Category-Plays- LON

From the best comedy to the hottest dramas, we've got a show for you!

Plays In London

play

TT - All Shows - London

From discount theatre tickets for tonight to front-row availability at West End shows next month and beyond, we have a seat for everyone.

Last-minute theatre tickets for London shows

Book last-minute theatre tickets for London Shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.

Last-Minute Theatre Tickets | London & West End Shows | TodayTix

London All Shows

Last-Minute Theatre Tickets | London Shows | West End Shows | TodayTix

London Shows

Explore West End shows, book last minute theatre tickets, and more

Discover London

TodayTix App Home - LON

London All Shows Image

Latest London Insider Posts

London Theatre is the oldest and first site dedicated to West End theatre and Off-West End shows. Catch up on the latest West End news and London theatre reviews, and book London theatre tickets today. 

London Theatre Home Page - London

London Theatre - Musicals, Plays, Drama, and Fringe

The ultimate London Theatre Guide. Book theatre tickets for the top musicals and plays in the West End, together with theatre in London news and show reviews. 

London Theatre Tickets | West End News | LondonTheatre.co.uk

London

Empty Search Results Page (to stop search errors)

Search Results

London Tile Image

London Home Page (TT Home)

Get the best prices on theatre tickets today in New York, London and more. Read reviews. Win exclusive lottery or rush tickets. Download our app.

TodayTix | Theatre Tickets to Musicals, Plays, Broadway, More

London Nav Links [NEW]

More shows

Venues in London

London Home Page (WL)

WL LON Home Newsletter Image

WL UK Nav

Category - Plays - LON

A Little Life Lottery

Enter for a chance to purchase £25 A Little Life tickets.

£25 Lottery tickets

If selected, you will have 30 minutes to purchase £25 A Little Life tickets.

Enter for a chance to purchase £25 A Little Life tickets, only in the TodayTix app.

No purchase required to enter. You can only win the Lottery for each performance once. Entrants are selected at random. By entering your phone number you are giving TodayTix permission to contact you via SMS Text, Email or Phone per our privacy policy.

Your participation in any of the lotteries in the series is subject to our standard terms and conditions, which you can view [here](https://www.todaytix.com/terms/uk). The Promoter of this series of lotteries is TodayTix, Ltd.

This is a series of promotional prize draws and the term 'lottery'/'lotteries' is only used in a brand sense. No gambling is involved.

To enter the Lottery you must either reside in United Kingdom and/or be able to attend the relevant scheduled performance in London and be aged 18 years or older. Any entries made from outside the UK will be subject to UK law.

No purchase is required to enter but if you win you will need to pay for each ticket.

You can earn one extra entry into the same lottery that you have entered if you share the auto-filled post on Facebook, another if you share the auto-filled post on Twitter, and another if you share the auto-filled post on Instagram.

All winners are drawn at random by a computerised process. There are a limited number of discounted price tickets available as prizes for each lottery in the series, which are always drawn in two stages.

All tickets available are drawn at random and assigned to winners. If a winner declines or fails to claim their tickets within thirty minutes, these tickets will be re-assigned at random to another entrant. You may only enter for a pair of tickets.

When the winners are drawn for each lottery in the series, the same computer process will be used to randomly select "reserve" winners. If you are a "reserve" winner and the original winner does not claim the tickets, you will be sent an email to let you know that you’ve been assigned as a winner. All replacement winners are selected from the drawn "reserve" at random.
TodayTix takes no responsibility for undelivered ‘winner’ emails or push notifications.

Please note that your entry into a lottery for the chance to purchase 2 tickets for a particular performance will not be rolled-over to any lottery for another performance.

__Tickets cannot be exchanged, refunded or resold.__

Employees and their immediate families of the Promoter, its agents or anyone professionally connected with the Promoter are not able to enter.

It is also possible to enter by emailing lotteryentries@todaytixgroup.com with your name, e-mail address, phone number, post-code, and desired performance dates/times. You can only enter for performance dates that feature within the ongoing lottery draw, no advance entries into future draws will be accepted. 

I entered the A Little Life Lottery for £25 tickets on @TodayTix! Tap here to enter: https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/27090?share=enter

Unlock Rush for a chance to purchase {displayPrice} tickets.

{display price} Rush tickets

Download the TodayTix app and unlock Rush for a chance to access last-minute tickets at exclusive, great prices.

I unlocked [DISPLAY PRICE] Rush tickets for [SHOW] on @TodayTixUK! https://www.todaytix.com/[LOCATION]/shows/[ID]/rush?share=unlock

A Little Life - Harold Pinter - LON

ALL - LON - Header image

A Little Life - Harold Pinter Theatre

480 x 720

7553 20 ALL Digital TT 1080x1080

“It’s not worth making art at all if the only thing you want is for everyone to like it,” a program note from author Hanya Yanagihara reads in the program for *A Little Life*, the almost-four-hour emotional marathon of a show based on her best-selling novel, playing at the Harold Pinter Theatre. However, love it or hate it, no one will forget *A Little Life*, and that’s what makes a great theatrical experience.

Just like with her widely acclaimed book, the show will also have its critics, and even the diehard fans (of which there are many) will have to come to terms with their connection to the material, which largely centers on graphic sexual trauma, self-harm, and child abuse. 

It’s not an easy show to recommend, because it’s not an easy show to watch, as master director Ivo van Hove has taken the seemingly neverending climactic moments of the over 700-page book and translated them into a series of connected vignettes, each subsequently more difficult to witness than the last, mimicking Yanagihara’s semi-nonlinear timeline which deals in character studies and flashbacks. 

Van Hove has conceived the production, alongside Yanagihara and co-adaptor Koen Tachelet, with fervent loyalty to the story about four college friends who find their New York City lives veering off in different directions as they mine the depths of their friend Jude’s unknowable past. While the book has pages to breathe between critical scenes, van Hove’s production paces quickly through the crucial moments, giving less time to develop character relationships and intimacies and focusing squarely on the underlying trauma of it all. 

Some passages are lifted verbatim from the novel, an effective device, particularly as monologues. The newly minted Olivier winner Zubin Varla is compelling in these moments as Harold, Jude’s professor-turned-father, and brings Yanagihara’s text about parenthood and love to soaring life. These character explorations and reflections are where the production reaches out and grabs the audience by the heart and doesn’t let go. 

The tight-knit ensemble, led by the captivating James Norton, keeps the audience engaged as the unthinkable events unfold. Norton has the hardest job among them, anchoring the story as Jude St. Francis, an abandoned orphan whose trauma-filled past still haunts him as he navigates an outwardly successful adulthood. Norton’s performance threads the needle between Jude’s joy and sorrow, and he pours himself into the immensely physical and psychological aspects of the role, giving his absolute all to the performance.  

Luke Thompson plays the beating heart of the piece: Jude’s best friend and confidant Willem. Thompson must usher the character from apathetic party boy to deeply intellectual and empathetic partner, and he is present and rooted in the show’s message of love throughout. 

Omari Douglas is doing some career-best work as JB, the tortured artist whose ego inhibits him at times, while Zach Thompson rounds out the foursome in the small-yet-memorable role, the architect Malcom. Elliot Cowan finds a way to weave charisma with horror in the difficult assignment of playing a trifecta of Jude’s abusers, and Emilio Doorgasingh brings a deep heart to Jude’s loyal doctor Andy. 

One of the van Hove’s main interpretations of the novel is in how he incorporates Ana, the social worker who guides Jude in a time of crisis. Ana comes in and goes from Jude’s life very quickly, but in the production, she serves as a sort of narrator and empathetic guide for Jude and the audience through the difficult moments. Nathalie Armin’s performance augments the poetic role. 

The entire production feels immersive throughout the space with audience members sitting onstage, Jan Versweyveld’s moody lighting and looming video projections of NYC streets, and Eric Sleichim’s haunting sound design and score, played by a quartet of talented string players. 

However, what comes out of *A Little Life* is not the excessive trauma and graphic abuse, but rather, how amid these terrors, the characters remain steadfast in their dedication to one another, searching for common ground and belonging even while struggling with trust and intimacy. Their friendship at all costs grounds the story and the experience. We should all be so lucky to find their loyalty and love. 

*A Little Life is playing at the Harold Pinter Theatre through 18 June before moving to the Savoy Theatre on 4 July through 5 August. [Book A Little Life West End tickets at the Harold Pinter Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/27090-a-little-life). [Book A Little Life tickets at the Savoy Theatre.](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/28044-a-little-life-savoy)*

‘A Little Life’ West End review - An emotional, unforgettable show

Read our four-star review of Ivo van Hove’s crushing and poignant adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s best-selling novel, starring James Norton and Luke Thompson. 

The Harold Pinter Theatre opened on 15 Oct. 1881 as a comic opera house. Its name on opening was the Royal Comedy Theatre, though its ‘Royal’ epithet was dropped in 1884.

