musicOMH
london west end reviews
Sunset Bouelevard Sunset Bouelevard
2 stars
Comedy Theatre
The Watermill's stripped down revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical transfers to the West End.
Avenue Q Avenue Q
3 stars
Noel Coward Theatre
Any Dream Will Do's Daniel Boys joins the cast before the show bows out of the West End next year.
Twelfth Night Twelfth Night
4 stars
Wyndham's Theatre
Derek Jacobi stars in the Donmar West End staging of Shakespeare's comedy.
Hamlet Hamlet
4 stars
Novello Theatre
David Tennant's understudy, Edward Bennett, steps in as the RSC production opens in London.
Amazonia Amazonia
2 stars
Young Vic
The Young Vic's Christmas family show celebrates life in the Amazonian rainforest.
Carousel Carousel
4 stars
Savoy Theatre
Lesley Garrett stars in Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical.
The Pride The Pride
4 stars
Royal Court
Alexi Kaye Campbell's debut play about gay lives in two different time periods.
Wig Out! Wig Out!
3 stars
Royal Court
Tarell Alvin McCraney's latest play, set in the world of competitive drag.
c August: Osage County
3 stars
National Theatre
Tracy Letts' Tony Award winning family saga comes to London.
Family Reunion The Family Reunion
3 stars
Donmar Warehouse
Penelope Wilton and Sam West star in T.S. Eliot's verse play.
Bill Bailey Bill Bailey: Tinselworm
3 stars
Gielgud Theatre
The comedian brings his arena show to the plush environs of the West End.
Treasure Island Treasure Island
2 stars
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Keith Allen stars as Long John Silver in a staging of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic.
Gethsemane Gethsemane
4 stars
National Theatre
The personal and political collide in David Hare's latest drama.
La Cage aux Folles La Cage aux Folles
3 stars
Playhouse Theatre
Douglas Hodge stars, as the Menier Chocolate Factory production transfers to the West End.
Faces in the Crowd Faces in the Crowd
3 stars
Royal Court
Leo Butler's raw two-hander about the legacy of debt on a couple's marriage.
Piaf Piaf
3 stars
Vaudeville Theatre
The Donmar's acclaimed production, starring Elena Roger, transfers to the West End.
Oedipus Oedipus
National Theatre
Ralph Fiennes and Claire Higgins star in Jonathan Kent's staging of Sophocles.
Brothers Size The Brothers Size
Young Vic
Tarell Alvin McCraney's evocative play returns to the Young Vic.
You Can See The Hills You Can See The Hills
Young Vic
Matthew Dunster's funny and filthy monologue about growing up in Oldham.
La Clique La Clique
Hippodrome
Hula hoops, puppets and acrobatics in a cabaret spectacular at the London Hippodrome.
In the Red and Brown Water In the Red and Brown Water
Young Vic
The second play in Tarell Alvin McCraney's Brother/Sister trilogy.
Creditors Creditors
Donmar Warehouse
Alan Rickman directs Strindberg's psychologically acute three-hander.
The Walworth Farce The Walworth Farce
National Theatre
Enda Walsh's south London set farce-within-a-farce.
Girl With A Pearl Earring Girl With A Pearl Earring
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Adrian Dunbar stars in the stage adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's novel.
Girlfriend Experience The Girlfriend Experience
Royal Court
Alecky Blythe's production presents true tales of life in a brothel.
Ivanov Ivanov
Wyndham's Theatre
Kenneth Branagh leads a strong cast in the first Donmar West End production at Wyndham's.
Six Characters In Search Of An Author Six Characters In Search Of An Author
Gielgud Theatre
Rupert Goold's very free update of Pirandello's modernist classic transfers to the West End.
Landscape Landscape/A Slight Ache
National Theatre
Simon Russell Beale and Claire Higgins star in a double bill of Pinter's one act plays.
Now Or Later Now Or Later
Royal Court
Christopher Shinn's new play, set on the night of the US presidential elections.
Well Well
Trafalgar Studios
Sarah Miles and Natalie Casey star in Lisa Kron's play about wellness and illness.
Eurovision Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision (Sarajevo)
Novello Theatre
Interactive Eurovision spoof starring Les Dennis and Mel Geidroyc.
Liberty Liberty
Globe Theatre
The Globe stages Glyn Maxwell's new play set in revolutionary France.
Gigi Gigi
Open Air Theatre
Topol stars in a summery staging of the Lerner and Loewe musical.
Piaf Piaf
Donmar Warehouse
A superb Elena Roger stars as the iconic French singer in a revised revival of Pam Gems' play.
Threepenny Ring Cycle The Threepenny Ring Cycle
National Theatre
