All stories by Susannah Clapp on BroadwayStars

Sunday, July 9, 2017

The Wind in the Willows review " if only the computer could conk out every night by Susannah Clapp

London Palladium A technical hitch gave rise to a welcome burst of spontaneity from Rufus Hound as Mr Toad in this otherwise tame tale of wildlife"Poop, poop", as Toad so aptly puts it. Rach…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM[SHARE]

Committee: (A New Musical) review " Kids Company crisis lacks drama by Susannah Clapp

Donmar Warehouse, London Sandra Marvin is imperious as Camila Batmanghelidjh but this verbatim reconstruction needs more vimJosie Rourke keeps pushing at the Donmar. All-female Shakespeares.…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 2, 2017

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill review " Audra McDonald is Billie Holiday by Susannah Clapp

Wyndham's, LondonA bad gig for the jazz legend is a great one for McDonald as she embodies the troubled singer one wild night in PhiladelphiaLady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill supplies an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]

An Octoroon review " bold, excessive and surging by Susannah Clapp

Orange Tree, RichmondBranden Jacobs-Jenkins's ingenious reworking of a 19th-century slave drama continues an exceptional new lease of life at this tiny theatreWhat Paul Miller has done at th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]

Ink review " Bertie Carvel is unmissable as Rupert Murdoch by Susannah Clapp

Almeida, LondonCarvel is a natural as the media mogul in James Graham's engrossing play charting the rise of the Sun newspaperIs Ink indelible? Not really. Is it the talk of the theatrical w…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 18, 2017

The Country Girls review " a credit to Irish womanhood by Susannah Clapp

Minerva, ChichesterNearly 60 years after Edna O'Brien's novel outraged the establishment, the gallivanting girls are as vital as ever in this skilled stage versionWhen Edna O'Brien published…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]

Anatomy of a Suicide review " unhappy days are here again by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, LondonAlice Birch's riveting play, expertly directed by Katie Mitchell, examines how devastating sadness can seep through generations of womenWhen sadness runs through a family,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]

Sweet Bird of Youth review " hysteria unleashed by Susannah Clapp

Festival theatre, ChichesterJonathan Kent summons arresting moments from Tennessee Williams's drama but can't fully rescue a play that fails to meld personal and politicalTennessee Williams …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 11, 2017

Barber Shop Chronicles review " a cut above the rest by Susannah Clapp

Dorfman, LondonAn African world full of anecdote and argument is conjured up at the barber'sIsn't this what all playwrights would wish for? To come across in their daily lives a dramatic are…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42AM[SHARE]

Common review " a land-locked drama that fluffs all its lines by Susannah Clapp

Olivier, LondonWords fail everyone in a play about the loss of common land in the early 1800sHow has this to pass come? Lower down explain will why like this I write. DC Moore author of good…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42AM[SHARE]
Friday, June 9, 2017

The 10 best theatre designs " in pictures by Susannah Clapp

The Observer's theatre critic chooses the 10 sets that changed the face of modern theatre, from a 1912 Hamlet to Punchdrunk's immersive Faust Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 4, 2017

La Strada review " a finely realised fanfare for Fellini by Susannah Clapp

The Other Palace, LondonSally Cookson's take on the cinema classic makes for magical theatre with just bare boards, smoky light and a fine, versatile castThere is nothing like a woman with a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]

Killology review " father, son… and a murderous computer game by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, LondonGary Owen continues his exploration of male dysfunction through the generations with this fierce three-handerTwo years ago Gary Owen's Violence and Son viscerally suggeste…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]

On the Town review " you'll want to be a part of it by Susannah Clapp

Regent's Park Open Air theatre, LondonBernstein's music, three strong women and Drew McOnie's choreography drive his inventively staged productionI was completely taken aback by On the Town.…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 28, 2017

A critic's life for me: Susannah Clapp on 20 years in the stalls by Susannah Clapp

Two decades ago, Susannah Clapp filed her first theatre review for the Observer. Here, she reflects on the quirks of the job, the joy of spotting new stars " and how the role of the critic h…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 21, 2017

Caroline, or Change review " gloriously disruptive by Susannah Clapp

Minerva, Chichester Sharon D Clarke is extraordinary as the defiant heroine of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's dynamic musical set in 60s AmericaPolitical punch, moral intricacy " and a wa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:54AM[SHARE]

