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Into the Woods, Bridge Theatre, London, January 2026: It’s a Jungle Out There
Many consider Into the Woods to be Sondheim’s most accessible work as a lyricist-composer — its basis in Brothers Grimm fairy tales offers audiences an easy way in. However, this being Sondheim, it also operates on a level beyond the surface.
The Kael Report in Conversation with … Alan Hollinghurst, 21 December 2025, London, NW3
For over four decades, Alan Hollinghurst’s writing has been a commanding presence on the literary landscape. He arrived on the scene in 1988 with The Swimming Pool Library — a dazzling début that struck like a lightning bolt.
All Up in My Mind: The Renaissance of Beyoncé
It became clear that the Cowboy Carter experience was intentionally designed to make us think — that the music and visual world she created were meant to serve as portals into these conversations, rooted in what I see as her ongoing self-exploration through art.
Death Becomes Her, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York, June 2025: Living for the Dead
One of the qualities that makes Death Becomes Her such a triumph is the sheer joy emanating from the stage. This, combined with creative confidence and immense skill, lifts the show into the stratosphere — and the pleasures are multitudinous.
The Kael Report in Conversation with … Adam Feldman, 2 June 2025
One reason this is such a strong season is that we’re seeing a lot of original work. Compared with some recent years, there were fewer adaptations of intellectual property grabs, and fewer jukebox-musicals.
Maybe Happy Ending, Belasco Theatre, New York, May 2025; Smash, Imperial Theatre, New York, May 2025; Dead Outlaw, Longacre Theatre, New York, June 2025: Does Size Matter?
For all its originality, Maybe Happy Ending is built on foundations designed to play it safe — a paradox for a show so rich in visual and directorial invention.
Gypsy, Majestic Theatre, New York, May 2025: American Dream, Part II: Everything Old is New Again
One of the hallmarks of this production is how much it made me think — and how challenging, even uncomfortable, many of those thoughts were.
Purpose, Helen Hayes Theater, New York, May, 2025: Black, Live, and in Colour
Jacobs-Jenkins began working on Purpose in 2019, when Donald Trump was in his first term as president and Covid-19 was beginning to disrupt the world as we knew it. The shadow of both crises permeates the play, though neither is mentioned by name.
Othello, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, May 2025: American Dream, Part One: The End of a Love Affair
Denzel Washington moves beautifully and is physically convincing as a military man, carrying the energy of someone much younger. His Othello is clearly a man who has taken care of himself and is imbued with a certain vanity.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre, London, February 2024; Marquis Theatre, New York, April 2025: The Genius Myth, or How Not to Jump a Shark
I have not seen a single episode of the Netflix series Stranger Things, and after enduring the play, that will not change.
My Neighbour Totoro, Gillian Lynne Theatre, London, March 2025: East Meets the Wizard of Western Theatre
Every element has been crafted and executed with the utmost care, blending seamlessly to create an enchanting whole. Phelim McDermott and his crew seem, here, to have begun their journey with a question—one that led to further inquiry and artistic discovery throughout the process.
Sunset Blvd., Savoy Theatre, London, February 2023; St James Theatre, New York, October 2024: Everybody wants to go to Hollywood
Sunset Blvd. could have been a stronger production with a bit more conceptual focus, a rigorous examination of its many ideas, and some judicious editing of those ideas.