This Comedian, Duchess Theatre ****

It is hard for someone to go to a comedy night and like all of the comedians that come on. For every Stewart Lee, there is always an Andrew Lawrence or Dapper Laughs to drag the mood down or a struggling comedian to die and tarnish an otherwise enjoyable evening of comedy. I thought it would be the case for this fundraiser for the exhibition of the same name as the line up included Newsjack's Romesh Ranganathan, who is, putting it mildly, not my cup of tea. Then it was not too much of a disappointment to me when, perhaps my favourite comedian ever, Michael Legge announced that he could not attend due to getting diarrhea after eating too many health bars. This compere is truly excellent, with an anger is funny without becoming exausting. Every comedian had a very different style of comedian which left the audience totally gripped. However, perhaps the highlight was the premiere of the lost Beckett play 'Pointless Anger, Righteous Ire'.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and perhaps suggest that this play is not from the great playwright who wrote Waiting for Godot. Even so, Arthur Darvill conveyed with such conviction a man who has clearly let down by his peers. The metaphors which Legge and Robin Ince provide sitting in bins is very telling and shows the real beauty true theatre can provide. Rufus Norris should keep a good eye on this play for a run at the National.

In short, this night was hilariously funny with hugely talented comedians and is a great opening to what I hope is an extremely illuminating exhibition which opens on February 20th.

Dara, National Theatre ****

The performance I saw was in preview so is not the finalized production.

In a time which is so ignorant to different religions and a theatrical culture which is solely centered around the white, middle-class and middle- aged. Therefore, it is wonderful to see the National giving us a diverse programme in order to attract people from all walks of life and not just from the privileged. Dara is a gripping drama which transports it's audience to 1659 India to witness not just a family drama but an examination of how we treat faith and it's role in our society. It addresses many pitfalls in people's view of Islam and demonstrates, through the role of Dara, that we need to accept other faiths and not persecute them because they believe in many gods, one god or even no gods. The set is majestic,atmospheric yet simple in it's design and hosts magnificent performances especially from Zubin Varla who plays the protagonist and titular character. The constant use of flashbacks could have damaged the flow of the narrative but, due to the Tanya Ronda's adaption, I kept track of the story easily. This production is so important to see and is a credit to the National's endeavors to include all, unlike most theatres in London currently.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Playhouse Theatre **

Haydn Gwynne and Tamsin Greig in Women on the Verge

At 8.10am, I arrived outside of the Playhouse to find a fellow theatre addict already waiting. Managing to get a day ticket to a show requires dedication and patience to stand 2 hours of queuing in order to get a cheap ticket to a play or musical you would sell your soul to see. By 10am, when the box office opened, close to thirty people had braved the cold to grab a ticket to Almodóvar's classic adapted into a musical. Therefore, it makes it even more disappointing when the show is such a let-down.

Let's start with the positives. 

Performances are mostly great, especially Haydn Gwynne whose voice is delightful and whose acting makes the most of the pitiful role she is given. The set, designed by the man who made the astonishing set from Mendes' Lear at the National, is unconventional and fits the setting the musical is supposed to inhabit.

However, everything to do with the production is profoundly English. Despite the unmemorable Latin music from Yazbek and a weird chorus role given to a taxi driver, it doesn't transport you to Spain. On the contrary, whilst Greig is fantastic as always, despite the quite scarily bad singing, she is not the first choice to portray a Spanish actress and gives the production, along with the other astonishingly English actors, a quintessentially British quality which is slightly displeasing and odd when coupled with a Spanish setting. This musical does not know where it is at and, wherever it is, is not ready for the stage. Plus, a typically poor programme for the West End contains some of the worst articles I have seen which features an interview with Greig, which is just an extension of her biography, and a really misjudged article about the role of women in Almodóvar's films. 

At best, this show is merely incidental and can not be seen as anything more than that.