The Comedy Theatre helped establish the New Watergate Club in 1956, a society which helped overturn the stage censorship enforced by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office. The formation of the Club meant that the plays banned by the Government could be performed at this venue as it was now being run as a private club rather than a commercial entity. Notable plays in this category include Arthur Miller’s *A View from the Bridge* and Tennessee Williams’ *Cat On A Hot Tin Roof*. The censorship was finally overturned in 1968. 

Harold Pinter's works were often performed here: *The Homecoming*, *The Caretaker*, *Moonlight*, *No-Man’s Land* and *The Hothouse* all enjoyed successful runs, and Pinter directed a production of *The Old Masters* here in 2004. After his death, it was thought fitting to bestow the honour of naming a theatre after him, and the name was officially changed on 13 Oct. 2011 to the Harold Pinter Theatre. The Ambassador Theatre Group own the Harold Pinter Theatre.

## Harold Pinter Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has four levels – Stalls, Dress Circle, Royal Circle and Balcony. The top three levels are a horseshoe shape around the stalls.

The Stalls is a single block of seats, and offers good sightlines. Some seats are impaired by supportive pillars and the overhang of the Dress Circle.

The Dress Circle doesn’t offer a great raking in the seating, but the view is not affected by the overhang of the Royal Circle. 

The Royal Circle seats curve towards the stage more noticeably than the Dress Circle.

The Balcony feels very high in this theatre.

Harold Pinter Theatre - LON

Harold Pinter Theatre

Recommended for ages 12+. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to a ticket holder who is at least 18 years old.

To Kill a Mockingbird Rush

Unlock Rush for a chance to purchase £25 tickets.

£25 Rush tickets

Promotional terms for participants in the UK (any person who resides elsewhere is not eligible to participate in the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion).

The promoter of the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion is TodayTix, Ltd (the "Promoter"). This sales promotion is neither endorsed by nor in any way associated with: (i) Apple Inc.; (ii) Google Inc.; (iii) Facebook Inc.; (iv) Twitter Inc.; (v) any owner/licensor of any musical or theatrical performance for which tickets are available to purchase under the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion and/or (vi) the theatre in which it is performed.

By participating in the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion, a participant will be deemed to accept these promotional terms and the Promoter's UK Privacy Policy (which can be accessed here) and agrees that the decision of the Promoter is final and binding in all matters relating to the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion.

All references to "app" in these promotional terms refer to the "TodayTix – West End Tickets" mobile application which is compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices and can be downloaded from Apple's App Store (either iPhone or iPad version) or Google Play (Android version). Each participant must open a registered account via the app in order to participate in the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion – please see here [insert hyperlink] to open a registered account via the app.

Please note that in order to unlock and access the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app, you will on each occasion first be invited (but not required) to post content about it to your registered account with Twitter or Facebook from within the app. Although such content will never involve your endorsement of a third party product or service (other than the then-current musical/theatrical performance featured on the locked screen of the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app) please do not proceed to post such content unless you agree with all of it. Your decision to post content will not affect the ticket(s) available to you in the 'Rush' section of the app and/or their price. Regardless of whether or not you post content, the app will display a payment page to pay for the discounted price ticket(s). You must then pay for the ticket(s) without delay to secure them.

Please note that the discounted price tickets sold through the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app are for the stated performance time of the featured musical/theatrical performance which will always be later on the same date. The discounted price tickets are very limited in quantity and subject to availability sold on a 'first come first served basis'. If either there is:

less that 1 hour until the featured musical/theatrical performance; or all the discounted price tickets have been sold for it, then the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app shall not be able to be unlocked from such point until the following date on which discounted price tickets are available for purchase through the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app – either for the same or a different musical/theatrical performance.

PROMOTION PERIOD. You may purchase 2 discounted price tickets for the featured musical/theatrical performance from as soon as these are marketed within the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app. The closing time/deadline for the purchase of such tickets is either: 1 hour until the featured musical/theatrical performance; or all the discounted price tickets have been sold. In either case the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app shall not be able to be unlocked from such point until the following date on which discounted price tickets are available for purchase through the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app.

Only 2 tickets may be purchased for any particular performance per person.

ELIGIBILITY. This sales promotion is open to anyone aged 18 years or over resident in the UK only, who selects the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app, excluding employees of the Promoter and their families, the Promoter's service providers, agents and anyone professionally associated with this sales promotion.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SALES PROMOTION. To participate, please select the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app and post the proposed content about this sales promotion to your registered account with Twitter or Facebook from within the app. If you decide to proceed and post such content then the app will then display a payment page to pay for the discounted price ticket(s). You must then pay for the ticket(s) without delay and always within 1 hour of the relevant performance to secure them (otherwise you will lose the opportunity to purchase them).

All instructions within the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app will form part of these promotional terms.

THE PROMOTER'S LIABILITY. Except that the Promoter does not exclude or limit its liability for personal injury or death caused by its negligence or for fraudulent misrepresentation or any other liability that may not, by law, be limited or excluded, the Promoter accepts no liability in relation to a participant's participation (or inability to participate) in this sales promotion, including without limitation any use made by a participant of (or inability to use) the purchased ticket(s).

If this sales promotion cannot be executed as planned due to technical problems or circumstances beyond the Promoter's control, the Promoter shall not incur any liability and no payment or ticket(s) of any kind will be awarded.

The Promoter's determination and decision on all matters will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Any dispute or situation not covered by these promotional terms will be resolved by the Promoter's management in a manner it deems to be the fairest to all concerned and, subject to the following section, that decision will be binding on all participants.

APPLICABLE LAWS AND JURISDICTION. This sales promotion and these promotional terms shall be governed by English law, and a participant agrees that any dispute between him/her and the Promoter regarding this sales promotion or these promotional terms will only be dealt with by the English courts, provided that, if a participant lives in a part of the United Kingdom other than England, the applicable law of that part of the United Kingdom will govern and any dispute will only be dealt with by the courts there.

If any part of these promotional terms is found to be unenforceable as a matter of law, all other parts of these promotional terms shall be unaffected and shall remain in force.

Any queries and comments concerning this sales promotion should be directed in writing to "TodayTix Rush", TodayTix Ltd, UK Limited, 5 New Street Square, London, EC4A 3TW United Kingdom

I purchased £25 Rush tickets for To Kill a Mockingbird on @TodayTixUK! #TodayTixRush https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/20130?share=unlock

To Kill A Mockingbird [20130] - LON

TKAM New Header Image TT LON

To Kill A Mockingbird

Mockingbird final poster LON

Mockingbird final square image LON

A time-honoured title, not least against expectation in the UK, gets a vigorous new lease on life in this West End reboot of [*To Kill A Mockingbird*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/20130-to-kill-a-mockingbird), a London transplant of the 2018 New York iteration that made headlines as the most commercially successful straight play in Broadway history. 

Judging by its visceral appeal to a British audience, Harper Lee’s story of racial injustice in 1930s Alabama should resonate no less galvanically here, not least as refashioned by playwright Aaron Sorkin and director Bartlett Sher, and with a tremendous performance from [Rafe Spall](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/rafe-spall) inheriting Gregory Peck’s screen role as Atticus Finch. (This novel has long been a stage mainstay in Britain, albeit in a separate adaptation that brought Robert Sean Leonard to London to play Atticus in 2013.)

Times have changed rather significantly since Jeff Daniels opened in this production Stateside, and Sorkin has cannily adjusted his script to capture the changing zeitgeist and a necessarily heightened awareness of racism and societal injustice. 

The result more amply foregrounds the widower Atticus’s relationship with the family housekeeper Calpurnia (Pamela Nomvete) and, on this occasion anyway, rather side lines the narrative potential of Atticus’s daughter Scout, not least because Gwyneth Keyworth is still finding her footing in the role that brought Celia Keenan-Bolger a Tony Award. 

Keyworth looks perfect for the child-woman required of an adult playing a young girl, but may perhaps be held back by accent issues that on this occasion are shared among one or two others in the cast. 

I very much exclude from that line-up the pitch-perfect Spall and Nomvete – and, for that matter, recent drama school graduate Harry Redding, here making an impressive stage debut as Scout’s older brother, Jem (short for Jeremy, just as Scout is short for Jean-Louise). 

And whereas Lee’s 1960 novel takes its sweet time getting to the trial, the courtroom exists at the thematic and physical centre of a production that shifts multiple locales with ease as Miriam Buether’s restless set slides this way and that to accommodate the domestic requirements of the material as well as its legal aspects. 

Scout sets the scene, landing us in the rape trial of Tom Robinson (Jude Owusu), a 25-year-old Black man with three children who is put on the stand with Atticus in his corner and a hunched Mayella Ewell (Poppy Lee Friar) as the accused. Mayella’s father, Bob, is a snarling bigot played with full-throttle fury by the excellent Patrick O’Kane who, it’s intriguing to note, is also the cover for Atticus – which here gives new meaning to playing both sides of the fence.

