The Billionaire Inside Your Head, Hampstead Theatre review - a map of a man with OCD

★★★ THE BILLIONAIRE INSIDE YOUR HEAD, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE A map of a man with OCD

Will Lord's promising debut burdens a fine cast with too much dialogue

What would it be like to be driven by OCD urges into idolising Elon Musk and aspiring to be one of his tribe of tech bros? In his debut play, Will Lord, who has been diagnosed with OCD himself, has attempted to spell this out, with mixed results.

Sabrina Carpenter, Hyde Park BST review - a sexy, sparkly, summer phenomenon

★★★★ SABRINA CARPENTER, HYDE PARK BST A sexy, sparkly, summer phenomenon

The Summer of Sabrina continues to shine bright

Has Sabrina Carpenter officially conquered London? A year after bestie and fellow Disney alumni Taylor Swift declared the “Summer of Sabrina” stateside, the army of fans clad in pink cowboy hats, bloomers and kiss transfers streaming into Hyde Park would seem to suggest so.

Showmanism, Hampstead Theatre review - lip-synced investigation of words, theatricality and performance

 SHOWMANISM, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Dickie Beau's one-man show is lost in too large a venue

Technically accomplished production with Dickie Beau never settles into a coherent whole

I think my problem is that when I should have been listening in school assemblies or RE lessons, I had the Tom Tom Club’s joyous “Wordy Rappinghood” buzzing through my mind. That experience has given me a lifelong aversion to phrases like “The Word was made flesh”, the gospel of St John proving somewhat less than indispensable for me so far.

House of Games, Hampstead Theatre review - adapted Mamet screenplay entertains but is defanged

★★★ HOUSE OF GAMES, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Adapted Mamet entertains but is defanged

Richard Bean has turned Mamet's steel trap into an amusing puzzle

There is so much that is right about Jonathan Kent’s new production of House of Games – the casting, the staging, the direction. But the flaw it can’t overcome is that the 1987 David Mamet screenplay on which Richard Bean based this stage version in 2010 has been transformed from a vicious psychologically tough caper-movie into an almost jaunty puzzle-play, its sharp teeth removed.

Personal Values, Hampstead Theatre review - deep grief that's too brief

★★ PERSONAL VALUES, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE New play about two sisters, death and hoarding is well written, but feels incomplete

New play about two sisters, death and hoarding is well written, but feels incomplete

“They fuck you up your Mum and Dad; they may not mean to, but they do.” These lines from Philip Larkin’s 1975 poem, “This Be the Verse”, sum up the emotional fuel of many recent plays by young writers.

Apex Predator, Hampstead Theatre review - poor writing turns horror into silliness

New play about motherhood and vampirism is disappointingly incoherent

Motherhood is a high stress job. Ask any woman and they will tell you the same: sleepless nights, feeding problems and worry. Lots of worry. Lots and lots. Writer John Donnelly, who has also experienced the stresses of parenthood, devotes his new play, Apex Predator, to turning this everyday event into a vampire story.

The Habits, Hampstead Theatre review - who knows what adventures await?

★★★★ THE HABITS, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE New play about the game of Dungeons & Dragons explores fact and fantasy

New play about the game of Dungeons & Dragons explores fact and fantasy

“The exercise of fantasy is to imagine other ways of life,” says one of the role-players during a Dungeons & Dragons marathon, because “without understanding how others might live, I ask you, how will we ever understand ourselves?” It’s a good question, and writer and director Jack Bradfield, in his enchanting new play The Habits, has a good stab at answering it.

East Is South, Hampstead Theatre review - bewildering and unconvincing

★★ EAST IS SOUTH, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Bewildering and unconvincing

House of Cards writer tackles AI and religion, but without the necessary clarity

Our humanity is defined not only by our use of language, but also by our sense of the spiritual. Whether you are a believer or not, it’s hard to deny the attractions of religion for billions around the world. Sounds portentous? Yeah. Okay, you’re now in the zone for Beau Willimon’s new play East Is South, currently at the Hampstead Theatre, a work which suggests that the digital world can also be mystical place. 

An Interrogation, Hampstead Theatre review - police procedural based on true crime tale fails to ring true

 AN INTERROGATION, HAMPSTEAD THEATRE Detective gets her man, but at what cost?

Rosie Sheehy and Jamie Ballard shine in Edinburgh Festival import

In a dingy room with dilapidated furniture on a dismal Sunday evening, two detectives prepare for an interview. The old hand walks out, with just a little too much flattery hanging in the air, leaving the interrogation in the hands of the up-and-coming thruster, a young woman investigating the disappearance of a young woman. Alone, with just a camera for company (we get the video feed also from hidden cameras too) she awaits the suspect for the showdown.