“What Was Shakespeare Really Like?” by Stanley Wells
Book review by Dr Simon Jenner 3 December 2023 Now 93, pre-eminent Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells has recently written
Book review by Dr Simon Jenner 3 December 2023 Now 93, pre-eminent Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells has recently written
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 4 December 2023 The new production at the National Theatre of The House of
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 2 December 2023 “It’s very weird and great.” A woman is trying to read
Yann Messager reports from the 6th arrondissement Stéphane Braunschweig’s “Andromaque” at the Théâtre de l’Odéon is a grand and harrowing performance
Mark Shenton on the South Bank 27 November 2023 Every year theatres up and down the land chase the
Jeremy Malies in west London 26 November 2023 “I wonder why London cannot keep its own fools at home!” is
Jane Edwardes on the South Bank 24 November 2023 It is well known that the first performances of Ibsen’s play
Yann Messager reports from Ile-de-France 23 November 2023 Astrid Bayiha’s latest creation, “M comme Médée,” is a tediously self-indulgent
Ştefana Pop-Curşeu is the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Cluj and is instrumental in the theme chosen for
Theatre Royal Brighton Jeremy Malies in East Sussex “The past is never dead. It’s not even past” said William Faulkner.
Interviews with European Directors series: Interview by Dana Rufolo October 2023 DR: “Plays International & Europe” has carried an
Robert Schneider in New Haven, Connecticut 13 November 2023 Sanaz Toossi’s Wish You Were Here places the friendship of six
Jane Edwardes in west London 13 November 2023 Comedies are rarely seen at the Royal Court, but times are harsh,
Jeremy Malies in the West End 13 November 2023 Cock jokes it seems, to paraphrase Claudius in Hamlet, “come not
Neil Dowden in south London 12 November 2023 The plays of Federico García Lorca are regularly staged in the UK,
Neil Dowden in north London 12 November 2023 Richard Bean’s new play To Have and to Hold takes a wryly
Jeremy Malies in East Sussex 12 November 2023 In Brian Friel’s Translations the focus is on what is lost or
Tom Bolton in south London 5 November 2023 Cade & MacAskill – Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill – are a performance
Iain Mackintosh: “Theatre Spaces 1920-2020 – Finding the Fun in Functionalism” Methuen Drama (2023) – 242 pages Reviewed by Dr
Jeremy Malies in Eastbourne 4 November 2023 As a satire on military conflicts of all kinds, Joan Littlewood’s Oh! What
Mark Shenton in the West End 3 November 2023 Time famously plays tricks on us all; but what if our
Jeremy Malies in the West End 3 November 2023 Still occasionally exhilarated by memories of Sir Kenneth Branagh’s perfect Macbeth
Simon Thomas in the South West 1 November 2023 Deborah Warner’s tenure as artistic director of Bath’s Ustinov Studio continues
Yann Messager in Paris 1 November 2023 Jacques Weber’s Ruy Blas is an aesthetically intriguing and occasionally gripping rendition of
Hans-Jürgen Bartsch in Berlin October 2023 This year, Anton Chekhov’s plays have been as popular as ever in Berlin. Following
Jeremy Malies in the West End 29 October 2023 Worker solidarity, second chances, and ambition tempered by kindness are the
Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 26 October 2023 “My life would be a beautiful story that would become true,
Neil Dowden in the West End 24 October 2023 Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling 2020 novel Hamnet opened
This year’s annual theatre festival in Cluj-Napoca was a showcase for several of the productions of the Teatrul Național –
Neil Dowden in north London 23 October 2023 Over the last four decades Marina Carr has forged a considerable reputation
Simon Thomas in the South West 21 October 2023 The first time I saw Brian Cox on stage was in
Simon Thomas in the South West 20 October 2023 In 2017, Moonlight, the film adaptation of a play by Tarell Alvin
Glenda Frank in New York 19 October 2023 Despite the blood-red curtains, the ebony desk with its golden memento mori,
Vincent Macaigne’s vision of Shakespeare at MC93 (Maison de la culture de Seine-Saint-Denis à Bobigny) Yann Messager reports from Paris
Simon Jenner in the West End 19 October 2023 Caryl Churchill’s first stage play Owners has proved doubly prescient. Premiering
Mark Shenton in the West End 16 October 2023 As the sun finally begins to set on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Neil Dowden in west London 16 October 2023 Ten years on from premiering Tanika Gupta’s The Empress, the RSC have
Jeremy Malies in West Sussex 13 October 2023 “It wasn’t as if there was any mystery to unravel” is one
Jane Edwardes on the South Bank 12 October 2023 In 2020, Clint Dyer and Roy Williams launched the first of
Jeremy Malies in west London 9 October 2023 “I am not what I am …” Iago tells us in an
Glenda Frank in Manhattan 9 October 2023 This does not open with a bang although Jane (Sydney Lemmon, TÁR, “Succession”)
Dana Rufolo in Ghent October 2023 The first foray into directing opera of the acclaimed Swiss theatre director Milo
Simon Thomas in Somerset 6 October 2023 It seems no time at all since Rupert Everett was appearing in the
Tom Bolton in South London 5 October 2023 There is something about Beyoncé and Thomas Middleton. Within a few minutes,
Dana Rufolo in Luxembourg October 2023 Lovefool is a drama that demands attention; it is a feminist cri de coeur
Mark Shenton in the West End 5 October 2023 Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends was a one-night gala held (appropriately) at
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 1 October 2023 Kim’s having a bad day, and it spans over a century.
