Thursday 22nd January 2026

Theatre

A noble mind o’erthrown: ‘Hamlet’ at the National Theatre

This month, Hamlet returns to the stage in a new production soon to be released on National Theatre Live, following its staging last autumn.  

Lighthouse Productions on ‘Lemons’

The team outlined the vision for their debut production: a political, surrealist piece of contemporary theatre.

‘Songs, skits, and a third thing beginning with S’: Jack McMinn in conversation

If there’s one thing I believe Oxford’s theatre scene is missing, it’s a button-down-shirt-wearing ex-zoology student with a penchant for writing songs about Pret A Manger.

‘Beautifully we may rot’: ‘Madame La Mort’ in review

In a small, black-painted room on the top floor of a pub in Islington, known as The Hope Theatre, Madame La Mort was staged for the public for the first time.

The writer behind ‘The Writer’

Tucked away in a room at Worcester College, I sat in on a rehearsal of Ella Hickson’s The Writer (2018), which Fennec Fox Productions...

‘Love in the face of hate’: A closer look at ‘Blood Wedding’

Emma Nihill Alcorta is the director of a new adaptation of the Spanish masterpiece Blood Wedding, running at the Oxford Playhouse. With flamenco rhythms and...

Duplicity, infidelity and loyalty in ‘Crocodile Tears’

“An Italian summer romance that goes wrong” – this is how Crocodile Tears was first pitched to me by its writer, Natascha Norton, when...

Review: The Great Gatsby – ‘Indulge the extravaganza’

Sophia Eiden’s production of Simon Levy’s script of The Great Gatsby is an undoubted triumph. I was, if only for a moment, transported back...

Review: Troilus and Cressida – ‘A missed opportunity to appeal to the brain rot generation’

Having heard on the grapevine (and even receiving word from the producer himself) about Troilus and Cressida falling victim to a last-minute casting upheaval,...

CRUSH preview: ‘A chaotic scramble through the teenage years’

I sat down with Hannah Eggleton, Director & Writer of CRUSH, to talk power, performance, and the making of her debut full-length play, premiering...

Telling stories about telling stories: Previewing ‘The Antipodes’

In a windowless room in an abstract part of Oriel, I sat in on a rehearsal for Annie Baker’s The Antipodes (2018), on at...

Review: Suddenly Last Summer – ‘Cannibalism, love, and lobotomies’

This week at the Burton Taylor Studio, a new rendition of Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer is a feast for the eyes and the...

Recorded theatre: The oxymoron of the prerecorded-live production

"Are we witnessing the downfall of the priority of ‘LIVE’ theatre?"

Playing with history: How does theatre shape our past?

"There is nothing more fascinating than a good historical drama; something about a true story that packs that extra punch."

Review: Closer – ‘Where Marber fails’

Labyrinth Production’s staging of Patrick Marber’s 1997 play, Closer, was an ambitious move for a student-run production company. Ambitious as it was, the cast...

Review: JACK – ‘Gas-lit showstoppers, intrigue, and murder’

Jack The Ripper is arguably the most famous killer of the Victorian era. There is a fanatical fascination with his case. He is a...

Review: Death of a Salesman – ‘The Inside of His Head’

To review Tiptoe Productions’ staging of Death of a Salesman, I must first contextualise my biases as a reviewer. By no means do I...

Oxford’s summer scene: The season of open-air performances

Trinity term at Oxford University is defined by wisteria, wild swimming, and warmth. Students find themselves torn between revelling in weather that is finally...

Review: An Anthology of Pairs – ‘Two’s a Party’

There’s a particular theatrical magic that comes from two people simply talking in a room. No stage tricks, no elaborate plot devices – just...

‘So Far, So Good’ and redefining the spotlight

So Far, So Good is a student-written, student-performed play that is shaking up the conventions of Oxford’s student theatre. From its ambitious staging (think...

Review: As You Like It – ‘What’s not to like?’

At last, the sun is coming out to play, and the Mansfield Players’ staging of As You Like It has given this summer’s outdoor...

Review: And Then There Were None – ‘Entertaining, suspenseful and very much worth your attention’

Hafeja Khanam’s take on Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery And Then There Were None for this year’s OUDS BAME showcase was entertaining, suspenseful and...

Review: 113 – ‘An elusive, intangible, and shifting reality’

When I entered the Burton Taylor Studio to the sound of a mildly haunting cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’, the whispered-yet-screechy vocals verging...

A ‘Closer’ look at intimacy in Labyrinth’s new production

Labyrinth Production’s upcoming production of Patrick Marber’s Closer is a novel step up in the kinds of physical and emotional intensity that the Oxford...

Follow us