“Conscience can be exhausting,” says Atticus, in one of the play’s key takeaway lines, and Spall’s great achievement is to locate a rumpled, creased authority within a potentially saintly character who is rescued here from unimpeachable rectitude, not least in a faceoff with Calpurnia that exposes even this upstanding lawyer’s limitations. 

Speaking of “hasten(ing) the change,” Atticus here sounds at times like someone running for office, and it’s no surprise when mention is made near the start of a possible gubernatorial role for this character. I’m not sure Bob Ewell needs on this occasion to be classed as anti-Semitic amongst his other hateful characteristics: that feels in context like a step too far. 

But Spall handles moral outrage with an understated command that invites empathy for this man on all fronts: a small-c crusader who puts decency first whilst acknowledging that no one, himself included, is without flaw.
A cast the size of many a musical includes the award-winning David Moorst as Dill Harris, who fairly blatantly figures as comic relief, and the invaluable Jim Norton (himself a Tony and Olivier winner) in robust form as a notably keen-witted judge. 

That nearly 90 years have passed between the era in which the play is set and today, with arguably very little having fundamentally changed, may give sorrowful pause: how are we to achieve that change which Atticus so movingly anticipates? As a richly emotional evening closes on the rending hymn “Joy Cometh in the Morning,” all one can and must do is look toward a better tomorrow and to those new and more just mornings that, with any luck, lie in wait.

[*To Kill a Mockingbird* is at the Gielgud Theatre to Nov. 19. Book *To Kill a Mockingbird* tickets on London Theatre.](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/20130-to-kill-a-mockingbird)

*Rafe Spall in To Kill a Mockingbird. (Photo by Marc Brenner)*

'To Kill a Mockingbird' review: Rafe Spall shines in Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation

*To Kill a Mockingbird* is at the Gielgud Theatre to 19 November. 

★★★★★ - Evening Standard
★★★★★ - Daily Telegraph

__Matthew Modine__ plays Atticus Finch in *To Kill a Mockingbird*, __Aaron Sorkin's__ new play based on __Harper Lee's__ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, directed by __Bartlett Sher__, now open at the Gielgud Theatre.

Harper Lee's enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence has sold 45 million copies worldwide. In New York, the production has become the most successful American play in Broadway history.


The Gielgud Theatre opened on 27 Dec. 1906, and was built for Seymour Hicks. The Gielgud was built as a pair with the [Sondheim Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/sondheim-theatre).

The house was renamed the Globe Theatre in 1909 by its new manager, Charles Frohman from America. It was known as the Globe Theatre for the next 85 years until a 1994 name change to avoid confusion with [Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/shakespeares-globe-theatre) on the South Bank. It was then that the theatre received its current name, the Gielgud.

Hit shows at the Gielgud Theatre include Simon Stephens' [*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time), Jez Butterworth's *The Ferryman* and a gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim's *Company*.  Delfont Mackintosh Theatres own the Gielgud Theatre.

## Gielgud Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels – Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle.

The Stalls offers very good sightlines with each row being offset from the one in front. The overhang of the Dress Circle becomes apparent from Row R onwards.

The Dress Circle doesn’t have a strong rake. The stage is not obstructed by the overhang of the Upper Circle.

The Upper Circle seats offer good legroom. The seats curve inwards towards the stage.

## Where is *To Kill a Mockingbird* in the West End? 

*To Kill a Mockingbird* is at the Gielgud Theatre. The Gielgud Theatre is located on Shaftesbury Avenue, and is one of six theatres on the West End road.

Gielgud Theatre - LON

Gielgud Theatre

A Little Life - Savoy - LON

A Little Life - Savoy Theatre

ALL Poster

The Savoy Theatre opened on 21 Oct. 1929. The building was known for being the first public building to be lit entirely by electricity. 

When a fire ravaged the theatre in 1990, destroying the interior, it was meticulously restored by Sir William Whitfield to the original 1929 designs. The theatre reopened on 19 Jul. 1993.

The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company played several seasons at the theatre over the past 20 years, their last production being *HMS Pinafore* in 2003. 

The theatre has also housed several musicals, including *She Loves Me* in 1994 starring John Gordon Sinclair and Ruthie Henshall, and has played host to musicals exclusively since 2006. 

## Savoy Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels - Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle.

In the Stalls, the legroom throughout is very good, and the seating is well raked to ensure good views.

In the Dress Circle, the overhang of the Grand Circle affects the view from Row K onwards. The amount of legroom also decreases the further back you sit.

The Grand Circle feels rather far from the stage.

## Where is *Pretty Woman: The Musical* in London?

*Pretty Woman: The Musical* is at the Savoy Theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre is located on the Strand. It's close to West End theatres including the Adelphi Theatre and the Vaudeville Theatre.

Savoy Theatre - LON

Savoy Theatre

2:22 A Ghost Story - Lyric Theatre - LON

2:222

2:22 A Ghost Story

Ghost Story 222 Updated 480 x 720

2:22 A Ghost Story - Square Poster

What’s in a name? Quite a lot when it comes to the single moniker [Cheryl](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/cheryl), aka Cheryl Tweedy, the onetime Girls Aloud pop star who has braved the spooky environs of [*2:22 - A Ghost Story*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/26645-2-22-a-ghost-story-lyric-theatre) and emerged triumphant, in the process even helping transform the play itself – or, at least, [my view of it](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/review-222-a-ghost-story-starring-lily-allen-at-the-noel-coward-theatre).

Initial news that longtime tabloid darling was joining Danny Robins’s play raised eyebrows as the latest casting gambit for a production that has bounced around the West End over the last 18 months, acquiring various names along the way rather like a non-musical equivalent to the celebrity-centric revival of *Chicago*. 

In fact, the performer’s open-faced tremulousness turns out to be ideally suited to Robins’s cunning weave of cacophonous foxes and domestic anxiety. Playing Jenny, a schoolteacher who is the fretful mum to a young child whose crying forms a crucial part of the play’s soundscape, Cheryl has the audience in her corner from the start.

Her natural beauty enhanced by some especially attractive costuming, Cheryl hears footsteps and wonders whether a ghost may, in fact, have broken the boiler. Small wonder in context that her first word happens to be a certain choice expletive that she lets fly with gale force. 

The effect is to ramp up the multiple aspects of unease that inform both the writing and Matthew Dunster’s staging and that give the sound-and-light aspect to the production – a shade gimmicky-seeming the first time round – greater impact here. One is aware of scarier, unbidden ghosts from the subconscious that can come to haunt any relationship, and Louise Ford, as a bibulous dinner guest called Lauren who has a builder-boyfriend (Jake Wood, returning from the first cast) in tow, mines a very real distress of her own: the stakes this time out feel greater all round. 

The play invites specific comparisons to *The Exorcist* only to dismiss them but I actually thought, unexpectedly, of Edward Albee’s *Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*, another anatomy of marital discord that has a spectral presence hanging over it in George and Martha’s much-discussed but unseen son. 

And if you’ve already seen *2:22*, as I have, it’s fun to see the way in which Robins sets up clues that prepare one for the denouement (pay attention, for instance, to Alexa), while finding a psychological basis for the scaremongering that Cheryl foregrounds in a beautifully achieved balance between bewilderment and rage. 

Playing the know-all husband Sam whom the spiky Lauren derides as a “sarcastic bastard”, [Scott Karim](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/interviews/the-invisible-hands-scott-karim-on-how-stories-should-make-sense-of-the) finds in the play’s resident rationalist a level of aggression that I didn’t locate in Hadley Fraser’s admirable performance in the first cast. And it’s giving nothing away to say that the play has an odd contemporary echo in the recent disappearance in California, while hiking, of the British actor Julian Sands that lends an unnerving resonance here. 

Anna Fleischle’s expert set locates in design terms the aspirations of neurotic homeowners Cheryl and Sam in a play that puts gentrification under the spotlight, even as its fraying, peeling aspects are  a visual correlative to the characters’ shredding nerves. 

Is Cheryl on this evidence ready to play Hedda Gabler? I’m not sure about that, and one is aware at the start of the performer needing a scene or two to get a voice not trained for the legitimate theatre up to the level of projection that colleagues like Karim possess from the start. (Oddly, it’s Wood among the current foursome whose diction seems muddiest.) 

But the casting directors have savvily noted a media-friendly presence who has more to show for herself than her CV has allowed to date. That Cheryl returns the faith invested in her constitutes a large-scale pleasure, as it was a small-scale one the other afternoon to note the large clock in the theatre foyer set permanently at 2:22. 

Now if only the matinees could start at 2:22, you’d have some sort of ultimate fusion between form and content. No matter: The foxes have a field day throughout the play, and so, in a strong candidate for this still-young theatre year’s happiest surprise, does the audience. 

*2:22 - A Ghost Story* is at the Lyric Theatre through 23 April. Book *2:22 - A Ghost Story* tickets on London Theatre.

