It's the final curtain for The Seven Dials Playhouse (and a mini review for Pete 'n Keely from 2017)

I'm sad to read that the charming Seven Dials Playhouse is closing at the end of this month according to The Stage (subscription required). I'm not exactly surprised. The economics of running a central London venue is tough at the best of times, let alone only being a 70-seater. I suspect each incoming show barely broke even for either the venue or the theatre company.

It's the end of a long journey for the venue, formerly known as The Actors Centre which housed the Tristan Bates Theatre (named after Alan Bates's son). There's some background here on The Actor's Centre current site with their take on what happened. 

I've seen a few shows there and it's a cute venue in a great location with a cute bar so I am genuinely sorry to see it go. My favourite show I saw there was Pete 'n Keely back in 2017. A two-hander musical, it was witty, relatable and poignant with terrific performances from David Bardsley and Katie Kerr as Pete Bartel and Keely Stevens respectively. They are former sweethearts, a singing duo and TV hosts who are now divorced and haven't spoken to each other for 5 years and are thrown together for a TV reunion concert. Chaos ensues in this show within a show.

My memory of the detail of the story is sketchy as it's nearly a decade since I saw it, but I remember how it made me feel - I remember a lot of loud laughter but also feeling moved by the chemistry between the two. I thought more might have come of the production but I don't think it's been on anywhere since unfortunately, and having read the reviews for it retrospectively, it didn't go down that well with critics which is a shame given how much I enjoyed it.

There is some good news out of all of this - The Actors Centre is continuing its work and is now housed at the lovely Marylebone Theatre and I hope it continues to thrive.

My year in theatre - 2025

The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London

I've seen more shows in one year than most people see in a lifetime and my life is all the richer for it. I don't read many books (I never have) so my exposure to new ideas is primarily through theatre and I'm as happy seeing a West End blockbuster as a fringe gem. I'm also happy to try new formats and genres, although I'm still on the fence with 'immersive' theatre but I'll keep trying. I've reviewed a number of shows this year and I'm slowly adding all the ones with my name on them to my blog (I've ghost written and co-written a few as well but am not credited).

Anyway, this is a summary of my year in theatre:

163 shows seen (not including concerts)

Most visited venue - The National Theatre (where I'll be again next week watching Clive Owen and Saskia Reeves in End) but fringe venues also get a decent look-in. 

My smallest venue was the etcetera theatre in Camden with just 42 seats and the biggest, the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith with over 3,000. The Museum of Comedy was a newly discovered gem - a lovely, intimate,, basement venue in Bloomsbury.

About a third of what I see are musicals. I thought it would have been more than that as I do love a good musical.

January and April were my busiest months with 20 and 22 shows seen respectively. November was my quietest month with only 8 shows, but that was down to being away for work for half the month.

And I've even ventured out of London to see a couple of things (must make more of an effort for out-of-London trips next year)

So what's been good, what's been not good and what am I looking forward to in 2026...

Plays: 

1. Punch (Young Vic/West End) (hard hitting, emotional, great writing and a true story from my favourite contemporary playwright, James Graham - a schools tour is coming soon)

2. Kenrex at The Other Palace (booking until end Jan) (I was riveted throughout. Just wow. Also based on a true story)

3. Much Ado About Nothing at Drury Lane  (About the most perfect version of any Shakespeare play I've ever seen and supersedes my previous favourite, The Bridge Theatre's Midsummer Night's Dream)

Honourable mentions: Kyoto (RSC), Til The Stars Come Down (National), Dear England (National)

Musicals:

1. Just for One Day (booking until February at The Shaftesbury Theatre) - it's a great retelling of an important part of modern cultural history with fantastic music. I've seen it three times!

2. Evita - Jamie Lloyd did what he does best with Evita. He threw all his motifs at it, but they all worked. Rachel Zegler and Diego Rodriguez were fabulous in the lead roles. I also saw the balcony scene twice which was also wonderful.

3. The Producers (booking until at least the Spring) - fast-paced and utterly hilarious. I laughed so much that the next day it felt like I'd done a workout!

