The Mayhem Company's new production, Elephant 21, is being performed in the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre.
The Railway Children at Waterloo Station
A crowd-pleasing, spectacularly-staged summer blockbuster, in a most unlikely but apt destination.
Reuben Powell: Paintings, Drawings and Prints at Hotel Elephant
Elephant & Castle artist Reuben Powell is opening his studio to visitors during the London Festival of Architecture.
Ernesto Neto: The Edges of the World at Hayward Gallery
As part of the Southbank Centre's three-month Festival Brazil, the Hayward Gallery plays host to Ernesto Neto's new exhibition, The Edges of the World.
Sus at the Young Vic
If you're after raw, intense, stripped-back acting, Sus delivers; this is a play that pulls no punches.
Joe Turner's Come and Gone at the Young Vic
A sensitive and well-observed portrayal of the everyday lives and internal struggles of early twentieth century African Americans.
Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera at Tate Modern
An exhibition of photographs taken surreptitiously or without asking permission of the subject has opened at Tate Modern.
Otieno at Southwark Playhouse
The tragedy of today's Zimbabwe proves the perfect setting for this adaptation of one of theatre's most compelling tragedies - Othello.
Henry VIII at Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is staging William Shakespeare's rarely performed local play Henry VIII.
Ditch at The Old Vic Tunnels
Beth Steel's Ditch, premiered last month at the HighTide Festival in Suffolk, has transferred to The Old Vic Tunnels.
Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe’s new season opens with a hellish and gory production of Macbeth by director Lucy Bailey.
The Real Thing at The Old Vic
In the 1982 play The Real Thing Tom Stoppard explores what it really means to be a writer or an actor and how real life relationships contrast with them.
Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat and Eschara at the Union Theatre
The war on terror has inspired countless works of art over the past decade. But few are likely to be as aggressive and moving as the short plays currently showing at the Union Theatre.
Georgian Bankside revealed by Paul Sandby at Royal Academy
The Paul Sandby bicentenary exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts includes a long painting showing Bankside in the late 18th century.
Random at Theatre Local, Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre
random by debbie tucker green is the first production in the Royal Court's Theatre Local season at the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre.
The Ministry of Food at Imperial War Museum
This exhibition has plenty to offer on so many levels: it will appeal to the food enthusiast as well as those with an eye for design or an interest in art.
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year at Design Museum
This year's most innovative designs from architecture to fashion and interactive design to furniture have gone on display at the Design Museum.
The Hostage at Southwark Playhouse
When Brendan Behan's play The Hostage transferred from Dublin to London in 1958, he had to translate it from the original Gaelic.
Van Doesburg and the International Avant-Garde at Tate Modern
The first exhibition in Britain devoted to pivotal Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931) has opened at Tate Modern.
Progress at the Union Theatre
Last performed in 1986, this play leaves you feeling that perhaps little has progressed since then.
Six Degrees of Separation at The Old Vic
This is, for sure, one of those Old Vic productions which you will remember occasionally but without the enthusiasm and excitement which first greeted this play twenty years ago.
I Am Yusuf And This Is My Brother at the Young Vic
While Israelis are taught that 1948 is the date of their victorious independence, Palestinian history teachers describe it as "al nakba", "the catastrophe".
A Christmas Carol at Southwark Playhouse
Ellie Jones's promenade production of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Neil Bartlett from Charles Dickens' text, is a delight.
The Tartuffe and The Trial at Southwark Playhouse
It's no surprise that Belt Up Theatre's current double-bill at the Southwark Playhouse had a sell-out run at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Ed Ruscha: Fifty Years of Painting at Hayward Gallery
Ed Ruscha's retrospective is the largest UK survey of his work in America over five decades from Pop Art to paintings of words and landscapes.
Designs on Delivery at London College of Communication
With the SE1 postal district being among the worst hit by the current strikes it is fascinating to be able to have a reminder of the great days of the Post Office.
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