[![LT - CTA - 250](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1t6HRGmhlYl70k6PmR0mOZ/3caac861bc1d4233cd7844652c925623/LT-CTA-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=26645&content_product_id=26645&venue_id=163)

*Photo credit: Cheryl (Photo by Helen Murray)*

'2:22 - A Ghost Story' review — Cheryl triumphs in her West End debut

Read our review of 2:22 A Ghost Story starring Cheryl at the Lyric Theatre at London Theatre.

2:22 A Ghost Story starring Cheryl Review | London Theatre

Read our four-star review of Cheryl in *2:22 - A Ghost Story* at the Lyric Theatre. The play runs in the West End through spring 2023.

The Lyric Theatre opened on 17 Dec. 1888. From the twentieth century, the theatre's typically hosted plays and musicals. Notable shows include *The Royal Family* starring Laurence Olivier, and the original production of Willy Russell’s *Blood Brothers*.

In recent years, the Lyric Theatre has become heavily associated with Michael Jackson — the *Thriller Live* concert ran for 13 years. Michael Jackson then made way for Bob Marley with *Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Story.* Nimax Theatres has owned the Lyric Theatre since 2005.

## Lyric Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has four levels – Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Balcony. In the Stalls, the view of the stage is slightly obscured by the overhang of the Dress Circle in Rows Q and R. 

In the Dress Circle, there is a shallow rake.

The Upper Circle offers shallow legroom. The balcony does not hinder the view. 

The Balcony is very high up, but the seats offer a good view of the stage.

Lyric Theatre - LON

Lyric Theatre

Age guidance 14+ For all performances anyone aged under 16 must be accompanied by an adult over 18.

A Streetcar Named Desire - LON

A Streetcar Named Desire Header Image - LON

A Streetcar Named Desire

ASND New Poster LON

The Phoenix Theatre opened on 24 Sept. 1930. It was built on the site of the Alcazar Music Hall, a performance space that had fallen from grace into a casino.

Noël Coward’s *Private Lives* opened the Phoenix Theatre, starring Noel Coward and Laurence Olivier. On Coward's 70th birthday, the bar in the foyer of the theatre was given the name the Noël Coward Bar in his honour.

The theatre’s greatest success arrived in November 1991 in the form of *Blood Brothers*, Willy Russell’s musical. It ran for 21 years, finally closing on 10 Nov. 2012. The Phoenix Theatre was also home to the West End premiere of *Come From Away.*

## Phoenix Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels – Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle.

The seats in the Stalls offer very good views of the stage, with a light rake in the seating helping seats further back. 

The view from the Dress Circle is generally very good, though the rake of the seating is not as noticeable as in other theatres. 

The Grand Circle is surprisingly close to the stage, which is great for feeling involved in the show.


Phoenix Theatre - LON

Phoenix Theatre

Recommended age: 7+. Children under school age will not be permitted entry. Under 16yo must be accompanied by an adult. All children must have their own ticket.

The Mousetrap Rush

I unlocked £25 Rush tickets for The Mousetrap on @TodayTixUK! https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/333?share=unlock

The Mousetrap [333] - LON

MousetrapHeader

Mousetrap

Mousetrap poster

1031-1630084219-mousetrapjul21encore500x500-copy

Agatha Christie's '<a href="/show/the-mousetrap">The Mousetrap</a>', opened in the West End on the 25th November 1952, which means it has been running for over 50 years making it the world's longest running play - an incredible achievement for any play and one that the producers are rightly proud of. In the course of the first 50 years, according to the programme notes, over 10 million people have seen the show and over 395 tons of ice cream have been sold!So what is the show's success? Part of it has to do with the fame of playwright Agatha Christie. In 1962 UNESCO announced that she was the most widely read British writer in the world, beating even Shakespeare, who came a miserable second. As the creator of such famous sleuths as Miss Jane Marple and the famous French, sorry Belgian, Detective Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie is the most famous 'whodunnit' crime writer of all time. Who has not heard of "Death on the Nile" or "Murder on the Orient Express"?Agatha Christie's fame has surely played a part in this show's success. In the 1950's Christie's books were regularly in the top sellers list. It was hardly surprising that a play, which has never been published or turned into a movie or tv programme, should attract avid fans. Since that initial enthusiasm the show has now become one of the essential things to do on many a tourists schedule - go to Buckingham Palace, visit the Tower of London and see 'The Mousetrap'.The play is your regular 'whodunit' mystery. Eight people are snowed in at a guest house: Mollie and Giles Ralston, the owners; four invited guests, each with eccentric characteristics; the unexpected guest, who turns up out of the blue after his car overturns in the snow storm; and finally a skiing detective. Once everyone has arrived it is not long before a murder takes place and the detective assembles all the guests together and interrogates them one by one. Each avoid the truth, some by silence and others by lies? Can the murderer be caught before more deaths happen?The story, whilst sensational and full of silly coincidences, is actually quite good. The characters are, despite their histrionics, vivid and they interact amongst themselves with macabre amusement. There are enough false clues to keep you guessing and a few hidden ones that mean if you stay alert you will not be too surprised to discover that the murderer is ****. Just kidding! If you want the answer to that question then you will need to go and see this quintessentially English murder mystery for yourself.NOTE: The star rating was added to this review by the editor after original publication<a href="/show/the-mousetrap">The Mousetrap Tickets</a> are now on sale.&nbsp;

The Mousetrap Review

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MOUSETRAP is the world’s longest-running play. This thrilling West End production – which has become as much of a London icon as Big Ben or Buckingham Palace – is THE genre-defining murder mystery from the best-selling novelist of all time… case closed!

As news spreads of a murder in London, seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a stately countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst! Which one is the murderer?  Can you solve the mystery before another “mouse” goes SNAP?

For almost 70 years, AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MOUSETRAP has kept millions of people from every corner of the globe on the edge of their seats. HAVE YOUDUNNIT

The St Martin’s Theatre opened on 23 Nov. 1916. The building was designed as a pair with the [Ambassadors Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/ambassadors-theatre). 

Ricky Meyer was responsible for transferring the theatre’s current tenant, *The Mousetrap*, from the next-door Ambassadors Theatre to the larger St Martin’s, to continue its record-breaking run. The production began in 1952 and has been performed on the London stage ever since.

## St. Martin's Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels - Stalls, Dress Circle and Upper Circle.

Although the Dress Circle overhangs the Stalls at Row J the obstruction does not block anything. All seats in the Stalls have a good view of the stage.

The overhang of the Upper Circle doesn’t affect the view from any seat in the Dress Circle. 

Whilst the Upper Circle does not feel far from the stage, the view from the first two rows is impaired by a safety bar running along the front. 

## Where is *The Mousetrap* in London?

*The Mousetrap* is at St. Martin's Theatre in London. St. Martin's Theatre is located on West Street. It's close to West End theatres including the Ambassadors Theatre.

St. Martin's Theatre - LON

St. Martin's Theatre

For Black Boys Rush

Enter for a chance to purchase {display price} {show} tickets.

{display price} Lottery tickets

If selected, you will have [CLAIM LENGTH] to purchase [PRICE] [SHOW TITLE] tickets.

Enter for a chance to purchase {display price} {show} tickets, only in the TodayTix app.

I entered the [SHOW] Lottery for [DISPLAY_PRICE] tickets on @TodayTix! Tap here to enter: https://www.todaytix.com/[LOCATION]/shows/[ID]?share=enter

Promotional terms for participants in the UK (any person who resides elsewhere is not eligible to participate in the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion).

The promoter of the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion is TodayTix, Ltd (the "Promoter"). This sales promotion is neither endorsed by nor in any way associated with: (i) Apple Inc.; (ii) Google Inc.; (iii) Facebook Inc.; (iv) Twitter Inc.; (v) any owner/licensor of any musical or theatrical performance for which tickets are available to purchase under the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion and/or (vi) the theatre in which it is performed.

By participating in the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion, a participant will be deemed to accept these promotional terms and the Promoter's UK Privacy Policy (which can be accessed here) and agrees that the decision of the Promoter is final and binding in all matters relating to the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion.

All references to "app" in these promotional terms refer to the "TodayTix – West End Tickets" mobile application which is compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices and can be downloaded from Apple's App Store (either iPhone or iPad version) or Google Play (Android version). Each participant must open a registered account via the app in order to participate in the 'TodayTix Rush' sales promotion – please see here [insert hyperlink] to open a registered account via the app.

Please note that in order to unlock and access the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app, you will on each occasion first be invited (but not required) to post content about it to your registered account with Twitter or Facebook from within the app. Although such content will never involve your endorsement of a third party product or service (other than the then-current musical/theatrical performance featured on the locked screen of the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app) please do not proceed to post such content unless you agree with all of it. Your decision to post content will not affect the ticket(s) available to you in the 'Rush' section of the app and/or their price. Regardless of whether or not you post content, the app will display a payment page to pay for the discounted price ticket(s). You must then pay for the ticket(s) without delay to secure them.

