A Greek tragedy for our times The Oresteia is a big play in all senses. It runs for three and a half hours, including two intervals, so it demands a level of commitment from the audience that seems unusual these days, when so many productions are done and dusted within 90 minutes. It is a […]
South Bank and Bankside Theatre Previews 2026 (July–December)
A guide to theatre on the Thames in the second half of 2026 London’s South Bank and Bankside scene kicks into gear in the second half of 2026. From sprawling Greek tragedies to an intimate portrayal of Jazz Age London, we’ve curated a selection of standout South Bank and Bankside productions not to be missed as the days get shorter. […]
Much Ado about Nothing – Globe Theatre
A Menagerie of Mischief in this high-energy new production Directed by Chelsea Walker, last night’s Much Ado About Nothing sets the Bard’s timeless work in a contemporary world. Remarkably, despite being more than four centuries old, the play’s concerns with status, reputation and public performance feel entirely contemporary. Status, desire and romance are seasoned with […]
Broken Glass – Young Vic
Arthur Miller’s play resonates with our times Arthur Miller’s Olivier award-winning play, Broken Glass, does not appear regularly on the London stage. It played at the National Theatre in 1994, at the Tricycle (now Kiln) in 2010 and in Watford in 2018. The current run at Young Vic is bookended by the brilliant production of […]
The Tempest – Sam Wanamaker Theatre, The Globe
Do you have favourite theatres in London? Sam Wanamaker is one of mine. It’s a tiny indoor theatre next door to the better-known Globe Theatre. Perfect, perhaps, for The Tempest, one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays and one that conjures up a magical world. It is lit entirely by candlelight; the Jacobean-style playhouse is warm and […]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
A violent take on a timeless comedy The smell of mulled wine sticks in the nostrils at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse ahead of The Globe’s latest staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – but the production itself is no warming affair. Shakespeare’s beloved comedy takes on the eternal themes: love, jealousy, and unreality. The action […]
A Christmas Carol – The Old Vic
Charles Dickens’s classic story, A Christmas Carol is brought to vivid, enchanting theatrical life in a production directed by Marcus Warchus and adapted by Jack Thorne.
Getting Through It by Michael Rosen at The Old Vic
Michael Rosen’s story of grief is gently life-affirming Grief, says Michael Rosen, is being sorry that things are not as they were. But things are never as they were; it is in their nature to change. With this simple thesis, in Getting Through It, Rosen turns the uniquely tragic events of his life into universally […]
Mary Page Marlowe at The Old Vic
A mosaic of a life in eleven scenes Imagine trying to choose eleven scenes that would depict your life. This is the premise of Mary Page Marlowe, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts in 2016 and having its UK premiere at The Old Vic. Directed as the opening play of his farewell season by […]
Entertaining Mr Sloane at Young Vic
Joe Orton’s seductive cult classic Entertaining Mr Sloane is an interesting choice of play to revive, especially as the opening production of the new artistic director, Nadia Fall. It was a cult classic in the 1960s when sexual attitudes were somewhat different to our contemporary times, not only with regard to what could be put […]