All stories by Chris Wiegand on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Cue the zombies! Night of the Living Dead remade in real time onstage by Chris Wiegand

There are more than 1,000 shots in George Romero’s classic horror movie. Can a band of actors, armed with video cameras and Barbie dolls, recreate it? A winding road. Two bickering sibling…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:03AM
Friday, January 10, 2020

Killing Eve's Emerald Fennell and Andrew Lloyd Webber create new Cinderella by Chris Wiegand

Musical will premiere in London in September with new story and ‘hugely witty’ lyrics Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has created a new version of Cinderella with Killing Eve scriptwriter E…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:54AM
Tuesday, January 7, 2020

A front-row sofa at the theatre: binging on VR fringe shows by Chris Wiegand

LIVR allows subscribers to catch up on theatre in 360-degree virtual reality. How does it compare with the fringe experience? I’m having a beer and enjoying an Edinburgh fringe show from t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:36PM
Friday, January 3, 2020

The Pixie and the Pudding review – a warm slice of seasonal family cheer by Chris Wiegand

Little Angel theatre, LondonComposer Barb Jungr and director Samantha Lane serve up a characterful take on a Scandinavian folktale, with lashings of puppetry and song There are so many Snow…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:18AM
Thursday, January 2, 2020

Me … review – Emma Dodd's plucky penguin waddles into the big world by Chris Wiegand

Little Angel Studios, LondonA chick finds its feet in this gentle puppet adaptation of the popular book, aimed at children aged two to five ‘Winter is long,” sighs the baby penguin on st…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Vault festival 2020: comedy and theatre shows to see by Chris Wiegand

London’s eight-week underground arts fest returns to Waterloo and the South Bank in January. Here’s a dozen picks to get started … James McNicholas: The Boxer30-31 January The former B…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM
Monday, December 30, 2019

Enter stage right: 12 theatre stars for 2020 by Chris Wiegand

Who will have audiences on the edge of their seats in the new year? Laurie Kynaston, Rosie Sheehy, Michelle Tiwo and Sadie Clark are among a dozen dazzling talents to watch One of the unifor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:42PM
Friday, December 20, 2019

Emilia Clarke to make West End theatre debut in The Seagull by Chris Wiegand

The Game of Thrones actor will play Nina in the adaptation by Anya Reiss, directed by Jamie Lloyd Emilia Clarke is to make her West End theatre debut in a new production of Chekhov’s The S…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:18AM
Thursday, December 19, 2019

Critics' Circle renames theatre prize to honour Michael Billington by Chris Wiegand

Guardian’s outgoing chief theatre critic ‘thrilled’ that best play award will carry his name in recognition of 48 years’ service to drama journalism A prestigious theatre award for t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM
Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Giraffes Can’t Dance review – swing of the jungle by Chris Wiegand

Curve, LeicesterAn adaptation of Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees’s bestseller loses some of the grace of the picturebook despite a moonlit acrobatic ending Author Giles Andreae and illus…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:03PM
Monday, December 16, 2019

Rapunzel review – tangled tale of a bad hair day by Chris Wiegand

The Egg, BathSome scenes sparkle in Annie Siddons’ version of the fairytale but this unruly show is as long and knotty as the heroine’s locks A wild boar squats centre stage and, much to…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:33PM
Friday, December 13, 2019

Danny Aiello obituary by Chris Wiegand

Actor who specialised in playing New York mobsters and other tough-guy rolesA former bouncer, baggage handler and trade unionist, the American actor Danny Aiello had years of playing pugnaci…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:12PM
Thursday, December 12, 2019

Squirrel review – this small wonder is full of surprises by Chris Wiegand

The Egg, BathTim Bell and Kate Cross’s remarkable production mixes Bauhaus-style designs and jazz in an irresistible treat for under-fives Glitter, sequins and fake snow are the stock ingr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36AM
Tuesday, December 10, 2019

The Tailor of Gloucester review – tabby triumphs in custom-made show by Chris Wiegand

Salisbury PlayhouseBrightly designed, this jaunty version of Beatrix Potter’s seasonal tale boasts a scene-stealing Simpkin the cat Beatrix Potter’s book about an ailing tailor tasked wi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18PM
Monday, December 9, 2019

Pull the other one! Top 10 modern Christmas cracker jokes revealed by Chris Wiegand

TV channel Gold announces the winners in a national competition for topical festive gags – can you do any better? What do Donald Trump, Santa and Olivia Colman have in common? No, it’s n…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:42PM

Oi Frog and Friends! review – a wild time for fans of rhyme by Chris Wiegand

Lyric theatre, LondonJumpy new student Frog overcomes his starting-school nerves in this exuberant musical adaptation of Kes Gray and Jim Field’s picture books Cats sit on mats, mules sit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:03AM
Monday, November 18, 2019