Please note that the discounted price tickets sold through the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app are for the stated performance time of the featured musical/theatrical performance which will always be later on the same date. The discounted price tickets are very limited in quantity and subject to availability sold on a 'first come first served basis'. If either there is:

less that 1 hour until the featured musical/theatrical performance; or all the discounted price tickets have been sold for it, then the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app shall not be able to be unlocked from such point until the following date on which discounted price tickets are available for purchase through the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app – either for the same or a different musical/theatrical performance.

PROMOTION PERIOD. You may purchase up 2 discounted price tickets for the featured musical/theatrical performance from as soon as these are marketed within the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app. The closing time/deadline for the purchase of such tickets is either: 1 hour until the featured musical/theatrical performance; or all the discounted price tickets have been sold. In either case the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app shall not be able to be unlocked from such point until the following date on which discounted price tickets are available for purchase through the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app.

Only 2 tickets may be purchased for any particular performance per person.

ELIGIBILITY. This sales promotion is open to anyone aged 18 years or over resident in the UK only, who selects the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app, excluding employees of the Promoter and their families, the Promoter's service providers, agents and anyone professionally associated with this sales promotion.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SALES PROMOTION. To participate, please select the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app and post the proposed content about this sales promotion to your registered account with Twitter or Facebook from within the app. If you decide to proceed and post such content then the app will then display a payment page to pay for the discounted price ticket(s). You must then pay for the ticket(s) without delay and always within 1 hour of the relevant performance to secure them (otherwise you will lose the opportunity to purchase them).

All instructions within the 'TodayTix Rush' section of the app will form part of these promotional terms.

THE PROMOTER'S LIABILITY. Except that the Promoter does not exclude or limit its liability for personal injury or death caused by its negligence or for fraudulent misrepresentation or any other liability that may not, by law, be limited or excluded, the Promoter accepts no liability in relation to a participant's participation (or inability to participate) in this sales promotion, including without limitation any use made by a participant of (or inability to use) the purchased ticket(s).

If this sales promotion cannot be executed as planned due to technical problems or circumstances beyond the Promoter's control, the Promoter shall not incur any liability and no payment or ticket(s) of any kind will be awarded.

The Promoter's determination and decision on all matters will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Any dispute or situation not covered by these promotional terms will be resolved by the Promoter's management in a manner it deems to be the fairest to all concerned and, subject to the following section, that decision will be binding on all participants.

APPLICABLE LAWS AND JURISDICTION. This sales promotion and these promotional terms shall be governed by English law, and a participant agrees that any dispute between him/her and the Promoter regarding this sales promotion or these promotional terms will only be dealt with by the English courts, provided that, if a participant lives in a part of the United Kingdom other than England, the applicable law of that part of the United Kingdom will govern and any dispute will only be dealt with by the courts there.

If any part of these promotional terms is found to be unenforceable as a matter of law, all other parts of these promotional terms shall be unaffected and shall remain in force.

Any queries and comments concerning this sales promotion should be directed in writing to "TodayTix Rush", TodayTix Ltd, UK Limited, 5 New Street Square, London, EC4A 3TW United Kingdom

I unlocked £25 Rush tickets for For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy on @TodayTixUK! https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/27460?share=unlock

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy - LON 

FBB - LON - Header

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy

For Black Boys Poster

[*For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/27460-for-black-boys-who-have-considered-suicide-when-the-hue-gets-too-heavy) may bear a dark title, but this isn’t a depressing play. It’s an uplifting reflection of 21st-century life that celebrates modern British, Black men.

After a world premiere at New Diorama Theatre in 2021 and a unanimously praised Royal Court transfer, *For Black Boys* screams its messages of acceptance, love, and endurance in the West End, with a six-week run at the [Apollo Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/apollo-theatre) and two Olivier nominations under its belt. 

Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s seminal work *for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf*, playwright Ryan Calais Cameron’s *For Black Boys* centres around six Black British men (played by Mark Akintimehin, Emmanuel Akwafo, Nnabiko Ejimofor, Darragh Hand, Aruna Jalloh, and Kaine Lawrence) who meet in a support group. 

As they unpack deep-rooted issues — racism at school, microaggressions in the workplace, gang culture, run-ins with the police — they discover what it means to be Black in 21st-century Britain. With its slick mix of poetry, storytelling, hip-hop, and R&B music (the Ghost Town DJs get a special callout), Cameron’s play thrusts “blackness” under a microscope.

Given the palpably thick energy throughout the theatre and the vocal responses of "mm-hmms", clicking fingers, and spontaneous applauses and calls of appreciation, the audience clearly resonated with the play. This production is like group therapy for the characters on stage, as well as the audience.

The cast incorporates choreographer Theophilus O. Bailey’s impressive physical moments, strengthening the central themes. After the curtain comes up, in an almost dream-like ethereal movement montage, we immediately see the men move in unison with their writhing bodies intertwined. A lone man takes the stage, before being joined by his peers to become one being; a visual display of the connection they share. 

We then transition from darkness to light as the sombre moodiness of the stage turns into a bright, blinding light revealing Anna Reid's minimalist-yet-vibrant pink, blue, and green pop-colour set. This juxtaposition between dark and light runs through the play; after every sobering story comes a moment of comic relief,  echoing the ability of the Black men to endure tough moments and find light in the dark.

Despite the tough subject matter, *For Black Boys* is also surprisingly joyful. In many ways the play is a celebration — it reflects a sense of joy and relief of getting to the brink of giving up, staring death itself right in the eyes, and pulling back and healing. 

Due to Cameron’s fast-paced writing — a series of non-linear character monologues bounce between characters — the play’s themes initially feel surface-level in the opening stories. Pacy storytelling and short scenes with actors interjecting over each other prematurely reach the punchline before we can think; the audience is left with little time to truly marinate in points made about topics like internalised shame and mental health. 

While there was no single unified plot tying the various individual storylines together, the collective storytelling, told by an Olivier-nominated cast, became a vehicle to explore the overarching premise of Black masculinity. 

So, by the moment we reached the heartbreakingly beautiful curtain call, the cast looked exhausted and emotionally spent as they huddled together in a group hug, with a rapturous standing ovation. This is a powerful production, and one that will stay with many for a long time. 

*For Black Boys is at the Apollo Theatre through 7 May. Book For Black Boys tickets on London Theatre today.*

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=27460&content_product_id=27460&venue_id=120)

*Photo credit: For Black Boys (Photo courtesy of production)*

'For Black Boys' review — a cathartic exploration of Blackness in 21st-century Britain

Read our four-star review of Ryan Calais Cameron's Olivier-nominated play, *For Black Boys*, currently running at the Apollo Theatre through 7 May.

The Apollo Theatre opened on 21 Feb. 1901. The theatre is named after the Greek god of the arts, and was built to house musical theatre productions.

The late 20th-century saw many plays at the Apollo Theatre, including *Separate Tables* starring John Mills, *Mrs Klein* starring [Zoe Wanamaker](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/zoe-wanamaker), and *A Madhouse in God* starring [Vanessa Redgrave](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/vanessa-redgrave).

During a performance of the Olivier Award winning play [*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time) on 19 Dec. 2013, a large section of the ceiling collapsed, potentially caused by the heavy rain London had experienced that week, and 88 people were injured. 

Recent shows at the Apollo Theatre include *Jerusalem* starring Mark Rylance, and the West End premiere of *Everybody's Talking About Jamie.*

## Apollo Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels – Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle. The Stalls seats offer excellent views of the stage. Views in the outer seats are hindered by the overhang of the Dress Circle.

The Dress Circle seats may offer little legroom and little raking in the seating. The last two rows of seats sit on a higher level and offer better views than those in front.

The Grand Circle has a shallow ranke. The last two rows of seats are also built up higher.

Apollo Theatre - LON

Apollo Theatre

Parental guidance. Babes in arms are not permitted.

Witness for the Prosecution Rush

I unlocked £25 Rush tickets for Witness For The Prosecution on @TodayTixUK! https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/25334?share=unlock

Witness for the Prosecution - LON 

witness_lead_11-06-19.jpg

Witness for the Prosecution

6259-1631897878-566607wftpencore600x900.jpg

6259-1631898000-566607wftpencore500x500noquotes

YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED FOR JURY SERVICE...

Step inside the magnificent surroundings of London County Hall and experience the intensity and drama of Agatha Christie’s gripping story of justice, passion and betrayal in a unique courtroom setting.

County Hall was officially opened by King George V and Queen Mary on 17 Jul. 1922. 
For 64 years, County Hall served as the headquarters of local government for London, initially the London County Council and later the Greater London Council. The octagonal Council Chamber sits at the centre of County Hall, and provided seating for over 200 council members and four galleries overlooking the Chamber for the public and members of the press. 

## Where is *Witness for the Prosecution* in London?

*Witness for the Prosecution* is at London County Hall. The Agatha Christie play takes place at the site-specific location.

London County Hall - LON

London County Hall

Do not miss the multi award-winning international smash hit THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG now the longest running comedy in the West End.

The Cornley Drama Society are putting on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does! As the accident prone thesps battle on against all the odds to reach their final curtain call, hilarious results ensue!

