Broadway Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: BECOMING NANCY, Birmingham Rep
by Laura Lott - October 16, 2024

Cheese and pineapple on a stick, anyone? The latest musical from Birmingham Rep takes us back to 1970s Britain, where trousers were flared, birthday parties required Iced Gems, and boys definitely didn't play girls in school musicals without everyone having something to say about it. BWW's critic we...

Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Think of WHY AM I SO SINGLE?, from the Creators of SIX
by Aliya Al-Hassan - September 13, 2024

From the writers of SIX, comes a brand-new British musical where the lonely little lives of two BFFs are transformed into an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza about dates, mates, and celebrating love in all its forms....

Review Roundup: What Did The Critics Think of Carrie Cracknell's Adaptation of THE GRAPES OF WRATH?
by Aliya Al-Hassan - August 01, 2024

Carrie Cracknell (Julie, The Deep Blue Sea) directs Frank Galati’s award-winning adaptation of John Steinbeck’s masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath, now open at the National Theatre....

Review Roundup: Did Imelda Staunton Delight in HELLO, DOLLY! at The London Palladium?
by Aliya Al-Hassan - July 19, 2024

What did the critics think of Dominic Cooke's long-delayed production?...

Review: HELLO, DOLLY!, The London Palladium
by Aliya Al-Hassan - July 19, 2024

Well, we got there in the end and thankfully, it was worth the wait. Initially due to open back in 2020, Dominic Cooke’s adaptation of Hello, Dolly! has finally arrived in the West End....

Review: ROMEO & JULIET, Duke Of York's Theatre
by Kat Mokrynski - May 24, 2024

Director Jamie Lloyd has taken on the challenge of Shakespeare’s iconic Romeo & Juliet, bringing his trademark style of theatre to the Duke of York’s theatre this summer. Starring Tom Holland as Romeo and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet, this production brings us into the world of Verona as the ...

Review Roundup: HADESTOWN in London's West End
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 22, 2024

Hadestown, the acclaimed Broadway musical phenomenon by singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin has made its long-awaited West End premiere at the Lyric Theatre....

Review: HADESTOWN, Lyric Theatre
by Cindy Marcolina - February 22, 2024

Created with director Rachel Chavkin, it’s a story of tragic love and politics, defeat and defiance. An epic anthem for the lovers and the runaways. The actors mostly new to Hadestown, Hades’ underground factory, with only Gloria Onitiri returning as Persephone (rather than a Fate) and Beth Hinton-L...

Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Think of Sarah Snook in THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY?
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 16, 2024

Kip Williams' adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray has now opened in London's West End, running until 11 May. This ground-breaking production delivers an explosive interplay of live performance and video in an astonishing collision of form. So what did the critics think?...

Review: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, Theatre Royal Haymarket
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 15, 2024

I'll admit that I have never dropped acid, but I can imagine that watching Kip Williams' adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray must come close to that experience. Part morality tale, part technical extravaganza, part fall down the rabbit hole, this is a theatrical evening that will remain long in...

Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY - MUSICAL IN CONCERT, London Palladium
by Franco Milazzo - February 14, 2024

On its West End debut, The Addams Family musical makes the most of its graveyard humour and kooky characters, even if the star casting is questionable....

Album Review: Broadway's HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Is Closing But Finds More Life With Its Cast Recording
by Bobby Patrick - February 07, 2024

Center Stage’s production of this album gives the listener a real sense of the show without the help of the musical’s book and this always gets high marks from this rainbow writer,...

Review: Roundup: What Did the Critics Think of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in PLAZA SUITE?
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 29, 2024

Neil Simon’s three-act play about couples in crisis, Plaza Suite, has now opened at London's Savoy Theatre, already extended until 13 April. Celebrity couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick reprise their roles from the Broadway production. Excitement (and tickets prices) are high, so, wha...

Review: PLAZA SUITE, Savoy Theatre
by Debbie Gilpin - January 29, 2024

Following a long-anticipated Broadway run, John Benjamin Hickey's production of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite has now made it over to the West End, where it takes over from New York-bound Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre. This version sees real life couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick ...

Streaming Review: Bradley Cooper's Latest Director Endeavor Comes To NETFLIX & Shows He, Too, Is Becoming A MAESTRO
by Bobby Patrick - January 15, 2024

In all, Maestro is the fast-paced chronicle of a giant living a giant life, as told through a love (or love-ish) story...

Album Review: Chilina Kennedy's WILD ABOUT YOU (World Premiere Recording) Debuts A New Show In Development
by Bobby Patrick - January 02, 2024

A little over halfway through, Bobby’s ears felt a bit overtaxed on the ballad/power ballad front and wished there were one or maybe even two more up-tempo songs...

Review: STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW, Phoenix Theatre
by Alexander Cohen - December 15, 2023

It’s very much a case of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The winning formula of gruesome body-horror thrills, teenage romance, and fuzzy edged nostalgia for the analogue age will feel familiar in this highly anticipated stage prequel. But if that formula is raking in millions who is complaining? If ...

Review: STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS: A CELEBRATION, Live at the Sondheim Theatre, Cast Recording
by Cheryl Markosky - December 13, 2023

Were you one of the lucky few who managed to bag a ticket for the one-night-only, star-studded gala revue, StephenSondheim’s Old Friends, on May 3, 2022?...

Streaming: Sara Bareilles Dons Her Apron Again For The Special Engagement Feature Film WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL
by Bobby Patrick - December 04, 2023

Little Bobby was completely captivated by this film of WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL, a show that really does, as its press release says, “... celebrate the power of friendship'...

Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD, Savoy Theatre, Starring Rachel Tucker
by Aliya Al-Hassan - November 07, 2023

Guest starring as Norma Desmond on Mondays is West End and Broadway performer Rachel Tucker. However, if you think that means seeing the show on a Monday is in any way a compromise, you could not be more wrong....

Review: KING LEAR, Wyndham's Theatre
by Alexander Cohen - November 01, 2023

Alarm bells ring when a director stars in the play they are also directing. Even if that director is Sir Kenneth Branagh. Nine times out of ten the production falls flat and the audience are left wondering if ego is to blame. Branagh’s hotly anticipated stab at King Lear is, sadly, no exception....

Review: SUNSET BOULEVARD, Savoy Theatre
by Aliya Al-Hassan - October 13, 2023

Many words have already been written about whether Nicole Scherzinger, the American actress, ex-Pussycat Doll and X Factor judge, is the right choice to play Norma Desmond, the reclusive silent movie star who dreams of a comeback. Desmond has lost the limelight, whereas Scherzinger remains a global ...

Review: MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN & THE POOL, Wyndham's Theatre
by Alice Cope - September 18, 2023

Returning to the stage with a splash, The Old Man & The Pool is his latest solo show, written and performed by Mike Birbiglia, it follows the success of his previous shows including My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend....

Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Think of the UK Premiere of NEXT TO NORMAL?
by Aliya Al-Hassan - August 23, 2023

Critically acclaimed Broadway musical Next to Normal has now opened at London's Donmar Warehouse. Caissie Levy stars as Diana, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. Donmar Artistic Director Michael Longhurst directs the long-awaited UK première of this powe...

Review: NEXT TO NORMAL, Donmar Warehouse
by Cindy Marcolina - August 22, 2023

It’s a musical of profound emotional intelligence and accuracy. Informed and thought-provoking, it encourages reflection and promotes a healthy dialogue on the matter. It’s a touching, life-size picture of a family who can’t overcome their pain. Too many productions are haphazardly labelled as “a mu...