The London Theatre Review

London Theatre Review
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Nick, Nick and Nancy are on hand with the latest news, honest reviews and big name interviews from the world of London theatre. Nancy Durrant is the former Culture Editor of the Evening Standard and before that an arts editor at The Times for many years. She is the creator of The London Culture Edit on Substack and writes across culture for The Times, Sunday Times, Observer, W Magazine, Opera Now and more, and appears regularly on Times Radio and BBC Radio 4 Front Row. Nick Clark was Head of Culture at The London Standard, covering the cultural landscape in the capital, and was previously features editor of The Stage and the arts correspondent of The Independent. Nick Curtis is Chief Theatre Critic of The London Standard and has written about theatre since 1989. Also a feature writer, editor and an award-winning interviewer, his work has appeared in most major British newspapers, as well as Radio Times, GQ, Harpers & Queen and Tatler, among others. Produced by Tim Bano Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 4d ago

    Josh O'Connor in Golden Boy, Sierra Boggess on Phantom of the Opera, and Ava Pickett's new play about Helen of Troy

    This week, the team travels from ancient Troy via modern Essex to the boxing rings of Depression-era New York. First up is Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Ava Pickett relocates the aftermath of the Trojan War to a Towie-style living room, with Michelle Dockery playing a bloodied and deeply complicated Helen. After the huge success of 1536, can Pickett produce another modern classic? Then it’s Golden Boy at the Almeida, starring Josh O’Connor as a gifted young violinist forced to choose between his music and the money, danger and broken fingers of professional boxing. It's got a formidable supporting cast including Daniel Mays, Hayley Squires and the deeply unsettling Zubin Varla. Plus, Sierra Boggess celebrates 40 years of The Phantom of the Opera. She has appeared as Christine Daae several times over the years, and is now seen as the 'mother goose' of Christines. She tells producer Tim about being part of this show for half its lifetime, and returning to the show not as Christine this time, but as Carlotta for the 40th anniversary West End cast. Also the great Greg Hicks answers our five questions ahead of starring in The Master Builder at the Arcola. And we launch our Macbeth watch party with Marquee TV. Get one month free at marquee.tv/ltr or use the code LTR, watch Macbeth with David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, then send us your thoughts by 7 October. Find us on Instagram and YouTube @thelondontheatrereview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Josh O'Connor in Golden Boy, Sierra Boggess on Phantom of the Opera, and Ava Pickett's new play about Helen of Troy

  2. Sep 23

    Special announcement: join our first theatre watch party with David Tennant and Cush Jumbo's Macbeth

    We’ve got a new way for London Theatre Review listeners to watch, discuss and rediscover some brilliant theatre. The London Theatre Review is partnering with Marquee TV, the streaming platform for arts and culture, to introduce the London Theatre Review Watch Party. Our first pick is David Tennant and Cush Jumbo’s acclaimed 2023 Donmar Warehouse production of Macbeth. Watch it on Marquee TV, send in your thoughts by Wednesday 7 October to thelondondtheatrereview@gmail.com, and we’ll bring your comments into a special review episode the following week. London Theatre Review listeners can also get one month of Marquee TV free at marquee.tv/LTR, or by using the code LTR at checkout. Once you’re in, you’ll also find theatre, dance, opera, classical music, documentaries and more from around the world. So head to Marquee TV and join the party! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 20

    Live from the Chelsea Arts Festival! With National Theatre boss Indhu Rubasingham and Pride actor Samuel Barnett

    The London Theatre Review is back with a brand new season, and back in front of a live audience! Kicking off season seven in style, Nancy and the Nicks are coming to you from the Saatchi Gallery as part of the Chelsea Arts Festival. We're joined for a very special episode by two very special guests. National Theatre artistic director Indhu Rubasingham reveals what’s in store during her star-studded new season and reflects on taking charge of one of the world’s most important theatres. And the brilliant Samuel Barnett, star of The History Boys and Dirk Gently, talks all about queer joy and history as he prepares to star in Pride the Musical ahead of its transfer to the Bridge Theatre. We've also got reviews of course. Of two of London's biggest openings in fact: Thelma & Louise at the Young Vic, based on the iconic film, and starring Rachel Tucker and Amy Lennox, and Tilda Swinton’s long-awaited return to the stage in Man to Man at the Royal Court. Drop us a line at thelondontheatrereview@gmail.com or on Instagram @thelondontheatrereview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Live from the Chelsea Arts Festival! With National Theatre boss Indhu Rubasingham and Pride actor Samuel Barnett

  4. Sep 2

    Come to our live show featuring Indhu Rubasingham and Samuel Barnett!

    We’re back very soon, and kicking off our new season LIVE at the Chelsea Arts Festival. Join Nancy and the Nicks at the Saatchi Gallery on 19 September for the London Theatre Review LIVE. We’ll be reviewing two of the season’s biggest openings: the new musical adaptation of Thelma & Louise at the Young Vic, and Man to Man at the Royal Court, with Tilda Swinton returning to the role she first played 30 years ago. Plus, we’ll be joined by two very special guests: Indhu Rubasingham, Artistic Director of the National Theatre, and Samuel Barnett, ahead of his return to Pride the Musical at the Bridge Theatre. Come and be part of the live audience on 19 September, 12.15pm, Saatchi Gallery. Tickets available now at chelseaartsfestival.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Aug 23

    The best and worst shows at the Edinburgh Fringe – plus the producer of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer on how to spot a hit