Wagner condensed by French company Les Grooms at Square2, a new outdoors space at the National.
Timon Of Athens Timon Of Athens
Globe Theatre
Simon Paisley Day stars in Lucy Bailey's production of Shakespeare's rarely staged play.
Macbeth Macbeth: Who Is That Bloodied Man?
National Theatre
Open air staging of Shakespeare's tragedy by renowned Polish company Teatr Biuro Podrozy.
Her Naked Skin Her Naked Skin
National Theatre
Lesley Manville stars in Rebecca Lenkiewicz's sweeping play about the Suffragette Movement.
...some trace of her ...some trace of her
National Theatre
Ben Whishaw and Hattie Morahan star in Katie Mitchell's latest multimedia production, inspired by Dostoevsky's The Idiot.
Wizard Of Oz The Wizard Of Oz
Royal Festival Hall
Jude Kelly's staging of the classic musical fantasy at the South Bank.
Gone Too Far! Gone Too Far!
Royal Court
Bola Agbaje’s potent play about black British identity returns to the Court.
I, Lear I, Lear
Trafalgar Studios
Affectionate spoof of all things theatre from Andrew Jones and Ciaran Murtagh, aka comedy duo Black Sheep.
Under The Blue Sky Under The Blue Sky
Duke Of York's Theatre
Catherine Tate and Francesca Annis star in a West End revival of David Eldridge's tripartite play.
West Side Story West Side Story
Sadler's Wells
The 50th anniversary production of Bernstein and Sondheim's New York musical.
Street Scene Street Scene
Young Vic
The Opera Group stage Kurt Weill's musical, unseen in London for nearly 20 years.
The Female Of The Species The Female Of The Species
Vaudeville Theatre
Eileen Atkins and Anna Maxwell Martin star in Joanna Murray-Smith's comedy.
Zorro Zorro - The Musical
Garrick Theatre
The masked adventurer swings into the West End, in a new stage adaptation with music by the Gipsy Kings.
Midsummer A Midsummer Night's Dream
Open Air Theatre
Dominic Leclerc directs a condensed kid-friendly staging of Shakespeare's comedy.
Frontline The Frontline
Globe Theatre
Che Walker's sprawling urban collage set in modern day Camden Town.
Free Outgoing Free Outgoing
Royal Court
Anupama Chandrasekhar's play about a modern Indian family returns to the Court's Downstairs Theatre.
High School High School Musical
Hammersmith Apollo
Troy and Gabriella do their thing in Hammersmith as the global musical phenomenon arrives in London.
Merry Wives The Merry Wives Of Windsor
Globe Theatre
Christopher Luscombe directs a Shakespearean sitcom at the Globe.
Relocated Relocated
Royal Court
Anthony Neilson's dark and unsettling new play of missing children and murders concealed.
Twelfth Night Twelfth Night
Open Air Theatre
Clive Rowe stars in Edward Dick's enchanting staging of Shakespeare's comedy.
Ugly One The Ugly One
Royal Court
Ramin Gray's production of Marius von Mayenburg’s satirical play returns to the Royal Court.
The Chalk Garden The Chalk Garden
Donmar Warehouse
Penelope Wilton and Margaret Tyzack star in Michael Grandage's revival of Enid Bagnold's play.
Afterlife Afterlife
National Theatre
Roger Allam stars as Austrian theatre director Max Reinhardt in Michael Frayn's new play
Dickens Unplugged Dickens Unplugged
Comedy Theatre
New show on all thing Dickens from Adam Long, formerly of the Reduced Shakespeare Company.
Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet
Open Air Theatre
Timothy Sheader's entertaining production of Shakespeare's love story
The Revenger's Tragedy The Revenger's Tragedy
National Theatre
Rory Kinnear stars as Vindice in Melly Still's production of Thomas Middleton's tragedy.
Lifecoach Lifecoach
Trafalgar Studios
Phil Jupitus makes his West End debut as the titular lifecoach in Nick Reed's comic play.
Never Forget Never Forget
Savoy Theatre
Following a national tour, the musical based on Take That's back catalogue arrives in the West End.
Midsummer A Midsummer Night's Dream
Globe Theatre
Siobhan Redmond stars in a crowd pleasing and colourful production of Shakespeare's comedy.
The Pitmen Painters The Pitmen Painters
National Theatre
Lee Hall's passionate and entertaining play abouut a group of miners who cause a stir in the art world.
Marguerite Marguerite
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Ruthie Henshall stars in Schonberg and Boublil's new musical set in wartime France.
The Good Soul Of Szechuan The Good Soul Of Szechuan
Young Vic
Jane Horrocks stars in Richard Jones's production of Brecht's parable.
Chess Chess - In Concert
Royal Albert Hall
Idina Menzel, Josh Groban and Marti Pellow star in a concert staging of Tim Rice's musical.
Derren Brown Derren Brown - Mind Reader
