Classical with a Hint of Swing Upstairs at Ronnie’s Legendary Soho jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s, has forayed into new musical territory with a dedicated weekly classical night hosted in their newly refurbished upstairs venue. Bringing together artists, composers, and session players from the world of orchestral music, the Monday evening classical shows at Upstairs at […]
English National Ballet, Body & Soul
UK premieres by Crystal Pite and Kameron N. Saunders English National Ballet’s latest double bill, Body & Soul, now on at Sadler’s Wells, brings together two UK premieres by transatlantic choreographers: Canadian Crystal Pite, a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, and American Kameron N. Saunders, a newcomer to these shores. With her unique ability to move […]
Alexander Whitley, The Rite of Spring/Mirror
The Uneasy Marriage of Dance and AI Hands up all those who’ve read/heard of Shannon Vallon’s book The AI Mirror. No, me neither, and having watched Alexander Whitley’s new work, Mirror, which it has apparently inspired, I’m none the wiser. I have seen wonderful work by this science-obsessed choreographer. Years later, I still recall […]
Siegfried – Royal Ballet and Opera Ring Cycle
Barry Kosky continues his Ring Cycle at the RBO with a Five-Star Siegfried In Siegfried, the third part of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Richard Wagner shifts the focus away from the troubled world of the gods towards the energy of youth on earth. This is storytelling through opera, where the theatre is crucial and the […]
America the Beautiful Chapter 1, King’s Head Theatre
Shocking shorts The America on view in Neil LaBute’s trio of short plays that make up Chapter 1 of America the Beautiful is a disquieting, ugly place. LaBute (In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things, Fat Pig) has often been badged the great misanthrope of the American stage and screen, and his reputation […]
Royal Philharmonic Society Awards 2026
For the Love of Music Despite my background in music (I have a degree in music and many years of singing in choirs and playing piano and violin as an amateur), an invitation to the Royal Philharmonic Society awards left me slightly confused. I’d heard of the awards, of course, but thought that the Royal […]
Turn It Out With Tiler Peck and Friends
Dazzling Virtuosic Dance from New York Tiler Peck is one of the most thrilling dancers in the world today. Technically, there is nothing she can’t do, and she does it with panache, contagious joy of dancing, intense musicality and, when required, vertiginous, almost superhuman speed. An opportunity to see her dance, then, feels like a […]
Russell Maliphant Dance Company, Landscapes
Three exceptional dancers in a magical triple bill. Three exceptional dancers. Three short dances, each mesmerising in its own way. One memorable evening at Sadler’s Wells East, even if its huge stage is far too big for the kind of intimate programme which Russell Maliphant has been staging over the past few years. Two of […]
Manic Street Creature at Kiln Theatre
Mental health drama packs a musical punch As the audience filters into the Kiln ahead of Maimuna Memon’s Manic Street Creature, the band lingers on stage adjusting mics, tuning instruments, chatting quietly. They seem like casual musicians testing the atmosphere before a set; this could be a scene from a pub night, an indie festival, […]
Dance for Ukraine 2026
Keeping the dreams of young Ukrainian dancers alive Dance for Ukraine 2026, a fundraiser in aid of ballet students in the war-torn country, is just around the corner, the latest in a series of events providing much needed help to Ukraine. But before we launch into the detail of the forthcoming show, let’s just look […]