All stories by Judith Mackrell on BroadwayStars

Monday, February 19, 2018

Bourne's Red Shoes and Khan's Giselle triumph at National Dance awards by Judith Mackrell

Zenaida Yanowsky and Liam Riddick take top dancer prizes, while Lez Brotherston wins outstanding contribution awardWe know that certain stories and certain archetypes have a strong hold on t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:30AM[SHARE]

Juliet and Romeo review " star-crossed lovers try couples therapy by Judith Mackrell

Battersea Arts Centre, LondonIn Ben Duke and Lost Dog's smart, wryly subversive and sexy dance-theatre piece, Juliet and Romeo didn't die in that tomb. Worse … they grew old togetherShakes…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 12, 2018

Giselle review " exquisite Francesca Hayward is on her way to greatness by Judith Mackrell

Royal Opera House, LondonThe ballerina brings an illusion of spontaneity to the choreography while mining a wealth of emotion from this gothic ghost story's fantastical plotFrancesca Hayward…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AM[SHARE]
Friday, February 9, 2018

Viktor review " Pina Bausch's pleasure-seekers haunt Rome by Judith Mackrell

Tanztheater Wuppertal revive their founder's striking evocation of death, sex and corruption in the eternal cityWhen Pina Bausch's work was first shown in London in 1982 it changed the way w…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Do the mambo! How the Windrush brought a dance revolution to Britain by Judith Mackrell

The Caribbeans who answered the call to save postwar Britain sparked a dance explosion. A new show relives those heady daysWhen the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in 1948, the Trinidadian…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:11PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 16, 2018

The dancer wears Prada: how couture went from catwalk to ballet and beyond by Judith Mackrell

From Chanel's Riviera bathers to Alexander McQueen's cross-dressing spywear, fashion has pushed dance to dazzling heightsAlexander McQueen always resisted the idea of working for dance. Even…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:45AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Song of the Earth/La Sylphide review " Rojo powers a demanding double bill by Judith Mackrell

Coliseum, LondonEnglish National Ballet's La Sylphide is limited by one-note performances but Tamara Rojo dazzles in Kenneth MacMillan's magisterial Song of the Earth With its guileless stor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:56AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Beauties, beasts and a midlife crisis for Romeo and Juliet: 2018's top dance by Judith Mackrell

Northern Ballet's Jane Eyre will make your heart leap, Pina Bausch's Roman dream returns to London and the Royal Ballet salute Macmillan and BernsteinPeter Wright's staging of the Romantic c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella review " blitz fairytale spins light through darkness by Judith Mackrell

Sadler's Wells, LondonUsing the second world war as a traumatic, ships-in-the-night backdrop is inspired and Bourne's dancers are once again on top of their game During the four years in whi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:18AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 18, 2017

The top 10 dance shows of 2017 by Judith Mackrell

Sgt Pepper strutted, Boris Charmatz gave us a buttock-scratching beauty and three men became Lady Macbeth " our critic picks the best dance of the year Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 9, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Hannah J Davies, Andrew Clements, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From festive horror-comedy Better Watch Out to Mariah Carey's Christmas tour, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance in the next seven days Continue rea…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AM[SHARE]
Saturday, December 2, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Hannah J Davies, Andrew Clements, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From Michael Haneke's Happy End to Marilyn Manson's latest tour, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance in the next seven days Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:24AM[SHARE]

Sugarplum sensations: the best dance shows this Christmas by Judith Mackrell

Matthew Bourne brings back his Blitz-set Cinderella, Arthur Pita presents The Little Match Girl with cartoon robots and there are Nutcrackers aplentyMore to see: Theatre | Carols and concert…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:12AM[SHARE]
Friday, December 1, 2017

Sylvia review " lustful hunters and weapons-grade dancing by Judith Mackrell

Royal Opera House, LondonMarianela Nuñez and Natalia Osipova take turns playing one of classical dance's most unconventional heroines, in the Royal Ballet's opulent Arcadian fantasyWomen …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 25, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Hannah J Davies, Andrew Clements, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From Malian band Songhoy Blues to the Natural History Museum's show about venomous beasts, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance in the next seven days…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:36AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 24, 2017