Simon Jenner in West Sussex October 1 2023 “In the world of quizzing, the man who has the questions is
Jane Edwardes in the West End 1 October 2023 When Peter Hall was artistic director of the National Theatre, he
Jeremy Malies in south London 1 October 2023 Playwright Charlie Dupré’s imagination and writing skills have been fired by several
Neil Dowden in north London 28 September 2023 It seems that American playwright Lynn Nottage is finally getting the recognition
Mark Shenton in central London 27 September 2023 In Harold Pinter’s 1975 play No Man’s Land two older men meet
Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 26 September 2023 “This is an age of upstarts” is one of Henry Higgins’s
Mark Shenton in east London 25 September 2023 In Jonathan Harvey’s first big hit play Beautiful Thing, originally premiered in
Neil Dowden in north London 25 September 2023 Hampstead Theatre has done sterling work in staging a number of new
Tom Bolton in south London 25 September 2023 It seems 2023 is the year we rediscovered the nuclear bomb. Against
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 20 September 2023 The name Nathuram Godse may not be familiar to most people
Mark Shenton in the West End 18 September 2023 The New York-based comedian, author, filmmaker, and podcaster Mike Birbiglia specializes
Jeremy Malies in west London 18 September 2023 Polly Stenham’s first play That Face (2007) opens by showing a piece
Mark Shenton in the West End 15 September 2023 In a world of seemingly endless re-hashes of popular film
Mark Shenton in the West End 14 September 2023 Like productions of King Lear or Hamlet, you never have
Neil Dowden in west London 12 September 2023 French playwright Yasmina Reza is best known for her dark comedies satirizing
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 12 September 2023 The final show in the Globe’s summer season – which has
Simon Jenner in West Sussex 9 September 2023 After April De Angelis’ Kerry Jackson at the National last year,
September 2023 [Jeremy Malies interviewed Sir Michael Boyd in 2012 for the print version of this magazine shortly after Sir
Sasho Ognenovski reports on the sixty-eighth incarnation of this major theatre festival in Novi Sad, Serbia. This year’s festival raised
Sasho Ognenovski reports from Ravenna, Italy Theatre has only one future and that is a process by which modes of
Simon Thomas in the West Country 2 September 2023 A play like Farewell Mister Haffmann shouldn’t really be as entertaining as it
Mark Shenton in the West End 1 September 2023 London had to wait 35 years for the arrival of the
Children’s Shows (comedy, clown) Pleasance Courtyard – Beneath 1 hour Suitability: 5+ (4 and older) Group: Rubbish Shakespeare Company
Comedy (satire, sketch show) Pleasance Courtyard – The Grand 1 hour Suitability: 14+ (Guideline) Group: NewsRevue 28 August 2023
Comedy (improv, family-friendly) Pleasance Dome – AceDome 1 hour Suitability: 8+ Group: Any Suggestions Improv 28 August 2023 Jamilah
Children’s Shows (magic) Assembly George Square Gardens – Palais du Variete Suitability: 3+ (4-12) Group: Showmen Productions 28 August
Nora Al Mazrouei in Edinburgh 28 August 2023 This is about an expensive toy rabbit called Edward. He is
Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Emerald Theatre 50 minutes Suitability: 5+ (5 and older) Group: Dynamik Theatre 28 August 2023
Children’s Shows (musical theatre, family-friendly) theSpace @ Niddry St – Lower Theatre Suitability: 3+ (3 and older) Group: Flying High
theSpace @ Niddry St – Upper Theatre (Thrust) 1 hour 10 minutes Retrospective review: run finished Maggie Rose in Edinburgh
Jeremy Malies ***** Five-star review Within seconds the sound effects (voices, radios, and alerts) tell us that the action, at
Summerhall – Main Hall Group: LUNG in Association with The North Wall 75 minutes Retrospective review: run finished. 28 August
