2,436 stories by "Michael Billington"
Arcola, LondonThis story of a Sunni man who flees sectarian Iraq for a life in Britain is more striking in individual scenes than as a whole Continue reading...
Young Vic, LondonAlthough this modern update of Tennessee Williams's play isn't always plausible, Gillian Anderson's performance is stellar Continue reading...
Royal Court, LondonJennifer Haley's prizewinning play triggers a fascinating debate about online fantasy it's just a shame she sets out to shock us Continue reading...
The National Theatre's director steps down next year, after introducing live broadcasts, cheap tickets and a wealth of new writing. How does he reflect on his tenure? Continue reading...
Noël Coward theatre, LondonMany of the best lines may come from the film, but the play manages to be a warm and witty paean to life on the stage Continue reading...
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonDirector Simon Godwin eagerly explores the light and dark sides of romance in a striking RSC debutIt is astonishing to think it is 45 years sinc…
Mythical creatures and Frasier's dad jostle with the crowds enjoying a surprising mix of art, music and new Irish playsThe Galway international arts festival is full of surprises. On Sunda…
Olivier, LondonHelen McCrory excels in this modern-dress take on Euripides that is alive with complexity and psychological astutenessAfter her success wth Ibsen's A Doll's House, Carrie Crac…
Black Box, GalwayEnda Walsh's new manic physical comedy is like Under Milk Wood as interpreted by Buster KeatonThere's plenty of ballyhoo around Ballyturk. Written and directed by Enda Walsh…
Black Box, GalwayEnda Walsh's new manic physical comedy is like Under Milk Wood as interpreted by Buster KeatonThere's plenty of ballyhoo around Ballyturk. Written and directed by Enda Walsh…
Chichester Festival TheatrePeter Shaffer's spectacle of Mozart's mediocre rival distorts historical reality but remains compelling and stylishly presentedFew living dramatists write big star…
Harold Pinter, LondonIf it stripped away the daft framing, this staging could capture Wilde's deft commentary on class, money, marriage and moralsIf visitors to Paris's Père Lachaise …
Southwark Playhouse, LondonIn this well-acted revival, the poet and the philosopher face off in a slow-moving but stimulating debateDid William Blake ever meet Thomas Paine? It is not imposs…
Minerva theatre, Chichester Strindberg's Miss Julie is well directed, but it's Shaffer's dark comedy that illuminates in this contrasting double billAugust Strindberg's tragedy Miss Julie an…
He was one of theatre's most daring stars, whose best films bear witness to a talent many never had the chance to see on stageIt's a shock to realise that it is 25 years since the death of L…
Bush theatre, LondonRobin Soans's play about a Pentecostal family at odds with each other shows the power of faith while exposing the failings of its followers Bush theatre's Madani Younis: …
Trafalgar Studios, LondonJamie Lloyd's latest Shakespearean staging is inventive, but it's missing the monarch's lurid sexiness and demonic exuberance Before Richard III: Martin Freeman on s…
Old Vic, LondonYaël Farber's extraordinary production of Arthur Miller's tale of the Salem witch hunt retains its disturbing relevance todayProductions of Arthur Miller's re-creation of t…
Dominic Dromgoole's lively production, with Elizabethan costume and Roman accessories, delivers Shakespeare with great clarity, but the main roles are unevenly castBefore you enter the theat…
Hampstead theatre, London Beth Steel's recreation of the 1984 strikes exposes the divisions between miners and the destruction of a defiant communityOnce identified with domestic drama, Hamp…
Lyttelton, LondonRichard Bean's satire has a go at press, police and politicians and what he sees as the corrupt chain binding them togetherRichard Bean doesn't do things by halves. His new …
Regent's Park, LondonAudience participation is intelligently used in this family-friendly production that still tackles the play's sexual complexitiesEach summer this precious theatre offers…
Tricycle, LondonFor all its style, this still seems more like a New Yorker short story than a substantial playGlamour is a quality we rarely associate with modern theatre. It positively ooze…
Theatre Royal, BathClare Higgins and Tim Pigott-Smith trade blows with relish, but Adrian Noble's revival brings little fresh insight to Albee's classicWhen Peter Hall ran the Bath summer se…
Young Vic, LondonPeter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne's tale of synaesthesia is an astonishing look at the miracles of the mindNervous theatre-makers strain every nerve to get our attenti…
