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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Bruce Dessau's rating
Reader rating
This charming man: Lenny Henry has returned to crowd-pleasing form
Lenny Henry's last show, So Much Things To Say, marked a significant departure for the enduring comedy veteran. Directed by Complicite's Simon McBurney, it linked jokes with serious character pieces.
Some liked it, but I felt Henry was moving away from the crowdpleasing stand-up which is his strongest suit, so it is gratifying to see that he has returned to it here.
Characters still pop up in Where You From? but feel like supporting players, not stars.
Here is Lister, the well-observed Caribbean corner-shop owner complaining about his petrol station rival, there is Lister's wife Rachel, bemoaning their tepid marriage.
Meanwhile, their son Daniel is back in Basra, watching the bodybags pile up. This was admittedly a warm-up for the tour, but the gear change from masterful patter to Iraq polemics was decidedly clunky.
Henry was far more imposing as himself, animatedly recalling his Dudley roots, revealing an unlikely sideline as an emergency page boy and, echoing Ricky Gervais's current set, tackling the perils of celebrity.
When he visits the cinema with Dawn French he hates phones ringing and can't complain in case they say: "The Vicar of Dibley's bodyguard is a bit touchy." Best was an inspired parody of Python's Four Yorkshiremen, portraying his siblings' childhoods as a series of increasingly surreal beatings.
At heart this is an old-fashioned act, right down to the Tommy Cooper impression, singalong, corny public jokes on video and cobwebbed audience banter: "Married 23 years? you'd be out by now if you committed murder."
Apart from his claiming to be Madonna's latest adoptee and a clever critique of the BNP, the gags could have been penned in 1987. Yet this stalwart gets away with it by sheer force of personality.
Charm goes a long way in comedy and luckily Lenny has it to burn.
• Touring. Information: www.lennyhenry.com
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