Hailed *“a gut-busting hit”* by the New York Times, Mischief’s THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is stumbling through its eighth chaotic year at London’s Duchess Theatre, and has unexpectedly received a host of celebrity endorsements from the likes of Joanna Lumley *“We laughed until the tears ran down our faces, it has to be seen”* to Ant & Dec *“The funniest show we’ve seen! If you can get a ticket, go!”*

Don’t miss this brilliantly funny comedy, guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter.

The Play That Goes Wrong [345] - LON

ASC 2173 RT

The Play That Goes Wrong

[Poster] The Play That Goes Wrong - LON

3942-1631897937-pt18053encore500x500pxls3

The theatre loves nothing more than itself, especially when things aren't going to plan: this kind of self-sustaining narcissism has made hits of everything from The Producers and <a href="/show/monty-pythons-spamalot">Spamalot </a>to Michael Frayn's Noises Off. And in The Play That Goes Wrong, we're here to prick the pomposities and artifice of theatre yet again in a bustling portrait of an amateur dramatic company from Cornley Polytechnic, as they attempt to put on a 1920s murder thriller called Murder at Haversham Manor.The result is far, far funnier than <a href="/show/the-mousetrap">The Mousetrap</a> ever was and that's now in its 62nd year, so I think that its creators Mischief Theatre - a group of graduates from LAMDA who began as an impro comedy troupe - may have a substantial little hit on their hands, built on the shifting sands of its own insubstantiality.It's a beautiful theatrical paradox, and that it should have now come all the way to the West End from humble beginnings in the upstairs room of the <a href="/theatres/old-red-lion-theatre">Old Red Lion pub theatre</a> the Christmas before last is also a genuine thrill. The underdog can triumph - even if their dog called Winston has gone missing (and instead has to be represented here only by his lead).Everything that can go wrong, it seems, does go wrong for this play, its players and particularly its wobbly, fragile set. But the more it does, of course, the funnier it becomes. It's divinely daft, gloriously preposterous and utterly silly. But it's also not for everyone: anyone with slightly more sophisticated comedy palettes may baulk at the relentlessness of it all.Yet I also think you cannot fail to admire the ceaseless energy of the cast or the wildly caricatured yet minutely detailed comedy performances they deliver. Just to watch co-author Henry Shields's face, crossing from bafflement to wide-eyed pleasure at how he's managed to cover yet another gaffe is priceless.He's one of a terrific ensemble of young actors who give it impeccable timing and daring physical energy. The stage mechanics are expertly choreographed by director Mark Bell, as is Nigel Hook's design which is unquestionably giving the best performance by a set in the West End at the moment.<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5dY8E1z46jk?rel=0&amp;controls=0" width="560"></iframe>"This set is a bloody deathtrap," complains the stage manager at one point, and before the evening is out, it's hardly a spoiler to say that it will have collapsed almost entirely. It starts falling apart before the play even begins, so it's not much of a surprise. But the real surprise is just how well-sustained the joke is. When it first premiered it was seen in a one-act version that ran for not much more than an hour. Now it has been expanded into two acts that runs for double that time, including an interval. The pleasure may not quite have doubled - I was left wanting less, not more - but I was still impressed. <a href="/show/the-play-that-goes-wrong">The Play That Goes Wrong Tickets</a> are now on sale.<hr />"All in all, it's a great-looking, brilliantly performed piece ... My only qualm about The Play That Goes Wrong is that in getting their play so dreadfully wrong night after night, they are also getting it absolutely right." Tim Walker for The Telegraph"one of those breakneck exercises in idiocy that make you laugh till you cry, despite yourself." Ben Brantley, New York Times"It's not sophisticated and it's certainly over-extended; the show's one-act Fringe origins aren't hard to spot. Yet, along with the rest of the enthusiastic audience, I laughed continually. Director Mark Bell also offers some ingenious, not to mention precision-drilled, physical comedy." Fiona Mountford for The Evening StandardExternal links to full reviews from popular press <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11106181/The-Play-That-Goes-Wrong-Duchess-Theatre-review-delightful.html" target="Top">Telegraph</a> - <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/london-theater-journal-laughing-wall-to-wall/?_r=0" target="Top">New York Times</a>

The Play That Goes Wrong Review

The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are putting on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong... does! The accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences!  

The Duchess Theatre opened in London in 1929. The following year, *The Intimate Revue* opened and closed at the Duchess Theatre on the same night!

Fortunately, the theatre’s luck turned around with long running productions such as Noel Coward’s *Blithe Spirit* in 1942, the musical *Oh! Calcutta!* in 1974 and Marc Camoletti’s *Don’t Dress For Dinner* in 1992. Many stars have appeared in shows at the Duchess Theatre including [David Suchet](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/david-suchet) and [Mark Rylance](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/mark-rylance).

## Duchess Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has two levels – Stalls and Grand Circle.

In the Stalls, seats curve inwards towards the end of each row and the seats are not raked until Row G. The Grand Circle overhangs the Stalls from Row G onwards.

The Circle offers good views throughout, and it is a very intimate theatre so does not feel removed from the action.

## Where is *The Play That Goes Wrong* in London?

*The Play That Goes Wrong* is at the Duchess Theatre in London. The Duchess Theatre is located on Catherine Street. It's close to West End theatres including the Novello Theatre and the Aldwych Theatre.

Duchess Theatre - LON

Duchess Theatre

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial Rush

Unlock Rush for a chance to purchase £20 tickets.

£20 Rush tickets

Company may offer programs whereby the Company would make available certain features of the Services when you share information about the Services through an SNS or click on the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application. When you are considering purchasing a ticket for a specific show or after you purchase a ticket, if you select the “Share” button in the Application, Company will make available to you a personalized link to a Digital Property with text stating, for example, “Check out {show} on TodayTix! I’m thinking of going…” or something similar, which you may choose to share with your friends via SNS. Once you have shared the personalized link through an SNS using the Application or selected the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application, Company will make available to you the RUSH feature, which will provide you with otherwise unavailable offers for tickets to live events occurring in the next week. The opportunity to take advantage of these offers is only available to users who share a personalized link to an SNS through the Application or select the “Unlock without sharing” button in the Application.

I unlocked £20 Rush tickets for Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial on @TodayTixUK! https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/27479?share=unlock

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial - LON

Wagatha Header Image LON

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial

ELP Wagatha Buttons 480x720

Wagatha KeyArt CleanSet 1080x1080

Welcome to the theatre of dreams. No, it’s not Old Trafford. It’s the [Ambassadors Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/ambassadors-theatre), home to a re-enactment of the “Wagatha Christie” court case that took over Britain. 

Coleen Rooney, the wife of ex-England football captain Wayne Rooney, uploaded an Instagram post accusing Rebekah Vardy, wife of Leicester City and England player Jamie Vardy, of submitting false stories to The Sun. A seven-day libel court case in 2022 concluded that Vardy and her agent Caroline Watt were guilty of selling fake news to the British tabloids. 

A year later, Liv Hennessy’s faithful adaptation puts the wives back in the spotlight, as Hennessy condenses the week-long trial into 90 minutes (and injury time) of back-and-forth action.

But, just because the case is so ingrained in popular culture — the court case birthed the “Wagatha Christie” moniker, a combination of “WAG” (a wife and girlfriend of a football player) and Agatha Christie” — does it need to be retold in dramatic form? 

Hennessy’s courtroom drama magnifies the whipped-up media frenzy around the two women into “The Scousetrap,” a twist on London’s longest-running play that happens to be at the theatre next door. But relying on verbatim transcripts doesn’t add anything to what the general public already knows. 

The court events are so inherently theatrical that rehashing the exact dialogue takes away from the drama. We laugh at the phrases we’re already familiar with. We gasp at the revelations. We walk in knowing the result. Everyone already watched this trial happen, and simply staging the transcripts dilutes their impact.

If you’re after a dramatic reading of the culturally significant Instagram post, then you’ll be easily pleased. Laura Dos Santos (as Rooney) kicks off the show with a jester-like performance of the Notes app declaration. Two ensemble actors step into pundit roles, breaking the action and forcing every football pun imaginable into describing the court case. Halema Hussain and Nathan McMulle confidently steer the proceedings in the narrator roles, but every time they interrupt the court events, any built-up tension is lost — their own goal.

When Vardy and Rooney walk into the courtroom for the first time, they’re cheered by the audience as if they’re athletes. Once the court case begins, any cheering is quickly shushed, as there’s a lot of talking without any breaks. As lawyers make a confident summation of the events, they pretend to score a goal, with all those in court freezing in a football “laddish” manner. While funny on occasion, it’s the only method used to break up the storytelling, and infantialises the events to a series of cheap scores. 

Lucy May Barker doesn’t break a sweat playing Rebekah Vardy. She plays the sourpuss WAG with minimal inflections, so we all laugh when she finally breaks out of character as she recounts the shocking Whatsapp messages. Dos Santos plays an understated Coleen Rooney, capturing the emotion of a heartbroken woman. 

