East is East, Trafalgar Studios ****

The cast of East is East at the Trafalgar Studios

Theatre in the West End is usually performed by and watched by middle class, middle- age, white people and often centres around male characters. How refreshing, therefore, to see two productions in 3 days which bucks that trend. This modern classic about a northern, white woman living in a Pakistani family in Salford 1971 is brought to life by Tom Scott's fantastic designs. The comedy is brilliantly executed by the cast, with the divide between western culture and Pakistani culture provides lots of humour, with sausages and the female anatomy providing the biggest laughs of the evening. However, the character development is so strong that, when the dark events occur in the second half, it is more disturbing than anything that happened in Jamie Lloyd's Richard III. I have found Jane Horrocks annoying in the past, with a slightly wingey accent but in this, she is astonishingly good. The children also are great, showing the split of east and west nicely, with impressive performances from both the inexperienced and experienced actors, one of which (Amit Shah) is particularly recognizable from such shows as Bluestone 42 and Fresh Meat. After a rather dissapointing first production in this revolutionary season, this piece puts Trafalgar Transformed solidly back on track.

Henry IV, Donmar Warehouse ****

The cast of Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse

The Donmar is undoubtedly the most exiting space in British theatre and all the productions I have seen there have been ambitious, with varying levels of success. Therefore, it is no surprise that Henry IV could not be just played as Henry IV. The result, admittedly not instantly lovable, is a great success. I had not seen Julius Caesar so the prison setting was totally new to me. It set the atmosphere in a way that no other play I've seen has done, with the possible exception of Dominic Dromgoole's plays at the Globe.The part of the play itself is the fact that they develop the lives of the inmate's characters as well as the character's they play. It is set up as a play within a play, with these female convicts putting on a production of Henry IV. The cuts are extensive, with a 6 hours of material cut  into a 2 hour show without an interval. Therefore, most of part 2 is cut in order to cut back to the main story line of choosing between two father figures. It also diverts away from the play,with a last scene which made me cry. Ashley Mcguire's Falstaff, whilst not particularly funny, is a character for whom more pathos can be felt. Erivo as Poins and Douglas is also a notable performance from a truly great actress. The other actors are also fantastic.The Donmar also seem to have prioritized experience over fame, with theatre- virgin Sharon Mooney being given one of the less substantial roles despite being one of the most recognizable faces in the cast. It also good to have normal women playing the roles instead of the 'perfect', idealised woman which is so often the case. For me, this love letter to feminism has met my expectations of what a good Shakespeare play is like, and far exceeded them.

Tenors Unlimited, Churchill Theatre

Tenors Unlimited

Unfortunately, having seen this act, I don't think I can give an unbiased evaluation of their performance. This is primarily because I performed in it as well in their choir. It was an absolute privilege to perform with such talented musicians with a very polished act. From what I saw of  the show, the majority of pieces were delightful to listen to and they are great people to work with. As I said, I can not give a star rating or proper review but I would seriously recommend this group to anyone wanting a fun night out. I don't think we were too bad either.

Comedy of Errors, Theatre by the Lake ***

The set of the Comedy of Errors

When looking at this production of farce and jollity, it is hard not to compare Keswick's production with the one at the globe earlier this year. As you would expect, this production does fall short of the Globe production. The farcical nature of the play is somewhat diminished in Keswick, where comedy is sought in all the wrong places and moments that should be getting belly laughs only result in scattered chuckles throughout the auditorium. There are also some performances that belong in am-dram rather than on, arguably, the finest stage outside the capital. However, despite these errors, the set design is joyous and some performances, especially Lucciana by Jennifer English, that far exceed those at the Globe. One Dromio being on crutches also broke the fourth wall effectively, even if only accidentally. Therefore, whilst several key issues let the piece down, it is still a strong romp which entertains it's audience.

