Hats off to McKellen and de la Tour, this is not to be missed!
The Dance of Death, currently being brilliantly performed at the Lyric in Shaftesbury Avenue, is play must not be missed... And it is to McKellen and de la Tour we must doff our caps. They bring this grim play to a height I do not think it could ever have achieved without them.

Dawn's not so brilliant divorce failed to engage me
I HAVE always dreaded solo performances; the idea of locking oneself in a theatre for some hours strikes me as the depth (or height) of masochism. My worst fears came true at My Brilliant Divorce at the Apollo, a play of deadly reiterated jokes that fall like lead on a tin drum.

Classy cast works wonders with Peanuts in terms of plot!
It says a lot for the cast of Snoopy The Musical, at the Jermyn Street Theatre, that they manage to get over most of this overdose of twee and produce an evening which is enjoyable and diverting... Effortlessly strolling through the numbers, the dances, the dialogue and the facial expressions, they almost make the evening a wow.

Sam Mendes the toast of the West End at Olivier Awards
HE'S already won an Oscar for his feature film debut, American Beauty, but now Sam Mendes has become the first triple winner of the Laurence Olivier Awards, announced on Friday, February 14 (2003).

Their Record Speaks for Them: Mary Ellis
A MONTHLY assessment of the careers of stars of the musical theatre, as represented by their commercial recordings, continues with Mary Ellis , another artist who is held up as a legendary star of the London Theatre.

Professor Higgins and co make a welcome West End return
AFTER an absence of four decades, My Fair Lady makes a welcome return to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Adapted from Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw's classic tale of penniless cockney sparrow made good has been turned into a lavish spectacle, punctuated by songs that have inspired generations.

Mayor Livingstone invites people to Get Into London Theatre
SOME of the leading names in West End Theatre joined some of Hollywood's emerging talent for the re-launch of London Mayor, Ken Livingstone's 'Get Into London Theatre' promotion, which seeks to broaden the range of theatre audiences.

An all too short evening - but one worth cheering about
HAVING regularly attended the theatre with an old friend, at least once a week, I cannot remember a time when we were both so in complete accord over a play as we were over Auntie and Me at Wyndham's Theatre. It is an all too short evening, but what a memorable one with regard to performances.

A comedy about the Duchess of Windsor
A DANGEROUS Woman, by Paul Webb, is a comedy about the Duchess of Windsor, set in Paris in 1972. The extraordinary events of her life come back to haunt her on the eve of her return to England behind her husband's coffin. It will be at the Jermyn Street Theatre from March 4 to April 19.

Mayor Livingstone invites people to Get Into London Theatre
SOME of the leading names in West End Theatre joined some of Hollywood's emerging talent for the re-launch of London Mayor, Ken Livingstone's 'Get Into London Theatre' promotion, which seeks to broaden the range of theatre audiences.

Pray that you don't miss this biblical tale (abridged)!
AFTER a tremendously successful UK tour last year, which I reported to Indielondon before the event, the RSC (that's The Reduced Shakespeare Company) is presenting its new show The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged).

A small town comes face to face with murder...
COCHRANE Theatre and the Red Chair Players USA are to present the London premiere of The Laramie Project, an acclaimed, multi-award-winning production about a hate crime murder that shocked the world. This is the story of the people of Laramie. (From March 11 - April 6)

Shakespeare to be given a hip-hop spin
AFTER a sell-out run at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the critically acclaimed and award-winning musical comedy The Bomb-itty of Errors will receive its West End premiere at the New Ambassadors on May 7 at 7pm.

Van Outen to star in limited run of popular revival
DENISE Van Outen will return to the London stage to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's award-winning Tell Me On A Sunday. The show will open at the Gielgud Theatre on Tuesday, April 8, following previews, and will play for a strictly limited 12-week season.

Seinfeld favourite to make West End debut
MICHAEL Richards, who stars as Kramer in the television series Seinfeld, will make his West End stage debut starring as Jonathan Brewster in a revival of the comedy thriller Arsenic and Old Lace, which will open at the Strand Theatre on Tuesday, February 25, following previews from February 14.