City of Angels, Donmar Warehouse *****

 A musical and the Donmar Warehouse do not go hand in hand with each other. The intimate space does not suit brash music theatre. Despite this, City of Angels works in a delightful way which succeeds in giving the musical characters which seem like real human beings rather than just personas. The storyline is of an author writing the screenplay from his hit novel and life around him seems to mirror the life the characters in his film noir crime thriller have. The actor currently starring in BBC3 comedy Crims has smartened himself up in order to play one quarter of the chorus who do-wop their way through Cy Colemans electrifying music fantastically well. The leads are exceptional in a star-studded lineup of music theatre greats from the evil director which Peter Polycarpou portrays with such ease, to the detective Tam Mutu whose singing is marvelous. Hadley Fraser's Stine is one of the most wonderful parts I have seen in the West End with spine tingling solos from him, Craig and Trehearn who all excel  magnificently with songs which could easily stunt the story from progressing but does not due to the marvelous direction from Rourke. Samantha Barks has a limited role but still manages to show how talented she is within that role. It is wonderful to see a west end musical which is easily better than a lot of shows on the West End on my favourite stage in the world.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Drury Lane ***

 When I saw this translation of Dahl's classic last year, it is fair to say I despised. I had never heard music so infuriatingly unmemorable and soppy without any reason. The Oompa Loompas seemed uninspired and the sets in the second half disappointing. Therefore, how surprised must I have been when I saw a totally different show! They have reconsidered the design of the Loompas, meaning that they looked less ridiculous, with only one scene in which they look weird. They have also cut a rather dull prologue which keeps up the pace. Alex Jennings is a very different Wonka yet just as quirky and excellent as Douglas Hodge, with a range of accents that more than make up for the variable quality of singing. The Charlie Bucket is also just as amazing, adorable and professional as the one I saw last year. The sets also look more presentable than  last year but the chocolate garden still looks shabby and the glass elevator loses it's magic from the second row in the stalls. Unfortunately, I am still unconvinced by the music. Shaman and Wittman clearly have not totally transferred the magic of Hairspray to this. There is always a comparison with Matilda to be had with this musical which is somewhat unfair as it just is not the same thing however, when it comes to warmth and quality, Matilda does trump this as an adaption of Dahll.

The Play that Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre ****

Unable to get a day ticket for war horse, I managed to wrangle a ticket for a very different type of play. The Play that Goes Wrong hosts the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society putting on their latest amdram production of a murder mystery and, as the title suggests, all does not go to plan. This is clearly a 10 minute skit stretched out for a 2 hour show but the laugh a minute means that I didn't mind quite how repetitive it was. It is truly one of the funniest things I have ever seen.From the start when you enter to find the crew searching for a Duran Duran CD and a dog to the society's manager breaking down mid scene. It plays on every actors fears and each small thing that goes wrong or is improvised has an effect on the rest of that show. Each small thing also leads to even bigger things. This seems like it is not going to stray far from the West End in the near future and certainly would not complain if I got the chance to see this fantastically memorable production again.

Tree, The Old Vic ***

When I entered the auditorium for the 11am matinee (11am!!!), the first thing I saw was the most magnificent tree. Reaching up to the auditorium, it was the only piece of set on the stage until about ten minutes prior to the performance when the two performers came onto stage with masking tape and set up the rest of the set. The play itself is quite astonishing. It lets you assume things about Kitson's and Key's characters before proving you wrong and then proving you wrong again. It is not hilariously, joke a second funny;but funny in a Radio 4 comedy drama way. Both actors are very naturalistic in their roles which are played extremely well, despite Kitson being hidden from view for the majority of the show. Overall, it is asatisfying way to spend your Saturday morning.

Here Lies Love, Dorfman Theatre ****

Natalie Mendoza in Here Lies Love

Nothing is as invasive on the senses as entering the Dorfman on it's inaugural production since being refurbished. Set out as a nightclub, you are encouraged into this space by wranglers dancing manically in pink jumpsuits to deafening music. Each piece of stage moves in, out and around throughout this experience. It acts as Miss Saigon meets Evita on crack. Telling the remarkable story of Imelda Marcos, this experience is like nothing I have ever seen. The story may lack some drive and if you aren't in the pit, the experience would be massively reduced. It was a whirlwind hour and a half and if theatre needs to adapt to modern culture, this is the way to go.