August 2023 How long have you been the head of the Tampere Theatre festival? I’ve been here since 2007
Tampere is a quiet university city with beautiful brick buildings erected in its industrial era, broad streets, trams, buses as
Simon Jenner in East Sussex 25 August 2023 If you were thinking The Playgirl of the Western World as the
Jeremy Malies in north London 25 August 2023 “Bach Cello Suite No. 1!” said a critic who I hang about
Mark Shenton in the West End 24 August 2023 Mamma Mia! – the jukebox musical forged out of the back
theSpaceTriplex – Studio 50 minutes Group: And Tomorrow Theatre Company Retrospective review: run finished. 23 August 2023 Jeremy Malies in
Hans-Jürgen Bartsch in Berlin Since Peter Stein’s legendary staging of Three Sisters in 1984, remembered above all for the magnificent
Glenda Frank in Manhattan 22 August 2023 Towards the end of Act II of The Cottage, the comedy takes a
DR Please tell us who you are. CN I am a television journalist … with a masters degree in theatre.
Festival of Almada audience member Bruno Realista. DR You are one of the people engaged to help run the Almada
Peter Stein (l) with Festival artistic director Rodrigo Francisco during a talk about The Birthday Party. Photo credit: Axel Hörhager.
40th Almada Theatre Festival (4 – 18 July, 2023) In 2019 when – little imagining what was waiting for
Paradise in Augustines – The Sanctuary Retrospective review: run finished. Maggie Rose in Edinburgh 21 August 2023 Multi-award winning musical
Assembly George Square Studios – Underground 18:00. Duration 1 hour. To 28 August 20 August 2023 Maggie Rose in Edinburgh
Roundabout @ Summerhall – Roundabout 13:10, 14:40. Duration 1 hour. To 27 August (not 22) 20 August 2023 Maggie Rose
Summerhall – Cairns Lecture Theatre 18:55. Duration 1 hour. To 27 August (not 21) 20 August 2023 Maggie Rose in
Searchlight Theatre Company Charlotte Chapel 23-26 August at 14.30. Duration 75mins. **** Four-star review 20 August 2023 Jeremy Malies in
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Theatre 2 12:15. Duration 30 minutes. To 26 August (not 20) Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Big Yin 12:10: 1 hour 20 minutes To 27 August 18 August 2023 Maggie Rose
While, as far as I am aware, there are no complete Shakespeare plays being performed on this year’s Fringe, a
Edinburgh International Festival Traverse Theatre 80 minutes To 27 August [May be sold out at time of publication] 17 August
After The Act (A Section 28 Musical) Traverse Theatre – Traverse 1 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00, 22:00 1 hour 30
“The Climate Fables – The Trash Garden” Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Fern Studio 14:00 – 55 minutes 17-19 August
Underbelly, Bristo Square – Ermintrude 13:15: 1 hour 15 minutes To 27 August (not 21) 17 August 2023 Maggie Rose
Traverse Theatre – Traverse 1 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00, 22:00 1 hour 20 minutes Group: Traverse Theatre Company To 27th
Traverse Theatre – Traverse 1 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00, 22:00 Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes To 27 August (not 21st)
Greenside @ Nicolson Square – Lime Studio 20:50 hrs: 55 minutes Aug 16, 18, 22, 24, 26 15 August 2023
theSpace @ Symposium Hall – Annexe 15:00 – 50 minutes To 26 August **** Four-star show Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh
Mark Shenton in north London 15 August 2023 August 23 marks the 40th anniversary of the Broadway opening night of
Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh “The Ballad of Truman Capote” theSpace @ Niddry St – Upper Theatre (Round) 18:05 – 50
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 13 August 2023 Premiered to acclaim in 2012 in the intimate Cottesloe (now Dorfman),
Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh 12 August 2023 ZOO Southside – Studio 18:55 hrs – one hour To 27th August (not
