2,436 stories by "Michael Billington"
Lyric Hammersmith, LondonThe sound of wild laughter suddenly fills our theatre. Following on the success of their Twelfth Night, Filter now bring us a joyous, two-hour Dream that owes a visi…
Tobacco Factory, BristolThere is a sentimental myth abroad that if we could only minimise the role of these pesky directors with their quirky concepts, we could see Shakespear…
Just as Jewish folk culture influenced Hollywood cinema, modern theatre has also been shaped by Yiddish traditionAt the moment there is a rather under-valued play by Nicholas Wright, Travell…
Orange Tree, RichmondWe've all been there: the dinner party from hell. Although it's a stock dramatic device, Torben Betts gives it a fresh and funny spin in this new play that, at its best,…
At Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud theatre, playwright David Seidler has much more room to explore the story's historical background than the cinema version allowedWatching David Seidler's play in…
Harold Pinter Theatre, LondonIt is fascinating to see a new generation of directors and actors discover Alan Ayckbourn. And, even if the National came badly unstuck with Season's Greetings, …
The Swan, Stratford-upon-AvonReligion is big by the Avon this winter. Following Written on the Heart, about the King James Bible, the RSC brings us Helen Edmundson's new play about the life …
Sheffield CrucibleAfter a decade of neglect, Restoration comedy is back on the agenda. And Lyndsey Turner's modern-dress revival of William Congreve's 1700 classic proves highly pleasurable,…
Suspension of belief can be a powerful theatrical tool, but should we be more emotionally detached from what's happening in front of us?The last 100 years have seen a constant battle against…
Vaudeville, LondonBeware of Americans bearing gift-wrapped versions of Greek legends. After the horrors of Martin Sherman's Onassis, we now have the return of Terrence McNally's version of a…
Trafalgar Studios, LondonPlays about casual sex among today's twentysomethings are not that uncommon. But two things give this cryptic, 80-minute three-hander by Stefan Golaszewski (wri…
It took Judi Dench's astonishing 1989 production of Look Back in Anger to give us the play that John Osborne actually wrote " a play, like Beckett's, about waiting Continue reading...
It took Judi Dench's astonishing 1989 production of Look Back in Anger to give us the play that John Osborne actually wrote " a play, like Beckett's, about waitingBritish theatre is full of …
The playwright has put up with my running commentary for 40 years. But no one else so tenaciously exposes society's frailtyI'm currently reading Benjamin Disraeli's Sybil, which offers a sta…
Why Shakespeare plays havoc with your memoryHow much should critics invoke the past when judging the present? It's a thorny topic. I sometimes get letters along the lines of "You may not hav…
Old Vic Tunnels, LondonIn theory, this underground venue should be an ideal place to stage Eugene O'Neill's early sea plays, two of which are set in a ship's forecastle. But, with its shaky …
For over a century, theatre has been inspired by the movies, and vice versa. If only musicals would keep their relationship with Hollywood to a Brief EncounterWhat, you may wonder, is a sect…
The BBC4 series is better on anecdotes than ideas, so it's at its best when it stops drum-beating and deals with specificsCatch up with The Story of Musicals on iPlayerI'm enjoying BBC4's se…
For too long, the Shakespeare powerhouse founded by Peter Hall has been seen only randomly in London. This wasteful state of affairs has become a threat to the company's standingWhen Peter H…
Despite its radical history, experimental theatre has become institutionalised. Time for a shot in the armExperimental theatre is a hard concept to get one's head around, since everyone defi…
Finborough, LondonThis 80-minute play is the product of an unusual partnership between an emerging young actor, Toby Wharton, and a veteran of feminist theatre, Tash Fairbanks. The result is…
Actors and aspiring auteurs should call a truce " theatre works best when they work togetherDirector's theatre? "The very phrase in English," critic Kenneth Tynan once wrote, "has a pejorati…
Michael Billington picks his highlights of the year aheadShe Stoops to ConquerKatherine Kelly, best known as Becky McDonald in Coronation Street, is one of a team of impressive young actors …
Formal theatre censorship may have long since ended in Britain, but we should be wary of assuming the battle for freedom of speech has been wonFor any British person under the age of 50, the…
Old Vic, LondonMichael Frayn must have the subtlest mind ever applied to the writing of farce. And with Noises Off, first seen in 1982 and now gloriously revived, he has created not just a f…
