Mica Blackwell

Trevor Nelson's fifth Soul Christmas is a funky festive offering that showcases the communal power of music. Featuring a group of iconic soul and R'n'B singers doing what they do best, it was a joyous evening that lifted the Scroogiest of spirits.

A gem of a show wrapped in a big red bow, White Christmas at the Mill at Sonning brings a dollop of Golden Age glitz and festive joy to the holiday season. With immaculate production value and a talented cast, I dare you to not leave the theatre counting your blessings instead of sheep.

Beyond its simple gimmick, White Rabbit Red Rabbit remains a refreshingly authentic piece of theatre in a time when even the most improvised works have an element of rehearsal.

The King's Speech achieves something other screen to stage adaptations struggle with: staying true to the spirit while feeling like its own entity. Anchored by a still compelling script and captivating lead duo, the Watermill's production is a beautiful tribute to David Seidler's magnum opus.

There’s potential for Come Dine With Me: The Musical to become a Michelin-starred delight, and its Edinburgh Fringe production has the foundations for it. The cast are all great, the writing has its laughs and the songs are catchy. It just needs more time to simmer and extra spice to give it that extra kick.

Possessing a booming yet silky tenor voice and a natural charm, it’s clear why Panaro’s career has been so successful. Even when accustomed to performing in thousand-seater theatres and working with heavyweights like Barbra Streisand and Elton John, his humbleness shines in this concert as he regales personal stories, some with tears in his eyes.

Oh, what a beautiful evening indeed! Oklahoma! In Concert is a triumphant celebration of the musical's 80-year legacy and lasting impact over musical theatre. With a star-studded cast who bring freshness to the iconic roles with an edge of familiarity, there’s no better way for Oklahoma! to return to its original London home.

A laugh-out loud riot perfect for anyone who’s put up with the London Underground, Cockfosters captures the love-hate relationship we’ve all had with it over the last 160 years. With a cast who nail the comedy and are having the time of their lives, I urge you to get the next train to Battersea Power Station Station (not a typo) to see it.

A gentler offering from Stephen Schwartz’s catalogue, this immersive show whisks you away to a time long past with a phenomenal ensemble who find the heart and soul in their characters. Perhaps the mistake made 50 years ago was attempting to bring The Baker’s Wife to a larger space. In the Menier’s intimate space, it makes for a real treat.

The Watermill’s dazzling production fully immerses the audience into the showman’s wondrous world in spite of its inherent script issues. With an all-round talented cast led by the ever charismatic Matt Rawle, you’d be justified if you wanted to run away and join the circus after watching this.

The talented cast and creatives can only do so much to elevate the musical’s inherent camp, but Jonathan Harvey and the Pet Shop Boys' script and songs feel underbaked with characters who aren’t able to be fleshed out. With this in mind, it feels closer to hell.

With a captivating performance from Charlie Russell leading a fantastic ensemble and a well crafted script by Calum Finlay, this should mark your next visit to the Watermill Theatre in its amazing summer season.

Nikolai Gogol's 1836 satire The Government Inspector caused a stir for calling out the Russian government's corruption. It's easy to see why Peter Myers wanted to bring its relevant story to the stage two centuries later, but the biting commentary under the silliness is lost in translation in this chaotic production in spite of the talent onstage.

Unlike Firth’s decision to stretch out the film’s first half for the musical, confusingly ending it on the long-awaited calendar photoshoot, his play adaptation allows the audience to see the impact the calendar has on the outside world and the women’s personal lives.

Much Ado About Nothing is a quintessential Shakespeare farce: mistaken identities, intertwining romances, betrayals and deception all wrapped up with a neat little bow by the end. The same can be said for the screwball comedies that dominated 1930’s and 40’s cinema, so it’s no surprise why Tom Wentworth would want to bring the events of Renaissance-era Messina to the backstage gossip of Golden Age Hollywood.

Early in Power of Sail, we learn it’s firmly set in 2019. A mere year later, the world would face a global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and online misinformation reaching its peak as right-wing have been given bigger platforms to express their hate under the guise of freedom of speech. Still

From the man behind Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin's Deathtrap has scared and intrigued audiences since premiering in 1978. One of Broadway’s most successful plays and even spawning a film adaptation, The Mill at Sonning's latest production directed by Tam Williams proves why it still makes audiences scream and laugh today.

Some can agree that the film took itself seriously to the point of unintentional hilarity, so director Jonathan O'Boyle and co-writers Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross do the next best thing in adapting it by shifting the tone into campy dark comedy.

Part of this year's star-studded Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall season, award-winning Radio 2 DJ and urban music pioneer Trevor Nelson returns with his third Soul Christmas concert. A smash hit since starting in 2019, Nelson brings in a mix of familiar faces and newcomers to this year's concert that adds a little funk to the holidays.

For this festive season, the team behind Tabard Theatre's production of Five Children and It have brought out their own take that will delight and captivate audiences of all ages.