Oxford's oldest student newspaper

Independent since 1920

Theatre

Review: Moth – ‘An unabashed, piercing piece of theatre’  

An acute attention to detail marks Moth as a standout in the world of student theatre.

Review: Endgame – ‘Nothing is funnier than unhappiness’

The play invites us to laugh at our powerlessness in the face of an apocalyptic fate.

Review: NUTS – ‘a harrowing portrait of deceit and desire’

NUTS works in its ability to keep the audience on edge, waiting for the delicately thin emotional facades the characters have built to come crashing down. 

Ovid meets modern identities in Sap

This will certainly be a loose retelling of Ovid’s Daphne and Apollo, but a dutiful one nonetheless.

Review: Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Oxford Playhouse – “Nic Rackow is revelatory” 

This new production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a glamorous, engrossing period drama, showing at the Oxford Playhouse, is elevated by its stars into one of the great shows of the year. 

Lights, camera, Liaisons

It will undoubtedly be the one of the most all-out, technically spectacular shows that Oxford student drama has seen in a long time.

‘Glitz, glamour, pizzazz’: In conversation with The Great Gatsby

This weekend, I sat down with Mina Moniri and Peter Todd, the co-writing/co-directing duo of a brand-spanking new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Dame Maggie Smith’s Oxford beginnings, from Mansfield to McGonagall

Now nearly a month since the news of the actress’ death, aged 89, we can reflect on Smith’s extraordinary career and her connections to the city that started it all. 

Oxford’s Alternotives take the Fringe

This August, the Oxford Alternotives joined the ranks of Oxford performers heading to the Edinburgh Fringe. For our twelfth Fringe performance, we brought a...

Queen’s garden play review: ‘If you are a fan of the film you would have loved this theatrical rendition’

Honestly, I was more than happy to be spending my hungover Saturday relishing in the summer heat whilst watching Queen’s garden play last weekend...

Blindness review: ‘Unique first-person experience’

Blindness is performed entirely via sound, forgoing expectations of a traditional stage set and impressing the audience with its skillful immersion. The play is...

The Oxford Imps Game Show (Live) review: ‘If improv is risky, here you’re in safe hands’

The Oxford Imps Game Show was both hilarious and wacky, the two hosts playing with improvisation extremely well.

Arcadia by Christ Church Dramatic Society review: ‘Mad, bad and brilliant to watch’

“The best prophet of the future is the past” – Byron In the sweet-preserved garden behind Christ Church Cathedral there stands a table decked with...

Romeo and Juliet review: ‘Seamless and brilliantly acted’

If he was trying to build tension then Jamie Lloyd does it well, because I couldn't wait for the play to start. By the time I found my seat I was practically shaking with excitement (and a slight twinge of fear for what was in store). 

The Knight of the White Moon review: ‘Mirth, romance, and mediaevalesque larks’

Tactically leaving the Summer VIII’s races early as the women's Div I race came to an exciting close (up the House), Pimm’s still in...

The Two Gentlemen of Verona review: ‘Theatrical rom-com’

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is almost always referred to as one of Shakespeare’s ‘early’ plays: an apologetic slant which does the play no...

The Two Gentlemen of Verona review: ‘A hilarious modern take’

It was, then, a testament to this commitment that the performance was as good as it was. The production was a hilarious modern take on Shakespeare’s comedy, with several scenes updated, modified, or introduced entirely for this play.

The Human Body review: ‘A Socialist exploration of healthcare and romance’

I recently attended my first production at the Donmar (https://cherwell.org/2024/01/24/review-of-tennant-as-macbeth-an-auditory-experience/ - shameless self plug!) and fell in love with the energy of the space...

Long Day’s Journey Into Night review

I walked into the Wyndham Theatre’s production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill half-expecting a night at the London Theatre like...

An Enemy of the People review: ‘Tragic but thought provoking’

Ibsen has re-entered the drama scene with the current production of his classic play An Enemy of the People at the Duke of York...

“Extremely vulnerable”: Review of The Sun King

It is difficult to imagine the stiflingly intimate space of the Burton Taylor transformed into a wide beach overlooking the expanse of the sea:...

The Oxford Revue: A Room with Revue

'a simple and clever production which ranks as one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen all year'

Dynamic, Chaotic and Physical: Review of Frantic Assembly’s Metamorphosis

"Frantic Assembly takes on a new challenge, taking a decades old Kafka novel, The Metamorphosis, and putting it to the stage in their signature physical theatre style."

Julius Caesar at the TS Eliot Review: ‘Mature and Intelligent’

"From start to finish, it was a show filled with excellent performances from leading cast members."

Follow us