Author: Theatremonkey

Owner and founder of Theatremonkey.com.

Black Comedy (Orange Tree Theatre)

11 July 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 11th July 2026) Fresh from the bleakness that is “Equus” at the Menier Chocolate Factory, the monkey finally ticks off the elusive “Black Comedy” from the same thrillingly theatrical mind of Peter Shaffer. Written for the National Theatre’s 1965 Chichester season, it literally leaves our cast in the dark […]

Relics (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith)

4 July 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 4th July 2026) Ben Ockrent’s latest play has four siblings clearing their late mother’s house and dividing her possessions. Jonny (JJ Field) wants a small painting. SPOILER ALERT: His antique dealer friend thinks it is a lost Pissarro worth millions. SPOILER ENDS. There is a twist, but to reveal […]

Malory Towers (Richmond Theatre) and touring

2 July 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 1st July 2026) Like most children of its era, the monkey learned reading endurance working through Enid Blyton’s “Secret Seven,” “Famous Five” and “Five Find-Outers and Dog,” with a little Noddy and many short story compilations thrown in. Also, like most boys of the era, it was discouraged from […]

Barnum (Richmond Theatre) and touring

26 June 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 25th June 2026) Decades before “The Greatest Showman,” this Coleman / Stewart / Bramble Broadway and West End hit was the definitive stage biography of an American showbusiness legend. Should you read further, you will find that Barnum was more than a huckster. Like most men of his time, […]

Equus (Menier Chocolate Factory)

15 June 2026

(seen at the performance on 14th June 2026) Seven years since the thrilling Theatre Royal, Stratford East production, Lindsay Posner and team take a very different approach. This is mostly about how psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Toby Stephens) perceives troubled horse-blinding teenager Alan Strang (Noah Valentine). It is very clear that Stephens’s Dysart sees something of […]

Allegra (Richmond Theatre) and touring

13 June 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 13th June 2026) It is easy to see why Maureen Lipman was attracted to Peter Quilter’s new comedy. Everything about it feels like Lipman’s late husband – (the irreplaceable) Jack Rosenthal’s television era. Slightly eccentric ordinary people, embarking on personal flights of fancy. Easy to dismiss as frivolous, but […]

The Shawshank Redemption (Richmond Theatre) and touring

4 June 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 3rd June 2026) As with the now legendary film version, this stage adaptation had unexpectedly limited success on its first run in the West End in 2009. Now, 17 years later, it is a deftly executed touring play. Gary McCann’s design is impressive. High, slightly bowing windows, metal guard […]

Lulu Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Royal Albert Hall)

2 June 2026

(seen at the performance on 1st June 2026) The pre-publicity suggested it would, “be a momentous celebration of the Scottish singer’s glittering career, in her adopted hometown. Don’t miss this truly one off a kind event!” For once, in the monkey’s extensive experience, a show really does live up to the hype. At 8.33pm, the […]

Annie (New Wimbledon Theatre) and touring

28 May 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 27th May 2026) Both regular readers know that “Annie” at the Victoria Palace Theatre was the first West End production the monkey ever saw… and the rest is history. Harrison, Ian and Crossroads Live have created a revival that is unmissable and unforgettable. Yes, it really is that good. […]

Care (Young Vic Theatre)

22 May 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 21st May 2026) In 1986, George Cole was at the height of “Minder” fame. He starred in a play at the Duchess Theatre, “A Month Of Sundays”… which ran about that long. There is a film adaptation which appears occasionally on late night nostalgia channels and is worth a […]