Nick Curtis is The Standard’s chief theatre critic, co-host of the Standard Theatre Podcast, a feature writer and an award winning interviewer. Although he has written predominantly for the Standard for three decades his work has also appeared in most major English newspapers and magazines from Radio Times to Tatler to GQ....
ABOUTVIEW
Nick Curtis is The Standard’s chief theatre critic, co-host of the Standard Theatre Podcast, a feature writer and an award winning interviewer. Although he has written predominantly for the Standard for three decades his work has also appeared in most major English newspapers and magazines from Radio Times to Tatler to GQ.
Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche — 'I wanted to look good for her'
They’ve been friends for 30 years — now Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes are reprising their on-screen romance in a retelling of the greatest epic of them all: the Odyssey
Uncle Vanya at the Orange Tree Theatre: Quietly devastating
The veteran director and former head of the National and RSC’s first staging of this classic is worth the wait
Nye at the National Theatre: Michael Sheen triumphs against the odds
The Welsh actor’s charisma gets this playfully earnest show over the line
The Lonely Londoners, Jermyn Street: a bold and timely Windrush drama
The show crams seven characters, a large swathe of social history and a lot of rage, pride and hurt onto the tiny stage
The Duchess of Malfi at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse: a bracing revival
An atmospheric production that brings out Jacobean playwright John Webster’s savage poetry and bleak world vision
The Human Body at the Donmar: impressive stage return for Keeley Hawes
The leads are superb in this story about the early days of the NHS but the unfocused play is in need of some medical attention
Nachtland at the Young Vic: a thorny issue, clumsily addressed
Marius von Mayenburg’s play about greed and anti-semitism is unsubtle and unresolved
Shifters at the Bush: an almost perfect bittersweet rom-com
This is a fresh and delightful romantic drama, beautifully written and acted
The Big Life at the Theatre Royal Stratford East: a real crowd pleaser
This timely revival is a big-hearted, joyful piece of work
Hir at the Park: Felicity Huffman is forceful and bitterly comic
Seeing the American actor up close is a delight, though the play’s arch, studied madness does become overwhelming
Hadestown at the Lyric: catchy score – shame about the meandering show
It’s hard to see why this musical by folk singer Anaïs Mitchell inspires such devotion among musical theatre audiences
An Enemy of the People: Matt Smith's casual charisma nearly carries it
Thomas Ostermeier’s production starts well and has great performances, but it descends into tiresome ranting
The makers of Six on global success and new show Why Am I So Single?
Plus, the shows to get excited about in 2024...
Double Feature at Hampstead Theatre: Hitchcock play fails to thrill
For a play that’s also about truth in art, it feels downright phony throughout
King Lear at the Almeida: Danny Sapani's bear-like king reigns supreme
At 53, the actor’s a young Lear, but he delivers a forceful, moving rendition of the doomed monarch
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Haymarket: all hail Sarah Snook
Morphing from character to character, it’s a virtuoso performance from the Succession star
Dear Octopus at the National Theatre: incurably quaint and dated
This gently witty revival of Dodie Smith’s play rarely provokes more than a wry smile
The Hills of California at the Harold Pinter: A flawed masterpiece
This new work by the writer of Jerusalem and The Ferryman is a strange and enthralling family saga
Metamorphosis at the Lyric: a meandering take on Kafka's classic
The production fosters a potent sense of unease, but the mood is relentless and unvarying