The Scottsboro Boys, Garrick Theatre *****

The Cast of the Scottsboro Boys

This new retelling of the famous case of The Scottsboro Boys has now finally made it's way to the West End and it is no understatement that this is perhaps the best music I've seen in some time. The audience lulled into a false sense of security before being smashed to pieces in no time at all. Kander and Ebb's music is typically creepy, especially 'the electric chair' which is just as creepy as anything from Cabaret. The actors also create a deeply uncomfortable feeling, portraying minstrels performing for its audience. It creates a similar setup to the recently cancelled Exhibit B but, unlike the show depicting human zoos, is probably slightly more direct in it's attack at racism and could never be said to be racist itself, made evident in some of the best closing scenes ever to be portrayed in theatre. Throughout the show,a woman is present, observing the action. However hard I tried, I could find no link until the final scene where everything is answered in such a poignant piece of theatre. It is worth seeing this musicalas it does not rely on a huge set or huge orchestration but is carried through by pure talent.

The Commitments, Palace Theatre ***

The previous cast of the Commitments

 The Commitments is about the formation of a band in 1970s Dublin; how they overcome the gigantic problems facing their lives and carry a band from strength to strength. The programme talks at length about the reasons why The commitments 'take enthusiastically to Soul because they're living in a country that seems to have sold its soul.' To me, it is trying to challenge views, set out something challenging. However, this ambition clearly has failed. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic musical with a great set and brilliant singers (especially Deco). However, slight indications like the depth the programme goes into or the lack of a souvenir programme is an indication of a production trying to be something it isn't. If you leave your brain at the door, it is a lot of fun but be warned, if you come expecting what the creative team want to put across, expect to be disappointed.

The Wolf from the Door, Royal Court ***

The cast of the Wolf from the Door

 After the reviews came out for this rather surreal piece from Rory Mullarkey, I was full of dread for to see this piece, not least due to the alert of full- frontal male nudity. Despite this, I left feeling pleasantly surprised. Of course there are serious flaws. The budget seems to have been blown on Anna Chancellor and the huge quantities of food used throughout, the set could be done much better, with scene changes indicated by an LED screen, and the script does require a space which can both be intimate and provide huge spectacle which this theatre cannot pull off well. As well as this, the numerous deaths in the play could have been handle in a better fashion. I was not expecting Titus Andronicus scale gore but just to have a voice over giving stage directions. But on the other hand, this fantasist piece tackles a tricky subject in a rib- tickling manner with a very heartfelt speech given by Chancellor to some civil war reenactors. Pearce Quigley and Lucy Robinson are fantastic as the ensemble with special note to Quigley's taxi driver which gives perhaps the most poignant moment of the play. He is never quite as funny as his Bottom in Midsummers Night Dream last year at the Globe but to be honest, it would have been hard to top that. The two leads also are great, as is expected. Whilst this production will never set the world alight, there is plenty in it to cherish.

Once, Phoenix Theatre **

David Hunter and Jill Winternitz in Once

Coming out of the theatre after seeing Once, I walked down Shaftesbury Avenue, past Les Mis and Curious Incident and then down to Haymarket, where people were coming out of Phantom of the Opera and Great Britain. All in the West End for varying amounts of time but all fantastically popular because on one level or another, they provide the audience with emotional impact. This is the thing I sensed missing from this show. I greatly admire it's ambition. It's set, whilst done similarly and more effectively in Billy Elliot, has a lot of beauty to it and the idea to have mirrors surrounding it, making each detail of these people's lives visible to the audience, is ingenious. The songs, despite my indifference to folk music, are quaint and pretty, although none stick out. The actors/ musicians are fantastic too. However, I could never engage with that main plot line. Two subplots, namely the gay, untalented banker and the housemate looking for a job, interested me far more than what was, frankly, a boring romance drama. Perhaps my view on this piece was slightly tainted by the person in front of me filming throughout but, to be honest, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it any more if she had not been there at all. It comes to no surprise to me that clearly Once has not been performing well at the Box office and set to close next year.

Side note: With Ronan Keating coming in to play the role of Guy in a few weeks time, I would say that it is highly inappropriate for any celebrity to play one of the main roles in this production. You are seeing the events totaly detached from the situation. This is primarily because you do not find out either of the lead's real names.Therefore, having a celebrity, whether it be Arthur Darvill or Ronan Keating in the role of someone who is supposed to be anonymous defeats the point of this musical as the audience will come in with a biased opinion and a name to Guy or Girl which, whether for better or for worse, distorts the original intentions of the playwright.