Stuart King, Head Reviewer at London Box Office
@stuartreviews-lbo.bsky.social
Former performer (Evita, Camelot etc) who has been involved in the arts all his life. Regular press night attendee reviewing plays, musicals, opera and dance. Member of the Critics’ Circle. https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/author/sking
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CRYBABIES: THE SCARING at Soho Theatre. What an absolute load of hokum — I loved every minute! www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/cr... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @sohotheatre.bsky.social #Crybabies #TheScaring
Review: CRYBABIES: THE SCARING at Soho Theatre
Fresh from unbridled success at Edinburgh’s Fringe, comes the latest potential big thing from the producers who brought you Fleabag, Baby Reindeer and Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder! So, how does CRY...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ELECTRA/PERSONA at National Theatre, Lyttelton. Sophocles meets Bergman and they occasionally overlap in this part love-in, part bitch-fest. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/el... @nationaltheatre.org.uk @londonboxoffice.bsky.social #CateBlanchett
Review: ELECTRA/PERSONA at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Almost exactly a year ago, I found myself seated next to Cate Blanchett at the Almeida Theatre. We were both there for the opening night of Alice Birch’s sprawling, poetic and often uncomfortable expl...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ABIGAIL’S PARTY at Harold Pinter. “… A much-loved classic which stays true to the original whilst breathing fresh life into one of the most monstrous central characters ever written.” Review: www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/ab... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: ABIGAIL'S PARTY at Harold Pinter Theatre
It’s been nearly two years since Tamzin Outhwaite first delivered her Beverly — the nightmarishly domineering suburban housewife at the centre of Mike Leigh’s ABIGAIL’S PARTY. Since then, the Stratfor...
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Finally got around to this last evening. Young Chalamet did a great job in the title role. Vile and self-obsessed person (based on the obnoxious Marty Reisman) and quite an exhaustingly relentless movie. Period detail was amusing, even if some dialogue misfired in places. 7/10 #MartySupreme
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES at The Old Vic Ayckbourn’s 70s spotlight on misogyny and suburban infidelity, is a delightful cringe-fest of awkwardness and stilted manners. Allam delivers in spades. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/ho... @oldvictheatre.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES at The Old Vic
In Matthew Warchus’s final season as Artistic Director at The Old Vic, it’s a pleasure to see that the schedulers have found space to include Alan Ayckbourn’s excruciating comedy about an infidelity w...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️ CATS at Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park. For the main part, it was fun but I can’t see any likelihood of this Jellicle troupe transferring to a West End cattery any time soon. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/ca... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @joallanpr.bsky.social
Review: CATS at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Having the courage (or temerity, depending on your viewpoint) to reinvent a long-established musical like CATS can be something of a poisoned chalice. Drew McOnie the artistic director of Regent’s Par...
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Awaiting the arrival of our feline friends. CATS opening night at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Purrrrrrr….. @joallanpr.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’M EVERY WOMAN at Troubadour Wembley Ms Khan has done what many failed to do - she has survived 50 years in a brutally cut-throat world run by besuited, self-appointed bastions of taste and trend. But… www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/im... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: I’M EVERY WOMAN at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Anyone whose juvenile trajectory encompassed a substantial chunk of the 1980s, will remember being wowed on first hearing the opening funk pattern of Ain’t Nobody by Rufus and Chaka Khan. Its unmistak...
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An evening at Wembley Troubadour for the opening of I’M EVERY WOMAN the Chaka Khan musical. Alexandra Burke did the business and Chaka Khan got a bouquet onstage at the end of the night. Review to follow. @troubadourldn.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @buchananpr.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE CAR MAN at Sadler’s Wells In this subtly stylised production, the film references come thick and fast, and feature more than a passing nod to MGM’s back catalogue. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/th... @sirmattbourne.bsky.social @sadlerswells.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: THE CAR MAN at Sadler’s Wells
Matthew Bourne’s fresh, vibrant, sexy and dangerous THE CAR MAN has been dusted-off and has begun a 5-week run at Sadler’s Wells, playing until 29th August. Matthew Bourne's THE CAR MAN. The Company. ...
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THE CAR MAN — fresh, vibrant, sexy and dangerous. Currently playing at Sadler’s Wells. Hot and steamy on stage, cool and air conditioned in your seat. What more could anyone want? @sadlerswells.bsky.social @ianhallard.co.uk @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @L
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ TAO OF GLASS @SohoPlace Is it pretentious? Most assuredly. Fortunately, for the most part, it also happens to be bloody marvellous. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/ta... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @joallanpr.bsky.social #TaoOfGlass #@SohoPlace
Review: TAO OF GLASS at Soho Place Theatre
TAO OF GLASS — is it pretentious? Most assuredly. Fortunately, for the most part, it also happens to be bloody marvellous. Tao of Glass - Photo Johan Persson
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⭐️⭐️ CLEANSED at Almeida, Islington. Brilliantly directed and performed, but truly, gut-wrenchingly unbearable writing from the most overrated playwright. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/cl... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: CLEANSED at Almeida Theatre
Watching a play written by Sarah Kane is one of those trials by a thousand cuts which every theatre critic is required at some time, to endure. Whether the individual reviewer (or indeed, audiences in...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR at Park Theatre. My full review from last evening’s press night. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/th... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @parktheatrelondon.bsky.social
Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR at Park Theatre
Originally devised, written and performed by Micheál Mac Liammóir for The Gate Theatre Dublin in 1960, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR deliberately aimed to present Wilde through an unashamedly Irish le...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE ORESTEIA @bridgetheatre.bsky.social A truly epic and visually stunning achievement, sure to be showered with gongs come awards season. Modern tragedies are rarely delivered with such vividness and élan. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/th... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social #Reviews
Review: THE ORESTEIA at Bridge Theatre
When Aeschylus’ familial tale of adultery and reciprocal, intergenerational murder was first performed in the Spring of 458BC, it must have resonated with its Athenian audience precisely because the c...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT at Southwark Playhouse, Borough. 5 vibrant young performers imbue 18 of Larson’s lesser-known back catalogue songs with energy and gusto. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/th... @swkplay.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @kevinwilsonpr.bsky.social
Review: THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT at Southwark Playhouse Borough
THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT — Project by name, project by execution. The show which says and does exactly what it says on the tin and serves as a reminder of what we lost when 35 year old Larson, the ...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ BLUE MIST at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Shisha lounge camaraderie is undermined by media bias. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/bl... @stratfordeast.com @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @mobiustheatre.bsky.social
Review: BLUE MIST at Theatre Royal Stratford East
Three young Muslim men meet regularly at their local shisha lounge. They smoke, talk shit and generally share their dreams and hopes for the future. Omar Bynon in Blue Mist at Theatre Royal Stratford ...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️ ALLEGRA at Harold Pinter Theatre. Directed and choreographed by Stephen Mear, the production is deliberately lightweight proving a frequently amusing piece of froth, redolent of a gentler age. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/al... @kevinwilsonpr.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: ALLEGRA at Harold Pinter Theatre
As national treasures go, you cannot fault Maureen Lipman. She’s been playing quirky, garrulous, comedy sidekicks (complete with the inevitable side order of pathos), for just about as long as anyone ...
