Female theatre reviewers project: Louise Penn – LouReviews (me!)

Welcome back to my series celebrating female colleagues who engage with theatre as critics, reviewers, bloggers or content creators. I am using ‘theatre’ to encompass all live arts performances, and ‘reviewer’ to cover all those who add commentary on what they see.

The master list is at: https://loureviews.blog/spotlight-on-female-theatre-reviewers-bloggers-critics-and-content-creators/

If you would like to be profiled as part of this project, please get in touch.

Today, I turn my attention to myself – my first choice for September is still AWOL, but more profiles are on the way!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre? 

I have always enjoyed watching theatre shows. I used to come down to London every year; I would catch 8 shows in one week in Stratford-upon-Avon, and when I lived in Yorkshire in the 90s, I was spoiled for choice with the venues and shows there.

I started reviewing when the London Theatre Bloggers started in 2011, but it was only a hobby until I stopped working at my day job in 2019. That’s when I really ramped up my attendance at shows. I’m a Gen X woman with an academic library background. 

If you have your own platform, when did it start and how did you come up with the name? If you write for one or many platforms, which was the first and how did you become involved with it? 

I decided that LouReviews represented both me and what I was doing at the time. Now I run interviews as well, and occasional news items, but the name still seems ok.

I joined the teams at Broadway World UK – still there! – and North West End UK in 2020, during lockdown. I have recently started writing for Plays International and The Reviews Hub (films only), but the only paid reviewing I have done so far was for the now-closed Musicals magazine. 

What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas? 

I have a wide taste. I love and support fringe shows of all types. I love classic and new plays, and classic and new musicals. However, I know I can’t possibly see everything so I choose more carefully with bigger shows I would like to cover.

I am not interested in ‘star power’ for its own sake, although of course, I have favourite performers I have been following for more than 30 years in some cases.  

I review across London when it is safe and easy to do so in terms of travel and timing. I tend to gravitate towards female-led and LGBTQIA+ shows, but not exclusively, and I review dance, opera, music, circus, comedy, cabaret, and children’s shows as well as theatre. 

How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other?). 

I am a reviewer and critic. I do occasionally do some video content, but it isn’t a space I am totally comfortable with, and the follow-like algorithms seem harsh on some platforms. I have no wish to be considered an influencer.

Why do you continue to engage with theatre? 

Because I love everything about it.  Not just live theatre – although there is nothing like it – but also filmed theatre, theatre created for digital formats, or movie musicals/plays. My job is to shine a spotlight on what’s going on in those spaces and the people who are performing there.

What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform? 

Transparency and honesty from PRs. It’s time-consuming enough responding to invites, pitching to review shows or run content, etc. When PRs gaslight, ghost, or simply will not send releases to you on time, it damages what should be a mutually beneficial professional relationship. Not all are like this, of course – but some definitely are. 

Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)? 

My all-time favourite show was the original version of Les Misérables. In terms of plays, I have been consistently moved by productions of The Crucible. A more modern choice would be the musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 

In terms of shows I disliked, I found Hamilton over-hyped and The Lion King extremely weak after the opening number. The three shows I disliked the most were Knights of the Rose at the Arts, Dusty at Charing Cross, and wonder.land at the National Theatre. Absolute turkeys each and every one. 

The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why? 

I have followed Emma at Love London Love Culture, Stacey at Rev Stan’s Theatre Blog, Elaine at Theatre and Arts Reviews, and Maryam at Cultural Capital and The Reviews Hub for several years.  I like Mica Blackwell at I Am Not A Theatre Snob as well as Ellie Talks Theatre over on YouTube. I am happy to consider all these women friends as well as colleagues, and they all bring something different to the critical space. It’s a good community, generally, and we do all talk to each other. 

What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it? 

A rise in the reliance on the number of followers and activity on social networks. Not always a good thing, and it causes an amount of competition even if you don’t consciously think it does. It isn’t necessarily about the quality of the writing anymore – high star ratings are often what is sought to promote a show rather than a more nuanced appraisal.

I try to keep up with as many reviewers as I can, but there has been a sharp increase since the pandemic, and it is not always easy. Also, reviewers who sell tickets to shows is a growing trend. 

And which social networks are you most active on? If you are not on any, what is your opinion of their place in theatre reviewing/content creation? 

I am on them all but most active on Instagram, and I have been trying to do a bit more on TikTok, which seems to gain more views than Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. I try to be aware of these spaces even if I don’t engage regularly enough to gain masses of followers. 

Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos? 

My most-viewed review was for one of the digital theatre shows produced in lockdown, In Pieces. Most recently, Oh Mary! at the Trafalgar Theatre got the most views.  Personally, I would nominate this one – https://loureviews.blog/2024/11/21/theatre-review-the-unseen-riverside-studios/  

How can people contact you who want to promote a show? 

Instagram DMs or by email at louise@loureviews.blog.