But, due to court transcripts providing the story, there’s little opportunity for character development and any imaginative storytelling. What did the wives think of each other behind closed doors? It’s tricky to understand the pair’s longtime feud. It sizzles, but it doesn’t bang. 

Polly Sullivan’s set conceives the Old Bailey as a football pitch (who knew grass and granite could work so well together?), but the clear plastic chairs feel out of place for both surroundings. 

And there was ripe opportunity to use Sky Sports Saturday ticker tape projections to elevate the production and share side stories to add further context. Instead, we’re made to sit, listen, and take stock. 

When the Wagatha Christie trial played out in real-time, I followed the court case with bated breath. It’s hard to think of chipolatas, pigeons, or Davy Jones’s locker without thinking of Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney. It’s a shame that a pivotal moment in contemporary British popular culture now lends itself to a static, monotonous drama. 

“I think why on Earth are we here?” says lawyer David Sherbourne in his closing statement. I asked myself the same question. 

*Vardy v. Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is at the Ambassadors Theatre. Book Vardy v. Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial tickets on London Theatre.*

[![Book Tickets CTA - LT/NYTG](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/3qAtGOdQq9x3k1WcHlaJnw/90ece91bbe47ed07e142c2e43c7a7a3f/BookTickets-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=27479&content_product_id=27479&venue_id=12)

*Photo credit: Lucy May Barker and Laura Dos Santos (Photos by Pamela Raith Photography)*

'Vardy v. Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial' review — the football courtroom drama scores an own goal

Read our review of the courtroom drama between footballer's wives, Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney, playing at the Ambassadors Theatre through 20 May.

The Ambassadors Theatre opened in 1913. It was built as a companion to [St Martin’s Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/st-martins-theatre), with the intention of housing smaller productions in a more intimate venue. 

The inaugural play *Panthea* lasted just 15 nights. Early plays included *Deburau* starring Ivor Novello, and Eugene O'Neill's *The Emperor Jones.* [*The Mousetrap*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/the-mousetrap)* premiered at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 Nov. 1952, and later moved to St. Martin's Theatre in 1974.

Recent shows include a decade-long run of *Stomp,* as well as star-studded plays.

## Ambassadors Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has two levels – Stalls and Dress Circle. It is an intimate theatre.

In the Stalls, the rake of the seating becomes obvious from Row E and is quite a sharp rake, but the last two rows are set lower than those in front. The overhang of the Dress Circle affects the view from Row M.

The Dress Circle is not affected by an overhang, but the legroom on this level is not ideal.

Ambassadors Theatre - LON

Ambassadors Theatre

HP LON Lottery Settings

Enter the Friday Forty for your chance to purchase exclusive £40 tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

£40 Friday Forty

Download the TodayTix app to purchase tickets!

No purchase required to enter. You can only win the Lottery for each performance once. Entrants are selected at random. By entering your phone number you are giving TodayTix permission to contact you via SMS Text, Email or Phone per our privacy policy.

Your participation in any of the lotteries in the series is subject to our standard terms and conditions, which you can view [here](https://www.todaytix.com/terms/uk). The Promoter of this series of lotteries is TodayTix, Ltd.

This is a series of promotional prize draws and the term 'lottery'/'lotteries' is only used in a brand sense. No gambling is involved.

To enter the Lottery you must either reside in United Kingdom and/or be able to attend the relevant scheduled performance in London and be aged 18 years or older. Any entries made from outside the UK will be subject to UK law.

No purchase is required to enter but if you win you will need to pay for each ticket.

You can earn one extra entry into the same lottery that you have entered if you share the auto-filled post on Facebook, another if you share the auto-filled post on Twitter, and another if you share the auto-filled post on Instagram.

All winners are drawn at random by a computerised process. There are a limited number of discounted price tickets available as prizes for each lottery in the series, which are always drawn in two stages.

All tickets available are drawn at random and assigned to winners. If a winner declines or fails to claim their tickets within thirty minutes, these tickets will be re-assigned at random to another entrant. Choosing to enter for either 1 or 2 tickets holds no bearing on your chances of being drawn as a winner.

When the winners are drawn for each Friday Forty in the series, the same computer process will be used to randomly select "reserve" winners. If you are a "reserve" winner and the original winner does not claim the tickets, you will be sent an email to let you know that you’ve been assigned as a winner. All replacement winners are selected from the drawn "reserve" at random.
TodayTix takes no responsibility for undelivered ‘winner’ emails or push notifications.

Please note that your entry into a Friday Forty for the chance to purchase 2 tickets for a particular performance will not be rolled-over to any Friday Forty for another performance.

__Tickets cannot be exchanged, refunded or resold.__

Employees and their immediate families of the Promoter, its agents or anyone professionally connected with the Promoter are not able to enter.

It is also possible to enter by emailing lotteryentries@todaytixgroup.com with your name, e-mail address, phone number, post-code, number of tickets required (1 or 2 tickets) and desired performance dates/times. You can only enter for performance dates that feature within the ongoing Friday Forty draw, no advance entries into future draws will be accepted. 


I entered the Friday Forty for £40 tickets on @TodayTix! Tap here to enter: https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/21176?share=enter

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child: Both Parts [21176] - LON 

hp-lead-14-01-20.jpg

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One & Two

Harry Potter LTW

7698-1630405650-hp21q2041ttgbuttons240x240

Just as <a href="https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/hamilton">Hamilton</a> has been all-pervasive on Broadway since it opened there last summer, there's been little talk of anything but Harry Potter's official stage debut over here since the first announcement was made revealing that it was on its way over a year ago. (There was previously a small two-man fringe show called Potted Potter that raced through all the books to date in 70 minutes that transferred from the Trafalgar Studios small house to the Garrick where it was Olivier nominated in 2012, and then off-Broadway).When tickets finally went on sale for the initial run at the 1,400 seater neo-gothic pile that is the <a href="https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/palace-theatre">Palace Theatre</a>, they sold out almost instantly, long before the show had even gone into rehearsal. (A new batch is set to be released imminently).There's been a drip-feed of news ever since that, through to the casting and J.K Rowling tweeting drawings of the show's swords, and the revelation of the front house displays, each fuelling the air of anticipation around it. So now that it is finally here, does it deliver?   The first and most important thing to say is: And how! This is absolutely tremendous family entertainment that brilliantly and evocatively brings Harry Potter from the page to the stage -- but instead of adapting an existing story, does even better and continues the story, 19 years from where we left it at the end of the 7th book, to take it further forward in all sorts of spellbinding (in every sense) directions.Theatregoers are being urged to #KeepTheSecrets -- we're even given a badge to remind us! -- but this much I can say: some of our favourrite -- and a few of our less favourite -- characters are all here. Harry Potter is now 37 and a father of three, and Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley now married with children of their own. Albus Potter, Harry and Ginny Potter's middle child, is leaving for his first term at Hogwart's, along with Hemione and Ron's daughter Rose. One of the first people they meet on the train is Scorpius, son of Draco Malfoy.We are immediately plunged into another of J.K Rowling's ingeniously plotted rabbit holes of collisions between the natural and supernatural worlds, Muggles and mystery, Wizards and wonderment, and good and evil. An overriding theme here is parenting, with Harry Potter wrestling with being a good father to his son Albus when he, an orphan, has no model to follow.Some of this is deeply poignant: it reminded me at times of the great Sondheim musical Into the Woods (itself being revived in London at the moment at the Menier Chocolate Factory), which is also about parents and curses and outside forces threatening the world. But of course this isn't a musical, though there's an attractive electronic soundscape and propulsive movement from Steven Hoggett.If you're not quite a Potter-head, the programme has a helpful summary of the first seven stories. But you don't really need it, either: the story stands on its own feet (though you may miss some of the references that cause the audience at points to collectively and loudly catch their breaths with surprise).It's a show rich in theatrical magic as well as evoking magical powers, but also deeply human, too, with fantastic performances from a brilliant ensemble cast, led by Jamie Parker as Harry Potter, Sam Clemmett as his son Albus, Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, Paul Thornley as Ron, Alex Price as Draco Malfoy and Anthony Boyle as Draco's son Scorpius.A group of theatre makers at the very top of their game bring it all to impressive 3D life, from the brilliant designs of Christine Jones (cleverly using the auditorium of <a href="/theatres/palace-theatre">Palace Theatre</a>&nbsp;itself in one scene), evocatively lit with architectural splendour by Neil Austin, to Steven Hoggett's propulsive movement.The result is a work that will thrill new audiences as well as regular theatregoers alike -- some 50% of the audience is reported to be first-timers -- and could inspire and encourage a whole new generation to make theatre part of their lives.<a href="https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-parts-i-ii">Buy Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Tickets</a><hr /><h3>What the Press Said...</h3>"It's a spectacle for the theatre, one that is filled to the brim with fan service and magical imagery that will amaze. For any Potterhead who can get their hands on a ticket, it will no doubt be a fantastic experience..." Jack Shepherd for the Independent"This is a production that thrills at the aura of possibility lurking in the Victorian splendour of the theatre itself, a bygone age of smoke and mirrors." Dominic Cavendish for The Telegraph"It's convoluted, but the latest expansion of the Potter universe is thrillingly staged, with time travel and age-old quests given a dash of post-Freudian guilt." Michael Billington for The Guardian"For once the so-called theatrical event of the year really is just that...a feast for fans, packed with pathos, dazzling choreography and moments of pure enchantment." Henry Hitchings for The Evening Standard<hr /> External links to full reviews from popular press <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-review-palace-theatre-a-magical-experience-tailor-made-for-the-a7155381.html">Independent</a> - <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-is-pure-magic---review/" target="Top">The Telegraph </a> - <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jul/26/harry-potter-cursed-child-review-palace-theatre-london" target="Top">The Guardian</a>

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, review of Harry Potter play at London's Palace Theatre

There’s magic in every moment at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the most awarded play in history and “one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade” (Forbes). And now, the 8th Harry Potter story is bringing the magic back to London’s West End from 14 October.

