Monday, December 9, 2024

‘We’re not as good as them!’: why are comics Adam Riches and John Kearns becoming crooners Ball & Boe? by Brian Logan

Two Edinburgh fringe favourites have teamed up to play mainstream entertainment titans Michael Ball and Alfie Boe in this festive season’s most unlikely stage show Alone, they are acclaime…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:12AM

Aladdin review – seasonal panto fun, with a good dose of song and storytelling by Mark Fisher

Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughThe titular hero’s coming-of-age tale takes advantage of local tourist attractions and a bright hard-working cast in this brisk and cheerful production …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:02AM
Sunday, December 8, 2024

Robin Hood and the Christmas Heist review – musical take on robbing the rich to feed the poor by Arifa Akbar

Rose theatre, Kingston upon ThamesMarian and Robin plan to steal Prince John’s gold in this musical take on the Sherwood adventures Robin Hood’s adventures in Sherwood are fused with Chr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36AM

Hansel and Gretel review – Simon Armitage’s sugar-rush adaptation is stuffed with sweet treats by Kate Wyver

Globe theatre, LondonAt just under an hour this bright and silly production misses the grisly bite of the Brothers Grimm’s original fairytale but there is much for kids to enjoy Sugar-indu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM

Tim Minchin: ‘Maybe scrolling the traumas of the world is not in itself a moral act’ by Tim Adams

The comedian, actor and Matilda songwriter on the benefits of quitting social media and why happiness is like an orgasm Tim Minchin does not arrive at lunch with the highest hopes. He has on…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM

Ballet Shoes review – an elegant Christmas cracker of a show by Arifa Akbar

National Theatre, LondonNoel Streatfeild’s classic about three adopted sisters who go to stage school is spirited, spiky and spectacular Noel Streatfeild’s classic 1936 novel about three…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM
Saturday, December 7, 2024

‘I feel I’ve upset a few people over the years’: actor Brian Cox on overrated co-stars, charmless politicians and the joy of smoking weed by Simon Hattenstone

He’s famed for grumpy roles and outspoken views, but don’t be fooled – the Succession star is a pussycat at heart. He talks about growing up in poverty, falling in love with his wife �…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06AM
Friday, December 6, 2024

Songs of the Wayfarer review – a likeable hike through life and theatre by Lyndsey Winship

Sadler’s Wells, LondonClaire Cunningham’s affecting solo performance is a meditation on how we find our way along unexpected paths A dance performance that credits two mountaineering con…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:42PM

Sandi Toksvig: ‘I’m not someone who’s going to sit and watch a meringue dry’ by Fiona Sturges

The quizshow host, activist, wedding officiator – and now Santa Claus at the Royal Albert Hall – is still reaping the rewards of saying yes to life. Just don’t ask her about Bake Off .…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:42PM

The Last Days of Liz Truss? review – endgame at No 10 is tip of the iceberg by Mark Lawson

White Bear theatre, LondonThe former PM’s brief tenure is raked over to seriocomic effect in Greg Wilkinson’s play, which raises major political questions A running length of 100 minutes…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:42PM

‘An act of rebellion’: Haitian theatre persists amid political crisis and violence by Tom Phillips and Etienne Côté-Paluck In Port-Au-Prince

Thespians recognize continuing to rehearse is a perilous business – but they are determined to fight on In a dimly lit rehearsal room in a city under attack, Jenny Cadet raised an imagina…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:31AM

The Jungle Book review – swinging version of Kipling’s adventure by Mark Fisher

Octagon, BoltonThis musical adaptation of the classic tale is full of charm and catchy new numbers with a captivating turn by Kiara Nicole Pillai as Mowgli There is a startling piece of tran…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:12AM

Women’s prize for playwriting returns with record £20,000 award by Guardian Staff

Prize aims to support and showcase established writers and emerging talent in Britain’s stage industry A prize celebrating female playwrights has announced its return with its largest priz…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:02AM

Grand Theft Hamlet review – in-game Shakespeare performance is brilliantly exciting by Peter Bradshaw

In a hilarious and surreal documentary, two out-of-work actors decide to stage the tragedy within Los Santos with dreamlike and fascinating results A brilliant idea, brilliantly executed; hi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:02AM
Thursday, December 5, 2024

The Devil Wears Prada review – prosecco o’clock musical is old hat by Arifa Akbar

Dominion theatre, LondonIt is dressed to impress and has powerhouse singing from Vanessa Williams but this retread of the hit book and film rings hollow ‘Go big or go home” seems to be t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12PM
Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Ewan McGregor returns to the West End in new play My Master Builder by Chris Wiegand

