The London Theatre Review

This week, Nick, Nick and Nancy head to the Harold Pinter Theatre for The Cherry Orchard, starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Stephen Mangan. Conor McPherson and Ian Rickson give Chekhov’s crumbling aristocrats a good shake, while Nick Clark makes a confession: he’s somehow never seen a Chekhov play before. Will this one get him hooked?Then Nancy and Nick Curtis review Some Woman at the National Theatre’s Dorfman. Anne-Marie Duff stars in Helen Edmundson’s play about a woman whose confrontation with a boy on a railway platform spirals horribly out of control. It leaves Nancy thoroughly shaken, and Nick feeling rather bad about his gender.Plus, Nick Curtis talks to Doctor Who and The Diplomat star Pearl Mackie about returning to her Brixton birthplace for Baby at Brixton House. Clean Break’s solo show follows a woman fighting to be reunited with her daughter after prison, and Mackie explains how making it has reignited her love of theatre.Nancy talks to Theatre Peckham’s artistic director Suzann McLean about its 40th anniversary, championing young Black voices and why access to the arts matters far beyond the stage.And musical theatre royalty Maria Friedman answers our five questions as Kimberly Akimbo extends its run at Hampstead Theatre. Expect Sondheim, Angela Lansbury and an unfortunate encounter with a horse’s bottom...Our Marquee TV watch party continues with Uncle Vanya starring Toby Jones. Watch it, then send your thoughts to thelondontheatrereview@gmail.com or via Instagram for our special review episode on 4 November. Get one month free at marquee.tv/ltr or use the code LTR at checkout. And catch up with our first watch party episode on Macbeth with David Tennant and Cush Jumbo.Follow us on Instagram and watch us on YouTube @thelondontheatrereview.

Welcome to a special edition of the London Theatre Review in association with Marquee TV, the expert curated streaming platform for arts and culture. This is our first ever watch party in which we pick a production from Marquee TV's huge catalogue, watch it, and discuss along with your thoughts. What better way to start than with one of the greatest plays of all time, starring two of our country's finest actors? Macbeth was at the Donmar Warehouse in London in 2023 starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. How well does the jump from stage to screen work?Don't forget  you can get a month's free access to Marquee TV at marquee.tv/ltr, or just use the code LTR at the checkout.

This week, two starry openings in the West End: Christine Baranski and Richard E Grant bring Noel Coward's frothy classic Hay Fever to the Wyndham's and Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup slug it out in Edward Albee's masterpiece Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.Plus Game of Thrones star Wilf Scolding and Orange is the New Black star Lorraine Toussaint talk about The Story at the National Theatre - with another excellent onstage mishap.And Liv Andrusier, about to appear in the reworked version of Martin Guerre at the Old Vic, answers five questions.Don't forget to sign up to Marquee TV for our first watch party, where we'll be chatting about Macbeth featuring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. Sign up at marqueetv.com/ltr or use code LTR at checkout for a month's free access, watch the show, and send your thoughts by email to thelondontheatrereview@gmail.com or Instagram @thelondontheatrereview by Wednesday 7 October and we will include them in our discussion.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.