2,441 stories by "Michael Billington"
Howard Davies, who has died aged 71, was one of the great post war theatre directors, teasing new messages from old plays and drawing career-defining performances from Alan Rickman, Helen Mi…
Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonGreer's play adds modern politics to Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, following the divided, upper-class black owners of a Michigan hotel during the US elect…
After drawing up a long list of names, I've picked my candidate. Can you guess who it is? And which director would you nominate?And the winner is ... Who would you place in the spotlight? Ph…
Olivier Theatre, LondonForget Boris Karloff with a bolt through his neck. Forget even Peter Boyle as the new, improved monster singing Puttin' On The Ritz in the Mel Brooks pastiche. What yo…
Actor who excelled at playing women of strength, wit and charmSheila Allen, who has died aged 78, was an actor of extraordinary range and power, and a delightful, independent-minde…
Arcola, London Five actors take turns to portray a woman with schizophrenia in this imaginative, disquieting Belarus Free Theatre adaptation of a bold memoirJust over a decade ago, Belarus F…
Bristol Old Vic Circus freaks, puppets and soaring songs collide in a new adaptation that deftly walks a tightrope between romantic and grotesqueYou can see why Victor Hugo attracts the make…
Garrick, LondonFirst seen in Edinburgh two years ago, Dale Wasserman's version of the Ken Kesey novel keeps coming back. Clearly that has a lot to do with the star-presence of Christian Slat…
Dorfman, LondonBryony Kimmings, Brian Lobel and Tom Parkinson have created an ebullient show that follows the stories of a group of cancer patientsA musical about cancer? I see no reason why…
Orange Tree, RichmondThis long overdue revival of Churchill's 1997 plays captures the fragility and savagery of family relationships Related: 'Her work haunts me': Caryl Churchill by those w…
The Shed, LondonChinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang uses humour to look at the implications of being racially hyphenated in this peach of a playWhat exactly is racial identity? Doe…
Lyttelton, LondonHare's adaptation of 1968 novel La Main features subtle performances from Mark Strong and Elizabeth Debicki, but the cinematic design upstages the dramaThere is a palpable g…
Almeida, LondonAnne-Marie Duff time travels from 1800s Cornwall to 70s Libya in Ella Hickson's remarkable new play about empire, energy and parenthoodThe old idea that women dramatists tend …
Donmar Warehouse, LondonI have never much warmed to Enid Bagnold's play: what others call its high comic style sounds to me arch, precious and exhibitionist. But, if this 1956 Haymarket hit …
Young Vic, LondonBased on the book by Jonny Steinberg, Isango Ensemble's powerful music-theatre production tells the true story of an eight-year-old refugee's journeyCape Town's Isango Ensem…
Duke of York's theatre, LondonReece Shearsmith is a waspish factotum to Ken Stott's earthy, contradictory Shakespearean actor in Ronald Harwood's grot-behind-the-greasepaint drama Ken Stott…
Fo combined a profound love of humanity with a detestation of the abuse of power. He was also a performer of extraordinary physical plasticity and vocal skillDario Fo, who has died at the ag…
From the archive: The Guardian's review, published on 16 October 1979, for the London production of Fo's classic play, starring Alfred Molina at the Half MoonWe tend to associate political t…
Donmar Warehouse, LondonThe acting is outstanding and the issues are timely in Kwame Kwei-Armah's production of Kemp Powers' passionate playIt may be a flawed play, but it is still a great o…
Palace theatre, LondonDerren Brown begs us all, journalists included, not to reveal anything he has done in the course of two-and-a-half hours. Seeing him for the first time, however, I feel…
The Royal Court hosted a moving celebration of Arnold Wesker. His early works such as Roots are well known " let's rediscover the rest of his 44 playsIf there is an ideal place to stage a ce…
Jermyn Street theatre, London A strong cast imbue Lillian Hellman's 1951 play with a keen malaise, though they are shackled by the author's enervating attitude towards her charactersA group …
Ustinov Studio, BathTwo nursing-home visitors watch their ailing parents strike up a romance in a play that explores the mysteries of the human heartIs sex the exclusive property of the unde…
Theatre Royal, BathAs the complex chaperone Charlotte Bartlett, Kendal is a pleasure to watch, but her presence unbalances this rich tale of middle-class self-discoveryThe presence of Felici…
Director Ivo van Hove's production has a sombre aesthetic beauty while Binoche avoids the easy path of pathosTeam Juliette Binoche with Ivo van Hove, director of A View from the Bridge, in G…