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 12 August 2023 Bad luck may come in threes, but the “unluckiest” play Macbeth
Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh 11 August 2023 ***** Five-star review If there is a show in Edinburgh that has
Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh 10 August 2023 There are two shows about Tennessee Williams in the city but no productions
Maggie Rose in Edinburgh 9 August 2023 Geoff Sobelle’s “Food” is being performed at the Studio in Potter’s Row. In
Maggie Rose in Edinburgh 8 August 2023 Christiane Jatahy’s Dusk (original title Between Dog and Wolf) based on the film
Maggie Rose in Edinburgh 8 August 2023 A Fringe trend in recent years is the growing number of Italian theatre
Jeremy Malies in Edinburgh 8 August 2023 This Brechtian piece begins in 1943. It tells the story of persecution and
Simon Jenner in the West End 7 August 2023 Restoration panto meets The Comedy About a Bank Robbery? Based on
C ARTS | C venues | C aquila – Temple 14:30 – 1 hour Group: Rec Room Arts and Art
Neil Dowden in west London 2 August 2023 Postponed from last September, Rabiah Hussain’s intriguing new work Word-Play is, as
Simon Jenner in West Sussex 1 August 2023 Some have waited 46 years. Dominic Cooke brings back Howard Schuman and
Jeremy Malies in east London 27 July 2023 Imagine one of Iain Sinclair’s psychogeography books about London in a skilful
Neil Dowden in west London 19 July 2023 Michael Wynne’s new play Cuckoo – his eighth for the Royal Court
Mark Shenton in West Sussex 18 July 2023 Early on in The Sound of Music, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final musical
Jeremy Malies in the West End 13 July 2023 “Observe first, interpret later.” This is the advice of nineteenth-century physician
Simon Jenner in West Sussex 8 July 2023 At the end of his life Wagner announced he’d revise his early
Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 7 July 2023 Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park shows a character arriving on stage 15
Mark Shenton in the West End 7 July 2023 “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Dorothy tells her dog, after
Hans-Jürgen Bartsch in Berlin Five years ago, the Komödie was compelled to go into temporary exile when wrecking balls started
Mark Shenton in the West End 4 July 2023 When Crazy for You originally premiered on Broadway in 1992, Frank
Mark Shenton in south London 3 July 2023 A truly sublime musical version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Curious Case of
Mark Shenton in central London 3 July 2023 After Groundhog Day, a musical about a man trapped in a recurring
Neil Dowden in north London 30 June 2023 Shomit Dutta’s debut play Stumped is based on the delightful conceit of
Neil Dowden in the West End 27 June 2023 With a premiere at the National Theatre starring David Tennant in
Maggie Rose in Italy 25 June 2023 This year’s 51st Venice Theatre Biennale (15 June to 1 July), directed by
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 25 June 2023 James Graham has forged a reputation as a political playwright with
Mark Shenton in the West End 23 June 2023 The original production of Mrs. Doubtfire began previews on 9 March
Simon Jenner in West Sussex 21 June 2023 “I can’t believe you’re Laurence Olivier!” Thus Adrienne Kennedy addresses the actor
Simon Thomas in the West Country 21 June 2023 A brand new Cole Porter musical has to be a good
Dana Rufolo in Vienna 19 June 2023 Vienna’s May-June Wiener Festwochen date back to 1951 when the city decided to
Neil Dowden in the West End 19 June 2023 Jack Thorne must be one of the busiest dramatists around. While
Jeremy Malies in north London 16 June 2023 Rebecca Frecknall is too experienced and reflective to be tempted into a
Mark Shenton in north London 15 June 2023 “Think of musical comedy, the most glorious words in the English language!”
