
Stuart King


Review: A FACE IN THE CROWD at Young Vic
By Stuart King Saturday, September 21 2024, 11:08
In something of a mild take on Johnny Cash’s early trajectory, we first encounter our plain speaking Arkansas hero Lonesome ‘Larry’ Rhodes in jail, recovering from a bout of drunk and disorderly. A local radio journalist Marcia Jeffries has come to the jailhouse to interview inmates in a bid to get interesting real life stories. Our wayward charmer sings her one of his own compositions to gain early release(!) and in short time has a weekly slot on Marcia’s radio programme where his plain speaking verisimilitude gains a following.
A Face In The Crowd at The Young Vic. Photography by Virginie Khateeb.


Review: WAITING FOR GODOT at Theatre Royal Haymarket
By Stuart King Friday, September 20 2024, 05:54
Samuel Beckett’s dystopian nightmare in which Vladimir and Estragon occupy a desolate landscape with merely a tree and a rock to occupy their thoughts, has become a byword for existential limbo. The environment causes the fractious codependent pair to scramble incessantly in their bid to fill the void with commentaries on the mundane — boots, hats, carrots and a failing prostate. They bicker and disagree in their loneliness, as they await the arrival of the mysterious Godot who may somehow confer meaning on their situation and existence.
Ben Whishaw, Lucian Msamati, Tom Edden, and Jonathan Slinger in Waiting for Godot at Theatre Royal Haymarket. Photo Marc Brenner


Review: MOULIN ROUGE! at Piccadilly Theatre
By Stuart King Wednesday, September 18 2024, 21:27
This week, I finally got a chance to experience the Piccadilly Theatre’s long-running success MOULIN ROUGE! The production which has been playing to packed houses since November 2021, recently announced that a world tour will kick-off next year. In the meantime and to ensure that the West End production remains fresh and vibrant, next month a brand new cast will be assuming the roles of the various Bohemians and Aristocrats beloved of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 blockbuster movie. So what do you need to know?
Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Piccadilly Theatre, London. Photo credit Marc Brenner.


Review: ABIGAIL’S PARTY at Theatre Royal Stratford East
By Stuart King Saturday, September 14 2024, 20:12
The big question on everyone’s minds at Stratford East’s opening night, for ABIGAIL’S PARTY was, would Tamzin Outhwaite be able to make the iconic role of Beverly — the nightmarishly domineering suburban party hostess — her own? Happily, the answer from the outset was a resounding and unequivocal yes.
Omar Malik, Ashna Rabheru, Tamzin Outhwaite and Pandora Colin in Abigail's Party at Stratford East. Credit Mark Senior.


Review: OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD at Lyric Hammersmith
By Stuart King Friday, September 13 2024, 08:37
After George III lost his beloved colonies in the Americas, Britain had to find somewhere else to send its criminals who were filling every jail in the country. Newly discovered Australia was deemed to hold the answer.
Company of Our Country's Good at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Photo Marc Brenner.
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