reviews

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An Ideal Husband, Gate Theatre, Dublin review - focused energy keeps mannered dark comedy afloat

David Nice |

Are Oscar Wilde's plays comedies of manners or just mannered comedies?

Mother Courage and Her Children, Shakespeare's Globe review - a post-apocalyptic vision of a world corrupted by violence and greed

Rachel Halliburton
This blistering account of Brecht’s classic – which he wrote in a white heat of fury as news reached him of Hitler’s invasion of Poland – pitches us…

A Venetian Coronation 1595, Gabrieli, McCreesh, Temple Church review - choral and instrumental magnificence

Bernard Hughes
In 1595 a new Doge was invested in St Mark’s in Venice, an occasion celebrated with the full musical panoply at the state’s command. Which was a lot…

An Ideal Husband, Lyric Hammersmith review - an oddly timely and amusingly repurposed classic

Helen Hawkins
It’s safe to say Oscar Wilde enjoyed a good party, so it’s very likely he would give a big thumbs up to the Lyric’s An Ideal Husband, which director…

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Venice Biennale 2026 review - dystopia now

Florence Hallett
The mood is blue, but profundity is in short supply

Eclipse, Chichester Festival Theatre review - listening to what's not said

Gary Naylor
Accomplished debut play from writer of W1A

Lamsma, BBC Philharmonic, Storgårds, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - pure air of the north

Robert Beale
Rautavaara’s birds, Nielsen’s arguments, and an outstanding Sibelius concerto

Rivals 2, Disney Plus review - still much rutting in the marsh, and more corporate fisticuffs

Helen Hawkins
The latest helping of the Jilly Cooper adaptation is much like the first: sparky, filthy fun

Carolin Widmann, Irish Chamber Orchestra, RIAM, Dublin review - elegant simplicity and fierce complexity in Haydn(s)

David Nice
A celebrated sibling brings style and panache to two brothers

Julian Lage Quartet, RFH review - a Grammy-bound supergroup

Sebastian Scotney
A fascinating cast of characters

Tricky, The Troxy review - the prince of darkness returns

Mark Kidel
The undeniable force of a musical original shows signs of wear

John Kearns, Touring review - finding the funny in life's travails

Veronica Lee
Absurdist comic's most personal show yet

Music Reissues Weekly: Darrow Fletcher Presents Jacklyn & Genna Records

Kieron Tyler
Celebration of first-rate but obscure Chicago soul

Sherlock Holmes, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre review - gleefully madcap and unashamedly cerebral

Rachel Halliburton
Joshua James plays Sherlock as an otherworldly rebel

Carice Singers, Parris, Kings Place review - the choral music of Steve Martland

Bernard Hughes
Adventurous programming showcases choir’s versatility and skill

Stage Kiss, Hampstead Theatre review - amiable comedy full of screwball touches and sly humour

Helen Hawkins
Sarah Ruhl brings a welcome whiff of Off-Broadway class to north London

Eberle, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bloch, Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff review - roll over Beethoven, step forward Benjamin

stephen.walsh
Lucid playing with some unwanted appendages

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, @sohoplace review - winds of change

Gary Naylor
RSC musical blows into the West End

The Christophers review - art, lies and authenticity

Markie Robson-Scott
Steven Soderbergh directs Ian McKellan and Michaela Coel in virtuoso performances

1536, Ambassadors Theatre review - three Essex girls take on the patriarchy

Helen Hawkins
Ava Pickett’s debut transfers to the West End with a fine staging and same superb cast

Orphan review - blood not-so-simple

James Saynor
An immersive tale of tangled paternity in a battered Budapest

Samson et Dalila, Royal Opera review - passion into pantomime

Boyd Tonkin
World class principals can't quite fix a disjointed spectacle

Zurbarán, National Gallery review - the invisible made breathtakingly real

Sarah Kent
The raw power of art to convince

Normal review - there's a new sheriff in town

Adam Sweeting
Bob Odenkirk stars in a fast and furious Eastern Western

Angel's Bone, English National Opera, Manchester review - bold experiment in an elaborate project

Robert Beale
Artistic achievement and production values vie for attention in a mediated experience

Kokuho review - an engrossing trip inside a modern kabuki actor's world

Helen Hawkins
Lee Sang-il’s handling of this intriguing subject is conventional but compelling

Emmylou Harris, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool review - last dance in Liverpool

Liz Thomson
Country icon bids a gracious farewell to the road

theartsdesk on Vinyl 97: Bel Cobain, Paul Weller, Fcukers, Lightnin' Hopkins, Little Annie, Bruno Mars and more

Thomas H. Green
The last, vast, galactically huge, regular record reviews

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latest in today

'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages of love and support
We are bowled over! We knew that theartsdesk.com had plenty of supporters out there – we’ve always had a loyal readership of arts…
An Ideal Husband, Gate Theatre, Dublin review - focused energy keeps mannered dark comedy afloat
Are Oscar Wilde's plays comedies of manners or just mannered comedies? Can they be kept afloat for today's audiences if they stick more or…
Mother Courage and Her Children, Shakespeare's Globe review - a post-apocalyptic vision of a world corrupted by violence and greed
This blistering account of Brecht’s classic – which he wrote in a white heat of fury as news reached him of Hitler’s invasion of Poland –…
A Venetian Coronation 1595, Gabrieli, McCreesh, Temple Church review - choral and instrumental magnificence
In 1595 a new Doge was invested in St Mark’s in Venice, an occasion celebrated with the full musical panoply at the state’s command. Which…
An Ideal Husband, Lyric Hammersmith review - an oddly timely and amusingly repurposed classic
It’s safe to say Oscar Wilde enjoyed a good party, so it’s very likely he would give a big thumbs up to the Lyric’s An Ideal Husband, which…
Venice Biennale 2026 review - dystopia now
Art should reflect its times, but after a preview week dominated by the controversial participation of Russia and Israel, the 61st Venice…
Long awaited third album 'Co.War.Dice' from Marmozets is varied and energetic
Rewind the clock back 10 years, and all seemed very promising for the upcoming rock group Marmozets. Cultivating an energetic sound from a…
Eclipse, Chichester Festival Theatre review - listening to what's not said
It took me a long time to "get" the English Middle Class, though I don’t think I completely understand them even now. Sure drowning in…
Lamsma, BBC Philharmonic, Storgårds, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - pure air of the north
The Philharmonic’s chief conductor John Storgårds was enjoying the taste of his pure, northern native air in Saturday’s concert: Sibelius…
Blu-ray: Danger: Diabolik
Mario Bava’s Danger: Diabolik is a lurid triumph of style over substance, a film as insubstantial as its eponymous source material. The…