Bridge theatre, LondonNicholas Hytner brings a dazzling wizard's touch to this adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy tale Nearly two decades ago, Nicholas Hytner triumphantly staged Philip …
Birmingham Repertory theatreThe A-lister provided joyous shock on opening night, as Morecambe and Wise's screen routines return to the boards Regularly drawing TV audiences in the 1970s that…
With a Virgin Mary strip show, lessons in how to sit on Santa's lap and a carol about drugs, this festive extravaganza is about as alternative as Christmas can get. Is Britain ready for the …
The Royal Ballet's phenomenal principal dancer was the fixed star at the heart of an extraordinary year for the company See the Observer's faces of 2021 in full It's been an oddly fractured …
Tell us about your standout stage production of the year " we'll feature a selection of your favourites later this month It's time to celebrate the best theatre shows of 2021. Which play cap…
Members of Belarus Free Theatre say authorities 'are more scared of artists than of political statements' For 16 years, the Belarus Free Theatre has advocated for freedom of expression, equa…
As an adaptation of La Belle Sauvage arrives at the Bridge theatre, the author explains why His Dark Materials was better as a play than a film " and how he learned to write for children and…
A sign of a functioning society is its artists being free to create work that pushes against prevailing political tides Public funding for the arts in Britain has, since it began in the afte…
Robert Holman, who has died aged 69, was committed to the notion of empathy in art and life, writes his friend and fellow playwright In Robert Holman's play Jonah and Otto, Otto says: "I thi…
LGBTQ+ performers are making sure that queerness isn't 'swept under the carpet' this Christmas " and providing community, fun and celebration for audiences Drag king Mark Anthony loves Chris…
Palace theatre, SouthendAided by audience volunteers, the fleet-footed comic balances several difficult tricks at the same time before a finale set in an erotic fire station Is there an act …
Frank Wedekind's banned 19th-century classic, now a youth rock musical, is back on stage " with a young cast who came of age in the pandemic No one saw Spring Awakening for the first 15 year…
King's theatre, EdinburghThis year's edition of the annual King's panto is a slickly timed, high-spirited affair stuffed with daft jokes, and a moving tribute to the late company member Andy…
Old Market, Hove The YouTuber drily responds to some chucklesome internet footage, and plays the part of a frustrated political adviser, in onstage re-enactments of his best clips As a rule,…
Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonAn eco-themed updating of the fairytale without any bite, this panto has clumsy storytelling and half-hearted smut Red wears a magic hoodie in this pantom…
Hull Truck; Hope Mill, Manchester; Barn, Cirencester; New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme; Watermill, NewburyThe Railway Children reduces our critic to tears, and a topical take on The Wizard of O…
Finborough, LondonThis crackling production of David Ireland's caustic portrait of a troubled former gunman is close up and in your face Hurrah for the first London staging of this play by D…
Royal Albert Hall, LondonPolunin and Cojocaru are terrific, but neither is given enough to work with in the UK premiere of Johan Kobborg's new version There's been a lot of water under a few…
From West Side Story to Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With George to Into the Woods, Sondheim's works have been performed " and loved " by the stars of musical theatre and cinema alike Co…
An actor, painter and writer, Antony Sher " who has died aged 72 " was one of British theatre's most revered stage icons. Look back at his celebrated career Antony Sher on acting: 'You have …
The actor on her hopes for Brixton's new theatre, an offbeat western and the sophistication of African art Adjoa Andoh was born in Bristol in 1963 and grew up in Wickwar, Gloucestershire. A …
Tributes paid to British dramatist acclaimed for dramas including German Skerries, Across Oka and A Breakfast of Eels Robert Holman, the playwright's playwright who was revered for his finel…
Northern Stage, NewcastleA lovable orphan at a low-rent Hogwarts makes her impostor syndrome disappear in a lively reimagining with fun theatrical illusions The Sorcerer's Apprentice is one …
The writer-director talks about his new film, co-starring Denzel Washington, and reveals how it felt to work without his brother, Ethan, for the first time in nearly 40 years It might be the…
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonThere are strong performances in this tale of sex, power and morality reimagined by director Blanche McIntyre If there is a #MeToo moment in Shakespeare's oeuv…