It was a busy year throughout 2022 for LouReviews, with us able to support shows both large and small.
With more than 200 reviews plus around 50 shows watched and paid for, we caught the best of what London’s theatre had to offer.
July – September
Summer 2022 was dominated by two festivals of fringe theatre and emerging companies in Camden (real-life and digital work) and Edinburgh (digital only).
Elsewhere ill health meant quite a few press bookings needed to be cancelled at favourite venues, but we still managed to cover quite a few different shows across the capital.
Shows not reviewed
Exceptional
Fashion Freak Show (Roundhouse) – note, this was a review I had to drop – Jean-Paul Gautier’s fashion show and musical biography was an experience not to be missed.
Walking With Ghosts (Apollo Theatre) – after catching a Zoom show with Gabriel Byrne promoting his book in 2021, seeing him perform it as a solo stage show was a no-brainer. A brave and honest, yet humorous, look at a career and a life worth telling.
Very good
101 Dalmatians (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park). Douglas Hodge’s musical was charming and wickedly cute. I loved it.
The Cher Show (Birmingham Hippodrome) – we’ll be reviewing this when it comes to Wimbledon in 2023, but it was a fun jukebox show in the mould of Tina or Beautiful.
Good
Dance of Death (Arcola Theatre). Hilton MacRae and Lindsay Duncan tackled part one of this acidic comedy and provided an acting tour de force.
Regenerate the Musical (digital). Songs you rarely hear were the order of the day in this one-night only YouTube concert.
Fair
The Capulets and the Montagues (Red Bull, digital). Another online reading from the American company proved a quirky use of Zoom.
Shows reviewed
Exceptional
Wasteman (Camden Fringe)
Growing Up Ringside (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Very good
A Night at the Kabuki (Sadler’s Wells)
Lysistrata (Lyric Hammersmith Studio)
Rehab the Musical (Playground Theatre)
Diva – Live From Hell (Turbine Theatre)
One Day in Wonderland (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Menopause Party (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Lost and Found (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Lil Saffron – Ragu to Riches (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
The Hippie Shakes (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
The End of the Night (Original Theatre, digital)
How To Be a Better Human (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Dickin’ Around (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Boy Crazy Psycho Slut (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Becoming Austin Nation (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Call Mr Robeson (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Malone Dies (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Just an Ordinary Lawyer (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Alternate Endings (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
The Little Glass Slipper (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Willy’s Lil Virgin Queen (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Finding Magic (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Ordinary (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Little Parts Hunts a Baby Daddy (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Adventures of an Old C**t (Camden Fringe)
Miles (Original Theatre, digital)
Puncture the Screen – Who We Are and Where We Come From (digital)
Good
Scene Unseen (English Touring Opera, digital)
The Prince (Southwark Playhouse)
Stumped (Original Theatre, digital)
Post Sex Spagbol (The Space, digital)
Help! We Are Still Alive! (Seven Dials Playhouse)
A Comedy of Errors (Walpole Park)
Sunny Makes a Scene (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Cells, season 2 (Metta Theatre, digital)
Odds On (digital)
DYAD – Rise and Set (digital)
The Calligrapher (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
The Film Club (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Muses (The Space, digital)
The Brontes – a Musical (The Space, digital)
The Severing Sword (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
A Two Woman Hamlet (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Being Frank (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Outside the Gate (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
The Queen’s Knickers (Arts Theatre)
Boiling Frog (Camden Fringe, digital)
Tikkun Olam (Original Theatre, digital)
Memories of Over-Development (digital)
Tree Confessions (Greater Manchester Fringe, digital)
Pet Dick (Jarrott Productions, digital)
The Fall (Original Theatre, digital)
Puncture the Screen – Data Driven Film Festival (digital)
Peer (Lee Campbell, digital)
Puncture the Screen – Keep the Lights On (digital)
Retribution Day (digital)
Fair
Audrey’s Art Club (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Unlimited Festival (digital)
The Osmonds (New Wimbledon Theatre)
Mrs Green (Camden Fringe)
Shakespeare’s Aliens (digital)
The Rodney Buzzard Tapes (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Hoops and Hookups (Camden Fringe)
Hey, You (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Antennae (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Am I Alone? John K. (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
The Late Harness Rebellion (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Puncture the Screen – Malper (digital)
Disappointing
The Snail House (Hampstead Theatre)
Enigma Birds (Camden Fringe, digital)
Glimmer of a Rainbow (Edinburgh Fringe, digital)
Tiddler & Other Terrific Tales (Cadogan Hall)
Wow, it sounds like 2022 was a really exciting year for LouReviews! It’s great to see that you were able to support such a diverse range of shows, from large to small. I’m sure it was a lot of hard work, but it’s always rewarding to be able to contribute to the arts and entertainment industry. I’m looking forward to seeing what LouReviews has in store for the future!