2,878 stories by "Lyn Gardner"
Whether you're a critic or a regular theatregoer, honesty is the best policy when it comes to criticismThe other day at a school, A-level theatre studies students asked my top tip for writin…
Vaudeville, LondonIt's hard not to warm to the sweet silliness of Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens's tribute to Morecambe and Wise"Where would you be without me?" asks Eric Morecambe. "Be a c…
I've had a break from theatre recently. Yes I've missed stand-out shows, but it isn't a cultural crime. Others will be along soonI've just had a couple of weeks off, and it's been a real ple…
Soho theatre, LondonHattie Naylor's bold attempt to explore women's complicity in sexual violence through a male abuser's voice is both insightful and uncomfortableIn traditional versions of…
Some theatregoers feel short-changed by a short play. But can brevity be a bonus, or do you expect a full-night's entertainment?Linger at a press desk on a first night and you are guaranteed…
Polka, LondonThe stage version of Anthony Browne's emotionally complex picture book has a sprinkling of magic for children and a few witty offerings for adultsHannah loves gorillas. In fact …
Do you look the other way when a performer invites you on stage? Or get into the spirit of things?Last Saturday afternoon in Newcastle, I watched a very good actor struggle and work incredib…
Orange Tree, LondonDespite some fine performances, the first instalment of Geoffrey Beevers's tripartite Eliot adaptation lacks pace and tensionGeoffrey Beevers has previously adapted George…
BAC, LondonNic Green's tale inspired by her one and only meeting with her father at the age of 16 raises some very worthy questions, but does at times seem a little remoteIs it possible to h…
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonCaroline Bird's latest piece instils a heightened sense of alertness, its audience playing witness and colluder in the dramaCurious how not knowing what you're going…
The Junction, CambridgeTwo performers imagine possible future worlds in this unbearably sad yet absurdly optimistic performance"Those who come 100 years after us will despise us for having l…
Curve theatre, LeicesterMelodrama gives way to moments of poignancy in Paul Kerryson's revival of Martin McDonagh's black comedyIt may be as creaky as the rocking chair the witchy Mags sits …
If you are reading this blog, it probably means that you are interested in theatre. So why are some areas of theatre valued over others, particularly theatre for young audiences?This is an e…
Park theatre, LondonSarah Rutherford's play about a middle-class party watching the Obama election attempts to expose liberal hypocrisies but lapses into caricature and crueltyIt's US electi…
Excavating stories, creating living history and working with the community. It's good to see local theatres being just that " localLast Wednesday night, I wandered around the streets of York…
Unicorn, LondonCleverly recast for young audiences, Shakespeare's warrior king becomes a stroppy teenager unwisely itching for a fightShakespeare's Henry V can be seen as a celebration of he…
ATG intends to sell off the naming rights to some iconic theatres including the Lyceum and Duke of York's. Does it matter, and if you had the money who would you name a theatre after?When re…
West Yorkshire Playhouse, LeedsAlice Nutter's heartfelt play moves from squats to raves to government cuts, through a family's history in the counter-cultureRestless, messy, infuriating, inf…
Rose, Kingston Tall Stories' adaptation of the much-loved children's book is a small but ingenious pleasurePage-to-stage adaptations of children's stories are getting better and more creativ…
Been to any previews lately? Did you get a good discount on your ticket? Or did you feel you had paid to watch a rehearsal?Have West End previews become "super-rehearsals"? That's the claim …
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonThis Streetcar Named Desire is like seeing Shakespeare performed in a foreign language: fresh yet disconcerting"When a play employs unconventional techniques it is n…
Theatres are queuing up to make relationships with artists, but they should be tending their relationships with audiences tooAt this year's Edinburgh TV festival, Kevin Spacey talked about t…
Bristol Old VicThis clever, unsettling Dickens played out on an almost bare stage is storytelling theatre at its bestNeil Bartlett has produced impressive adaptations of Oliver Twist and A C…
Bristol Old VicThis clever, unsettling Dickens played out on an almost bare stage is storytelling theatre at its bestNeil Bartlett has produced impressive adaptations of Oliver Twist and A C…
Ambassadors, LondonThis Hamlet prequel is not on a par with Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but it has some artful momentsEverything is rotten in the state of Denmark. The young…
