Friday, September 18, 2015
Lyttelton, LondonA shortened version of the acclaimed Bristol Old Vic production has much to admire, but inevitably loses the fine detail of the great novelAcclaimed last year at the Bristol…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:10AMThursday, September 17, 2015
Harold Pinter Theatre, LondonKristin Scott Thomas and Lia Williams are currently alternating the two female roles in Harold Pinter's 1971 play with Rufus Sewell as the man in the middle. The…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:38PMBush, LondonTanya Ronder’s play probes the clash between corporate career and private conscience via one conflicted familyYou can’t accuse the British theatre of ignoring climate change:…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:10AMTuesday, September 15, 2015
Adelphi, LondonFrom Cyndi Lauper’s score to impressive lead performances, this winsome men-in-frocks show puts its best foot forwardThis theatre seems to be specialising in factory-set mus…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:15PMWatching dramatisations of Chekhov’s early short stories, Michael Billington finds the writer sketching out his caustic portrait of the Russian character – complete with drunken fisherme…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:45AMMonday, September 14, 2015
Noël Coward theatre, London Anna Ziegler’s new play asserts the contribution of 1950s chemist Rosalind Franklin to the discovery of DNA and asks: is science still sexist?You could hardly …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:44PMOld Vic, LondonEverything that art can do to boost this revival of Tennessee Williams's 1959 play has been done. Marianne Elliott's production is first-rate. The cast, led by Kim Cattrall, i…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12PMSunday, September 13, 2015
Aldeburgh, Suffolk Ninth time round, the festival showcases three impeccable new plays using sharp writing to deal with testing topicsNow in its ninth year and transferred from Halesworth to…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:26AMFriday, September 11, 2015
He was one of Britain's most shocking, uncompromising playwrights. Then he fell out of favour. But now Edward Bond is back. He grants Michael Billington a rare interview'I'm an extremist,&qu…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:42PMThursday, September 10, 2015
Old Vic, London Tamsin Oglesby’s play dissecting the British education system packs a punch yet still has fun in the playgroundMatthew Warchus begins an ambitious, eight-play first season …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:09PMWednesday, September 9, 2015
Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughThe playwright directs a well-acted and ruefully comic view of marital breakdown, mayhem and murderGiven that this is Alan Ayckbourn’s 79th play, it is h…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:41AMTuesday, September 8, 2015
Orange Tree, RichmondA rare revival of Sharman Macdonald’s quietly haunting play reveals uncomfortable truths about the oppressiveness of family life and sexual attitudes in wartime Scotla…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:49AMMonday, September 7, 2015
Lyttelton, LondonI sometimes feel I know Alan Bennett's family almost as well as my own. But, although these two "recollections" contain material that will be familiar to readers o…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:07AMFriday, September 4, 2015
Shakespeare’s Globe, LondonRory Mullarkey’s adaptation is linguistically rich, but Adele Thomas’s production can’t seem to settle on a styleAfter Robert Icke’s free adaptation of A…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:26AMThursday, September 3, 2015
Richmond theatre, London A well put together production of Terence Rattigan’s 1942 play about a love triangle among RAF bombersTerence Rattigan’s 1942 play about wartime bomber crews enj…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:38AMWednesday, September 2, 2015
Dorfman, LondonDenise Gough is superlative as an actor who breaks down mid-show and is forced into recovery, in a vibrant play that draws parallels between theatre and rehabDuncan Macmillan …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:55AMTuesday, September 1, 2015
Finborough, London Matthew Wilkinson’s play about the rage of a grieving man is given acute expression by Cal MacAninch and Thusitha JayasunderaWritten and directed by Matthew Wilkinson, t…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:30AMFriday, August 28, 2015
St James’s, London An anthology highlighting Jewish songwriters’ contributions to the American musical, from the 1930s to the present, is at its most delightful in the first halfThe titl…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:48AMThursday, August 27, 2015
Olivier, LondonThe National production of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s historical play shows convicts and captors alike escaping their colonial chains in shared expressionSince it is only two …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:30AMWednesday, August 26, 2015
Theatre Royal, BathTerry Johnson’s adaptation of the 2005 film is a defiantly patriotic piece with a delightful score, rousing ensemble and first-rate performancesIt’s a cliche that, eve…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:07PMHow do you even begin to pick the world’s 101 greatest plays? The Guardian’s theatre critic explains how he approached this controversial task for his new book – and admits he is alrea…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:34PMTuesday, August 25, 2015
Barbican, LondonCumberbatch has a gift for suggesting Hamlet’s essential decency, but visual conceits take the place of textual investigation in this frustrating stagingAfter all the hype …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:55PMFriday, August 7, 2015
Minerva theatre, ChichesterDirector Howard Davies’s production is meticulous in its emotional detail and the cast match him in charting the aftermath of warThis is Chichester at its best: …
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:34AMThursday, August 6, 2015
Southwark Playhouse, LondonPerfectly drilled dance, stunning vocals and stylish direction fuel this cross-section of luxury hotel life in 20s Berlin This musical, based on Vicki Baum’s por…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:58AMWednesday, August 5, 2015
Donmar Warehouse, London In her tense and riveting early work, Morgan highlights the fragility of power as a group of women gather in a presidential palace with revolution brewing outsideAbi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:03AMAt London’s Barbican, Benedict Cumberbatch will be taking over a role that defies age, transcends gender and allows actors to play to their strengthsOn Wednesday night, Benedict Cumberbatc…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:21AMPrince of Wales, LondonStrip away all the hype surrounding this hit Broadway import and what do you find? A mildly amusing musical, with some knowingly parodic songs, that takes a few pot sh…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:13AMTuesday, August 4, 2015
Apollo, LondonMichael Simkins’ adaptation of Roger Mortimer’s correspondence with his son is performed with style by a real-life father and sonA collection of letters by racing correspon…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:51AMMonday, August 3, 2015
Finborough, LondonFirst-time playwright Kieran Knowles captures the terror of the Sheffield blitz in the experiences of four trapped steelworkersOn 12 December 1940, more than 600 people die…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:25AMThursday, July 30, 2015
Almeida, LondonJames Macdonald’s production at the Almeida offers clarity and imaginative acting, yet falls short of the rage and frenzy that Euripides’ masterpiece demandsHaving started…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:10PMNoël Coward theatre, LondonA major gender imbalance undermines the slick and intriguing acts in this Vegas-style fiesta of illusion Continue reading...
SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:04PM 
