It is not the first time audiences have seen Long Story Short. After a short run at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington they transfer to Charing Cross Theatre for a whole month. It still feels a considerable short time taking into account that the director Andrew Whyment has brewed this play for three years during which extensive research was made to create this fast-paced thought-provoking angle on today’s media. It tells precisely of a long story that was made short to the public by the journalists and how all stories that we are informed of are told in a shortened and biased way. It goes back to the very start of Rupert Murdoch’s influence in the British press in 1968 in parallel with the process that leads to the resigning of a news editor in 2012.

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Performed in the intimate space of the Twickenham Theatre, Sweeney Todd promised to be an exciting production with the likes of Olivier Award winner David Bedella playing the lead. And in no way did it disappoint; it was spine-tingling from beginning to end.

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It’s been two decades since Philip Ridley’s Ghost From A Perfect Place first debuted to a vastly divided critical reception at Hampstead theatre. Called “A masterpiece” in The Spectator and “Pornographic” in the Guardian, Ridley’s vicious and violently dark comedy depicting the gangs and families of a fictional East London caused a storm in the mid-nineties. The Arcola is now running the first revival of the play since its initial, fateful run, and is garnering a large and diverse audience (a much younger, more artfully bedraggled bunch than you might expect). On arrival, it’s difficult not to wonder if the ticket sales are due to the controversy surrounding play and author rather than any substance or quality. This is an undue worry. Here’s a list of reasons why you have to see this play.

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Hosted at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Knightsbridge, this press conference saw the introduction of Catriona Kerridge, an emerging British playwright whose new play Shoot, I Didn’t Mean That is coming to the Tristan Bates Theatre for an impressive four week run. Inspired by the satirical, highly regarded play The Last Days of Mankind by Karl Kraus, Kerridge’s play seeks to showcase World War One realities to a contemporary audience.

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Lost Theatre is small, but perfectly formed, tucked round a corner behind one of those gyms with windows to the street. The performance I was going to was a less sweaty one: taster acts of the Face to Face festival, a celebration of one-person theatre. On the way into the auditorium, posters for unexpectedly high profile past acts such as Russell Howard and Jack Whitehall line the walls. The draw for them is clear; the stage – jutting slightly out into the audience – is ideal for a solo performer; in fact, there is not a bad seat in the house.

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On first glance, Richmond-On-Thames appears to be an unassuming, picturesque haven with characteristic riverboats gliding down the Thames, to friendly passers by casually strolling along the river bank. However, looks may appear deceiving as one river boat in particular transports its passengers to a completely different world altogether. As the Puppet Theatre Barge embarks on an adventure all of its own, audience members watch on as a 14^th Century Arthurian legend plays out before their very eyes.

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Can you keep a secret? Good, because I certainly can’t! So, let me tell you about Lyric Hammersmith‘s worst kept secret currently touring the UK. Secret Theatre has 6 shows on tour, each named by their number and audiences have no idea what show they are about to see until the lights come up! This is quite an un-nerving way to watch theatre, but in the case of Show 2 it was also very rewarding. Not to give the plot away,  but Show 2 is a creative and contemporary version of an old American classic. I have to say this was quite a surprise as I was expecting a new piece of writing.

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After winning the Olivier Award in 2002 for their show Shockheaded Peter, The Tiger Lillies have continued on with their alternative cabaret style, picking up a cult following as they’ve done so. Tackling Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem, The Tiger Lillies have teamed up with visual artist Mark Holthusen to bring the multimedia extravaganza that is Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

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Adapted from the 1918 novella by Rebecca West, The Return of the Soldier follows the story of three very different women as they react to the return of Captain Christopher Baldry (Stewart Clarke), sent from the war with a severe case of shellshock. With his shellshock comes a severe case of amnesia, causing him to forget his wife Kitty (Zoe Rainey) and lust for his first love Margaret (Laura Pitt-Pulford). It is a brand new musical with music by Charles Miller and book and lyrics by Tim Sanders. This production was truly a pleasure to watch; the music was beautiful, the directing was flawless and the cast are all incredibly talented.

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We walked through the pouring rain and down a little alley to be greeted by Temple Church, its majesty emphasised by the dark and inclement weather. Ushered in, we took our seats with only the supine effigies of the Knight Templars who built the church between the stage and us. Antic Disposition chose to follow the building’s shape and place the performance in the round, the sculpted heads on the curved walls peering into the centre of the space with us. At that point, it was hard to think of a better setting for this tale of “death-mark’d love”.

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