Jeremy Malies in central London (Notting Hill Gate) 15 June 2023 It will always be a cruel play in which
My Shakespeare: A Director’s Journey through the First Folio by Greg Doran (Methuen Drama) Book review by Tom Bolton Covid
Simon Thomas in the South West 11 June 2023 In the 1960s, Bristol Old Vic mounted a very successful
Jane Edwardes in west London 11 June 2023 The three monologues or, as he would say, poems that make up
Simon Jenner in West Sussex 11 June 2023 “Everybody’s got the right to… dream” American. Stephen Sondheim’s 1990 Assassins –
Mark Shenton on the South Bank 10 June 2023 If I ever found myself paralysed by time into re-living the
Jeremy Malies in East Sussex 7 June 2023 “Ever and ever, forever and ever you’ll be the one / That shines
Natalia Isaeva in Paris 15 December 2016 In 1965 Marguerite Duras created her La Musica initially as a radio play
Neil Dowden in north London 2 June 2023 Neil LaBute 2001’s romantic comedy-drama The Shape of Things is his most
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 31 May 2023 The Pathological Theatre’s Medea, directed and adapted by Dario D’Ambrosi, has been
“Rose” at Ambassadors Theatre Neil Dowden in the West End 29 May 2023 Martin Sherman – best known for
Mark Shenton in the West End 26 May 2023 Aspects of Love, originally premiered in the West End in
Maggie Rose in Milan 25 May 2023 The tenth anniversary of Franca Rame’s death (29 May 2013) has been
Jeremy Malies on the Southbank 24 May 2023 On her own website, Pentabus Theatre artistic director Elle While is quick
Mark Shenton in north London 25 May 2023 I recently attended a gala at New York’s Classic Stage Company
Mark Shenton in south London 24 May 2023 Frank Loesser’s timeless 1950 masterpiece Guys and Dolls is currently receiving
Mark Shenton in the West End 23 May 2023 Director Jonathan Butterell and composer Dan Gillespie Sells, two of
Simon Jenner on the Southbank 23 May 2023 With both this production of The Comedy of Errors, directed by Sean
Dana Rufolo in Luxembourg 12 May 2023 Complicité is a member of the UK Touring Theatre Companies and Drive Your
Simon Jenner in East Sussex 15 May 2023 If someone prophesied that John Lyly’s 1583 Galatea would be the
Simon Jenner in West Sussex 12 May 2023 As in the plot of the play, waves of past calamity are
Mark Shenton at the Brighton Festival 9 May 2023 Premiered at the Brighton Festival which is curated this year by
Jane Edwardes in west London 7 May 2023 Lenny Henry here exhibits his many talents with his first stage
Mark Shenton in West Sussex 5 May 2023 Hot on the heels of the scintillating revival of Noël Coward’s
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 5 May 2023 Jack Thorne’s entertaining new play The Motive and the Cue
Glenda Frank in New York 4 May 2023 They’re back – the Mischief Production zannis who last brought us
Robert Schneider in Connecticut 3 May 2023 I write in order to describe taking a trip to theatrical Never-Never
Jeremy Malies in Kingston, London 2 May 2023 This is a concept production based on a pretext that soon
An interview with company founder Luisella Suberni Piccoli by Dana Rufolo Photo courtesy Teatrolingua. As readers know, Plays
Mark Shenton in north London 28 April 2023 Composer Duncan Sheik wrote the music for Spring Awakening, one of
Mark Shenton in north London 28 April 2023 Ryan Calais Cameron is currently represented in the West End by
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 26 April 2023 Though Mary’s family want to stage a small surprise reception
Neil Dowden in west London 22 April 2023 First staged 80 years ago, Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of
Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 22 April 2022 It’s August 1936 in Ballybeg (literally “Little Town” in Gaelic),
Neil Dowden in the West End 19 April 2023 Noël Coward’s masterly comedy of manners Private Lives has rarely
Hans-Jürgen Bartsch in Berlin 18th April 2023 Chekhov’s dramatic work features regularly in the repertoire of Berlin’s theatres, particularly
Dana Rufolo in Luxembourg 18 April 2023 The Writer by Ella Hickson was staged under the auspices of Les
Sasho Ognenovski in Sofia 17th April 2023 Nora (often used as an alternative title for A Doll’s House) is
Sasho Ognenovski in Belgrade 17 April 2023 This sharp and observant play speaks of an inherited and politically instinctive
Ken Edwards in the West End 17 April 2023 Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–81) was one of the
Mark Shenton in the West End 6 April 2023 There’s nothing little about the huge emotional intensity of Ivo van
Mark Shenton in the West End 3 April 2023 David Hare recently wrote a diary column for The Spectator (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/musicals-are-killing-theatre/)
Jeremy Malies in East Sussex 1 April 2023 “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)” by Modjo is hardwired into me now
Robert Schneider 29 March 2023 The difficulty in adapting Medea for modern audiences is clear: we must be horrified
Annie Loui in Los Angeles 28 March 2023 Anna Deavere Smith’s iconic play about the LA riots of 1992 has
Glenda Frank in New York 28 March 2023 Like Shakespeare, Chekhov and Miller, Nobel Prize winner Samuel Beckett wrote
Neil Dowden in west London 28 March 2023 Actor and activist Danny Lee Wynter’s first work as a playwright
Neil Dowden in west London 21 March 2023 Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist may have premiered in Italy
Neil Dowden in South London 19 March 2023 The Menier Chocolate Factory deserve much credit for staging the UK premiere
Simon Jenner in south London 19 March 2023 Slow-burn seems an inevitable phrase for Zinnie Harris’s second (1999) play Further
Tom Bolton in south London 18 March 2023 It is an unusual Macbeth that comes to life with the Porter’s
Glenda Frank on the Upper East Side 18 March 2023 At first the title Love seems bizarre, misleading, even
Axel Hörhager in Austria 18 March 2023 Only Thomas Bernhard, with his acerbic and typically Austrian wit, could have commented
Mark Shenton on the South Bank 17 March 2023 In Nicholas Hytner’s fully immersive production of Frank Loesser’s Guys &
Jeremy Malies in Barcelona 16 March 2023 “An opera project” is how the official blurb describes this, so I
Mark Shenton in the West End 13 March 2023 Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn has lost more money for theatre producers
Axel Hörhager in Austria 12 March 2023 The advance publicity by the Burgtheater, suggesting that their version of Friedrich Schiller’s
Tom Bolton in south London 3 March 2023 For Tim Crouch, challenge is inherent to performance. Walking onto a
Neil Dowden in the West End 3 March 2023 Willy Russell’s 1986 monodrama Shirley Valentine may seem a bit
Dana Rufolo at the Grand Théâtre 1 March 2023 Who else but the Berliner Ensemble, Bertolt Brecht’s own theatre
Neil Dowden in South London 1 March 2023 It seems highly appropriate for Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce to
Mark Shenton in the West End 1 March 2023 “And when we say; Ee-ee-ow! A-yip-i-o-ee-ay! We’re only sayin’, You’re
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 26 February 2023 Caryl Churchill’s work is enjoying unprecedented success in Italy. After many decades
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 26 February 2023 Milan’s Franco Parenti Theatre is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, with
Jeremy Malies in North London 26 February 2023 Lulu Raczka’s first play Nothing, a set of interconnected monologues about
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 26 February 2023 Shakespeare’s Globe’s new production of The Winter’s Tale marks the start
Mark Shenton on the South Bank 23 February 2023 On consecutive nights this week, theatre travellers have been summonsed
Jeremy Malies in the West End 23 February 2023 Worst mother in Greek tragedy? It’s a competitive field but
Mark Shenton in the West End 21 February 2023 A personal note to begin: I first met playwright Diana
Neil Dowden in south London 19 February 2023 Tom Kempinksi’s 1980 drama Duet for One is an intense two-hander
Mark Shenton on the South Bank 14 February 2023 After producing one of the biggest musical misfires of the
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 14 February 2023 Simon Stone has made an international reputation as a writer-director
Neil Dowden in the West End 13 February 2023 Stefano Massini’s epic three-act play The Lehman Trilogy adapted by
Book review by Dana Rufolo (The book has been translated into English by John Freedman, Natalia Bratus, John Farndon, and
Jeremy Malies in Surrey 10 February 2023 “There’s no way back / Move right outta here baby!” Perhaps Liz
Mark Shenton in the West End 7 February 2023 Words matter, in reviews as in life. But life is
Tom Bolton in south London 3 February 2023 Jude Christian’s new production of Shakespeare’s least respected play, Titus Andronicus,
Hans-Jürgen Bartsch in Berlin 31 January 2023 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s play Minna von Barnhelm was premiered in 1767 at
Dana Rufolo in Luxembourg 31 January 2023 Songes d’une nuit…, an interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, developed as
Neil Dowden in the West End 29 January 2023 Michael Frayn’s perennially popular 1982 meta-comedy Noises Off deconstructs farce
Jeremy Malies in west London 29 January 2023 Frantic Assembly’s version of Othello, previously staged in 2008 and 2014,
Jeremy Malies in West Sussex 26 January 2023 Girl from the North Country is a play by Conor McPherson
Tom Bolton in north London 23 January 2023 Chloe Rice and Natasha Roland are New York-based performers, a two-person
Simon Thomas in Somerset 20 January 2023 Starry casts are not commonplace in venues with a capacity of just
Tom Bolton in south London 19 January 2023 Lazarus Theatre, and their artistic director Ricky Dukes, specialize in introducing
Sasho Ognenovski in Sofia 19 January 2023 “Woven From Dreams or Prospero’s Twisted Mind” With his treatment of The
Dana Rufolo in Luxembourg 17 January 2023 Tom doesn’t mind the gaps in his memory; The Nature of Forgetting,
Jeremy Malies in north London 16 January 2023 “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” These are the words
Book Review by Dana Rufolo 12 January 2023 As in many of the recently-authored Romanian plays staged at Romanian theatre
Neil Dowden in the West End 14 January 2023 American playwright, screenwriter, memoirist, and activist Lillian Hellman is probably
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli in Vienna 10 January 2023 Following the success of Gott ist nicht schüchtern, director Susanne Draxler
Robert Schneider in East Haddam, Connecticut 9th January 2023 The book writers of the new musical Christmas in Connecticut
Robert Schneider in New Haven, Connecticut 9 January 2023 From her poignant family drama God Said This, winner of
Robert Schneider 24th December 2022 Remember Pearl Harbor! The injunction that screamed from recruiting posters during WWII still brings
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 23 December 2022 In late November, Shakespeare and the Law. Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet and Tybalt
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 23rd December 2022 Be careful what you call a musical, particularly would-be-catchy one-word
Annie Loui in California 20th December 2022 The iconoclastic director Peter Sellars, and the pioneer video artist Bill Viola
Glenda Frank on Broadway 20th December 2022 August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson opens with Boy Willie’s noisy arrival up
Neil Dowden in the West End 19th December 2022 The first in-house production @sohoplace is an engaging, innovative, and
Dana Rufolo 18 December 2022 The eighth edition of the International Theatre Festival “Interferences” took place under the aegis of
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 18th December 2022 Milan’s Carcano Theatre (founded 1803), has, for the first time, two women
Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 13th December 2022 I could tell from seeing three-quarters of the capacity audience
Jeremy Malies in the West End 9 December 2022 Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel has struck adaptors as potentially genre
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 9th December 2022 In April De Angelis’s new play, Kerry Jackson, opening at
Hans-Jürgen Bartsch in Germany 22 October 2022 Had they not been compelled to go into a (temporary) exile four
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 2nd December 2022 Theatre Protons’s Winterreise is being performed at the Triennale theatre’s small studio
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 2 December 2022 In November I caught Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro, in
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 1st December 2022 “Where should Othello go?” One of the lines cut from
Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 1st December 2022 Adaptor Jack Thorne, quite rightly, impresses upon us that this
Shakespeare’s Globe and Headlong with Leeds Playhouse and Royal & Derngate, Northampton Jeremy Malies on the South Bank 28 November
Simon Jenner in south-west London 25 November 2022 Talk about art aspiring to the condition of music. Shaw the
Simon Jenner in the West End 27th November 2022 “Congratulations! Your pain is commercially viable.” Jasmine Naziha Jones’ Baghdaddy
Tom Bolton in north London 24th November 2022 A middle-aged man steps up to a spot-lit microphone on a
Jeremy Malies in east London 23 November 2022 Frank McGuinness’s new play is inspired by the unlikely but real-life
Neil Dowden in south London 22 November 2022 The Menier Chocolate Factory has reopened after a six-month refurbishment with
Simon Thomas in the south-west 18th November 2022 A tour that takes in Bath, Richmond, Chichester, Guildford, and Cheltenham
Glenda Frank on Broadway 6 October 2022 Some directors take a minute or two but from the first, Diane
Tom Bolton in west London 11 November 2022 Not Now is the third new David Ireland play staged at
Jeremy Malies in Dorset 10th November 2022 In August I reported on the wonderful character actor Pip Utton being
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 9 November 2022 Erba is one of the few contemporary playwrights in Italy to have
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli in Vienna [8th November 2022] We know her as an actress, singer, talent agent and activist.
