Stage | Theatre, comedy and dance
Stage
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5 out of 5 stars.
Typical review – Richard Blackwood is mesmerising in poetic tragedy
5 out of 5 stars.This superb play draws on the final hours of Christopher Alder, who died in police custody in Hull in 1998
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Pippa Evans, star of improvised musical Showstopper!, has written a self-help book based on her stage experiences. ‘Yes … and?’ asks our comedy critic -
New visa rules, taxes and transport restrictions are some of the hurdles British dance and theatre organisations must now overcome to tour Europe -
The stars of stage and screen chat about playing witches, seeing ghosts and stepping into another legend’s shoes -
Ingmar Bergman’s movie unpacks, like no other, the intimate emotional processes of staging and seeing a play
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From live streams of new plays to classics from the archive, here are some of the top shows online now or coming soon -
3 out of 5 stars.
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3 out of 5 stars.
All on Her Own Review – a curio of repressed emotion
3 out of 5 stars.
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The Color Purple review – musical romance rings hollow from a distance
2 out of 5 stars.
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The Cuban star talks about his battle to lift spirits up at the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the film he has made to rally performers as their stages stay dark
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She used to chair the Conservatives. He used to perform in his underpants. Could Nick Helm turn Sayeeda Warsi into a comedian? -
Live comedy’s lack of regulation has enabled sexist and predatory behaviour but a group of female standups have ambitious plans to overhaul the industry -
The idea that the artform skews left is widespread, but the prevalence of comedians punching down suggests otherwise -
James Acaster, Maria Bamford and other top comics have launched a web series to rescue The Bill Murray in London
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Letter: Tam Dean Burn says he and many other members of the union for actors and other creative workers have no confidence in the leadership of their Brexit-supporting general secretary -
Claire Thomas will never forget the first time she saw Happy Days. Her new novel, The Performance, revolves around it -
EU work permit regulations could scupper productions like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time -
Seyi Omooba was sacked from lesbian part at Leicester theatre after homophobic post emerged
Regulars
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Our series exploring the stage origins of hit comedies continues with the cult hospital horror show that scared up audiences to become a fringe sensation -
Our new series profiling theatre talents continues with a sparky, award-winning writer-actor committed to making her industry more inclusive -
Our series on films about theatre continues with a British comedy in which variety acts face an existential threat when TV steals their audience -
The theatre legends look back at working with Laurence Olivier and Peter O’Toole, the pain of biting reviews, the joy of a good run – and the agonies of being miscast
Pictures & video
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From raucous drag nights to hip-hop battles in boxing gyms, Joseph M Giordano’s photographs from the last 25 years capture the city’s vibrant nightlife – before the pandemic left it shuttered -
When the curtains close on each performance of Sydney Theatre Company’s one-woman show, the most common phrase you’ll hear is, ‘How did they do that?’ -
The Unicorn and Filskit Theatre company present a Christmas treat for children aged two to five. Huddle is the tale of an Emperor penguin and his new chick learning how to thrive against the odds. Narrated by Madeline Appiah.
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We mine the archive of Guardian photographer Tristram Kenton for the great creations of designers including Tim Yip, Rae Smith and Tom Scutt -
As Helen Mirren looks back at her career in a Talking Shakespeare event online on 23 November, we celebrate some of the stars’ regal performances for the RSC
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Gillian Anderson, Jessica Lange, Jack Lemmon, James Earl Jones … Guardian photographer Tristram Kenton has captured the biggest names as they tread the boards in London
You may have missed
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Falstaff, Mistress Quickly and the fairy rulers of A Midsummer Night’s Dream helped the author through a traumatic childhood and feature in her memoir No Boys Play Here -
From a derelict urban site to the depths of the woods, theatre-makers are planning new stages for outdoor shows when lockdown is lifted -
On Hostile Ground features a singing former PM – and plenty of savagely witty numbers about wrongful detention and deportation. As it prepares to launch, we go behind the scenes
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The new artistic director of Dance Umbrella is the first black artist to hold the post. He plans to call time on tick-box diversity – and use the pandemic to remodel his industry -
Writers and artists including Róisín Murphy, Tiffany Calver and Sigala on the art that transports them to the dancefloor during lockdown -
Theatre Royal Stratford East’s colourful history is documented in more than 100 boxes of material collected by actor Murray Melvin
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