Theatre show reviews by Sami Mahfood
There’s a unique thrill in sitting in a darkened theatre, just moments before the lights go up. The hushed whispers fade, the curtain rises, and suddenly we’re transported—whether to a lively city street, a mysterious mansion, or a whole new world entirely. Over the past few weeks in London, I have had the pleasure of seeing a few productions, and I’m here to review which ones are a must see and share every memorable moment from these standout performances.
Taming of the Shrew – The Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe, located on the South bank, is the home to many productions of Shakespeare’s various works. Although this is a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe, it still has the Elizabethan era finishes which makes experiences more immersive. The Taming of the Shrew is suspected to be Shakespeare’s first ever play which tells the story of the courtship of the fiery, headstrong Katerina and the brash Petruchio. Petruchio accepts the challenge of marrying rebellious Katerina and through clever manipulation, he “tames” her wild spirit. While Kate ultimately agrees to conform to her expected role as a wife, the play explores themes of marriage, power dynamics, and social expectations, often leaving audiences debating whether the ending is sincere or satirical. This modernised version shown at the Globe takes an experimental route when portraying this story. Instead of traditional Elizabethan dress and props, this story is set in a child’s room, with each character dressed up as a toy. Although this interpretation is hard to understand, it makes the story more digestible to audiences and is interesting for Shakespeare fanatics to see a classic work through such an abstract lens. Seeing a play at the Globe is a must, and this was a fun, comedic and artistic show that I would recommend seeing.
The Play that goes wrong – The West End
If you are a first timer to theatre or looking for a family show, I would recommend ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. This interactive and extremely playful show is a great introduction to the world of theatre. The play was written by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Saye, and has been on at the Dutchess Theatre in the West End for almost 10 years. This production takes on the ‘play within a play’ style of show, and it tells the story of an amateur drama troupe, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, attempting to put on a murder mystery play called The Murder at Haversham Manor. However, everything that could possibly go wrong during the performance does: actors forget lines, props malfunction, the set falls apart, and physical mishaps abound. Despite these escalating disasters, the actors desperately try to continue, creating a hilarious chaos that combines farcical errors with unexpected twists. If you see this play, I would recommend taking family or friends that have no idea what this play is about, and watch their reactions as they see this play go wrong!
The Lehman Trilogy – The West End
For anyone who is trying to convince their businessman boyfriend, friend, or partner, who is uninterested in theatre to see a play, The Lehman Trilogy is the way to go. This play is a real life adaptation of the story of the Lehman brothers’ business ventures starting from the late 19th century until the fatal financial crisis of 2008. It is a story of family and culture and how that, as well as greed, affects the way you run a company and can potentially lead to its demise. The play consists of a total of 3 actors and a digitalized rotating office space stage. Throughout the play the three actors, who originally play the three Lehman brothers, eventually take on new roles as the timeline progresses. This shows just how talented these actors are as they take on 3 – 5 characters each throughout the show. This is a play that shows just how dynamic theatre can be, as it can be adapted to portray any story no matter the genre. I would recommend this play to an older crowd that is interested enough to see the adaptation of the Lehman story through theatre.
