Bloody Mary and the Nine Day Queen
Rating: ★★★
Venue: Union Theatre, London
Cast: Cezarah Bonner, Anna Unwin, Constantine Andronikou, Johnnie Benson and Gareth Hides

The musical tells the story of two Queens: Bloody Mary and her seventeen-year-old cousin, Lady Jane Grey. Set during a time of political and economic upheaval after the death of Henry VIII, and with the teenage King Edward VI on the throne, the power-hungry Duke of Northumberland lurks in the background—willing to do whatever it takes to maintain control. This tragic, original musical explores timeless themes of family, power, faith, and the forces that bind or break us. Written by Gareth Hides with Anna Unwin and produced by Handiwork Productions, it’s a bold new work that asks urgent questions about identity and purpose: What are you living for? And what would you be willing to die for?

Hot Mess
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London
Cast: Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley 

After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one… Humanity. Sparks fly. Technology flourishes. Wheat is harvested. But what begins as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic couple quickly descends into a hot mess.

From the creative duo behind ’42 Balloons’, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, comes a new original pop musical. All about love, hope, and the ultimate break up.

The Monkey's Paw
Rating: 4.5/5
Venue: Hope Theatre, London
Cast: Steven Maddocks and Josephine Rogers 

In Edwardian London, newlyweds John and Jenny White set up home together. As the years pass, things do not turn out the way they had hoped.  One day, a mysterious, ancient object comes into their possession, a ghoulish talisman that seems to grant wishes. Could this be the remedy for all their troubles? Or is it something more sinister, with the power to plunge them into far deeper miseries?

Sit or Kneel
Rating: ★★★★
Venue: The Other Palace, London
Cast: Mimi Nation-Dixon

Sit or Kneel is a sharply observed, darkly funny coming-of-age story about identity, expectation, and finding your place in a world that wasn’t built for you. Margot is in her twenties, accidentally ordained, and leading a parish she doesn’t quite understand, while quietly unravelling behind the scenes.

Here & Now: The Steps Musical
Rating: ★★★★
Venue: New Victoria Theatre, Woking
Cast:  Rebecca Lock, Finty Williams, Blake Patrick Anderson, River Medway, Edward Baker Duly, John Stacey, Jacqui Dubois, Chris Grahamson, Rosie Singha, Ben Darcy and Lauren Woolf 

Welcome to seaside superstore Better Best Bargains, where it's Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone's dancing in the aisles. But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy. Have they all lost their chance of a 'happy ever after'? Or does love have other plans in store…?

The Woman in Black
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Alexandra Palace, London
Cast: Daniel Burke and John Mackay 

A lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the spectre of a Woman in Black, engages a sceptical young actor to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul. It all begins innocently enough, but then, as they reach further into his darkest memories, they find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds.

Ohio
Rating: ★★★★
Venue: Young Vic, London
Cast: Abigail Bengson and Shaun Bengson

An intimate and rousing new musical experience by real-life couple Abigail and Shaun Bengson, known for their evocative Indie-folk music and deeply personal storytelling. 

When Shaun turned his back on the church, he found a new home in music. Confronted now with acute degenerative hearing loss, he’s making the choice to live joyfully in the face of life's many unanswerable questions. 

The Importance of Being Earnest
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Noël Coward Theatre, London
Cast: Olly Alexander, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Hugh Dennis, Shobna Gulati, Kitty Hawthorne, Jessica Whitehurst, Hayley Carmichael and Stephen Fry 

Being sensible can be excessively boring. At least Jack thinks so. While assuming the role of dutiful guardian in the country, he lets loose in town under a false identity.

Meanwhile, his friend Algy takes on a similar façade. Unfortunately, living a double life has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to love. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.

Love Quirks: A New Musical
Rating: ★★

Entertaining Mr Sloane
Rating: 4.5/5
Venue: Young Vic, London
Cast: Daniel Cerqueira, Christopher Fairbank, Tamzin Outhwaite and Jordan Stephens