Edinburgh theatre roundup: Oedipus; Roots; Total Immediate Collective " review by Kate Kellaway

King's theatre; Church Hill theatre; the Studio, EdinburghEmotion is pared to the bone in Robert Icke's thrilling new real-time adaptation of Sophocles. Plus, folk tales that leap off the st…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:48am on August 17, 2019[SHARE]

Peter Pan review " it's all over the place, Darling by Kate Kellaway

Troubadour White City, LondonDespite a soaring lead and plenty of ideas, this production doesn't quite get off the ground Although a new theatre ought to be a cause for celebration, the Trou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:24am on August 4, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Bridges of Madison County; Oklahoma!; Blues in the Night " review by Kate Kellaway

Menier Chocolate Factory, London; Chichester Festival theatre; Kiln, LondonThe Bridges of Madison County musical hits all the right notes in Trevor Nunn's heartfelt production. Plus, an irre…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:48am on July 28, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: A Midsummer Night's Dream; While the Sun Shines; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike " review by Kate Kellaway

Bridge, London; Orange Tree, Richmond; Theatre Royal BathNicholas Hytner pulls off a dazzling circus trick, and there's some pleasing drawing-room drama for the less energetic A Midsummer Ni…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:36am on June 16, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Small Island; Avalanche: A Love Story; The Half God of Rainfall " review by Kate Kellaway

Olivier; Barbican; Kiln, LondonRufus Norris's epic adaptation of Andrea Levy's Windrush novel is spectacular, while Maxine Peake excels in a moving portrayal of the trials of IVFSmall Island…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24am on May 4, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: All My Sons; Ghosts; The Play That Goes Wrong " review by Kate Kellaway

Old Vic, London; Royal and Derngate, Northampton; Duchess theatre, LondonTwo Hollywood actors bring skilful, unstarry performances to All My Sons, Lucy Bailey directs a fine, unstarchy produ…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:59am on April 28, 2019[SHARE]

Maxine Peake: 'I'm sure people say: don't hire that big red raving loony' by Kate Kellaway

The actor on her new role as a woman undergoing IVF, the trouble with being outspoken and why she called her dog CastroMaxine Peake's roles range from a transgender Hamlet to a sharp lawyer …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:00am on April 21, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Tartuffe; The Son; Equus; As You Like It " review by Kate Kellaway

Lyttelton; Kiln; Theatre Royal Stratford East, London; Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonMolière's anti-hero is a dodgy Highgate hippy, Florian Zeller dazzles with the latest ad…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on March 3, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Macbeth; Pinter Three and Four; Don Quixote; A Small Place " review by Kate Kellaway

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; Harold Pinter; Garrick; the GateThe domestic drama is especially close to home in the Globe's Scottish play. Plus, more exceptional Pinter and a joyous West End repr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:48am on November 25, 2018[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Hadestown; The Watsons " review by Kate Kellaway

National Theatre, London; Minerva, Chichester A jazzy-poppy hybrid of Orpheus lacks depth, while an adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel is an unpredictable treatHadestown begins pro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:42am on November 18, 2018[SHARE]

Wise Children review " Emma Rice's joyous Angela Carter adaptation by Kate Kellaway

Old Vic, LondonCarter's riotous novel about a south London theatrical dynasty bursts on to the stage in this life-enhancing showAt the end of a programme essay, Emma Rice wonders what Angela…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:24am on October 21, 2018[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Antony and Cleopatra; Touching the Void; Poet in da Corner " review by Kate Kellaway

Olivier, London; Bristol Old Vic; Royal Court, LondonRalph Fiennes's Antony grapples with a midlife crisis while Sophie Okonedo's Cleopatra is the ultimate diva in an outstanding production …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:18am on September 30, 2018[SHARE]

Jonathan Pryce: 'I'd rather be Welsh than English, that's for sure' by Kate Kellaway

The award-winning actor on playing a narcissistic writer opposite Glenn Close in The Wife, his Welsh roots, and looking like the popeJonathan Pryce has played Shakespearean heroes (Hamlet, S…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:32am on September 17, 2018[SHARE]

Emma Rice: 'I don't know how I got to be so controversial' by Kate Kellaway

Her stewardship of Shakespeare's Globe ended in acrimony but a revitalised Emma Rice, now about to launch her own company Wise Children, couldn't be happier"It was on Shakespeare's birthday,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:32am on July 1, 2018[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Translations; Consent; The Biograph Girl by Kate Kellaway

Olivier; Harold Pinter; Finborough, LondonNot understanding speaks volumes in Ian Rickson's tremendous new production of Brian Friel's 1980 classic. And Nina Raine's unflinching Consent tran…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:42am on June 3, 2018[SHARE]

Laura Linney on making her British stage debut by Kate Kellaway

The US actor tells how a new adaption of Elizabeth Strout's My Name Is Lucy Barton chimes with our uncertain timesid-morning in Brooklyn, New York and grey clouds are scudding across the sky…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:54am on May 27, 2018[SHARE]

Hay Fever " review by Kate Kellaway

Noël Coward theatre, LondonGoing to Howard Davies's glorious production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever is like being invited to an irregular house party; the relief is that, unlike the hap…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:12pm on May 18, 2018[SHARE]

Exit the King review " Alun Armstrong absurdly good in Ionesco's drama by Kate Kellaway

Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal BathAlun Armstrong rules in Ionesco's absurdist dramaIonesco's Exit the King was first performed in 1962, and the theatre of the absurd cannot boast any more pr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:33am on May 15, 2018[SHARE]

Abi Morgan: 'I don't look back. I am totally now' by Kate Kellaway

Thanks to The Hour, playwright Abi Morgan has enjoyed an incredibly prolific year. Next up, a Thatcher biopic starring Meryl Streep, a Steve McQueen film about sex and a play about GodAbi Mo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:33am on May 11, 2018[SHARE]

State of play: David Hare and James Graham talk drama and politics by Kate Kellaway

The veteran playwright and the prolific young star, both masters of political theatre, reflect on the state of the nation " and contemporary culture " in the internet ageDavid Hare and James…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:36am on May 6, 2018[SHARE]

Light Shining in Buckinghamshire review " arguments fought with fire by Kate Kellaway

The National's magnificent production of Caryl Churchill's English civil war play resonates powerfully todayCaryl Churchill's Light Shining in Buckinghamshire was written in 1976, is set aro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54pm on April 24, 2018[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Macbeth; The Great Wave; The Plough and the Stars; Agnes Colander " review by Kate Kellaway

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; Dorfman, National Theatre; Lyric Hammersmith, London; Theatre Royal, BathTragedy meets levity in the RSC's Scottish play. Plus, a captivating …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on March 25, 2018[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Cherry Orchard; Frankenstein; Buggy Baby " review by Kate Kellaway

Bristol Old Vic; Royal Exchange, Manchester; The Yard, London The Cherry Orchard springs to life in Michael Boyd's thrillingly vital Bristol Old Vic production. In Manchester, April De Angel…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:00am on March 18, 2018[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Long Day's Journey Into Night; The Captive Queen; Dry Powder " review by Kate Kellaway

Wyndham's; Shakespeare's Globe; Hampstead, LondonLesley Manville glitters as desperate mother Mary in O'Neill's grim family portrait. Plus, Barrie Rutter's valedictory Captive Queen and US s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on February 11, 2018[SHARE]

Hanna review " an emotional tug-of-war by Kate Kellaway

Arcola theatre, LondonSharp moral conundrums arise in Sam Potter's compelling monologue about babies swapped at birthHanna, a new play by Sam Potter, is like overhearing talk outside the sch…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on January 14, 2018[SHARE]