Harsh lessons, supremely well told, in The Children's Hour
The Children's Hour, Lillian Hellman's fine play about a spoiled brat at a boarding school who can't get her way and accuses two of the teachers of having a lesbian affair and the devastating effect this has on the lives of the two, is given a riveting production at the Union Theatre... There are some ripe and gorgeous performances.

Raise a glass as the Finborough prepares to re-open!
THE thrilling news that the Finborough is reopening has brought the following facts. Over the past six months, the new management of the Finborough Arms Pub - now renamed the Finborough - has completely refurbished the building, and they and the theatre have been working very closely together to create a welcoming environment for all patrons.

Riverside Studios joins the anti-war brigade
WILLIAM Burdett-Coutts, artistic director of Riverside Studios, is proud to announce that Riverside Studios has become the first UK member of Theatres Against War (THAW), a New York-based coalition of theatres, performing artists and anti-war activists alarmed by the threat of war in Iraq.

Excellent performances and some sublime direction at Wimbledon
In The Playing Fields, at Wimbledon Studio Theatre, Frank Williams (formerly of Dad's Army fame) has written a most tender play. The performances are excellent. The direction is sublime. The play deserves a post Studio after life, it should be a commercial success, but catch it now.

There's no mystery why The Mysteries succeeds...
To me, there is no mystery why The Mysteries are so enjoyable. It is the enthusiasm of a cast who are clearly enjoying themselves and their enjoyment is infectious. Go and see it - and I shouldn't be a bit surprised if you weren't on your feet applauding wildly at the end, as the audience were the night I went.

Head Games exposed at Oval House
TO MY great surprise, Oval House, usually a staid drama house with the odd bit of political comedy thrown in, is at present home to a new farce that has no message at all and is purely there to entertain. Head Games, by Scott Miller, does exactly that.

Kevin Spacey appointed director of Old Vic
OSCAR-winning actor, Kevin Spacey, is set to continue his love affair with London’s West End theatre after being named director of the Old Vic Theatre Company.

Great play, nice performances - shame it was inaudible
LADEN down with awards, Stones in His Pockets, still running at the Duke of York's Theatre, is also on tour and that tour has settled on the Wimbledon Theatre stage for this week. The play has many funny moments, loads of funny lines, and here is the humdinger, the two actors play everybody else.

Long may Mr Fogg and co continue to circumnavigate local theatre
SITTING watching Around the World in Eighty Days at Richmond Theatre, I felt I was transported back to my childhood and my Pollock's Toy Theatre. The whole show, with its cut out décor, charmingly conceived and executed by Cleo Pettitt, and cardboard characters seemed to belong to a Victorian nursery rather than a London theatre.

An evening with Jack is a genuine Pleasure
THE 2003 season at the Union Theatre, which was heralded so excellently by the play Two Up gains enormous stature with its second production of the year, Jack Pleasure. The play is a gem and I really want to see it again.

The Fulham Jesus proves too much of a cross to bear
On paper, it looks a good idea to have an Ambridge type political and religious upheaval in a village, this time using Fulham as the locale... Sadly for me the play didn't work, but rather like watching something magnificent, like the Titanic, go down, it has a certain fascination.

2002 - the year of the musical?
Paul Nelson takes a look back over the past 12 months and concludes that it was the year of the musical. Find out whether This Is Our Youth, Anything Goes, The Maias and Lady Windermere's Fan featured in his best or worst moments of the year.

Barker set to Claw his way back into the theatre limelight...
HOWARD Barker's Claw is a rarely performed, darkly comic tale of greed and corruption in post-war Britain, following Noel Biledew's journey from illegitimate war baby to his successes as a pimp for the cream of society. It will be showing at the Greenwich Playhouse from March 18 to April 13.

An evening of chanson that is not to be missed
Some of the finest contemporary English artists working in the Chanson genre today will feature in a series of performances at the Drill Hall 2 from March 20. These include Leon Rosselson, Kath Tait, Pete Atkin, Adeola, and Barb Jungr.

Speculating about schizophrenia at Oval House
COMING Up For Air tells the story of Denzil who kills three community leaders. Is it murder or manslaughter? Is he mad or just bad? Denzil claims that injustice has caused his murderous mind. It will be at Oval House from March 26 to April 5.

