Aleks Sierz, Author at The Theatre Times

Aleks Sierz

regional managing editor

Aleks Sierz FRSA is a British theatre critic. He is author of In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today (Faber, 2001), The Theatre of Martin Crimp (Methuen, 2006), John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (Continuum, 2008) and Rewriting the Nation: British Theatre Today (Methuen, 2011). He has also written, co-authored with Lia Ghilardi, The Time Traveller’s Guide to British Theatre: The First Four Hundred Years (Oberon, 2015). His latest book is Good Nights Out: A History of Popular British Theatre 1940–2015 (Methuen, 2019). Sierz has written for publications including Tribune, The Arts Desk and The Stage, as well as newspapers such as The Independent.

Jack Holden’s The Line of Beauty at the Almeida Theatre: A Subtle And Appealing Adaptation Of A Modern Classic 1980s Story

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 2nd Nov 2025 | London, Review, Theatre and Politics, United Kingdom

Thatcher, and the image of Thatcher’s Britain, continues to cast a long shadow over contemporary...

Tanika Gupta’s “Hedda” at the Orange Tree Theatre: A Fresh And Fascinating Reinterpretation Of A Classic Which Foregrounds The Issues Of Race And Empire

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 30th Oct 2025 | Adaptation, London, Review, Theatre and Decolonization, United Kingdom

In 2023, Malaysian actor Michelle Yeoh won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in...

Meghan Tyler’s “Crocodile Fever” at the Arcola Theatre: Northern Ireland Sisters In A Darkly Funny Anti-Patriarchal Feast Of Symbols

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 27th Oct 2025 | Ireland, Playwriting, Review, United Kingdom

Weird scenes inside the farmhouse; weird scenes in Northern Ireland; weird scenes of the 1980s....

Nick Payne’s “The Unbelievers” at the Royal Court Theatre: Latest Play By A Top New Writer Is Disappointingly Unfocused

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 26th Oct 2025 | London, Playwriting, Review, United Kingdom

The Royal Court, Britain’s premiere new writing venue, celebrates its platinum anniversary next...

James Graham’s “Punch” at the Apollo Theatre: Compelling And Emotionally Intense Account Of Restorative Justice

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 30th Sep 2025 | Documentary Theatre, Review, Theatre and Politics, United Kingdom

Broken Britain has a big problem with youth. About a million of those aged 16 to 24 are NEETs (not...

Conor McPherson’s “The Weir” at the Harold Pinter Theatre: Beautifully Acted Revival Of A 1990s New Writing Classic

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 26th Sep 2025 | Acting, Dramaturgy, London, Review, United Kingdom

Perhaps it’s an indicator of the feebleness of new writing after the pandemic that so many of the...

Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing at @Sohoplace: Moving Mixture Of Joyous Theatricality And Serious Mental Health Themes

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 23rd Aug 2025 | Playwriting, Review, United Kingdom

Slowly, very slowly, the audience begins to arrive. Taking their seats, shedding jackets,...

Jake Brunger’s Four Play at the King’s Head Theatre: Delicious Mix Of Laughter And Provocation In A Sex Comedy Of Manners

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 2nd Aug 2025 | London, Review, United Kingdom

Is there such a thing as the seven-year itch? Named after Billy Wilder’s 1955 comedy, which...

George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession at the Garrick Theatre: Slimmed Down Revival Of A Classic About The Woman Question Stars Imelda Staunton

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 6th Jul 2025 | Playwriting, Review, Theatre and Gender, United Kingdom

George Bernard Shaw is the supreme example of old writing. Maddeningly verbose, eye-poppingly...

Claire Dowie’s Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? at the Finborough Theatre: Pioneering Queer Theatre Artist Revisits Her Greatest Hits

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 19th Jun 2025 | LGBTQ+ Theatre, Review, United Kingdom

Let us always remember the pioneers. Although there is a fair amount of relatively mainstream...

Terence Rattigan’s In Praise of Love at the Orange Tree Theatre: Rarely Revived 1973 Study Of Love In A Time Of Deception

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 17th Jun 2025 | London, Review, Theatre and Politics, United Kingdom

Only the truth, we are told, can set us free — but there are times in love when the New Testament...

Conor McPherson’s The Brightening Air at the Old Vic: Wonderfully Numinous And Eccentric Account Of Family Life In 1980s Rural Ireland

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 29th Apr 2025 | Ireland, Playwriting, Review, United Kingdom

Theatre needs mystery. In the darkened auditorium, with a crowd of strangers sharing your...

Julia Grogan’s Playfight at the Soho Theatre: Superbly Punchy Teen Drama That Electrifies The Senses And Engages The Emotions

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 15th Apr 2025 | LGBTQ+ Theatre, Review, United Kingdom

Coming of age stories are more or less all the same. But what distinguishes Julia Grogan’s...

Robert Icke’s Manhunt at the Royal Court Theatre: Terrifyingly Powerful Account Of Toxic Masculinity And Murderous Rage

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 11th Apr 2025 | Documentary Theatre, Dramaturgy, Review, United Kingdom

Are we really in “a new era of male anger, societal discontent and rage”? This is what Royal Court...

Chris Fung’s “The Society for New Cuisine” at Omnibus Theatre: Exceptionally Powerful Monologue About Grief And Mental Torment

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 28th Mar 2025 | Acting, London, Review, United Kingdom

Anxiety. Apprehension. Angst even. Yes, that’s the feeling that rises in me as I come into the...

Nikoletta Soumelidis’s Spent at the Old Red Lion Theatre: Intriguing And Suggestive Exploration Of Gender Roles

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 21st Mar 2025 | London, Playwriting, Review, United Kingdom

One of the joys of contemporary playwriting is its openness to flexible casting. In Ruby Thomas’s...

Nick Payne’s One Day When We Were Young at Park Theatre: Time-Hopping Love Story Is Restrained By The Slenderness of the Plot

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 5th Mar 2025 | Acting, Playwriting, Review, United Kingdom

How long would you wait for your soulmate? In “The Demon Lover”, a short story by Elizabeth Bowen,...

Coral Wylie’s Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew at the Bush Theatre: Tender And Original Debut About The Black Queer Experience

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 26th Feb 2025 | London, Playwriting, Review, Theatre and Decolonization, United Kingdom

Diaries are dynamite — they hold secrets, and secrets can tear families apart. In Coral Wylie’s...

Laura Horton’s Lynn Faces at the New Diorama Theatre: Surreal Gig Theatre Event Explores Coercive Control Through Comedy

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 21st Feb 2025 | Playwriting, Review, Theatre and Gender, United Kingdom

British people are socially awkward: this explains why we talk about the weather, queue...

Eline Arbo’s The Years At The Harold Pinter Theatre: Nobel Prize Winner Annie Ernaux’s Book Gets A Problematic West-End Staging

Posted by Aleks Sierz | 10th Feb 2025 | Adaptation, London, Review, United Kingdom

Marketing is the new real. For many years, in theatre as elsewhere in society, the most important...