The week in theatre: Closer, The Tempest, The Darkest Part of the Night " review by Kate Kellaway

Lyric Hammersmith; Shakespeare's Globe; Kiln, LondonPatrick Marber's four-way passion play still adds up; Sean Holmes takes enjoyable liberties with his party island Tempest; and the heartfe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:07am on August 7, 2022[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Chasing Hares; 101 Dalmatians; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Kate Kellaway

Young Vic; Regent's Park Open Air; Gillian Lynne, LondonGlobalisation's effect on an Indian factory makes for touching drama; Douglas Hodge's new Dodie Smith musical is spot on; and a new-lo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:48am on July 31, 2022[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Britannicus; Tony! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera); The Haunting of Susan A by Kate Kellaway

Lyric Hammersmith; Park theatre; King's Head theatre, LondonEven Timberlake Wertenbaker can't quite ignite Racine's tyrannical hero; Harry Hill's New Labour musical is a gag-filled joy; and …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:18am on June 12, 2022[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Dogs of Europe; Cock " reviews by Kate Kellaway

Barbican; Ambassadors theatre, LondonThe exiled Belarus Free Theatre offers a frightening, timely vision of a divided Europe, and Taron Egerton brings emotive power to Mike Bartlett's explor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:24am on March 20, 2022[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Nora: A Doll's House; The Key Workers Cycle; Legacy by Kate Kellaway

Royal Exchange, Manchester; Almeida; Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonStef Smith's Ibsen update can't quite match the original for its sense of dread; the mystery play gets a Covid-era reboot…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:03pm on March 13, 2022[SHARE]

Maria Friedman: 'Sondheim was a kind man, but God, he could be very direct' by Kate Kellaway

The musical theatre star on her new tribute show to Stephen Sondheim, her unconventional upbringing, and her happiest song… Maria Friedman, 61, is a singer, actor and director who has a na…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:03am on February 13, 2022[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Force Majeure; Folk " review by Kate Kellaway

Donmar Warehouse; Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, LondonOne false move tears a family apart in a superb adaptation of Ruben Östlund's avalanche film. And folk song collector Cecil Sharp me…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:33am on January 9, 2022[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Spring Awakening; Peggy for You; Habeas Corpus by Kate Kellaway

Almeida; Hampstead theatre; Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonA revival of a 2006 musical gives thrilling voice to a Covid generation, Tamsin Greig is Peggy Ramsay to a tee, and an Alan Bennet…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:48am on December 26, 2021[SHARE]

Stephen Mangan: 'My strangest Christmas present? An aubergine' by Kate Kellaway

The actor, who is playing Scrooge on stage, is a fan of Christmas games " and quizzes in particular. But there's one question he can't answer: why are Christmas cracker jokes so bad? Stephe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42am on December 19, 2021[SHARE]

Rory Kinnear: 'I've been on set during Bond stunts but usually cower in the corner' by Kate Kellaway

The actor on breaking his vow never to ski again for his new stage role, a brush with death in the Namibian desert, and how he remembers his father, Roy Rory Kinnear, 43, known for his origi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:24am on November 28, 2021[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Ocean at the End of the Lane; Little Scratch; Footfalls/Rockaby by Kate Kellaway

Duke of York's; Hampstead Theatre Downstairs; Jermyn Street, LondonThe National's striking Neil Gaiman adaptation sweeps into the West End. A day inside the mind of a traumatised woman sound…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:18pm on November 14, 2021[SHARE]

Ian McDiarmid: 'As a kid, I always wanted to be the baddie' by Kate Kellaway

The theatre and film actor on staging a pair of Julian Barnes stories, playing Emperor Palpatine, and finding peace in isolation Ian McDiarmid, 77, has distinguished himself as a theatrical …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:06am on November 7, 2021[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Is God Is; Camp Siegfried; Search Party by Kate Kellaway

Royal Court; Old Vic; Donmar Warehouse, LondonAleshea Harris sets the Royal Court alight with her blazing family drama; Patsy Ferran and Luke Thallon are marooned in a US Nazi summer camp; a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:12am on September 26, 2021[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Indecent; NW Trilogy; East Is East " review by Kate Kellaway

