Putting on the glitz

Gwyneth, Madonna, Matt ... They all lit up the West End in 2002, but this glittering Hollywood lustre was nothing more than fool's gold
by Benedict Nightingale
[Thanks to Lois over at Talkin'Broadway's All That Chat for pointing out this article!]

Obituary: John Gower

WITH his distinguished features and rich baritone voice, John Gower was one of the most memorable musical stars of the West End.

Television hunt for 'new Julie Andrews' By Adam Sherwin

ACTORS have called on the BBC to abandon a Pop Idol-style series in which viewers vote for a "new Julie Andrews" to star in the latest West End musical to be produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Broadcaster and critic Sheridan Morley dies

Morley, a former drama critic and writer for The Times who presented BBC radio arts programmes for more than 30 years, was found dead this morning. He was 65.

A sad last meeting with Harold Pinter by Benedict Nightingale

My encounters with a man bold in heart and mind

Harold Pinter: An impassioned artist who lost direction on the political stage by Oliver Kamm

Harold Pinter: 'The most loyal friend and generous human being' by Patrick Foster

Obituary: Jean Martin: Actor of masterful portrayals in Beckett plays

Obituary: Bill Stewart

Actor whose work ranged from groundbreaking theatre to mainstream television

Obituary: Edmund Hockridge

Singer whose commanding performances in such musicals as Carousel and The Pajama Game made him a popular West End star

Why is a skilful fake worth less than an original? by Richard Morrison

A "Schiele" or a "Shakespeare" that is good enough to fool experts surely has some artistic merit of its own

Recognition for Pinter's world - slippery and very, very English By Dalya Alberge

Highest honour for the man who made silence an art form

Pause for thought

Harold Pinter and the Nobel Prize for ...

Obituary: Mary Hayley Bell - Actress and author who supported her family in their careers and wrote the enchanting novel Whistle Down the Wind

IN A remarkable theatrical family Mary Hayley Bell tended to be overshadowed by her husband, John Mills, and their daughters, Juliet and Hayley. Yet while she was happy to fulfil the traditi…

Sound of Music debut confirms Paris as rival to London's West End by Adam Sage

The hugely popular musical will be performed for the first time in France as theatregoers swap Sartre for singalongs

Archaeologists to dig up Shakespeare's rubbish

A team of archaeologists began digging on the site of Shakespeare's last home yesterday in a search for clues that might reveal more about his life.

New Year Honours: Joan Plowright tops cast of showbusiness names by Jack Malvern

Evita returns with a real Argentinian by Richard Brooks

EVITA is going back to her roots. The lead role in a West End revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical is to be played by Elena Roger, a singer, dancer and actress and one of Arge…

Mind your step: it's a yobs' night at the theatre By Chris Hastings and Matt Wolf with additional reporting from Helen Brooks

A number of West End theatres are now employing bouncers to cope with intoxicated patrons who fight, fondle one another and even urinate in the auditorium.

Harry Towb: actor

Donald Scott

Versatile actor and singer best known as Captain von Trapp in the London production of The Sound of Music in the Sixties

Obituary: Simon Oates: actor in Doomwatch and The Avengers

Simon Oates was best known as Dr John Ridge, one of the boffins in Doomwatch (1970-72), the television series that tapped into popular concerns about the dangers surrounding the pace of scie…

Obituary: John Franklyn-Robbins: accomplished actor who loved performing in the classics

Early reviewers left baffled by shock of the new By Erica Wagner

IN MAY of 1958 we find, for the first time in The Times, mention of the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005.

Could Billy be our best musical ever? By Benedict Nightingale

IS BILLY ELLIOT as strong a musical as the British theatre has produced? That certainly was my feeling as I left the Victoria Palace...

Obituary: Derek Bond

Versatile stage and screen actor who as president of Equity clashed with the left-wing Redgraves

Kevin Spacey to run the Old Vic by Andrew Pierce

The surprise announcement, which will be supported by the theatre�s chairman, Sir Elton John, could come as soon as tomorrow.
Thanks to ragtimebaby on All That Chat for the link!

Obituary: Wendy Wasserstein

New York playwright whose warm, wry humour captured the frustrations of the liberated American woman

Obituary: Cy Grant: actor, singer and writer

With his topical calypsos on the Tonight programme, Cy Grant became one of the first black artists to appear regularly on British television.

Obituary: Moyra Fraser: actress

Nothing surprised one critic more than her appearance as Morgan le Fey in Camelot (Drury Lane, 1964).

Bring back bands by Richard Morrison
A Mancunian man has sued a stage show that used a recorded backing track rather than a real, live band. Good on him