    Surprise! We told you it wouldn't be long before another episode dropped into your feeds, and here it is – a special bonus pod from a busy bar in the centre of Edinburgh, where Nancy and producer Tim grab 20 minutes of chat time before plunging back into the frenzy of a city filled with 4,000 Fringe shows, alongside the Edinburgh International Festival, the art festival, the film festival, the book festival and the TV festival... Tim talks us through some of the best things he's seen so far, including clowns and singing dogs, and what he's looking forward to. And Nancy chats to one of the most influential theatre producers in the world, Francesca Moody, who brought Fleabag and Baby Reindeer to Edinburgh before nurturing them to become global success stories. She tells Nancy about the changing nature of the festival, the ethos behind her brilliant new venue Shedinburgh, and how she spots a hit. Don't forget you can still get tickets to our live show on 19th September at chelseaartsfestival.com! And follow us on Instagram for all the latest LTR news @thelondontheatrereview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The best and worst shows at the Edinburgh Fringe – plus the producer of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer on how to spot a hit

  6. Jul 26

    The Series 6 Musical Finale: Trainspotting, Midnight at the Never Get & a Love Letter to Philip Glass

    It's the series six musical finale, and the team go out with a bang -- well, a damp squib and then a bang. First up, Nick, Nick and Tim review Trainspotting the Musical at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Irvine Welsh's adaptation of his own epoch-defining novel, now given the West End musical treatment...and possibly one of the most misconceived shows any of them have seen in a very long time. Then it's across town to the Menier Chocolate Factory for Midnight at the Never Get, starring Tony Award winner Ben Platt, and the verdict couldn't be more different. Nick Curtis also speaks to the brilliant Phelim McDermott, Olivier Award-winning director of My Neighbour Totoro, co-founder of Improbable, whose new show Tao of Glass is a love letter to Philip Glass and to theatre itself. And Natalie Kassanga answers our Five Questions ahead of the Jonathan Larson Project at Southwark Playhouse. Now we're on a break! The London Theatre Review will return in September for our live show at the Chelsea Arts Festival. But there may be a bit of surprise podding before then... Follow us on Instagram and watch us on YouTube @thelondontheatrereview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Jul 19

    Aaron Sorkin on To Kill A Mockingbird, The West Wing & Optimism — plus The Oresteia reviewed

    This week Nick Clark and producer Tim are holding the fort while Nancy and other Nick are away, but to be fair to them they managed to bag some pretty great interviews before they disappeared... First up, Nick Curtis sat down with Aaron Sorkin — yes, the extraordinary writer of The West Wing, A Few Good Men, The Social Network, The Newsroom — ahead of his To Kill a Mockingbird adaptation returning to the West End. They talk about why his first draft was really bad, and whether the man who gave us Jed Bartlet's America still believes in it. Tim reviews The Oresteia at the Bridge Theatre, Simon Stone's long, blood-smeared, gleefully melodramatic update of the Greek tragic trilogy, set inside a glass box with David Morrissey, Mary-Louise Parker (also of West Wing fame!) and a scene-stealing Rosie Sheehy. Plus Nancy talks to John Studzinski about 25 years of the very influential and very necessary Genesis Foundation, the organisation that supported Ava Pickett in writing 1536, among many other early career artists and musicians...he also reveals what Katharine Hepburn told him about stage fright. Follow us on Instagram and watch us on YouTube @thelondontheatrereview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Aaron Sorkin on To Kill A Mockingbird, The West Wing & Optimism — plus The Oresteia reviewed

  8. Jul 12

    Sam Ryder's Jesus Christ Superstar, Grace Mouat from Death Note and The Simpsons' Mr Burns himself...

    This week Nick, Nick and producer Tim (filling in for Nancy who's on the other side of the Atlantic) sort the divine from the infernal in London theatre, starting with the resurrection of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium, starring Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder alongside Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) as the first in a roster of celebrity Herods. Then it's over to the Royal Court for Archduke, Rajiv Joseph's tragicomic fever dream about the teenage assassins who accidentally started the First World War. Grace Mouat, alumna of Six the Musical and currently appearing in Death Note at the Barbican, answers our five questions including an off-tune on-stage mishap. And Nick Curtis sits down with the legendary Harry Shearer - best known for his 23-odd voices in the Simpsons and for playing Derek Smalls in This Is Spinal Tap - alongside veteran sitcom writer Tom Leopold of Cheers and Seinfeld fame to talk about their new comedy musical Here Comes J. Edgar. There may be an appearance from C Montgomery Burns himself... Follow us on Instagram and watch us on YouTube @thelondontheatrereview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Nick, Nick and Nancy are on hand with the latest news, honest reviews and big name interviews from the world of London theatre. Nancy Durrant is the former Culture Editor of the Evening Standard and before that an arts editor at The Times for many years. She is the creator of The London Culture Edit on Substack and writes across culture for The Times, Sunday Times, Observer, W Magazine, Opera Now and more, and appears regularly on Times Radio and BBC Radio 4 Front Row. Nick Clark was Head of Culture at The London Standard, covering the cultural landscape in the capital, and was previously features editor of The Stage and the arts correspondent of The Independent. Nick Curtis is Chief Theatre Critic of The London Standard and has written about theatre since 1989. Also a feature writer, editor and an award-winning interviewer, his work has appeared in most major British newspapers, as well as Radio Times, GQ, Harpers & Queen and Tatler, among others. Produced by Tim Bano Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    London Theatre Review
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    79
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © London Theatre Review
  • Show Website
    The London Theatre Review

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