Royal Court, London, online; Bristol Old Vic onlineMore than 60 writers and 200 freelancers get to work on the Royal Court's inspired latest venture, while the Bible gets a Bristol twist Fo…
Our critic chooses her highlights, recalling inventive lockdown venues and the emotional return of the Royal Ballet Film: Mark Kermode's 10 best of 2020 The Observer critics' review of 2020…
Our critic looks back on dazzling state-of-the-nation monologues and valiant virtual reimaginings, Ovid and Oliver Twist Dance: Sarah Crompton's five best of 2020 The Observer critics' rev…
The Royal Ballet principal's passion for interiors magazines, the twists and turns of Succession and superior spaghetti Ballet dancer Francesca Hayward was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1992 an…
Available onlineThe National Theatre's pantomime paean to London feels a little too bright in the current climate, but its naughtier denizens " including a goth Queen Rat " shine Christmas m…
With theatres dark for much of the year, readers found imaginative alternatives online as well as treasurable shows on stage More on the best culture of 2020 Stephen Joseph theatre, Scarboro…
The X-rated stories still provoke a titter but this recorded performance is a limp substitute for her rousing original London Hughes was acting like a superstar when she was performing in a …
As the industry faced turmoil, there were triumphant stagings of classics by Sarah Kane, David Mamet and Alan Bennett " and bold new experiments More on the best culture of 2020 Continue re…
Veteran stage and screen actor who found new audiences with her roles in TV's Gimme Gimme Gimme and Friday Night DinnerIn a career stretching over seven decades, the distinctive, cut-glass c…
Available onlineNational Theatre of Scotland retell the famous panto in a series of madcap monologues The top theatre shows to watch online this Christmas Did Brian Friel ever write a Christ…
Available online This online stream of a 2016 Soho theatre show whips through the young comic's angst and uncertainty There's a moment in Rhys James's 2016 show Forgives when the 25-year-old…
The Mischief Theatre Company has a flourishing stage and TV franchise, with a second Christmas special on the way. The trio discuss how difficult it is making mistakes go right "There's noth…
Strictly winner and comedian, 55, hopes he will be inspiration to 'self-conscious blokes of my vintage' Dance schools are expecting to see an increase in men of a certain age signing up for …
Stonewall praises comedian for her bravery after announcement on Sky Arts show Eddie Izzard has adopted the pronouns "she" and "her", saying she wants "to be based in girl mode from now on".…
Clayton Anderson was still a teen when he ran away with the circus in the late 1980s " taking along his camera to capture sword swallowers, tattooed ladies and a human torch Continue reading…
The year started with sparkling ballet and dazzling premieres, then came lockdown. But the dance world didn't stand still and kept delivering innovative and urgent creations More best cultu…
Two years on, the Kettering comic's show Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 remains personal, painful and electrifying. What will he do next? In the drear of a socially isolated Christmas, it was…
Available onlineScottish Ballet blends The Nutcracker and The Snow Queen in an hour-long film full of twinkle and charm This year has been a test of creativity and nerve for the dance sector…
There wasn't a lot to laugh about as venues closed and gigs were cancelled. But standups still delivered silly, edgy and heartfelt gags. Our critic picks his favourite new material More best…
Our series of extracts from unstaged scripts continues with a musical giving voice to the working-class women whose lives were changed by alochol Gin Craze is set during the 18th-century mor…
Broadway dance star who was one of the greatest exponents of Bob Fosse's choreographyBroadway show girls call it a layback: balancing on one foot, the other leg shoots up through 180 degrees…
Noël Coward; Lyric, London A brisk new backstage farce was overtaken by events, while Henry VIII's splendid singing wives were silenced once more as London entered tier 3 All gone. And at…
It can be a role as career-defining as Hamlet. Dan Leno, who starred at Drury Lane every Christmas from 1888 to 1904, was the first great pantomime dame: a tiny ex-clog dancer with a top-kno…
Available onlineThis MR James ghost story has been rethought as a suspenseful tale for the Covid era, with a standout performance from Tamzin Outhwaite This supernatural thriller is based on…
Available onlineThe Old Vic's Zoom-broadcast version of the Dickens classic is full of heart " and pulls back the curtain on Covid-era theatre Three years ago, Matthew Warchus's production o…