Hamlet, National Theatre review - turning tragedy to comedy is no joke

★★ HAMLET, NATIONAL THEATRE Turning tragedy to comedy is no joke

Hiran Abeyeskera’s childlike prince falls flat in a mixed production

The National’s latest production of Hamlet opens with a bang: a sureness of style, atmosphere and refreshing comedic effect, accompanied by a performer, Hiran Abeyeskera (The Father and the AssassinLife of Pi), whose presence promises a night of sparky originality. 

Rohtko, Barbican review - postmodern meditation on fake and authentic art is less than the sum of its parts

★★★ ROHTKO, BARBICAN Postmodern meditation on fake & authentic is less than sum of its parts

Łukasz Twarkowski's production dazzles without illuminating

It’s truly thrilling to see the Barbican embracing big concept long-form theatre again, seeking out productions that are as conceptually challenging as they are visually exhilarating. Last week, audiences were asked to understand the forces of globalisation that shaped a royal wedding dress in the Théâtre National de Strasbourg’s multimedia tour de force, Lacrima.

Lee, Park Theatre review - Lee Krasner looks back on her life as an artist

 LEE, PARK THEATRE Earnest treatment of a substantial artist lacks excitement  

Informative and interesting, the play's format limits its potential

Like fellow New Yorker, Lee Miller, Lee Krasner changed her given name, the better to be accepted into what she called "The Boys Club" of 20th century Modern Art. Like Miller, she was known more for her working and romantic partnership with a major artist – for Man Ray, read Jackson Pollock.

Measure for Measure, RSC, Stratford review - 'problem play' has no problem with relevance

 MEASURE FOR MEASURE, RSC STRATFORD A landmark production 

Shakespeare, in this adaptation, is at his most perceptive

An opening video montage presents us with a rogues' gallery of powerful men who have done bad things. Plenty of the usual suspects appear to stomach-churning effect, but no ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, sentenced last week to five years in prison by the usually tolerant French. So the problem certainly hasn’t gone away with the Clintons, Weinsteins and they’re ilk. We all know the “power corrupts…” quote, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised and, maybe, we should be a little wary of vesting so much power in such men – that is, most men.

The Importance of Being Earnest, Noël Coward Theatre review - dazzling and delightful queer fest

★★★★ THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, NOEL COWARD THEATRE West End transfer of National Theatre hit stars Stephen Fry and Olly Alexander in a dazzling and delightful queer fest 

West End transfer of National Theatre hit stars Stephen Fry and Olly Alexander

Star casting has, since the pandemic, done much to restore the fortunes of commercial theatre. And, when they can pull off a similar deal, the same applies to subsidised venues. If the downside is that many smaller institutions get left behind, the upside is clearly visible all over the West End.

Get Down Tonight, Charing Cross Theatre review - glitz and hits from the 70s

 GET DOWN TONIGHT, CHARING CROSS THEATRE KC and the Sunshine State

If you love the songs of KC and the Sunshine Band, Please Do Go!

In a fair few bars around the world tonight, bands will be playing “That’s The Way (I Like It)”, “Give It Up” and so many more of KC and the Sunshine Band’s bangers. They’ve filled dancefloors for half a century and Harry Wayne Casey (KC to you and me) has a claim to having written the first ever disco hit with George McCrae’s “Rock Your Baby” – Benny and Bjorn’s inspiration for “Dancing Queen” no less!

Punch, Apollo Theatre review - powerful play about the strength of redemption

★★★ PUNCH, APOLLO THEATRE Powerful play about the strength of redemption 

James Graham's play transfixes the audience at every stage

For the first part of Punch it feels as if you’re riding a roller coaster, watching the world speed and loop past as you see it from the perspective of a young man high on hormones and cocaine. He’s 19 years old and in perpetual motion as he zips in and out of the pubs of Nottingham in search of the next girl, the next dance beat, the next drugs hit.

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.

Lacrima, Barbican review - riveting, lucid examination of the forces of globalisation through a dress

★★★★★ LACRIMA, BARBICAN Riveting examination of the forces of globalisation through a dress

A visually virtuoso work with the feel of a gripping French TV drama

So often the focus – in the coverage of a royal wedding – is the story of the woman wearing the bridal dress. While every fashion choice she makes will be scrutinised for the rest of her life, it is, nonetheless, she herself who will be mercilessly interrogated as the representative both of a nation’s ideals and its discontents.

Entertaining Mr Sloane, Young Vic review - funny, flawed but welcome nonetheless

★★★ ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE, YOUNG VIC Lively star-led revival of Joe Orton’s 1964 debut raises uncomfortable questions

Lively star-led revival of Joe Orton’s 1964 debut raises uncomfortable questions

Playwright Joe Orton was a merry prankster. His main work – such as Loot (1965) and What the Butler Saw (1969) – was provocative, taboo-tickling and often wildly hilarious. Now the Young Vic is staging a revival of his debut, Entertaining Mr Sloane, directed by this venue’s new supremo Nadia Fall, and starring celebrity polymath Jordan Stephens. But does 1960s provocation still resonate today?