2,439 stories by "Michael Billington"
Vaudeville, London From age six to 30, Mischief Theatre's engaging band of classmates bicker and play but rarely test the assumption that character is formed in childhood
Mischief Theatre, w…
Wyndham's theatre, London With fart jokes and skiffle songs, this Sean Foley adaptation ditches the innocence of the 1950s capitalist comedy, but has plenty of drive
This is Sean Foley's ver…
Barbican, LondonA gifted cast from Moscow's Theatre of Nations brings Soviet-era stories of folly and obsession to enchanting life
I confess to knowing little of Vasily Shukshin (1929-74) wh…
The Guardian's theatre critic reflects on why the stage remains such a vital means of distilling society
We live, to put it mildly, in volatile times. No one knows for sure where this countr…
Finborough theatre, LondonA patriotic history professor clashes with her activist student in a smart play sustained by an early surge of ideas
First produced in Boston in 2018, Eleanor Burge…
Trafalgar Studios, LondonThere are excellent performances from a cast including Toby Stephens and Claire Skinner, in a fine revival of Nichols' humane play
It is 52 years since Peter Nichols…
Lyttelton, London Athol Fugard explores South Africa in 1950 through a white teenager and two black men who practise ballroom routines
The plays Athol Fugard co-created with John Kani and Wi…
Unfinished Jane Austen novels have been adapted for television and the stage. Theatre's room for experiment delivers the most satisfying imaginative leap
By a strange chance it is currently …
Chichester Festival theatreThe murderous thane faces witches, relentless video and a musical assault in this lengthy production but emerges as a figure of rare complexity
Read interview with…
Curve, LeicesterAdapted from Hanif Kureishi's 1985 film, this production retains its 80s ethos while speaking to today's world with the racial and gender politics heightened
Making plays out…
Bridge theatre, LondonZoë Wanamaker and Zrinka Cvitešić attempt to seize power at a summit meeting in Nancy Harris's provocative play
The finest song in Hamilton hymns the urge to …
Royal Court, LondonCaryl Churchill's four pieces entertainingly combine mythical, mundane and gory
Every Caryl Churchill play is an experiment with form. Her latest work comprises four piece…
Coronet theatre, LondonChristopher Hampton's disturbing adaptation of Ödön von Horváth's 1937 novel is a promising text, albeit let down by an imperfect production
Christopher Hampto…
The Vaults, LondonDavid Hare's searing play about the chaos and tragedy that followed rail privatisation rings as true today as ever
'We have ended up with a very dysfunctional and flawed sy…
Crucible, SheffieldThis dramatisation of the mental health bestseller takes a step towards removing the stigma from depression " though it's no substitute for the book
Depression is "invisib…
Dorfman, LondonAlexander Zeldin's latest production shines a light on the resilience and humour of those struggling to survive
Alexander Zeldin's plays are like no one else's: they humanely …
In Jerusalem, the playwright laid bare a country's phoney myths and confronted who we are as individuals and nations
The best plays of the 21st century
Jez Butterworth is one of only two wri…
Arcola, LondonGothic sound design and a trio of sharp central performances lend this version of Lisa D'Amour's rather mystifying play some definition
Lisa D'Amour's play is as weird as its t…
Hampstead theatre, LondonCeleste Den portrays a real-life hero who exposed how local officials were spreading HIV
'You are an enemy of the people," a character remarks in Frances Ya-Chu Cowh…
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonWith a career-defining performance from Anjana Vasan, Tanika Gupta's production is moving, multilayered and intelligent
Tanika Gupta has transposed Ibsen's seminal p…
Stephen Joseph theatre, ScarboroughNaomi Petersen's turn is the icing on the cake of this time-bending drama from a writer who has lost none of his ingenuity
Dramatists, from George S Kaufma…
The playwright behind A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, who has died aged 92, wrote deeply autobiographical plays that offered an image of modern Britain
Peter Nichols, who has died aged 92, on…
Bush theatre, LondonLynette Linton's debut as artistic director is a musical revival of an undramatic piece about the dilemmas of four women
The Bush, which has recently revived Winsome Pin…
Turbine, LondonMatthew Needham stars with tremulous assurance as the witty, sharp-tongued drag queen of Harvey Fierstein's 70s drama
Theatre seems one of our crazy nation's few growth indust…
Old Vic, London The twisted tale of the Russian dissident's death by radioactive poisoning employs songs, puppets and even Putin as an unreliable narrator
Watching Lucy Prebble's fascinating…
