He has made a career out of winding people up in everything from The Office to his Golden Globes speeches " but is the comedian's bark worse than his bite? Ricky Gervais's assistant leads me…
It was a year of revivals in every sense, as venues threw open their doors again. From fresh takes on classics to blazing new talents and shows that captured the current moment, our critics …
Crucible, SheffieldThis story of loneliness and romantic disappointment is not obvious Christmas show material but has a lot to say about the season An attempted suicide, characters in the g…
Theatres are battling to stay open as they contend with staff shortages and slumping tickets sales in what is usually their busiest time of year. For the cast of a pantomime in Corby, Northa…
Ladies and gentleman, please take your seats " for how long? Our chief theatre critic on her Covid-hit week Until a few days ago, I had a diary rammed with first nights. This week was non-st…
Sadler's Wells, LondonBourne's reworked version has a darker edge but it's still full of wit, energy and colour, with a sensuous thrill It's nearly a decade since Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker…
Southbank Centre, LondonTrio who have made a career hymning those who live in the shadows are stumped when faced with an actual ghost story. And then there's the coughing … Whether it's t…
With a surge in cancellations across the country, the new strain of Covid might be the biggest threat to the UK's stage industry yet It is the crucial season for theatres when families, scho…
How does it feel to go back on stage night after night in a play that's been mauled by critics and deserted by audiences? Richard Eyre and other directors and actors relive their trauma Movi…
Bournemouth International CentreTree snails, Coldplay and the current cabinet all get the full Bailey treatment in a zinging performance Sometime around the second curtain call, you begin to…
Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, LondonPablo Manzi's political scenes, which span several decades and are powerfully performed, could perhaps lead to a future epic Thirty years ago, the Royal C…
Dramas by Bryony Lavery, Timberlake Wertenbaker and Stephen Jeffreys also feature in readings to mark the venue's 50th birthday A pint-sized theatre that opened in the backroom of a London p…
Enigmatic playwright best known for Making Noise Quietly and German Skerries whose natural habitat was the studio theatreAlthough his plays were performed regularly at the Royal Court and th…
He avoided the pitfalls of childhood fame and became one of Hollywood's most versatile actors. He discusses controversial roles, the return of the Matrix, his friendship with Sondheim " and …
Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonLove Island's Amber Davies tops a charismatic cast, including Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, in a spirited show co-created by the Hamilton man Before Hamilton, Lin-…
The Lion King, Life of Pi and the National's Hex among shows affected during crucial festive season Coronavirus " latest updates West End shows including The Lion King have had to cancel per…
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonPatrick Marber revives Alan Bennett's tiresome 1973 comedy with its trouserless salesman, randy vicar and retrograde Britishness "From end to end I've searche…
A triple bill of Sleeping Beauty, Jack & the Beanstalk and Dick Whittington brings giggles, cheer, glitter galore and, well, a bit of a headache My head is filled with nothing but glitte…
1 May 1937 " 12 August 2021The actor recalls his Sherlock co-star, a doyenne of British TV whose youthful, no-nonsense energy and humour were irresistible Janet Malcolm remembered by her ne…
22 April 1963 " 16 August 2021The comedian recalls more than 30 years of friendship with a warm and generous writer and performer whose standup sets left audiences helpless with laughter Sh…
Children on stage can intensify the jeopardy in difficult dramas, but how it will affect them is a matter of growing concern for the industry Two young children cower before an avalanche " a…
The super-producer, celebrating his 75th birthday with a retrospective on TV, talks about the pandemic's effect on commercial theatre " and his fury with government Cameron Mackintosh will b…
As we head into Christmas, actors who have tackled the son of god " from the trans woman who caused outrage in Glasgow to the weed-smoking Black Jesus " relive the role When the comic actor …
Chaotic life, lots of sex, little sense of purpose … the Anglo-Aussie's hilarious takedown of Fleabag and the booming 'messy-woman genre' was halted by Covid. Now, after a year and a half …
22 March 1930 " 26 November 2021The actor on the American composer and lyricist who changed musicals, and whose warmth and generous spirit were equally present in the theatre and at home Le…