Love Is Only Love ★★★★★ The Other Palace | Apr 29 - May 15, 2022


Are the answers to love and life to be found in the film Hello Dolly? This and other vital questions are all answered in this charming, feel-good musical about a young man growing up gay and searching for love. This is a story as simple and sweet as that of an old-style Broadway musical, and the usual conflict and trauma of the gay bildungsroman are absent. The power of Love Is Only Love comes from its humour, its resonance with many gay peoples' experience, and some superb performances. Sam, played by Sam Harrison grows up in a home that accepts his sexual orientation, but that doesn't mean that life is without anxiety or that the search for romance is free of complication. Harrison is incredibly likeable and does a terrific job of making us believe in his character. It is not easy for an adult to play a child credibly, and Harrison's dance performance as the young Sam is simply perfect. He radiates pride in his childlike attempts, and when we laugh it is never at him. Similarly David Seadon-Young is excellent as Marc & Everyone Else. He amazingly manages to individuate a series of characters and also does a very credible tap dance in trainers. If we had any quibble with the show, it was the awkward intrusion of a gentle political rant in its midst. It was unnecessary and broke the mood because it didn't trust the narrative to make the audience feel and acknowledge those truths on their own. Nevertheless, this is terrific show that rings with those values of exuberance, resilience and romance that make classic Broadway musicals the guidebook to modern gay life.

Rated: ★★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Manuel Harlan.

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 12 Palace St, London SW1E 5BJ, UK

Most Popular

Now You See Me Live ★★★★ London Coliseum | Jul 31 - Sep 6, 2026

Image
Now You See Me , the 2013 heist thriller about four illusionists known as the Four Horsemen, combined magic, mystery and action as its central characters staged elaborate robberies under the cover of spectacular live performances. The film has now inspired a stage show that brings together some of the world's leading magicians. They include French illusionist Enzo Weyne, who specialises in large-scale illusions, Italian escape artist Andrew Basso, inspired by Harry Houdini, Canadian magician Gabriella Lester, whose act combines sleight of hand and escapes, and British mentalist Matthew Pomeroy, known for mind reading and interactive performances. In a production showcasing the breadth of modern magic, this world-class quartet is joined by Britain's Got Talent performers Eden Choi and Rafferty Coope, alongside hypnotist Fraser Penman. Aimed at audiences aged five and above, Now You See Me makes for a thoroughly enjoyable family outing, while delivering enough skill, spectacle ...
Full Details »

Summer Exhibition 2026 ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Jun 16 - Aug 23, 2026

Image
The theme of the 258th Summer Exhibition, “Interconnectedness,” makes tracing links between the works on display both a fascinating and at times overwhelming experience. While this year’s works on view appear to contain less overt political commentary and fewer instances of humour than is often typical of such events, both are still present in striking moments. Tim Shaw’s powerful portrayal of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Pin It On Them (Associated Artwork From the Installation: Shut It Piggy) (555) can be juxtaposed with the playful absurdity of Joey Rutherford’s Pickle With a Pearl Earring (1110) , reminding viewers of the range of tones running through the exhibition. Alongside these, there are the usual charming animal representations, including our favourite, the highly realistic cat in Thus Regard Palmerston (793) , as well as the standard attempts to shock and provoke, such as Tracey Emin’s There Is An End To Everything (674) . The collection continues to move between cur...
Full Details »

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Cats ★★★★ Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | Jul 25 - Sep 19, 2026

Image
T. S. Eliot's whimsical poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats was published in 1939. More than four decades later, Andrew Lloyd Webber transformed most of its poems into Cats , which premiered in 1981 and became a theatrical phenomenon, running for 21 years in the West End and 18 on Broadway. Eliot's poems introduce an eccentric gallery of feline characters including Jennyanydots, The Rum Tum Tugger, Bustopher Jones, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, Gus the Theatre Cat, Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, Growltiger, Macavity and Mr Mistoffelees. Lloyd Webber and director Trevor Nunn fashioned a slender narrative around them, introducing the outcast Grizabella, who does not appear in Eliot's collection, and giving her the now iconic song "Memory." The story centres on the annual Jellicle Ball, where the elderly Old Deuteronomy gathers the tribe to celebrate each cat through song and dance before choosing one to be reborn into a new Jellicle life. Narr...
Full Details »

Death Note: The Musical ★★★★ Barbican Theatre | Jul 30 - Sep 12, 2026

Image
Calling all manga mavens and animé aficionados! Death Note returns in a full-scale production, pitting Light and L against each other on a spectacular set designed by Jon Bausor. Following successful runs in Japan and Korea, and a London concert version in 2023, the production arrives with two new numbers written especially for it. The story of a schoolboy and a super sleuth locked in a battle of wits after the former discovers a notebook that allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes in it has been streamlined from its original manga version, but the essentials remain. Questions of law versus justice, whether the ends can ever justify the means, and the corrupting influence of power are deftly woven into the cat-and-mouse game between the two protagonists. All this unfolds against the existential questions raised by the shinigami, or death gods, and their intervention in human affairs. The absorbing story moves at a brisk pace, while Frank Wildhorn’s score brings considerable de...
Full Details »