Honourable mentions: Shucked (Regents Park), London Road (National), Oliver (Simon Lipkin makes a great Fagin in this faithful restaging of the familiar story and it's booking for 12 months-ish so it's doing well) and Tina Turner (now on tour)

Off West End /Fringe

1. Murmuration Level 2 at The Peacock theatre was a clever and beautiful dance production. The cast moved as one organism. Quite something to behold. You can find out more about them here.

2. Dimanche was gorgeous with wonderful puppetry and movement and was part of the annual MimeLondon season (there were many treats as part of the festival such as Moby Dick and Manekine).

3. Sing Street was a lot of fun with youthful energy and great music (I hear rumours of a West End transfer)

Honourable mentions: Salty Brine (Soho Theatre), Tones A Hip Hop Opera by Gerel Falconer at Brixton House, In The Dark (back in the Spring with new immersive music experiences), Ada Campe's Behind The Nightlight (who has a show coming up at Crazy Coqs soon)

Worst show

1. Bacchanalia at Hoxton was not a good experience, not least witnessing some punters and their sordid voyeurism leering at the young cast. Even without that, it summed up everything I dislike about the 'immersive' genre. 

2. Bettie Page (the musical) - good idea in principal but poorly executed. There is a story in there to be told but this version wasn't it. 

3. Stiletto was one of those that looked good on paper and had high production values - the set and costumes were lush with a good band and one of the largest casts I've seen at Charing Cross Theatre. However, this musical lurched back and forth between drama and parody and ended up being neither. And it was so overblown. And why is no-one talking about the 'Thriller' style zombie dance? What on earth was that about? And why wasn't there a counter-tenor on stage? I know they're not that common, but they do exist.

(Dis)honourable mentions: Salome, Saving Mozart 

Overall favourites 

1. Punch

2. Kenrex

3. Just for One Day

Most looking forward to:

1 Paddington - I have my ticket but it's months and months away!

2. Something Rotten - I saw the concert version with Jason Manford and Richard Fleeshman in the leading roles and can't wait to see them again.

3. Waitress - I've never seen the whole thing, only clips on YouTube and I love the song She Used To Be Mine so I'm looking forward to catching it on tour.

4. Avenue Q - I never saw it in the West End but know some of the songs which are so funny.

5. Cats - I never saw it back in the day but know all the songs and I need to expunge the dreadful movie version with something (hopefully) much better from Drew Maconie at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

Ordinary Days - Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Ordinary Days, a musical by Adam Gwon, follows four New Yorkers as they navigate daily life in the big city. Two of them are a couple whose relationship slowly unravels before us; the other two are strangers, one an aspiring academic, the other a young man who is muddling through life, who connect through a lost item. During the show, all four characters reveal what brought them to New York and what they're searching for to create the lives they dream of. They reveal hopes and fears and the daily dramas in seemingly trivial things. Ultimately, we see how they find meaning, joy, and connection in an increasingly complicated world.

This production, from Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre, was staged Upstairs at The Gatehouse with a strikingly minimalist set: a few moveable boxes, some carefully placed props, and a single picture frame. Accompanied by a live pianist, the four actors—Aidan Cutler, Melissa Camba, James Edge, and Dora Gee—perform the entire show without spoken dialogue. The songs carry the narrative, giving the piece a lyrical, flowing rhythm.

Despite being written over 15 years ago, the musical feels fresh and timely. Cutler’s comic timing is impeccable, bringing warmth and real vulnerability to Warren, his oddball optimist of a character. Dora Gee is a standout as Deb, delivering razor-sharp humour with ease. All four performers are strong vocalists, and the pianist deserves credit for underpinning the show beautifully.

The sparse set and well-judged lighting effects enhanced rather than distracted, allowing the characters and music to take centre stage. The staging was excellent and the small cast used every inch of space giving the audience a feeling that we were in a much bigger space. Given that Ordinary Days requires only four actors and a pianist, it deserves to travel further. This production told its story with heart, humour and a quiet originality and despite it's relatively light tone, it felt life-affirming and I certainly came away feeling a little lighter than when I arrived. I hope it isn’t the last we see of it. Ordinary Days is anything but ordinary.