What Britain's ballet stars made of Black Swan by Judith Mackrell

Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as a ballerina hitting the big time. How realistic is the movie? We asked the cream of British ballet to give their verdictsBlack Swan, directed by Darren Ar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Men in Motion " review by Judith Mackrell

Coliseum, LondonIvan Putrov's male dance project can at times become a blur of homoerotic schmaltz, but at its best is very good indeedWhen Ivan Putrov launched his Men in Motion project two…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12PM[SHARE]

Rambert review " Ben Duke's dance to the death is a searingly emotional joyride by Judith Mackrell

Sadler's Wells, LondonInspired by the onstage intensity of Nina Simone, the centrepiece of this triple bill blurs real life and performance to spectacular effectWhat does it mean when dancer…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM[SHARE]
Monday, November 20, 2017

Kyle Abraham: Pavement review " dancing in handcuffs with aggression and grace by Judith Mackrell

Sadler's Wells, LondonInspired by his Philadelphia childhood and the film Boyz N the Hood, Abraham's vivid choreography evokes daily violence but also camaraderie and tendernessThe basketbal…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 18, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Michael Cragg, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From wartime race drama Mudbound to Phil Collins's UK tour, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance in the next seven days Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:33AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 16, 2017

'White governments gave us guns and turned a blind eye': Kyle Abraham on his Boyz N the Hood dance by Judith Mackrell

His political fury and upbeat moves make Kyle Abraham one of America's most original choreographers. He talks about systemic racism, his wrecked home town of Pittsburgh, creating an African …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:18AM[SHARE]
Monday, November 13, 2017

Is sexual violence being trivialised in ballet? by Judith Mackrell

Criticisms of the portrayal of rape in two recent Royal Ballet productions highlight a problem that is deeply embedded within the art formLove, grief, terror and desire: ballet can communica…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 11, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Michael Cragg, Andrew Clements, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From the Taylor Wessing photo prize to Hedda Gabler's UK tour, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance in the next seven days Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:33AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Royal Ballet: Tharp/Pita/Shechter review " stunning moves and wild west terror by Judith Mackrell

Royal Opera House, LondonSarah Lamb and Steven McRae soar through Haydn's symphony, Natalia Osipova is driven mad in Texas and a 20-strong cast prowl the stage in this mixed billIn 1973, whe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 5, 2017

Birmingham Royal Ballet review " gods, queens and dancing kangaroo rats by Judith Mackrell

Sadler's Wells, LondonA varied bill skipped from the gorgeous classicism of Michael Corder's Le Baiser de la fée to the exotic carnival of dancing animals in David Bintley's Still Life at t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:36AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 4, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Michael Cragg, Andrew Clements, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From the return of Bananarama to a new play by the writer of Doctor Foster, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance over the next seven days Continue rea…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:24AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 3, 2017

Igor and Moreno review " firecrackers and perfume in a mind-messing show by Judith Mackrell

The Place, LondonThe dance duo's latest work, Andante, subjects the audience to sensory overload as the smoke and smells create a distancing hazeIt is very rare to experience something defin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 2, 2017

Dance legend Twyla Tharp on truculent men, selling hot dogs and her idol Agatha Christie by Judith Mackrell

She shook up the male world of modern dance in the 1970s and never slowed down. The US choreographer talks about fending off flak, videoing her entire career " and why you should never ask h…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 28, 2017

Culture highlights: what to see this week in the UK by Steve Rose, Michael Cragg. Andrew Clements, Jonathan Jones, Lyn Gardner and Judith Mackrell

From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year show to Beowulf on stage, here is our pick of the best films, concerts, exhibitions, theatre and dance over the next seven days Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:24AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 26, 2017

Robot revolution: Les Ballet Russes like you've never seen it by Judith Mackrell

Premiered just before the revolution, Parade was Les Ballets Russes' most radical work. This dazzling update, with a robot politician and a silver wall-walker, captures its spirit " and the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:12PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Judas Tree/Song of the Earth review " from torrid violence to delicate majesty by Judith Mackrell

Royal Opera House, London A five-company tribute to Kenneth MacMillan continues with brave and brilliant stagings of two very different worksThis season's Kenneth MacMillan celebration conti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:04PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off