The Comedy About Spies ★★★★★ Adelphi Theatre | Aug 1 - Sep 26, 2026

Image
At the height of the Cold War, there was no business like the spy business, and now The Comedy About Spies has returned to the West End to deliver another brilliantly bonkers send-up of our enduring fascination with James Bond and his cinematic counterparts. The plot, such as it is, revolves around thwarting a double agent intent on delivering plans for a secret doomsday weapon to the Soviets. But there is little need to worry about the fate of the free world. This spoof about spooks is a gloriously wacky farce, with CIA, KGB and MI6 agents racing around a hotel where an earnest young baker is planning to propose to his girlfriend and a hapless actor is preparing to audition for the role that Sean Connery made his own. The silliness is relentless, with gags flying thick and fast. The puns are outrageously groan worthy, while the cast’s physical comedy is superb. Every performance hits the mark, but Chris Leask is a particular delight as the backstory obsessed Sergei Ivanov, while Henr...
Full Details »

Here Comes J. Edgar! A Comedy Musical ★★★★ King's Head Theatre | Jul 10 - Aug 16, 2026

Image
In 1994, writer Harry Shearer, best known for The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap , joined forces with Tom Leopold of Cheers and Seinfeld to create a radio satire about J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial director of the FBI for almost fifty years. Hoover became notorious for allegedly blackmailing successive presidents to secure his position, refusing to investigate organised crime in the United States, and relentlessly cultivating his own public image. Behind the façade of the fearless crime-fighting anti-communist crusader, however, lay a secret life, including a long-term relationship with fellow FBI agent Clyde Tolson and the enduring stories surrounding the famous photograph of Hoover in drag. Hoover was also a gambler associated with various mobsters. This is material ripe for satire, and Shearer and Leopold have the impeccable comic credentials to tackle it. For Here Comes J. Edgar! A Comedy Musical  they are joined by the award-winning composer Peter Matz, whose score pl...
Full Details »

Tao of Glass ★★★★★ @sohoplace | Jul 25 - Sep 12, 2026

Image
Phelim McDermott has created a richly theatrical meditation on his relationship with Philip Glass and the composer's music. The show begins with anecdotes about McDermott's attempts to create a production with Glass and Maurice Sendak based on the latter's In the Night Kitchen , before widening into reflections on the artistic and spiritual journey that followed. First published in 1970, In the Night Kitchen tells the story of Mickey, a young boy who tumbles into a surreal dream world. In retrospect, the tale can be seen as a metaphor for McDermott's own immersion in Glass's music, a journey he explores through the lens of Arnold Mindell's Processwork, or deep democracy. Mindell's model can be visualised as a cone comprising levels of experience, from Consensus Reality, our everyday consciousness, through Dreamland, the realm of feelings, symbols, and dreams, to the Essence Level, the deepest state of awareness, where distinctions dissolve into a primal sen...
Full Details »

I’m Every Woman - The Chaka Khan Musical ★★★ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre | Jul 22 - Sep 27, 2026

Image
With a career spanning five decades and more than 70 million records sold, Chaka Khan is a legend. From her years with Rufus, which produced classics such as "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing" and "Ain't Nobody," to solo hits including "I'm Every Woman," "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire," her catalogue is packed with songs that have become part of the soundtrack of popular music. Add a life shaped by family turmoil, political activism, destructive relationships and addiction, and the ingredients for a compelling musical are all there. Her music provides the soundtrack, her life supplies the drama. On paper, it is an irresistible combination. The show opens with real promise. Chaka confronts her family in a rehabilitation therapy session, attempting to reckon with the addiction that has shaped so much of her life. It is a bold, emotionally charged beginning that suggests this will be far more than a conventio...
Full Details »

Abigail’s Party ★★★★★ Harold Pinter Theatre | Aug 12 - Sep 19, 2026

Image
Mike Leigh's acerbic 1977 comedy about the social aspirations and spiritual emptiness of British suburbia gets a first-rate resurrection in this new production, directed by Nadia Fall. The dark parallel between the unseen Abigail and her unbridled teenage revels and the concealed marital tensions and clandestine sexuality that pervade Beverly's pretentious soirée is neatly drawn. The setting is a masterclass in period detail. Peter McKintosh's terrific set, crammed with furnishings and status symbols, creates a claustrophobic world in which every ornament, glass and canapé becomes a badge of social standing. His costumes are equally telling, capturing the fashions and ambitions of a Britain caught between old-fashioned respectability and the new consumer culture. This is Beverly's evening, and Tamzin Outhwaite makes the most of it. She wrings laughs from the most straightforward line, deploying a repertoire of expansive gestures and imperious glances. She dominates the ...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings