In Britain, we expect great musicals to have an epic sweep, tap-dancing through rollercoaster love affairs or striding through the crossroads of history. In contrast,
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freelance journalist writing about theatre
In Britain, we expect great musicals to have an epic sweep, tap-dancing through rollercoaster love affairs or striding through the crossroads of history. In contrast,
Read moreIn the surviving texts of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, there are only two female characters – one has a handful of lines, the other is
Read moreAccording to playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, her research into Patricia Highsmith revealed her to be “deeply unlikeable, nasty, mean, cruel and narcissistic”. Much of this misanthropy
Read moreBefore he revolutionised theatre, Anton Chekhov had a go at writing his first play at the age of just 19. Rejected for performance, it languished
Read moreAfter Shakespeare, Lauren Gunderson was the most produced playwright in the US last year, partly thanks to her finely crafted play, I and You. First
Read moreHans Christian Andersen is responsible for handing down to us some of the greatest and best-loved stories of Western culture from The Ugly Duckling to
Read moreThere have been some phenomenal productions of the classic Broadway musical Guys and Dolls in Britain, from Richard Eyre’s unforgettable version at the National Theatre
Read moreIn Nick Dear’s 1986 play The Art of Success, he explored the role of the artist in society through the painter and engraver William Hogarth
Read moreAll the chaotic energy of 18th-century London bursts onto the stage in the spirited revival of Nick Dear’s 1986 play The Art of Success. From
Read moreThe Lesson begins straightforwardly enough: a young woman turns up at the home of a learned professor eager to be tutored ahead of some exams.
Read moreIt is 41 years since Mike Leigh first gave us the unforgettable characters of Abigail’s Party. The TV drama, based on the original hit stage production,
Read moreIt is remarkably over 30 years since our hearts were first captured by an all-singing bloodthirsty man-eating plant. After many excellent revivals, Little Shop of
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