Salty Brine, These are the Contents of My Head at Soho Theatre

I didn't know what to expect from Salty Brine. I'm never quite sure that I'm the target audience for drag acts at Soho Theatre. After all, I'm CIS female, straight and certainly old enough to be the artiste's mother. I've been a bit non-plussed by some of those that I've seen there in the last few months feeling that they were aimed squarely at a queer, male audience and misogyny is also evident more times than I would like. 

I needn't have worried with this show. Salty is different. They had something to say that could touch anyone in the audience so it had a more universal appeal. Sure, there were things in it that a gay man would relate to more than me, but that feeling of being an outsider and trying to fit in in places where you're never really going to fit in resonated. 

The show is clever in that weaves Brine's Judy Garland singing persona, the songs of Annie Lennox's album DIVA, the Kate Chopin book 'The Awakening' (required reading in US schools apparently) and the tale of Brine's own upbringing. Despite this seemingly complex premise, it was easy and fun to be carried along with the adept storytelling, the wonderful singing and music. The whole thing was engaging, thoughtful and funny - a complete theatrical experience rather than a song cycle with anecdotes. 

A special mention should go out to Brine's band. What a treat to have a full ensemble on stage instead of a soundtrack. The musical arrangements were superb and Brine's Musical Director, Ben Langhorst, is also an absolute hoot! This show has style, pzazz aplenty and yet retains the human story at it's core. 

The next time Salty hits Blighty, I'm there!

101 Dalmations at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

A fun night out in a gorgeous setting. It's my first visit to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and it doesn't disappoint.

Excellent singing and choreography from everyone. The story has some clever tweaks to it to accommodate modern sensibilities. The whole cast is fab and the staging makes full use of the space available.

The puppetry is very good indeed and I liked the way they had puppeteers and actors protraying Perdi and Pongo. It was skillfully done. It was also delightful to see a young cast on stage playing some of the pups. 

Cruella is brilliantly evil and her two nephews are great fun. This is a light-hearted show that also manages to shed light on topical issues like celebrity, influencer culture, and even homelessness. It's a family show by design, but there's plenty in there for adults too. 

There are great views from every seat and the seats are comfy too even though they're outside. There are several restaurant choices on site too which are not hideously expensive and a huge bar. 

Recommended.

More information about the show including photos and audio tracks https://openairtheatre.com/production/101-dalmatians

Cast

Cruella De Vil - Kate Fleetwood

Casper - Johnny Weldon

Jasper - George Bukhari

Danielle - Karen Fishwick

Dominic - Eric Stroud

Creatives

Director - Timothy Sheader

Musical Director - Tarek Merchant

Book - Johnny Knight

Stage Adaptation - Zinnie Harris

Music & Lyrics - Douglas Hodge

Mythic at Charing Cross Theatre

A rock version of the tale of Persephone with the gods as politicians, popstars and media celebrities - an interesting proposition to bring new meaning to an ancient tale. And it was interesting and worth a look.

 I felt the production could have made more of the characters. They were portrayed in a two-dimensional which was perhaps deliberate as a nod to celebrity culture, but it was ultimately unsatisfying. The music, however, was very strong, especially the singing. The whole thing felt rather like a drama school production  (a good one, mind) but perhaps that's more a reflection of the age of the cast than their abilities and the fact that I saw the first preview. Any show inevitably improves during the preview period and by the looks of the subsequent reviews, this one really did get much better.

Performance seen on Monday 1 October 2018

More about the production here https://charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/theatre/mythic 

The cast included: Daniella Bowen, Courtney Brogan Smalley, Eloise Davies, Ben Lancaster, Jade Marvin, Michael Mather, Genevieve McCarthy, Tim Oxbrow, Jamie Ross, Leo Sene, Ben Welch and Georgie Westall.

Creative team:

Director/Choreographer Sarah O’Gleby

Music Supervisor Chris Hatt

Music Director Chris Ma

Designer Lee Newby

Lighting Designer Jamie Platt

Sound Designer Andrew Johnson

Casting Harry Blumenau for Debbie O’Brien Casting.

Produced by Steven M. Levy and Vaughan Williams