2,878 stories by "Lyn Gardner"
Southwark Playhouse, LondonMost of us don't notice the loss of childhood. Adulthood creeps up on us. Gradually, the imaginary friend is no longer conjured; the wardrobe that we thought conta…
A new series of theatre podcasts, downloadable for free on the Guardian site, offers you the best seat in the house " a great example of how technology can extend the boundaries of theatreIt…
Arts, LondonLong before Bob Dylan and the folk-inspired protest singers of the 1960s, there was Woody Guthrie, a troubadour of backwoods America who believed in "singing for the plain folks …
Roundhouse, LondonThere's an exquisite moment in Michael Boyd's revival when Katy Stephens's Rosalind rushes to put a token around Orlando's neck. She is suddenly struck by love, says an ast…
ICA, LondonWho is Gobo? A nihilist? An optimist? One always in motion? Or constantly still? Does Gobo even exist or is he " or possibly it " only defined by absence? Gobo, of course, sounds …
Purcell Room, LondonMany love affairs are dogged by some bad luck, but few are quite as cursed as that between teenagers Edgar and Annabel. There relationship is played out in cemeterie…
Trafalgar Studios, LondonHeading out on a regional tour is The Fitzrovia Radio Hour, which has already achieved a cult following for its re-creation of the radio plays of the 1940s…
Trafalgar Studios, LondonThe archangels have done their bimillennial audit of the human race and Big G has made his pronouncement: the only option is apocalypse, and he wants the job finishe…
A mime festival opens, while Filter warms up to tackle Silence with the RSC. But things in the capital are far from quiet ...It's January, so it must be the London International Mime festiva…
Unicorn, LondonHe's a beast and she's a beauty with a beastly temper, so when they come together sparks fly. In Phil Porter's new version of the fairytale, the pair's love grows and blooms t…
Network, LondonSilence can be a deadly weapon. While words can wound, silence corrodes and poisons seep into every nook and cranny of life. Ivona, the heroine of Witold Gombrowicz's 1938 abs…
Bridewell, LondonDuring the course of his or her training, a British Olympic swimmer might swim as far as Australia without ever leaving the pool. But what happens to those who have dedicate…
Theatre Delicatessen, LondonFew 19th-century plays still seem quite as urgent as Ibsen's 1879 drama about a woman who comes to understand that her marriage is a sham. The satisfyin…
Birmingham Old RepLila wants to be a firework-maker, just like her father. He thinks it's no job for a girl and wants her to get married. So when Lila's friend, Chulak, thinks that he has su…
Bloomsbury, LondonGeorge's granny isn't a sweet little old lady. In fact, she's a real horror and when she comes to stay at the family farm, which George's harried parents run with his help,…
It's your last chance to catch some great shows, but there's not a lot new to see beyond London ... or is there?The first What to see blog of the new year also sees The Final Curtain at Bir…
Royal Exchange, ManchesterWell, blow me down with a feather " Harold Brighouse's 100-year-old northern parlour comedy is a right little charmer. It borrows from all those fairytales in which…
Union, LondonNot a history of the last century, but a madcap musical set among theatre folk on a night train to New York, Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's show was written in 1978…
'This Christmas I decided to get a life'Like most people, I'm back at work this week. I've had 14 days when I've barely seen the inside of a theatre. I must say, I thoroughly recommend not …
New Vic, Newcastle-under-LymeLiving is an awfully big adventure, suggests Theresa Heskins's upbeat version of JM Barrie's play, which downplays the dark heart of this malleable masterpiece, …
If local venues don't reach out to the community they will not survive the funding cutsAs the new year begins, and theatres and arts organisations are busy putting the final touches to their…
As the curtain rises on 2011, there are a host of delights to look forward toSo what might you go and see over the next seven days? To be brutally honest, the same list of shows that I sugg…
From regional theatres bravely choosing new work and taking their audiences with them to some welcome razzle-dazzle in musicals, there's been plenty to enjoyPerhaps not a blistering year " i…
This most peculiarly British art form is alive and kicking because it has constantly evolved and speaks to our inner childNo aspect of theatre is more prone to nostalgia than pantomime. As f…
Sheffield CrucibleThe depression of the 1930s gave us gritty, campaigning dramas such as Love On the Dole, but it also offered the escapist pleasures of the musical. The current recession ha…