Lila Raicek’s play, which McGregor describes as ‘a very modern take on today’s sexual politics’, will be the actor’s first London show in 17 years Ewan McGregor will return to the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:12AM

Milton Jones: ‘I was heckled by Paul Weller and Robbie Williams at the same gig!’ by Interview By Liam Pape

The standup on the power of strange shirts, the importance of never Googling yourself and how he came to specialise in one-liners How did you get into comedy?I tried to be an actor, but nobo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06AM

Jack and the Beanstalk review – dancing chickens meet the mother of all dames by Arifa Akbar

Nottingham PlayhouseThis uplifting production feels both improvised and polished, with John Elkington’s Dame Daisy camping it up to perfection as Jack’s mother It’s not often that a la…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06AM
Monday, December 2, 2024

Taylor Swift soap, saucy socks and Pet Shop Boys tea sets: it’s the culture Christmas gift guide 2024 by Tim Jonze

From a Snoop Dogg firepit to a sweater celebrating the brutalist genius of Preston bus station, here are 40 fabulous festive suggestions for the culture vulture in your life It’s just turn…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:32AM

Emma review – a Regency comedy as light as a pillow fight by Helen Meany

Abbey theatre, DublinSet in a nonspecific Austenland inspired more by Hollywood than history, this is an energetic, puppyish production that is easy to like Handsome, clever and rich Emma Wo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:36AM

Elton John reveals he is unable to watch his own musical after losing eyesight by Sian Cain

The 77-year-old, who is blind in one eye and has poor vision in the other, spoke of his health issues at a gala performance of The Devil Wears Prada Elton John has revealed at a gala perform…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:36AM

Treasure Island review – with a yo-ho-ho and the spirit of adventure by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghDuncan McLean’s riotous adaptation begins in a care home for retired pirates, from which the resourceful heroes set sail in a washtub buoyed by imagination Who is th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:36AM
Sunday, December 1, 2024

Rochelle Stevens obituary by Deborah Moggach

My agent and friend Rochelle Stevens, who ran her own successful literary agency for 40 years, has died of cancer, aged 73. Rochelle represented writers and directors in screenwriting, radio…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM

Twelfth Night review – a classy, musical and seasonal feast. Play on by Mark Lawson

Orange Tree theatre, LondonWith its philosopher-fool character seated at a piano and central to the action, this sympathetically staged 1940s-set production is something of a revelation Wint…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM

Rapunzel review – needs a trim and a tidy up by Matt Barton

Everyman, LiverpoolThis ‘rock’n’roll’ panto is far from Grimm, but not in a good way Somewhere within this show’s knot of plot twists and tangles, you may find Rapunzel. While it i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM

The Three Musketeers review – a swashbuckler without a dramatic cutting edge by Clare Brennan

New Vic theatre, Newcastle-under-LymeTheresa Heskins’s Dumas adaptation provides fantastic action yet reduces the scheming servant Milady to a plot device Flashing swords, swirling capes a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM

Pinocchio review – colourful kids’ entertainment with no strings by Arifa Akbar

Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonThere are spirited singalongs aplenty and fun and games with audience interaction in this warm and colourful panto – albeit not a lot of complexity or c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM

The week in theatre: Tender; Expendable review – small provocations by Susannah Clapp

Bush; Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court, London An on-off romance is all tumbling dialogue and tiny details in Eleanor Tindall’s agile new play. Plus, a grooming scandal tale seen thro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:12AM

The best theatre to stream this month: Hot Orange, The Warriors and Macbeth by Chris Wiegand

Come out to play with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’s star-studded concept album or enjoy an improvised movie from the Goes Wrong team Amal Khalidi and Tatenda Naomi Matsvai’s highly…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:48AM
Saturday, November 30, 2024

Nobodaddy review – a wild, Blake-inspired meditation on death from Michael Keegan-Dolan by Sarah Crompton

Sadler’s Wells, LondonThe Irish choreographer and his company, Teaċ Daṁsa, weave dances of folksy complexity in their stirring, absurdist new production In eight weeks at their home bas…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:06AM
Friday, November 29, 2024

Samuel Beckett smoking a French cigarette: John Haynes’s best photograph by Interview By Stuart Jeffries

‘One day, I was summoned to a pub near the Royal Court theatre where Samuel Beckett was looking at my work. “These are wonderful pictures,” he said’ I knew Samuel Beckett’s reputat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12AM

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
TBA: Ragtime