3,495 stories from The Arts Desk
ANTONY SHER: YEAR OF THE MAD KING The actor's Lear Diaries tell of his preparation to clamber up theatre's tallest peak for the RSCThe actor's Lear Diaries tell of his preparation to cl…
The actor's 'Lear Diaries' tell of his preparation to clamber up theatre's tallest peak for the RSCIn 1982 Antony Sher played the Fool to Michael Gambon's King in the Roy…
★★★★ HUMBLE BOY, ORANGE TREE Spirited revival of Charlotte Jones's 2001 hit buzzes with funSpirited revival of Charlotte Jones's 2001 hit buzzes with funGood pro…
Spirited revival of Charlotte Jones's 2001 hit buzzes with funGood programming is an art, and Paul Miller " artistic director of the Orange Tree Theatre " is clearly on a continuous rol…
Emma Rice's lauded stage version of the film returns with charm and inventiveness intactIt would be so easy to make fun of the 1945 Noel Coward/ David Lean film in which, famously, noth…
Emma Rice's lauded version of the film returns with charm and inventiveness intactIt would be so easy to make fun of the 1945 Noel Coward/ David Lean film in which, famously, nothing ha…
Adaptation of Palestinian novella needs less tell, more showThis year the state of Israel marks its 70th birthday. Which means it will also be the year Palestinians remember the Nakba, the c…
Rory Kinnear plays the homicidal Thane like a Mitchell brother on the rampageFair is foul and foul is drab, gory and tricksy in Rufus Norris's first stab at Shakespeare direction at the Nati…
★★★★★ SUMMER AND SMOKE, ALMEIDA THEATRE Exquisite renaissance of Tennessee Williams's neglected playPatsy Ferran anchors a radiant coming-of-age taleThat this 1…
Patsy Ferran anchors a radiant coming-of-age taleThat this 1948 Tennessee Williams play is rarely performed seems nothing short of a travesty, thanks to the awe-inspiring case made for it by…
Rory Kinnear plays the homicidal Thane like a Mitchell brother on the rampageFair is foul and foul is drab, gory and tricksy in Rufus Norris's first stab at Shakespeare direction, Macbeth at…
Adaptation of Palestinian novella needs less tell, more showThis year the state of Israel marks its 70th birthday. Which means it's also the year Palestinians remember the Nakba, the catastr…
★★★ THE BEST MAN, PLAYHOUSE THEATRE Martin Shaw and Maureen Lipman fail to heat up chilly political thrillerMartin Shaw and Maureen Lipman fail to heat up chilly political …
Martin Shaw and Maureen Lipman fail to heat up chilly political thriller Is it possible to get too much of American politics? With Donald Trump's daily tweets invading our digital space, a n…
★★★ FANNY AND ALEXANDER, OLD VIC Agile but shallow Bergman adaptationThree strong performances weakened by miscasting elsewhere and restless soundtrackCould an epic cinemat…
Three strong performances weakened by miscasting elsewhere and restless soundtrackCould an epic cinematic masterpiece be turned successfully into a three-act play? Confession first: Ingmar B…
HAROLD AND MAUDE, CHARING CROSS THEATRE Theatrical adaptation of the 1971 cult Californian movie doesn't set the stage on fireTheatrical adaptation of the 1971 cult Californian movie doesn&#…
Theatrical adaptation of the 1971 cult Californian movie doesn't set the stage on fireThe practice of mining the rich seam of popular movies to turn them into stage plays or musicals se…
THEARTSDESK IN MINSK Feasting with the remarkable Belarus Free TheatreThe renowned underground theatre company confronts the past and present at home and abroadBudzma! (Cheers!) At a long, f…
The renowned underground theatre company confronts the past and present at home and abroadBudzma! (Cheers!) At a long, food-laden table in a noisy room of Minsk, the capital of Belarus, a to…
'THE GREATEST PLAY EVER WRITTEN' Rory Mullarkey introduces his new version of The Cherry Orchard for Bristol Old VicRory Mullarkey introduces his new version of Chekhov's masterpiece fo…
Rory Mullarkey introduces his new version of Chekhov's masterpiece for Bristol Old Vic"The Cherry Orchard is the greatest play ever written," I declared, confidently, aged 16, to my mot…
★★★★ FROZEN, HAYMARKET THEATRE Suranne Jones, Jason Watkins and Nina Sosanya examine human darknessSuranne Jones, Jason Watkins and Nina Sosanya convincingly examine …
BEST PLAYS IN LONDON From All's Well to Schiller's thriller: theartsdesk's stage tipsFrom the Ides of March to modern monologues: theartsdesk's stage tipsLondon is the theatre capital o…
Suranne Jones, Jason Watkins and Nina Sosanya convincingly examine human darknessWhatever the weather, this week is Frozen. On Broadway, the Disney musical of that name begins previews, but …
