BroadwayWorld UK Awards 2019: Gary Naylor's RecommendationsNovember 5, 2019UK Theatre in 2019 was like a box of choccies made by Mr Wonka - a delightful set of surprises, with just a hint of menace to keep you on your toes. Many tremendous achievements did not make the BroadwayWorld shortlist, but many did, and here's my pick of them.
BWW Review: THE MATCH BOX, Omnibus TheatreNovember 2, 2019Frank McGuinness's play is never less than engaging, Angela Murray tremendous as the woman left alone after her daughter is shot, but it's an unrelenting and demanding watch
BWW Review: I DO! I DO! Upstairs at the GatehouseOctober 31, 2019I Do! I Do! even with this updated book, is an old-fashioned two-hander musical that never fails to please, without ever challenging the traditional approach to the union between a man and a woman.
BWW Review: OUT OF SORTS, Theatre503October 16, 2019Danusia Samal's award-winning play packs plenty of issues, perhaps too many, into its drama but says important things about the way young Muslim women are expected to behave, as they navigate the first generation immigrant experience.
BWW Review: ASSASSINS, Watermill TheatreOctober 15, 2019Assassins is never less than engaging and interesting, for all its structural flaws. Worth the ticket price just to see the virtuosity of this super-talented cast.
BWW Review: AGRIPPINA, Royal Opera HouseSeptember 24, 2019Despite a distracting set, the music and singing triumph on an evening that reminds us that you can be too clever by half when you seek to be kingmaker.
BWW Review: THE PERMANENT WAY, The VaultsSeptember 20, 2019David Hare's play may look like it's set in an increasingly distant past, concerning itself with old arguments, but its brutal message is as important today as ever.
BWW Review: LIT, Hightide Festival, AldeburghSeptember 12, 2019Lit is an astonishing debut play from Sophie Ellerby telling the tale of Bex, a teen adrift in a world full of threats with wit, wisdom and overwhelming humanity. Eve Austin is in award-winning form as the girl on the edge.