Going into Firebird without knowing what it was about made for quite the shock, but as the play is about child trafficking, it was never going to be comfortable. The opening scene, of 14-year-old friends Tia and Katie swigging stolen champagne on top of a hill in Glasgow, appears innocent enough. A sense of dread builds as Tia dismisses Katie’s innocent game and wants to play a version of ‘Never Have I Ever’. Katie, like most 14-year-olds, hasn’t done much, and subsequently alternates between dr...

Sting almost couldn’t come at a more poignant time. A play about a justice system that continuously lets down female abuse and violence victims premiered during the World Cup, when domestic violence rates go up across the country - no matter what happens on the pitch. That said, with cases of unsolved femicide constantly rising, it’d never be not the right time for this play. Writer Sophia Swithinbank tackles these issues with tact and accuracy, holding up a mirror to a justice system and asking...

“Just the truth or someone’s version of it”. Interview’s tagline lets us know that we’re in for 90 minutes of twists, unreliable narration and ethical debates - and it definitely delivers. Robert Sean Leonard accurately captures the disgruntlement of passed-up political journalist Pierre Peters, who opens the play by complaining to his bed-ridden colleague Theo about his latest assignment: interviewing successful influencer-turned-actress Katya. Pierre’s frustration at the lowness of this gig se...

It’s not been an easy ride for “the universe’s most iconic couple”, Earth and Humanity. New musical Hot Mess, fresh off the back of a successful run at Edinburgh Fringe, is a playful imagining of how the pair came to be, but will their relationship last? For 65 minutes, it delivers meaningful commentary about our over-exploitation of the earth’s resources without feeling preachy or overly earnest. We instantly know Danielle Steers is Earth, as she comes on stage in a silk dressing gown with her...

The Sentimental Value of a Half-Eaten Biscuit and The Psychological Ramifications of a Lost-Hair Tie is a tonally accurate title for this one-person play by Sian Kayleigh. Oakley - who’s also played by Kayleigh - arrives on stage dancing to the music in their headphones before giving themselves a strict schedule in which to tidy their room, shower, eat, and get changed. Spoiler alert: they achieve one out of four things. This is one of the strengths of the piece, the subtle but effective depicti...

Is ballet a rigid, unchanging discipline? Over just over two hours, the English National Ballet proves that’s not the case. The performance is divided into four pieces which couldn’t be more different from one another. Yet each is as beautifully performed as the previous, conveying the range of emotions that can be expressed through the power of dance. The first piece is “Themes and Variations”, choreographed by George Balanchine, which appears to be the most traditional. It evokes a wedding cel...

It’s good to see theatre is alive and well at the Network Theatre. Tucked next to Waterloo station, the second press night for Twelfth Night was buzzing - and The Acting Gymnasium group kept that energy up. Following their successful production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it was a treat to see Gavin McAlinden’s vision come alive with this high-chemistry cast.