Garrick Theatre
The devilish one brings his latest show, an 'Evening Of Wonders', to the West End.
Oxford Street Oxford Street
Royal Court
Levi David Addai's nicely observed comedy, set in a West End sportswear store.
That Face That Face
Duke Of York's Theatre
Originally staged at the Royal Court, Polly Stenham's study in familial dysfunction transfers to the West End.
King Lear King Lear
Globe Theatre
David Calder stars in the opening production of the Globe's 2008 summer season, directed by Dominic Dromgoole.
Tell Me...Lies Tell Me...Lies
Arts Theatre
New play combining physical theatre, drama and surrealism, by French playwright Carole-Anne Le Foll.
The Year Of Magical Thinking The Year Of Magical Thinking
National Theatre
Vanessa Redgrave stars in the stage adaptation of Joan Didion's memoir of bereavement.
The City The City
Royal Court
Benedict Cumberbatch and Hattie Morahan star in Katie Mitchell's production of Martin Crimp's latest play.
Harper Regan Harper Regan
National Theatre
Lesley Sharp stars in Simon Stephens' play about a middle-aged woman who leaves her life behind.
Gone With The Wind Gone With The Wind
New London Theatre
Trevor Nunn directs an epic musical version of Margaret Mitchell's novel of the American Civil War.
Fram Fram
National Theatre
The National stages Tony Harrison's epic verse play about arctic exploration.
Small Change Small Change
Donmar Warehouse
Sue Johnston stars in Peter Gill's gently lyrical staging of his 1976 play.
Visiting Mr Green Visiting Mr Green
Trafalgar Studios
Warren Mitchell stars as a cantankerous widower in Jeff Baron's gentle comedy.
Bliss Bliss
Royal Court
French Canadian writer Olivier Choiniere's unsettling play, in a translation by Caryl Churchill.
Into The Hoods Into The Hoods
Novello Theatre
Hip-hop and street dance feature in ZooNation's lively urban restaging of Stephen Sondheim.
Jersey Boys Jersey Boys
Prince Edward Theatre
The story of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons transfers from Broadway to the West End.
Snowbound Snowbound
Trafalgar Studios
Love and loss explored in Ciaran McConville's new play at Trafalgar Studios.
Random Random
Royal Court
Nadine Marshall stars in Debbie Tucker Green's poetic play about an act of random violence.
Lucky Man The Man Who Had All The Luck
Donmar Warehouse
Fortune smiles on a small town mechanic in Sean Holmes' production of Arthur Miller's early fable.
Major Barbara Major Barbara
National Theatre
Nicholas Hytner directs Simon Russell Beale and Claire Higgins in a storming revival of Shaw.
Ring Round The Moon Ring Round The Moon
Playhouse Theatre
Jean Anouilh's late forties souffle rises again in the West End, directed by Sean Mathias.
The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other
National Theatre
James Macdonald and his team of 27 actors create theatrical magic with Handke's wordless play.
Scarborough Scarborough
Royal Court
The Royal Court stages a revised version of Fiona Evans' Edinburgh fringe play.
A Prayer For My Daughter A Prayer For My Daughter
Young Vic
Thomas Babe's intense four-hander set in a New York police station in the 1970s.
The Lover/The Collection The Lover/The Collection
Comedy Theatre
Gina McKee, Timothy West and Richard Coyle star in a Pinter double bill.
Happy Now? Happy Now?
National Theatre
Olivia Williams stars Lucinda Coxon's new comedy about middle class marital woe.
The Vertical Hour The Vertical Hour
Royal Court
Anton Lesser and Indira Varma star in David Hare's latest politically charged drama.
The Sea The Sea
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Eileen Atkins and David Haig head the cast in Edward Bond's metaphysical play.
Angry Young Man Angry Young Man
Trafalgar Studios
Ben Woolf's inventive four-hander about the adventures of a Russian immigrant in London.
The Tempest The Tempest
Arts Theatre
Jatinder Verma directs Tara Arts' six-man staging of Shakespeare's late play.
NOW IN THEATRE
FEATURE: The musicOMH London theatre top ten of 2008!

FEATURE: musicOMH's New York theatre highlights of 2008

NEW YORK: The Atlantic Theatre Company stage The Cripple of Inishmaan

OFF WEST END: Marina Carr's The Cordelia Dream at Wilton's Music Hall

OFF WEST END: David Haig stars in Joe Orton's Loot at the Tricycle

WEST END: A small scale revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard

NEW YORK: Shrek the Musical opens on Broadway

WEST END REVIEWS ARCHIVE
current west end reviews
west end reviews from 2007
west end reviews from 2006
west end reviews from 2005