2,436 stories by "Michael Billington"
Gemma Arterton brings beauty, determination and moral goodness to one of the great female roles, writes Michael BillingtonA new theatre is often a challenge. Until weathered and worn by use,…
St James Theatre, LondonGiving this revue of Sondheim numbers a narrative may be a little tenuous, but it's a feast of pleasure delivered with real verveIt's a sign of Stephen Sondheim's fec…
Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonTransferring a winning novel to stage is difficult. Doing it with two " and succeeding " is a special featTurning a novel into a play is always tricky: even …
Michael Billington: Lucy Kirkwood's thrillingly ambitious play tackled global politics, multinational corporations and was bursting with big ideasMichael Billington
Susan Stroman's production, with its ironic minstrel-show format, skilfully suggested that the US's outlook on racial injustice had moved on since the 1930s " but not far enough' Read Michae…
Aldwych Theatre, LondonMusical portrayal of the Profumo scandal with nifty songs in 1960s style sits oddly with social and political critiqueStephen Ward, the osteopath at the centre of the …
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThis reinvention of JM Barrie's story dispenses with the original's dark ambiguity, but there's still plenty to enjoyElla Hickson, who has writt…
Donmar Warehouse, LondonA fast, witty, intelligent production that, in Tom Hiddleston, boasts a fine CoriolanusA chamber production of Coriolanus? It sounds a contradiction in terms. But, as…
Old Vic, LondonA scathing portrait by Turgenev of the cruelties of Russian rural life finally gets a slap-up London productionWe've long thought of Ivan Turgenev as a one-play man who, in A …
Hoxton Hall, LondonRuth Wilson excels as actor and director in these three early plays by Eugene O'Neill, making a spellbinding eveningRuth Wilson and Sam Yates have joined forces to direct,…
He found stardom on screen in Lawrence of Arabia, but O'Toole was a legendary and often mesmerising presence in the theatre' Obituary: Peter O'Toole, 1932-2013' Peter O'Toole: a life in pict…
American Psycho, the musical, at the Almeida, LondonIt sounds improbable: a musical thriller about a serial killer. But Sondheim did it in Sweeney Todd. And, although this version of Bret Ea…
This satirical piece about the MPs' expenses scandal raises a few titters but lacks the brutal logic of first-rate farceI yield to no one in my love of farce, but this new one by Colin Swash…
Hampstead theatre, LondonHoward Brenton's ambitious account of the partition of India in 1947 crams an amazing amount into 25 scenes of cool clarityIt is not often a critic wishes a play wer…
Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonDouble entendres abound in a family-friendly panto that puts a new spin on a familiar tale.It's not every day you hear 500 people enthusiastically chantin…
Lyttelton, LondonGeorg Kaiser's 1912 expressionist landmark comes to life thanks to a production full of vitality and a beautifully unsentimental central performanceThe National is clearly g…
Royal Court, London While the story is about the mutual love between two marginalised people, it lacks any coherent frameworkI came fresh to Jack Thorne's play never having seen the film or …
National Theatre, London Bijan Sheibani's play is at its best when it returns to the human values of Erich Kastner's storyThe National has set the bar high when it comes to family entertainm…
Jude Law's performance as Shakespeare's contradictory king brings to mind John Sutherland's provocative essayJude Law is the big draw in the fifth and final production of Michael Grandage's …
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonLeonard Bernstein's musical gets a restless, comic-strip production that has a jaunty ebullience and two outstanding leadsI suspect there are two ways to appr…
Guildhall School, LondonA beautifully staged show about the brutal Depression-era dance marathons is something of an endurance test for us as wellAvid fans of Gypsy will recall that Dainty J…
Finborough, London There are strong performances in this entertaining revival of RC Sherriff's ghost story, but much of the play feels like paddingIt is the fate of RC Sherriff to be remembe…
Tricycle, LondonGuilty of the very intolerance it condemns, Mary O'Malley's 1977 convent school drama " here directed by Kathy Burke " is a jolly but nonetheless flawed affairTime has not b…
St James's, LondonSarah Ruhl's superb drama of female frustration and solitude is well served by director Laurence BoswellSarah Ruhl's brilliant play is, to put it mildly, an eye-opener. Set…
Young Vic, LondonSix politically engaged playlets demonstrate that drama has extra bite and zest when it deals with big issuesDo we all get more rightwing in times of austerity? That's the p…