Menier Chocolate Factory; Kiln, London; Birmingham RepCultural identity unites a Jewish writer's shockingly radical play, diverse tales from Kilburn and Ayub Khan Din's 1996 classic It is wo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:42am on September 19, 2021[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Anything Goes; Changing Destiny " review by Kate Kellaway

Barbican; Young Vic, LondonA joyously shipshape revival of Cole Porter's classic proves the perfect getaway, while an elegant staging lifts Ben Okri's portentous foray into Ancient Egypt Bef…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:06am on August 8, 2021[SHARE]

Notes on Grief; Cloud Studies; The Long Waited, Weighted, Gathering " review by Kate Kellaway

Manchester Central; Whitworth Art Gallery; Manchester Jewish MuseumChimamanda Ngozi Adichie's reflections on the death of her father resist the confines of the stage; Forensic Architecture c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:36am on July 11, 2021[SHARE]

Lisa Dwan: 'Narratives of nasty women spread with few facts attached' by Kate Kellaway

The Irish actor on reimagining Antigone, what she learned from Billie Whitelaw, and starring in Jed Mercurio's new crime drama Lisa Dwan, 43, is an Irish actor particularly celebrated for he…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:06am on February 21, 2021[SHARE]

An Evening With an Immigrant review " irresistible by Kate Kellaway

The Bridge, LondonIn this warm monologue, Inua Ellams recalls his journey from Nigeria to London to shed light on Britain's asylum system There is a wonderful sense of release as Inua Ellams…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36am on October 4, 2020[SHARE]

Patrick Marber: 'I'll be in therapy for the rest of my life " if I can afford it' by Kate Kellaway

The playwright and director on writing and depression, collaborating with Tom Stoppard, and reconnecting with his Jewish roots Patrick Marber is a playwright, director, screenwriter and come…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24am on March 7, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Pass Over; Love, Loss & Chianti and more " review by Kate Kellaway

Kiln; Riverside Studios; Coronet; Bush, LondonAntoinette Nwandu's play about the US race divide flits thrillingly from laughter to rage, Christopher Reid's poetry is a challenge on stage, an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:06am on March 1, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Welkin; Krapp's Last Tape/ Eh Joe/ The Old Tune; The Sunset Limited " review by Kate Kellaway

Lyttelton; Jermyn Street; Boulevard, LondonA pregnant question hangs over Lucy Kirkwood's elegant new courthouse drama, while a superlative Beckett triple bill could teach Cormac McCarthy a …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:24am on January 26, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Fairview; The Boy Friend; The Wolf of Wall Street " review by Kate Kellaway

Young Vic; Menier Chocolate Factory; 5-15 Sun Street, LondonDon't be fooled by the homely setting of Jackie Sibblies Drury's dazzling, disconcerting Pulitzer prize-winner A woman is peeling …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:33am on December 8, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Mary Poppins; Murder in the Cathedral; Much Ado About Nothing " review by Kate Kellaway

Prince Edward theatre; Southwark Cathedral; Wilton's Music Hall, LondonRichard Eyre's Mary Poppins revival soars, TS Eliot's verse drama struggles under the weight of its gravitas, and Much …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:54am on November 17, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Mephisto [A Rhapsody]; A Day in the Death of Joe Egg; The Man in the White Suit " review by Kate Kellaway

Gate; Trafalgar Studios; Wyndham's, London A stirring Faustian tale puts actors under the moral spotlight, a revival of Joe Egg is brave but bleak, and The Man in the White Suit fades fast M…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on October 13, 2019[SHARE]

Marcelino Sambé: 'Ballet should not be just for elite kids' by Kate Kellaway

It's a fairytale: the young dancer in a poor Lisbon suburb who makes it to principal at a world class company. But more underprivileged children should get a chance, says the Royal Ballet's …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:18pm on October 6, 2019[SHARE]