The pink neon ladder heading ever upwards is a visual cue to the USP of what turns out to be a timely, thought-provoking revival of a satirical musical, that is very much of the moment. The title refers to a handy little self-help…
Father/daughter duo Victoria and Todd Buchholz – the former a singer-songwriter, the latter a best-selling author, inventor and senior White House economic adviser – have collaborated on this exciting new musical. It tells the story of the wartime rescue missions undertaken by Italian…
This original comedy from Canadian Jewish playwright Jason Sherman opens in the classroom of young Hebrew school teacher Rachel Benjamin, where she’s in trouble for her even-handedness over the need for a two-state solution in Israel. But while tackling disputatious parents of pupils…
Everything we do is a process that involves some concession and compromise. That’s the premise of this brave collaboration by Israeli ambassador and Middle East peace negotiator Daniel Taub and writer/producer Dan Patterson (Mock the Week), with narration by TV presenter Clive…
The American Jewish writer Lillian Hellman may have written this edgy exploration of American responses to World War II back in 1941, but this spot-on revival has certainly found its moment. The play opens in 1940, in the elegant Washington DC home of the Farrelly family…
The small room above a busy pub in Islington is the perfect setting for Springbok Production’s monologue-style hour, in which protagonist Josh Sher portrays the highs (literally), lows and in-between’s of being gay and Jewish in today’s society. Viewers watch Josh (played by writer Josh…
At first sight, 12:37 is perhaps a puzzling name for a play. It refers to the precise minute on 22 July 1946, when the bombing of the King David Hotel by Jewish activists killed 91 people of many nationalities. The response to the bombers’ warnings to evacuate the area was – fatally…
The dark oppressiveness of 17th century Salem is conveyed the moment you step into the auditorium for the National Theatre’s revival of Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible. On all three sides of the Olivier’s stage, a curtain of water pours in a continuous, heavy stream. On and on it flows…
It was back in summer 2020 when I first got excited about the revival of Good by Glasgow-born Jewish playwright CP Taylor. David Tennant plays the quasi-title role of this story of "how a ‘good’ man gets caught up in the nightmare of the Third Reich”, as Taylor himself described what he…
The beauty of the European premiere of this multi-award-winning Broadway musical is partly down to the intimacy of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre – a small gem in the heart of the West End. For as its modest strapline suggests, the musical adaptation of the highly successful 2007 film…