Immersing myself in the programme's seriously dark comedy loosened my grip on reality " and then a ventriloquist asked me for a selfie I was on stage, alone, at a packed Alexandra theatre in…
Old Vic theatre, LondonFive actors play the protagonist at different stages over 70 years in Tracy Letts' play, co-starring Andrea Riseborough If there is something familiar about a play com…
The headlines focus on money, but the gigs were great and I think there are different ways to achieve progress. Art, especially comedy, can be part of that After 15 years of turning down of…
Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon The giant-hootered lover ventriloquising his passion for Roxane through a physically dashing rival is the standout star of this warm and l…
Corn Exchange, NewportEveryday oppression is explored through the narratives of a Black Lives Matter activist, a blacklisted construction worker and an environmental campaigner Performances …
Ã’ran Mór, GlasgowIn this new musical, a bitter performer is visited by her sparkling younger self and confronts her disappointments Imagine spending a career wanting to play the lead …
In a new documentary and as his WTF podcast ends, the US comic has shown a level of integrity and perspective that many of his peers could learn from To be a longtime listener of Marc Maron'…
Swift, who returns with her 12th album in the guise of the ultimate iconic performer, is the latest pop star to take on the 19th-century tradition Taylor Swift has gone through many evolutio…
Royal Albert Hall, London Riding high off Tony and Olivier wins, the Pussycat Doll turned theatre star showcases her astonishingly versatile singing chops and a standup's gift for chaotic hu…
Inspired by a protest that took place while he was at Yale, Safe Space is musicals star Jamie Bogyo's debut play. He speaks about well-meaning white liberals, saying 'cringe' things " and tu…
Actor says 'people aren't aware of the facts' and the realities for people living in migrant hotels A compelling drama about refugees living in Britain could be one way to defuse the rising …
When it opened in 1985, Les Mis got some rotten reviews. Forty years on, our writer sees it afresh and Cameron Mackintosh reflects on the show's spectacular success So were we wrong? By "we"…
As her company prepares to celebrate its centenary, the legendary choreographer's groundbreaking work is finally getting the respect it deserves in the UK. What took so long? A century ago, …
The revered performance artist returns with three arresting projects for stage and screen, each cultivating hope for the condition of the planet Performance artist Bryony Kimmings doesn't ho…
In an age of self-deprecation, the former cabaret star is infuriating fellow standups by calling herself 'Australia's first attractive comedian' " and flaunting her sex appeal on stage Is El…
Gate theatre, DublinO'Sullivan's account of a childhood and early adulthood marked by poverty, addiction and abuse is made into an at times affectingly raw play by Sonya Kelly 'To me, aged …
Shakespeare's Globe, LondonAchilles is a slob and Ajax is a meathead in Owen Horsley's streamlined production, which is bursting with invention and comic inversions Shakespeare's take on th…
Park theatre, LondonA writer tries capturing the messiness of new parenting in Jane Upton's gut-punching play " every scene of which chips away at the myth that motherhood should come natura…
New Diorama theatre, LondonEphemeral Ensemble's atmospheric but unfocused follow-up to Rewind depicts the west's ecologically ruinous colonisation of Latin America from a feminist perspectiv…
Abbey, DublinTwo new plays reimagine Sophocles and Euripides with lavish scale, mordant humour and fresh interrogation of power and prophecy 'We are the new gods," Oedipus, King of Thebes, d…
Sherman theatre, CardiffTheatr Cymru's bilingual version of Shakespeare's tragedy brings intriguing complexity to the warring families but also some confusion 'Speakest thou from the heart?"…
Sadler's Wells East, LondonDance Umbrella festival opens with a bold yet alienating piece inspired by mythology and magical realism It's as if you've turned up at the party when they're all …
Lyttelton theatre, LondonHiran Abeysekera brings humour to the tragedy and Francesca Mills steals the show as Ophelia but this staging pulls its emotional punches Last week, Indhu Rubasingha…
The versatile star, who has died aged 96, portrayed absurdly pretentious and apparently grotesque characters with wonderful sympathy Patricia Routledge was an actor of uncommon versatility e…
Sadler's Wells, LondonIn a stunning evening, fearless and faultless dancers deliver a trio of classics, ending with a gorgeous yet more subdued piece by David Dawson English National Ballet'…