The Back to Back theatre company tackle uncomfortable subject matter in the story of an Indian deity reclaiming the swastika from the Nazis' News, reviews and opinion: read all our Edinburgh…
For a play I was seeing for a second time, there was something very unfamiliar about Buried Child, starring Ed Harris. And, I was to discover, for good reasonI don't get to the theatre as of…
Actor whose compelling presence inspired new works by Samuel Beckett and made her a chilling nanny in The Omen"I could have easily have become a nun, or a prostitute, or both," said Billie W…
Birmingham RepLong John Silver swaggers perilously close to child abuse while his parrot pecks out dissenters' eyes in this darkened voyage through Stevenson's taleRobert Louis Stevenson con…
Veteran stage and screen actor who played Harry Grout in Porridge and Maester Aemon Targaryen in Game of ThronesPeter Vaughan, who has died aged 93, was one of the most distinctive and menac…
Phyllida Lloyd's storming all-female Shakespeare trilogy is saluted by Lyn Gardner who, in no set order, chooses other essential productions of the yearMore on the best culture of 2016Phylli…
Arcola, London The father-son myth is reborn by playwright Sergio Blanco as a skirmish probing identity and male power that is funny, taut and puzzlingOne of the closing images in this vivid…
Royal and Derngate, NorthamptonDirector Luke Sheppard throws everything he can at Rick Elice's convoluted story, but it still can't touch JM Barrie's masterpiece A convoluted and anachronist…
Glenda Jackson ruled as Lear and Harry Potter left the West End spellbound but a three-hour drama in an empty cinema tops our critic's pick of the year's theatreMore on the best culture of 2…
Comic and magician's trademark headgear joins collection of memorabilia including jokes, props, posters and contractsTommy Cooper's famous red fez is to go on display at the Victoria and Alb…
The latest stage production of the 90s romantic thriller offers up skillful interpretations of Whitney Houston songs and a pleasingly playful tone The audience was still chatting and making …
There is still a pressing need for challenging male dominance in theatre, and we need the Guardian to include the wider view (Editorial, 15 October). Harriet Walter's plea to artistic direct…
Soho theatreKearns's comic armoury of distracted pauses, eccentric antics and daydreamer philosophy starts brilliantly before tailing off"Imagine I couldn't do this," ruminates John Kearns a…
The creators of the buzzy high school-set production talk about the dangers of the digital world for teenagers as their play hits BroadwayDuring its development, the creators of Dear Evan Ha…
The UK Jewish Comedy festival's salute to the Borscht Belt comedy of Woody Allen and Joan Rivers is poised awkwardly between tribute and parodyYou could argue that standup was born in the Ca…
Royal Lyceum, EdinburghNeilson's playful take on the much-loved novel is an eccentric fantasia full of clever theatrical tricksIt was in this theatre 12 years ago that Anthony Neilson presen…
Four months after opening its archive about the comedy great without including his famous bonnet, the V&A has added one to its collectionWhen the V&A launched its Tommy Cooper archiv…
Curve, LeicesterNikolai Foster's production returns to the musical's roots, restoring rarely heard tunes and replacing the sanitised film's California beaches with Chicago's mean streetsEver…
Nottingham PlayhouseKenneth Alan Taylor delivers dancing bunnies, vintage show tunes and 19 kilos of glitter for a perfect balance of old and newYou know you're in panto land when it suddenl…
The witches are Colombian, Banquo's Ghost appears in Mexico and Macbeth's castle is Croatian in this crowd-sourced version of Shakespeare's tragedy, performed by schoolchildren from around t…
Mary Stuart flips a coin at the Almeida, Gemma Arterton becomes Saint Joan, Jack and the Beanstalk gets a Bollywood twist, and the festive spirit touches everyone from Robin Hood to Hansel a…
O2 Arena, LondonThe physical foolery is fine, but some of Evans' jokes are not very nice at allLee Evans is one of the great clowns of the age, but on his new arena tour, Monsters, the slap …
Banks and oil giants should keep out of temples of culture, shouldn't they? Andrew Dickson thought so " until he made a documentary about sponsorship and the increasingly desperate search fo…
Hackney Empire, LondonSusie McKenna delivers a bright, brash and cheeky production, with fine voices and a kick-ass princess, but it lacks the brilliance of previous yearsSusie McKenna's ann…
Nuffield, SouthamptonExpanding on Dahl's original cast of characters, the show leads us into interesting territory but loses its nerve and mixes its messagesIt's early morning. A barber shop…