The Palace Theatre opened in 1891. It was first known as the Royal English Opera House, intended to stage operatic productions. After the closure of its first production, the theatre was sold to Sir Augustus Harris, who changed the name to The Palace Theatre of Varieties. 

From 1921, Charles B. Cochrane took over the reins and ran the theatre as a cinema. The 1930s saw Fred Astaire grace the London stage for the final time in Cole Porter’s *Gay Divorce* before making his move to Hollywood.

In 1968, Judi Dench played Sally Bowles in *Cabaret.* Long-running musicals include *Jesus Christ Superstar* and 7,602 performances of *[Les Misérables](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/les-miserables)* from 1985 – 2004.

A host of musicals have followed, but the theatre’s latest tenant is the world premiere of *[Harry Potter and the Cursed Child](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-parts-i-ii)*, which officially opened in July 2016.

## Palace Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has four levels - Stalls, Dress Circle, Grand Circle, Balcony. The seats in the Stalls are lightly raked, and most notably from Row N onwards.

In the Dress Circle, the view is impaired in Row H onwards by the overhang of the Grand Circle. 

In the Grand Circle there isn't as much legroom as in the lower levels of the theatre, and this level is considered to be quite high. 

The seats in the Balcony are extremely high.

## Where is *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* in London?

*Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* is at the Palace Theatre in London. The Palace Theatre is located on Cambridge Circus. It's close to West End theatres including the Phoenix Theatre and the Prince Edward Theatre.

Palace Theatre - LON

Palace Theatre

Phaedra - LON

Phaedra

Phaedra Poster

The uber-talented Australian writer/director Simon Stone, who brought us a shattering modernised *Yerma* with [Billie Piper](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/billie-piper) in 2016, is back with another gripping contemporary reworking (and another glass box set). This time he’s wrestled the story of [*Phaedra*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/27667-phaedra) from Euripides, Seneca and Racine, and changed the title character from monstrous antiheroine to fascinatingly flawed modern woman – creating a blistering showcase for Janet McTeer in the process.

The seeds of the original story are still there, but instead of Phaedra falling in love with her stepson, Hippolytus, and then falsely accusing him of rape, this version is a British politician called Helen who has far more agency. And yet she’s still felled by desire, and with complicated feelings bound up in her past – including just a hint of incest. Or, as one character memorably puts it: “some pretty fucking kinky Lazarus shit.”

The bombshell that explodes her comfortable middle-class family life is the surprise appearance of Sofiane, son of Helen’s Moroccan lover Achraf, who left his family for her and then tragically died in a car crash. Immediately, the articulate, composed Helen is tongue-tied and flustered: Sofiane looks so much like his father. It’s confusing for him, too: Helen was part of his sexual awakening, yet he resents her for tempting his artist, activist father into a hard-partying, decadent lifestyle.

Not only that, but Helen’s daughter Isolde looks very like a young Helen. “I’m older than you, but I look at you and feel like a child,” Sofiane confesses. As for Isolde, she sees a passionate possibility in Sofiane that’s lacking in her marriage to the nice-to-a-fault Eric (in a great running gag, her family all seem to like Eric more than her), while for Helen, it’s a chance to get back in touch with her liberated younger self, or to have a second chance at inhabiting that powerful sexual being. 

Stone and McTeer have spoken about wanting to address how society renders women invisible post-menopause (and that’s referenced in the script, amusingly, with Helen snapping that she’s not interested in being a *Guardian* headline). But her headlong rush into self-destructive behaviour, her blinding by desire, feels pretty universal here, and I'm not sure the play's attitudes to youth and gender are really all that enlightened.

Additionally, the set roles of this privileged clan are rather too schematic. Isolde, the most embarrassed by their status, works for an NGO, and possibly punishes herself by staying in a dull marriage in which they can’t conceive children. Helen’s husband, the self-effacing, eternal peacemaker Hugo, is – of course – a diplomat. Sofiane is a principled journalist who had to flee Morocco after criticising the government. And Helen has a Black politician friend who is basically only there to call her out on her blinkered self-pity (although Akiya Henry does that with relish).

But Stone brilliantly captures the way that families behave: the lightning-fast cross-talk, the mixture of love and needling, the well-worn references and in-jokes, the festering resentments. Of the latter, Isolde is still angry that her parents never let them be children; her teenage brother (a very funny Archie Barnes) is indeed wildly precocious, and had to sort out his own school fees when his dad forgot to pay them. Is it selfish of Helen to further abandon them, as she becomes consumed by her feelings for Sofiane? Or does she have a right to reclaim her lost self?

McTeer’s committed performance gives us all the shades of Helen, including the unflattering ones: from her fierce intelligence and extraordinary sexual rebirth to her ruthless egotism and occasional pure savagery. She leads an excellent company: Paul Chahidi’s tragic clown Hugo, finally pushed to his breaking point; Mackenzie Davis’s Isolde, terrified by ungovernable feelings that don’t match her principles; Assaad Bouab’s traumatised, elusive Sofiane, who is in turn exoticised and used; and John MacMillan’s poor, sweet, crumpled Eric.

Chloe Lamford’s slowly rotating glass box adds to the painfully tense claustrophobia of the situation, but there are sightline issues with its black bars, and although the actors are miked, we feel too distanced from them (it would work better if this was staged in the round). But different locations are brilliantly evoked: the family’s luxurious London pad, complete with requisite kitchen island; the Suffolk reed beds, so tall they swallow up the actors; and an achingly hip restaurant for an excruciating birthday dinner. 

That latter scene perfectly mixes big, bold emotions with sizzling black comedy; it reminded me of that similarly fraught dinner in [Mike Bartlett](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/mike-bartlett-plays)’s *Doctor Foster*, and some of Stone’s delicious skewering of the elite (along with a lingering threat of violence) recalls *The White Lotus*. But he sometimes loses that crucial balance – particularly in the final scenes, which, frustratingly, hurl too much previously withheld information at us and sink into clichéd melodrama. 

Ultimately, there’s too much going on here: stabs at a fate versus personal responsibility argument; multiple languages, nations and causes; conflicting political, moral and religious stances; plus a thriller element egged on by the use of tapes left by Achraf (which we hear in voiceover). But this is meaty, pugilistic, wrenching drama, anchored by an unmissable performance by McTeer.

*Phaedra is at the Lyttelton Theatre through 8 April. Book Phaedra tickets on London Theatre.*

[![LT - CTA - 250](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1t6HRGmhlYl70k6PmR0mOZ/3caac861bc1d4233cd7844652c925623/LT-CTA-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=27667&content_product_id=27667&venue_id=154)

*Photo credit: Janet McTeer and Assaad Bouab in Phaedra (Photo by Johan Persson)*

'Phaedra' review – Janet McTeer gives a unmissable performance in this blistering modern update

Read our four-star review of Janet McTeer in *Phaedra*, now playing at the National Theatre through 8 April.

The Lyttelton Theatre takes its name from the first board chairman of the National Theatre, Oliver Lyttelton. It is one of three auditoriums in the [National Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/national-theatre):  the [Olivier Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/olivier-theatre-national) and the [Dorfman Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/dorfman-theatre-national). The 890-seat theatre is smaller than most West End houses, and offers a very intimate theatrical experience.

The theatre was designed with a traditional proscenium arch. The proscenium arch may be adjusted to create different stage spaces, as well as accommodating an orchestra pit. 

## Lyttelton Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has two levels, Stalls and Circle, both of which are raked, offering exceptional views from all seats. The space offers exceptional acoustics and sightlines for the audience — there are no restricted view seats.

National Theatre - Lyttelton - LON

Lyttelton Theatre

Plays in London

Explore the best theatre plays in London and the West End today with TodayTix. Choose from a brilliant selection of hilarious comedies and intense dramas.

Plays In London

From the best comedy to the hottest dramas, we've got a show for you!

Explore popular cities

Resources

Get more TodayTix

Download the app

Follow us