All stories by Tim Bano on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Remaking a West End landmark – how Cameron Mackintosh transformed the Queen’s into the Sondheim Theatre by Tim Bano

After a six-month closure, the home of Les Misérables is back with a new name and lavish decor. Owner Cameron Mackintosh tells

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 04:48AM
Friday, January 17, 2020

Les Misérables review at Sondheim Theatre, London – ‘still spectacular’ by Tim Bano

After so much time and so much tinkering, when it comes to Les Misérables the philosopher’s axe springs to mind. Every time

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:14AM
Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Rags the Musical review at Park Theatre, London – ‘builds to a moving climax’ by Tim Bano

Since closing on Broadway in 1986 after four performances, Rags has been stitched and unstitched so many times that this version, which

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:37AM
Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Playwright Conor McPherson: Troubled men, ghosts, drinkers – ‘sounds a lot like real life to me’ by Tim Bano

Playwright Conor McPherson found fame in his 20s with a work about barflies telling ghost stories, went on to write a Bob

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 03:00AM
Friday, December 13, 2019

Teenage Dick review at Donmar Warehouse, London – ‘a riveting performance by Daniel Monks’ by Tim Bano

Instead of staging Richard III as a vehicle for some able-bodied actor to show off how great they are by playing the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:51AM
Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Ocean at the End of the Lane review at National Theatre, London – ‘makes you marvel at what theatre can do’ by Tim Bano

Neil Gaiman’s 2013 novel is meant to be his most autobiographical. Maybe the monsters and the magic that populate the book are

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:40PM
Thursday, December 5, 2019

Fairview review at Young Vic, London – ‘stunning production of an extraordinary play’ by Tim Bano

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Pulitzer-winning play is simultaneously a microcosmic, tightly controlled look at a family through the prism of a middle-class sitcom,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:00PM
Friday, November 29, 2019

The Last Noël review at Wimbledon Library – ‘Chris Bush explores the true meaning of Christmas’ by Tim Bano

Touring libraries and other non-theatre spaces in South London before a run in Oxford, this sweet play from Merton-based company Attic doesn’t

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:35AM
Monday, November 25, 2019

White Christmas review at Dominion Theatre, London – ‘enjoyable, but underwhelming’ by Tim Bano

Whatever you’ve been dreaming of, this isn’t quite it. Roughly based on the 1954 Bing Crosby film, the show follows army vets

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:00PM
Wednesday, November 20, 2019

& Juliet review at Shaftesbury Theatre, London – ‘the apotheosis of the jukebox musical’ by Tim Bano

If you were to attempt to explain the concept of & Juliet to anyone, it would be very easy to make the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:00PM
Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Dear Evan Hansen review at Noel Coward Theatre, London – ‘powerful, moving and superbly performed’ by Tim Bano

The best and the worst thing about being a teenager is the fact that it doesn’t last forever. Broadway phenomenon Dear Evan Hansen

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:00PM
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Mary Poppins review at Prince Edward Theatre, London – ‘distinctly lacking in magic’ by Tim Bano

Mary Poppins returns. No, not the Emily Blunt film, rather Cameron Mackintosh’s muddled stage musical, back in the Prince Edward Theatre after

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:00PM
Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Actor Clare Halse: ‘I was learning how to graft eight shows a week – in a clown suit’ by Tim Bano

The musical theatre star is embracing all things festive and 1950s glamour in White Christmas, which starts its West End run at

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 03:00AM
Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Sydney and the Old Girl review at Park Theatre – ‘tedious and unpleasant’ by Tim Bano

Eugene O’Hare’s debut play The Weatherman prompted mixed reactions when it premiered at London’s Park Theatre earlier this year. His follow-up is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:40AM
Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Death of a Salesman review at Piccadilly Theatre, London – ‘riveting, devastating, stunning’ by Tim Bano

Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell’s take on Death of a Salesman captures the greatness of Arthur Miller’s play, and at the same

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:59AM
Sunday, November 3, 2019