The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps review – fiendish verses and curses by Chris Wiegand

The Egg, BathMurray Lachlan Young and Joe Allen deliver a sinister epic about a seven-year-old who inherits his ancestral home Murray Lachlan Young is a born storyteller – even his name ha…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:36PM
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Leeds united: Northern Ballet plot knees-up for 50th anniversary by Chris Wiegand

Drew McOnie’s Merlin and Kenneth Tindall’s Geisha will mark the company’s remarkable half century, alongside digital archive ‘Years ago, when I danced, you did what you were told,”…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12PM
Sunday, November 10, 2019

Stella review – a moonlight marvel for children by Chris Wiegand

Stratford Circus Arts Centre, LondonFilskit’s theatre show for young audiences features clowning, aerial tricks and an engaging tale of friendship Here’s a set that little hands would lo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:03PM
Monday, November 4, 2019

Phoebe Eclair-Powell's Shed: Exploded View wins Bruntwood playwriting prize by Chris Wiegand

Judges praise her experimental, starkly violent play based on a Cornelia Parker installation as ‘astonishingly emotional’ Phoebe Eclair-Powell has won the 2019 Bruntwood prize for playwr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18PM
Thursday, October 31, 2019

Little Red Riding Hood review – sweet-toothed dances with Wolf by Chris Wiegand

Stanley and Audrey Burton theatre, Leeds Northern Ballet’s retelling for young children gives the baddy a craving for sugar rather than flesh Never mind the red shoes – it’s a red cap…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:03PM

Aaron Sorkin's To Kill a Mockingbird to open in West End next year by Chris Wiegand

The West Wing writer’s play will coincide with the 60th anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee’s novel The hit Broadway play of To Kill a Mockingbird, adapted by The West Wing writ…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:33AM
Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The best family theatre for Christmas 2019 by Chris Wiegand

An exciting new adventure for Tiny Tim, a penguin chick with two daddies and a furry green grouch’s plot to steal Christmas are among the jolliest shows to unwrap this festive season Scrun…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:54PM
Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Not The Nutcracker! Spellbinding dance straight from the playground by Chris Wiegand

Caroline Cornélis draws on everyday life to make elegant shows for young audiences. In 10:10, three dancers and a drummer recreate break time Shows for young audiences are frequently set in…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AM
Thursday, October 10, 2019

'We're asking the art!' The one-to-one tarot show inspired by Bauhaus by Chris Wiegand

Choreographer Jennifer Lacey explains why there is more modern art than movement in her new life-coaching piece In the basement of Nottingham Contemporary art gallery, Jennifer Lacey fans ou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:54PM
Friday, October 4, 2019

Anansi the Spider review – children's theatre with beauty and bite by Chris Wiegand

Unicorn theatre, LondonA mischievous arachnid from folklore is given fresh life in a silky show that leaves its audience charmed In one of many stories spun about Anansi, the trickster spide…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:48AM
Thursday, October 3, 2019

Boulevard theatre, London's new Soho venue, announces first shows by Chris Wiegand

State-of-the-art West End theatre opens its doors with a season including plays by Cormac McCarthy and Lucy Prebble A “novel in dramatic form” by Cormac McCarthy, a revival of Lucy Prebb…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:12AM
Wednesday, September 25, 2019

David Mitchell and Ben Elton's Upstart Crow sitcom to become stage show by Chris Wiegand

Comedian will make his West End stage debut as Shakespeare in comedy adaptation promising troubles, twins and a dancing bear Ben Elton’s sitcom Upstart Crow, which imagines the beleaguered…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The 50 best theatre shows of the 21st century by Michael Billington, Alexis Soloski, Catherine Love, Mark Fisher and Chris Wiegand

A hip-hop history lesson, a dizzy Dahl musical and a continent-hopping barbershop … we pick the finest new works of theatre since 2000 Jez Butterworth: the sage behind our No1 Continue rea…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18PM

Angelin Preljocaj: 'Dance is showing the soul with your body – it's sacred' by Chris Wiegand

The essence of dance is a ritual, says the choreographer whose seductively mysterious works embrace everything from the annunciation to the apocalypse Angelin Preljocaj is celebrated for hi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18AM
Sunday, September 15, 2019

Lit review – a blistering look at teenage trauma by Chris Wiegand

Jubilee Hall, AldeburghEve Austin is vividly volatile as a schoolgirl adrift over summer holidays in Sophie Ellerby’s slow-burning drama for HighTide Year 9 is said to be the toughest for …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:03AM