King’s Head theatre, London An office toilet once used by the wartime PM sparks a culture war in this frenzied show about politics and patriarchyWhen Rachel Reeves became chancellor in 2024, she said it felt like “smashing one of the last glass ceiling…
Continue ReadingGrayson the Musical will explore ‘identity, creativity and self-acceptance … with life coaching from a six-foot teddy bear named Alan’Grayson Perry’s life story is to be told in an “outrageous” new stage musical co-created with the composer of Jerry Sp…
Continue ReadingBush theatre, LondonMarried aspiring standups confront on stage what they’re concealing in real life, in Piers Black’s compelling two-handerStandup is performance in extremis, self-projection in the raw – and has long appealed to dramatists interested …
Continue ReadingLyric Hammersmith, London The dissolute aristocrats from 1895 remain sharply funny, and bitingly relevant, in this flamboyant new spinOscar Wilde’s comedy was billed as a “play of modern life” when it premiered at the Haymarket theatre in London in 189…
Continue ReadingWhen she broke through the glass ceiling and became chancellor, Reeves found her office had its own latrine. Rosie Holt reveals why she turned the story into a play called Churchill’s UrinalBritain is a conservative country, we are repeatedly told. So …
Continue ReadingDudley Town HallWith bits about Prince, Tiswas, his Jamaican family and his long career, the standup treads familiar ground and the home-town crowd love itIn this new standup show – his first tour since 2010 – Lenny Henry says he generally turns down r…
Continue ReadingThe Victoria Wood theatre, Bowness-on-WindermereMarking 10 years since the late comic’s death, this affectionate show blends her songs with a time-slip tale of friendship, regret and middle ageThis Lake District venue was called the Old Laundry theatre…
Continue ReadingGlobe theatre, LondonA spunky Helena and an inspired Puck elicit cheers and laughter in Emily Lim’s generous, creative and clever showI can’t remember the last time I got the giggles in the theatre but director Emily Lim’s joyful take on A Midsummer Ni…
Continue ReadingAn interest in spiritualism drew the escapologist and the Sherlock Holmes author together but, as actor-playwright Haig’s drama Magic shows, also threw them into conflictIt’s the question most often posed to artists: where do you get your ideas from? D…
Continue ReadingDance House, CardiffTudur Owen’s Welsh-language play about a second world war veteran is unashamedly heartfelt and anchored by very fine performancesThis play by Tudur Owen tells the story of a curmudgeonly second world war veteran, an unexpected windf…
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