Manwatching review " unexpected pleasures by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, London Seeing a man read out an anonymous woman's sexual fantasies on stage produces curious resultsNo one knows who wrote the words of Manwatching. No one can see a script befo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:54AM[SHARE]

Life of Galileo review: a good night for stargazers by Susannah Clapp

Young Vic, London Brendan Cowell brings Brecht's rebel scientist to combative life in Joe Wright's coruscating productionHow to see what's really going on? How to recognise interesting stuff…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 14, 2017

Salomé review " heads will roll by Susannah Clapp

Olivier, National Theatre, LondonYaël Farber's turgid take on the biblical story leaves some fine actors stranded in the desert"It begins at the end." You might be warned from the start "…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]

Room review " a small wonder by Susannah Clapp

Theatre Royal, Stratford East, LondonEmma Donoghue's acclaimed novel makes the leap to the stage, with a little help from young Harrison WildingEmma Donoghue has written eloquently about how…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]

Richard III review " a stark and powerful coup by Susannah Clapp

Hull Truck theatre, HullMat Fraser is genially terrifying as the dastardly king in Northern Broadsides' urgent 25th anniversary performanceMat Fraser, who hosted the 2012 Paralympics opening…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 7, 2017

Angels in America review " Kushner's epic 'gay fantasia' flies again by Susannah Clapp

Lyttelton, LondonGaudy and unflinching, Tony Kushner's 90s Aids drama still resonates in this bold, starry revival directed by Marianne ElliottYou can tell when a show is bound for success. …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:02AM[SHARE]

The Ferryman review " Jez Butterworth pulls another rabbit from the hat by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, London Magic runs through Butterworth's brilliant new play, directed by Sam Mendes, with a fine stage debut from Paddy ConsidineJez Butterworth's plays shoulder their way on to …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:02AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 30, 2017

Romeo and Juliet review " a bellowing pantomime by Susannah Clapp

Shakespeare's Globe, LondonThe lovers alone convince in Daniel Kramer's bewildering productionEmma Rice's last season in charge of the Globe opens with loud defiance. Daniel Kramer's product…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AM[SHARE]

Obsession review " Jude Law is stranded in treacle-slow adaptation by Susannah Clapp

Barbican, LondonNo amount of writhing and roaring can enliven Ivo van Hove's self-absorbed take on ViscontiIn one corner David Hare: the least likely of dramatic Brexiters, suspicious of con…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AM[SHARE]

City of Glass review " Auster adaptation is all spectacle by Susannah Clapp

Lyric Hammersmith, LondonA visually dazzling staging by 59 Productions is missing a human dimensionJames Fenton, trenchant former theatre critic of the Sunday Times, once described his job a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 23, 2017

Guards at the Taj review " rich with ideas and gore by Susannah Clapp

Bush theatre, LondonBrilliantly designed, Rajiv Joseph's philosophical, whimsical play brings immensity to a small space at the refurbished west London theatreThe rejigged, refreshed Bush th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06AM[SHARE]

The Mentor; The Philanthropist review " lethal wit by Susannah Clapp

Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal, Bath; Trafalgar Studios, LondonPlaywright Christopher Hampton's talents are illuminated in two clever satires skewering the literary and academic lifeWho would…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 16, 2017

Carousel review " it's fine… if you close your eyes by Susannah Clapp

Coliseum, LondonKatherine Jenkins and Alfie Boe sound as good as you might expect, but 'semi-staged' here signifies a woeful lack of acting talentThe English National Opera has said that to …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]

The Winter's Tale review " pursued by a bear of very little brawn by Susannah Clapp

Barbican, LondonCheek by Jowl rise to Shakespeare's challenge, including a wonderful awakening for Hermione. But the beast scares no oneThe Winter's Tale is a series of dares for a director.…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:48AM[SHARE]
Sunday, April 9, 2017

Consent review " justice under interrogation by Susannah Clapp

Dorfman, LondonNina Raine adroitly tackles barristers' struggles with the truth as the audience becomes the jury in a rape caseMore than Consent. Heartfelt approval. It is hard to overemphas…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:06AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off