Theatremonkey

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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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19 May 2026

(seen at the performance on 18th May 2026) The monkey first encountered MacMillan’s choreography watching the press night of the National Theatre’s sublime “Carousel” in 1992. As it types this now, it is facing a cinema poster for the 2024 performance of his “Manon.” Osipova’s tattered rough dress reminds it once again that ballet is […]

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19 May 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 16th May 2026) Following the lead of the National Theatre, director Nicholai La Barrie re-interprets an Oscar Wilde classic through the prism (not Miss) of Black culture. The transposition is by turn amusing, confusing and unenlightening. In a strange feat of theatre, La Barrie manages to have the play […]

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2 May 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 2nd May 2026) For those of the monkey’s generation, cinema visits meant movies based on original writing or existing books, rather than endless franchise adaptations. We often got a warm teenage romance, with a bit of action to keep the male half of the date happy. “The Karate Kid” […]

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25 April 2026

(seen at the afternoon performance on 25th April 2026) Plenty has been written about the Beatles – the final four and those who were not. Plenty too about George Martin, their impressive producer. Far less is available about Brian Epstein, the Gay son of a Jewish furniture store owner, who managed the Beatles from their […]

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