All stories by Susannah Clapp on BroadwayStars

Monday, December 26, 2016

Escaped Alone review " small talk and everyday terror from Caryl Churchill by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, LondonCaryl Churchill's magnificent new play unleashes an intricate, elliptical, acutely female view of the apocalypseSo which is the best moment in Caryl Churchill's sizzling n…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:04AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 18, 2016

Mary Stuart review " an electrifying update of Schiller's royal drama by Susannah Clapp

Almeida, LondonLia Williams and Juliet Stevenson switch roles seamlessly at the toss of a coin to play warring queens in Robert Icke's explosive productionLast year Robert Icke made Oresteia…

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

Hedda Gabler review " Ruth Wilson shines in Patrick Marber's Ibsen update by Susannah Clapp

Lyttelton, London Its star and writer cannot be faulted, but Ivo van Hove's production could do with a change of paceRuth Wilson has brought a new dimension to Hedda Gabler. I have seen comp…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 11, 2016

Once in a Lifetime review " Harry Enfield stars in flat-pack revival by Susannah Clapp

Young Vic, London… but the star turns are elsewhere in this thin adaptation of the 1930 satire on the Hollywood talkiesOnce in a Lifetime? That's about right. Twice is pushing it. Moss Har…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18AM[SHARE]

Peter Pan review " this Neverland is Now by Susannah Clapp

Olivier, LondonSally Cookson tumbles expectations in a fine production that's true to JM Barrie's sadly twisting storyIt was one of the most extraordinary revelations that has ever burst on …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18AM[SHARE]

She Loves Me review " the sweet smell of success by Susannah Clapp

Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonMatthew White's exquisite, light-on-its-feet revival of the 1963 musical delights one audience member in particular…The lyricist Sheldon Harnick, 92, was at…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18AM[SHARE]
Sunday, December 4, 2016

Nice Fish review " Mark Rylance reels in a hit by Susannah Clapp

Harold Pinter theatre, LondonPhilosophical larks and anglers' musings charm in a surreal, glacial dreamscapeOn the one hand, readings from Moby-Dick. On the other a miniature world of puppet…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AM[SHARE]

The Children review " Lucy Kirkwood's subtle take on baby boomers by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, LondonBaby-boomer guilt goes nuclear in Kirkwood's ingenious new play, with fine performances from Francesca Annis, Ron Cook and Deborah FindlayBaby boomerism. Is it the last ac…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AM[SHARE]

Ghosts review " Niamh Cusack is compelling in deft, dark Ibsen by Susannah Clapp

Home, ManchesterThe melodrama is kept at bay in Polly Findlay's fine production of David Watson's new versionHere is a measure of what an actor Niamh Cusack is, how viscerally, totally she c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AM[SHARE]

Susannah Clapp: best theatre of 2016 by Susannah Clapp

It was a year of Lears, spellbinding women and memorable migrant tales' Observer critics' reviews of the year in fullIt has been " at last " a good year for women on stage. It began with a v…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 3, 2016

'He brilliantly achieved an intellectual slum-clearance of the stage' by Susannah Clapp

Over 10 highly successful years, the Observer's theatre critic helped transform the ailing British theatre and reinvent the role of the reviewer' Click here for more on the Observer at 225Ra…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:31PM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 27, 2016

Shakespeare Trilogy review " Phyllida Lloyd's searing triumph by Susannah Clapp

Donmar at King's Cross, LondonHarriet Walter is the linchpin in the Donmar's momentous, all-female staging of Julius Caesar, Henry IV and The TempestThe use of new skills or the unearthing o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:36AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 20, 2016

The Sewing Group review " stitches in time by Susannah Clapp

Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court, LondonEV Crowe explores the disorienting effects of technology in her cryptic new playEV Crowe's new play, The Sewing Group, is a sly thing. It begins …

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

School of Rock review " top marks for Andrew Lloyd Webber by Susannah Clapp

New London theatreLloyd Webber delivers a rabble-rousing musical with a big heart and the best drilled young actors this side of MatildaHere is the family Christmas outing solved. Andrew Llo…

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

London Stories: Made By Migrants review " raw and illuminating by Susannah Clapp

Battersea Arts Centre, LondonPeople from elsewhere who have made London their home speak openly in an immersive experience that touches heartsThe young woman serving home-made coconut cake i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 13, 2016