Neil Dowden in north London 6 November 2022 Rona Munro had a big success with her 2014 trilogy The
Glenda Frank on Broadway 31 October 2022 Death of a Salesman, directed by Miranda Cromwell, meets all the criteria
Jeremy Malies in south-east London 30 October 2022 A seldom-performed Shakespeare play by a newish company at a new
Simon Jenner in north London 29 October 2022 Tammy Faye: A New Musical – making its world premiere at
Neil Dowden in the West End 27 October 2022 @sohoplace is the first new, purpose-built theatre in the West
Tom Bolton in north London 27th October 2022 Performed on a bare stage that contains only a trunk and
Robert Schneider in Connecticut 24 October 2022 With 70 years of practice, reviewers have learned how to write about
Robert Schneider in Connecticut 24 October 2022 Skylar Lynn Matthews holds her arms out, banking left and right like
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 23 October 2022 Pearl Cleage’s 1995 play Blues for an Alabama Sky is
Simon Thomas in Bristol 23 October 2022 As the UK’s oldest continually working theatre, Bristol Old Vic can boast
Neil Dowden in the West End 20 October 2022 Twice delayed by Covid, Dominic Cooke’s revival of C.P. Taylor’s
Maggie Rose in Lombardy 19 October 2022 One of the best definitions of a classic has to be that
Jean Rogers on the birth of the National Theatre. Actor and activist, Jean Rogers is famed for her long-running role
Robert Schneider in Connecticut 18th October 2022 Like many people who work in higher education, I’m trained every year
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli in Austria [18th October 2022] Following the success of JA EH! – Beisl, Bier und Bachmannpreis
Simon Jenner in west Sussex 18th October 2022 Happer, the comet-gazing CEO of Knox Oil (played by Jay Villiers)
Simon Jenner on the South Bank 14 October 2022 Cramped in car boots, in hidden lorry compartments, not breathing.
Jeremy Malies in south-west London 14 October 2022 This is a play that shows two competing groups trying to
Glenda Frank on Broadway 12 October 2022 Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard, now at the Longacre Theatre, is a sprawling Chekhovian
Dana Rufolo in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 11th International Meetings at the National Theatre (Teatrul National). 28 September through 2 October 2022
Neil Dowden in the West End 12th October 2022 Created by Robert Icke, The Doctor (loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler’s
Jeremy Malies in west London 10th October 2022 Another play about altruism. In his The Hard Problem, Tom Stoppard
Simon Jenner in the West End 8 October 2022 “This happened not too long ago. You probably won’t have
Neil Dowden on the South Bank 5 October 2022 Ibsen certainly lives up to his reputation for gloominess in
Neil Dowden on the Southbank 2 October 2022 The trials in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692–3 which led to 19
Simon Jenner in west Sussex 29 September 2022 “Squeezy.. squeezy… Score grounds appeal cumquat doggy Martha hat sick on the
Neil Dowden in east London 28th September 2022 Anthony Neilson’s The Wonderful World of Dissocia is very much a play
Ludovico Lucchesi Palli in Austria 28 September 2022 Werk X-Petersplatz have kicked off the new season with the world premiere
Simon Jenner in Waterloo 25 September 2022 Something about the fall of 2017 seems to haunt American playwriting just now.
Neil Dowden in north London 20 September 2022 The timing of this revival by the Kiln Theatre of Moira Buffini’s
Jeremy Malies in east London 20 September 2022 It’s every sound engineer’s nightmare. How do you create the sound of
Neil Dowden in north London 19 September 2022 Richard Eyre has had a distinguished career as a director of plays,
Simon Jenner in north London 15 September 2022 Six into five won’t go. When overworked British-Nigerian junior doctor Ore (Gloria
Neil Dowden in central London 14 September 2022 Inua Ellams is a British-Nigerian playwright, poet, and performer best known for
Jeremy Malies at Greenside @ Infirmary Street 12 September 2022 The Glass Imaginary by a company called The Improvised Play