A double bill to leave theatre-goers heartbroken?
THE production company Kitchen Skink is to present a double bill by Arnold Wesker. The first play is The Four Seasons, while the second is Break, My Heart, a production described by The Western Mail, 'As a metaphor about humanity, it has almost mythic quality; as a domestic drama it is explosively, frighteningly real'. (March 10-29)

Mansfield presents some portraits in song
ELIZABETH Mansfield brings her Portraits In Song (Edith Piaf and Bertolt Brecht) to the Drill Hall 1 on March 8 at 8.30pm. She will be accompanied by Russell Churney on piano.

Pop goes the boy band in Patrick's latest Wilde tale
PATRICK Wilde, acclaimed writer of This Life and Get Real, directs the London premiere of his new black comedy, You Couldn't Make It Up, which centres on the creation and marketing of a sexy new boy band, Jailbait. (New End, May 20 - June 21)

Charting the rise and fall of the Castrati at the Drill Hall
TRUE or Falsetto, a new operatic comedy that unearths the secret stories and under-sung arias of the infamous Castrati singers, opens at the Drill Hall 2 on April 3, at 8pm, after having received its critically-acclaimed world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival 2002.

Jungr's Ballad looks set to go down a storm
BASED on an original idea by Barb Jungr, The Ballad of Norah's Ark is a major new piece of work. This will be a sneak preview, a semi-staged concert performance of the musical, and will open at the Drill Hall 2 on May 1 at 8pm.

A witty and sexy fusion of circus, physical comedy and dance
THROAT, a witty and sexy fusion of circus, physical comedy and dance, will open at the Drill Hall on April 5, at 8.30pm, for a run of eight performances only.

Studio Theatre has a potential hip-hop classic all Cued Up...
WIMBLEDON Studio Theatre presents the Half-Moon Young People's Theatre in Cued Up, by Paul Ashton, from Tuesday, February 25 to Saturday, March 1 at Wimbledon Studio Theatre. Cued Up is for youth audiences of 13+ years.

Early Morning could well clean up at Oval House
EARLY Morning is a satirical comedy about three Nigerian office cleaners who mount a coup to take over the world. Based on the writer's personal experience of low-paid jobs in the Capital and on first hand accounts of other London-based Nigerians, it is a joyous and colourful mix of Yoruba and English popular theatre. (Oval House, March 12-29)

Shakespeare heads the new season at Hampton Wick's Rose and Crown
THE Rose and Crown Theatre announces its Spring and Summer season, Classics Across Centuries, with three companies presenting three diverse plays for the theatre.

Oval House hoping for A Night To Remember
A SOLO performer with a difference is Sandra Bee, and she will be presenting her new evening's entertainment, A Night to Remember at Oval House, from March 5 to 22.

Edinburgh favourites to feature at Riverside Studios
Horse Country, by CJ Hopkins and Theater Oobleck's The Complete Lost Works of Samuel Beckett as Found in an Envelope (Partially Burned) in a Dustbin in Paris Labeled 'Never To Be Performed'. Never, Ever, Ever! Or I'll Sue From The Grave!!!' discovered by Greg Allen, Ben Schneider and Danny Thompson will open on March 6 at the Riverside Studios.

Bowles returns to the romantic lead for Our Song
Our Song is a hilarious and captivating tour-de-force by award-winning writer, Keith Waterhouse, creator of Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell and Billy Liar. Starring Peter Bowles and Caroline Langrishe, it will come to Richmond Theatre from March 31 to April 5 as part of a national tour...

A heart-stopping mix of clubbing, drugs and sex at The Pleasance...
WHO'S gay, who's straight, who can each of them trust and who will make it through the night? The production of an innovative thriller, What Happened Last Night? is to transfer to The Pleasance after its successful run at The Courtyard. (March 19-April 19)

New End to make you an offer you can't refuse
HAVING completely been sold out during a previous limited run at the New End, An Audience With The Mafia returns for an extended season with enhanced special effects and an even more spectacular arsenal of weapons.

The Drill Hall unveils its line-up for early 2003
AFTER its successful autumn season, the newly revamped Drill Hall returns with an event-packed new programme to ring in the new theatrical year. Highlights of the new season include Edith Piaf and Bertolt Brecht - Portraits in Song, performed by Elizabeth Mansfield; and a brand new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.