Lazarus review " not loving the alien by Susannah Clapp

King's Cross theatre, LondonDavid Bowie's creative end note feels like a stylish, trance-like pop videoDavid Bowie called it "a play with my songs". When Lazarus opened off-Broadway at the e…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:31AM[SHARE]

King Lear review " Glenda Jackson is magnificent by Susannah Clapp

Old Vic, LondonLess is more as Glenda Jackson exudes command in Deborah Warner's fitfully brilliant productionSandpaper voice; gliding movement; complete, ferocious concentration. Glenda Jac…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:31AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 6, 2016

Comus review " Milton meets the National Theatre of Brent by Susannah Clapp

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonChastity, family guilt and fairyland antics make a rich brewIn the uproar about the Globe, little has been said about its offshoot, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse…

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

The Nest review " an unflinching tale of poverty by Susannah Clapp

Young Vic, LondonFranz Xaver Kroetz's tale of a struggling couple is given added force by Ian Rickson's staging and PJ Harvey's musicThe director Ian Rickson has an exceptional gift for tran…

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

What Shadows review " Enoch's touch of terror by Susannah Clapp

Birmingham Repertory theatreIan McDiarmid is uncanny as Enoch Powell in a timely examination of his controversial 1968 speech on immigrationI was brought up with such a visceral hatred of En…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 30, 2016

The Grinning Man review " lovely, peculiar stuff by Susannah Clapp

Bristol Old VicTom Morris combines macabre fairytale, musical and puppetry in this ingenious tale of twisted loveI first saw the delicate Audrey Brisson sparkle in The Flying Lovers of Viteb…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AM[SHARE]

The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism… review " social anger strikes close to home by Susannah Clapp

Hampstead theatre, London The personal and the political are inexorably entwined in Tony Kushner's fierce examination of a family at war with itselfAfter a faltering first scene or two, Tony…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AM[SHARE]

Amadeus review " a lush, high-voltage revival by Susannah Clapp

Olivier, LondonAdam Gillen's Mozart and Lucian Msamati's Salieri share the honours as Peter Shaffer's 1979 hit returns to the NationalPeter Shaffer, who died in June, wrote plays fuelled wit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AM[SHARE]

The Globe isn't just a heritage project " Emma Rice understood that by Susannah Clapp

The ousting of the artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe shows a fundamental failure to appreciate what makes the place uniqueIt has been a rotten week for the theatre. One of London's mo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:42AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 23, 2016

The Red Barn review " dark story of dissolving identity by Susannah Clapp

Lyttelton, LondonDavid Hare's adaptation of a Georges Simenon novel is a tense affair featuring a mesmeric Elizabeth DebickiHow do you put on stage someone who is bored with being themselves…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:56AM[SHARE]

A Pacifist's Guide to the War on Cancer review " a vital confrontation by Susannah Clapp

Dorfman, LondonThough Bryony Kimmings's extraordinary musical is overlong and a little messy, it delivers an essential message about the experiences of real peopleMusical theatre has been a …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:56AM[SHARE]

A Man of Good Hope review " a refugee's journey across Africa by Susannah Clapp

Young Vic, LondonIsango Ensemble's musical about a Somali boy fleeing from terror has marvellous songs and breathtaking actingA Man of Good Hope is not a story set to music. Music is the sto…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:56AM[SHARE]

Oil review " Anne-Marie Duff burns bright by Susannah Clapp

Almeida, LondonElla Hickson's new play about our relationship with 'black gold' is hardly subtle, but has a star turn at its heartYou could steer your way through Oil by Lucy Carter's lighti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:56AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 16, 2016

One Night in Miami review " a crucible moment for black America by Susannah Clapp

Donmar Warehouse, LondonFine performances carry Kemp Powers's dramatisation of a momentous meeting between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam CookeStanding ovations have recently bec…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:06AM[SHARE]

The Dresser review " Stott and Shearsmith are compelling by Susannah Clapp

Duke of York's, LondonKen Stott and Reece Shearsmith go to town in a very funny revival of Ronald Harwood's terrific backstage tragicomedyRonald Harwood thinks it is a mistake for a woman to…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:06AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 2, 2016

Father Comes Home from the Wars review " epic tales of slavery by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, LondonSuzan Lori-Parks's ambitious trilogy marries black history to a classical structure but suffers from static stagingThe London stage has always been a very white place. The…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:51AM[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