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Went along to the West End opening of ALLEGRA with Maureen Lipman at Harold Pinter Theatre. @kevinwilsonpr.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at The London Palladium. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/je... Is Sam Ryder’s performance grounds for crucifixion, or does the messianic Eurovision pin-up manage to keep the audience in a state of rapture? #JesusChristSuperstar @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at London Palladium
The long awaited opening of Sam Ryder’s stint in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is finally upon us. I went along to the London Palladium to assess whether his performance is grounds for crucifixion, or if the...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE GUILTY at Donmar Warehouse. As taut as a Wimbledon racquet string. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/th... @donmarwarehouse.bsky.social @russelltovey.bsky.social @katemorleypr.bsky.social @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: THE GUILTY at Donmar Warehouse
Joe (Russell Tovey) cuts quite a dash in his police issue tee and combat trousers, but being stuck at a desk with a phone headset on temporary assignment as a call handler is clearly not his idea of r...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ARCADIA at Duke of York’s Theatre. The beauty and erudition in Stoppard’s masterpiece is writ large in director Carrie Cracknell’s production. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/ar... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @joallanpr.bsky.social #ArcadiaPlay #TomStoppardTheatre
Review: ARCADIA at Duke of York's Theatre
A full ten years after my twenty-something Hellenic-adventure to the lost lands of Arcadia ( — the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece to you), where I was on the hunt for some hot loving, Tom Stoppard ch...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️ SPRINGWOOD at Hampstead Theatre. For all the fascinating potential which the material boasts, the play meanders slightly and never quite achieves the lift-off we hope for. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/sp... @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: SPRINGWOOD at Hampstead Theatre
In Richard Nelson's new play which opened this week at Hampstead Theatre, a light is shone on the peculiar idiosyncrasies of Franklin D. Roosevelt's home arrangements in advance of King George VI and ...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ARCHDUKE at Royal Court. Any production which boasts a set designed by Es Devlin, instantly assumes an unquantifiable extra element of interest for a reviewer. By the end I was convinced by this quirky, absurdist drama. @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @royalcourt.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PRIDE at National Theatre, Dorfman. A joyous and funny musical which reflects on sad and serious matters. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/pr... @nationaltheatre.org.uk @londonboxoffice.bsky.social
Review: PRIDE at National Theatre, Dorfman
As you enter the cool, air-conditioned environs of the Dorfman Theatre for a performance of new musical PRIDE, you're greeted by a screen which fills the expanse of the stage front. Projected onto it,...
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CYRANO DE BERGERAC at Noël Coward Theatre. Possibly the best version of Rostand’s classic ever mounted. Adrian Lester is superb. www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/cy... #CyranoPlay @londonboxoffice.bsky.social @dmtwestend.bsky.social @aboutgracepr.bsky.social
Review: CYRANO DE BERGERAC at Noël Coward Theatre
This must be the fourth or fifth occasion on which I have had the pleasure of watching Adrian Lester perform on stage. His versatility and consummate professionalism have always impressed - whether it...
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The sixth of seven shows this week. PRIDE at the National Theatre, Dorfman.
I love a bit of Molière, but wasn’t sure what to expect from this evening‘s opener at the National Lyttelton. One thing I can report, is that Sandra Oh has a very natural stage presence and can deliver comedy. Just not entirely sure this was the best vehicle for her talents though.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ WHY I STUCK A FLARE UP MY ARSE FOR ENGLAND www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/wh...
Review: WHY I STUCK A FLARE UP MY ARSE FOR ENGLAND at the Garrick Theatre
Cajoling busy theatre reviewers to come into the West End on a Sunday evening with the promise of a lively, sports-themed, possibly vulgar, one-man play, (the title of which incorporates the word "ars...
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⭐️⭐️ GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS at The Old Vic. “…Mamet’s wholly misogynistic, racist and fundamentally unpleasant play… intentions feel woolly, insufficiently considered, highlighting dialogue ambiguities which counterintuitively add to the horribly dated feel.” www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/re...
Review: GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS at The Old Vic
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS — Continuing an impressive run of classic contemporary American plays, the Old Vic’s latest dusting-off is more a gender-realigned imagining of David Mamet’s early 80s real estate ...
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