High Fidelity review at Turbine Theatre, London – ‘a bland pop musical lacking in charm’ by Tim Bano

It’s easy to see why you’d be tempted to turn Nick Hornby’s novel about a miserable guy who works in a record

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:48AM
Thursday, October 31, 2019

Ghost Quartet review at Boulevard Theatre, London – ‘wonderfully dark and weird musical’ by Tim Bano

London’s latest venue, the Boulevard Theatre, occupies the site of the former Raymond Revuebar. Under the management of Paul Raymond, the ‘King

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:30PM

The Antipodes review at the National Theatre, London – ‘excruciating and masterful at the same time’ by Tim Bano

Annie Baker’s back at the National with a show about stories, and she knows how to tell them: not with heroes and

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:45AM
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Inside story: Theatre in prisons and the fight for rehabilitation by Tim Bano

Though Britain’s jails are at bursting point, theatremakers are working with current and former prisoners to prepare them to rejoin their communities

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:42AM
Wednesday, October 23, 2019

‘We want to make a Mischief movie next, that’s the dream’ by Tim Bano

From pub theatre to a global franchise, Mischief Theatre has perfected the art of making things go wrong in the right way.

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 03:00AM
Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Vassa review at Almeida Theatre, London – ‘Mike Bartlett’s offbeat adaptation’ by Tim Bano

Following King Charles III and Albion, Mike Bartlett returns to the Almeida Theatre with an adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s play, Vassa Zheleznova.

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:12AM
Sunday, October 20, 2019

Lungs review at Old Vic, London – ‘a thrilling meeting of head and heart’ by Tim Bano

In the queue at IKEA, a young couple discuss whether they should have a baby. From this small seed, Duncan Macmillan’s mighty

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:30AM
Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Director Sean Foley: ‘I count myself a clown, but I don’t want to make a fool of myself’ by Tim Bano

One of the most sought-after comedy directors for the stage, Sean Foley is bringing an Ealing comedy to the West End before

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 03:00AM
Monday, October 7, 2019

Daddy Long Legs review at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester – ‘charming and romantic’ by Tim Bano

In a way, this is a bold move for the consistently exciting Barn Theatre: a little-known musical, based on a little-known novel,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:25PM
Thursday, October 3, 2019

Assassins review at Watermill Theatre, Newbury – ‘Sondheim revival features moments of brilliance’ by Tim Bano

If there’s some revelatory ur-production of Assassins that makes sense of its messiness and its flaws, we’re yet to see it. It’s

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:40AM
Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Ian McKellen on Stage With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and You review at Harold Pinter Theatre, London – ‘a joyful celebration’ by Tim Bano

Ian McKellen is an icon, and he knows it. Who else would decide to stage their own autobiography for their 80th birthday?

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:00PM

Out of Joint’s Kate Wasserberg: ‘It felt like I was wearing the disgrace of another’s story’ by Tim Bano

It has been a challenging two years for the award-winning Out of Joint artistic director after company founder Max Stafford-Clark left following

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:42AM

‘Master Harold’…and the Boys review at National Theatre, London – ‘a star turn from Lucian Msamati’ by Tim Bano

Athol Fugard’s 1982 play is based closely on his own life as a boy in Apartheid-era South Africa. As in the play,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:15AM
Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Brooklyn the Musical review at Greenwich Theatre, London – ‘overly sentimental musical’ by Tim Bano

There’s a charming story behind this musical: 20 years ago singer Barri McPherson stumbled upon Mark Schoenfeld singing on a Brooklyn street

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:57AM
Friday, September 27, 2019

My Beautiful Laundrette review at Curve, Leicester – ‘a frustrating translation to the stage’ by Tim Bano

Before writing the screenplay for his landmark film – which carefully explored the complex identities of British Asians, frankly depicted an interracial

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:23AM
Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Blood Wedding review at the Young Vic, London – ‘beautiful and brutal’ by Tim Bano

The marriage of Yael Farber with Marina Carr should be a transcendent thing – and, mostly, it is. But, like the eponymous

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:45PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic