In the first of a series of articles, I look at the history of star ratings and how they came to be adopted for theatre
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Review: C-o-n-t-a-c-t, various locations, London
A young woman sits alone on a bench in the middle of Clapham Common, silent, apparently deep in thought. About a dozen people stand a
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Review: Rose, Hope Mill Theatre online
Maureen Lipman gives the performance of a lifetime in the online revival of Martin Sherman’s play, Rose. Best known for comedy and roles like Evelyn
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Review: Megan Vaughan’s Theatre Blogging: The Emergence of a Critical Culture
With her blog Synonyms for Churlish, Megan Vaughan was part of a cohort of bloggers who have been shaking up the world of theatre over
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Interview with Maureen Lipman on the revival of Martin Sherman’s Rose
Coronation Street’s Maureen Lipman speaks to Mark Ludmon about playing the title role in Martin Sherman’s Rose in its online revival under director Scott Le
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Review: Emma Smith’s This Is Shakespeare: How to Read the World’s Greatest Playwright
Emma Smith, a professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford, draws on her extensive knowledge and scholarship for This Is Shakespeare: How to
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Interview with Elizabeth Newman, artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Mark Ludmon speaks to Elizabeth Newman about Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s efforts to reach audiences during shutdown including the premiere of David Greig’s new play, Adventures
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Tracy-Ann Oberman on playing Shylock in The Merchant of Venice set in Fascist 1930s
Tracy-Ann Oberman talks about playing Shylock as an East End matriarch in the upcoming tour of The Merchant of Venice Tracy-Ann Oberman has always hated
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Interview with Sean Foley, artistic director of Birmingham Rep
Director Sean Foley talks to Mark Ludmon about his first full season at Birmingham Rep The UK premiere of Broadway hit musical Something Rotten! is among a
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Michael Billington on the practice of theatre criticism
After 48 years and reviewing more than 10,000 shows, Michael Billington has retired as chief theatre critic of The Guardian. At an event at the
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Rufus Norris and Lisa Burger reveal new shows and more diversity at National Theatre
Mark Ludmon reports from today’s announcement of the National Theatre’s new productions for 2020 and 2021. The National Theatre has today unveiled an exciting line-up
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Interview with Laurie Sansom, artistic director of Northern Broadsides
Laurie Sansom discusses his plans as new artistic director of theatre company Northern Broadsides and its next production, JM Barrie’s Quality Street After 27 years,
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