2,878 stories by "Lyn Gardner"
Ovalhouse, LondonFrom the depths of her hair igloo, Selina Thompson untangles the personal and political roots of beauty and raceHair is just hair, right? Actually no. All those adverts for …
Camden People's theatre, LondonThis clever retelling of the Joan of Arc story has comic fizz, emotional ballast and cross-dressing that looks like sorceryDerby theatre's Retold series has gi…
Work by BME or disabled writers is too often treated as niche. Theatres have to commit to developing and supporting playwrights from a wider range of backgrounds if we are to affect real cha…
Project Arts Centre, Dublin Arthur Riordan and Bill Whelan explore a key moment in the unshackling of Irish church and state in an unsophisticated yet necessary showSometimes it's not so muc…
Abbey theatre, DublinWayne Jordan's production unfolds in a frightened village with a flawed leader, where everyone refuses to see the blindingly obvious"How terrible to see the truth," says…
As the response to the Almeida's updated take on Euripides has shown, some audiences and critics are still wary of female protagonists " and the women behind themIt has been a fascinating fe…
At Arts Council England's No Boundaries conference, the idea that big is beautiful seemed to be gaining traction. But in theatre, one size doesn't fit allThere were lots of inspirational spe…
Gaiety theatre, DublinA terrific Adrian Dunbar stars in this wonderfully unshowy revival of a Dublin drama that is full of tiny observationsConor McPherson's modest, subtle 2013 play, alread…
1927's fabulous Golem is in Manchester, there are puppets galore in Tunbridge Wells, the circus takes over Bristol and a new Chris Goode show is part of the Fierce festivalHead to The Other …
Young Vic, LondonThere's no love lost in this watchable but inert adaptation of Marguerite Duras' doomy two-handerWe glimpse them first sitting side by side on a bench with their backs to us…
Royal and Derngate, NorthamptonAn unremarkable, middle-aged man addresses the audience from a farmhouse kitchen nestling in a grassy glade: "When I cast my mind back to the summer of 19…
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Reece Dinsdale plays up the comedy as Hitler in Mark Rosenblatt's highly watchable productionIn the early 1930s, the British press often made fun of Hitler, m…
There's nothing like a show that takes you out of your comfort zone. If theatre-makers can only afford to see a narrow range of work we are all the poorer for itI love going to the theatre a…
Watford PalaceFear, prejudice and passions bubble under the surface of Rebecca Lenkiewicz's atmospheric new play about accusations of witchcraft in a Hertfordshire village Arthur Miller's wi…
Rose, KingstonAdam is gone, presumed dead. He was last seen teetering on the grille of a deep, disused shaft, a group of bullying teenagers throwing stones at him. They may all be guilt…
Fun Palaces open up across the country, Pomona continues at the NT, Romola Garai stars in the Young Vic's Measure for Measure and Philippe Quesne's La Mélancolie des Dragons is in Mancheste…
BAC, LondonMary Norton's much-loved novel The Borrowers, about the small people who live under the floorboards in the homes of "human beans" and "borrow" whatever they ne…
Unicorn, LondonMarius von Mayenburg's tricky play brilliantly puts the audience on the spot in Ramin Gray's lively productionActors Touring Company is back on form with Marius von Mayenburg'…
Camden People's theatre, LondonLouise Orwin's multi-layered show about stereotypical gender roles in film raises issues around our own collusion as movie watchersIn silent films, the female …
A new play from Simon Armitage in Liverpool, Word of Warning take over a tower block in Salford and there is witchcraft in WatfordThe big event of the week is Iliad, National Theatre Wales's…
Camden People's Theatre, LondonRachael Ofori's show about young black women trying to find their way in modern London is fresh and engaging, although its sketch format holds it back"Your gra…
Minerva, ChichesterWhether it's serving imaginary cocktails or re-enacting the Wimbledon women's final, Michael Attenborough's emotional production celebrates the instinct for survival and t…
Part of a new wave of British theatre directors in thrall to form rather than text, McDougall is now taking on Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. She explains why its rawness brings he…
Wilton's Music Hall, LondonThe newly refurbished 19th-century venue is a five-star delight, so it's a shame this stage version of the 1973 New York mobster caper serves it so poorlyWilton's …
Lo-co Klub, Bristol Anna Ledwich's atmospheric production mingles performance with technology in an unsettling story about fear of the unknown that echoes the refugee crisisIt begins as a ti…
