All stories by Michael Billington on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

In recording the art of theatre, Tristram Kenton creates another with his camera by Michael Billington

From Peter O'Toole as Jeffrey Bernard to Mark Rylance as 'Rooster' Byron, Tristram Kenton has captured the essence of countless performancesTheatre photography is a changing art. Look at the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:02AM[SHARE]

A Number review " Caryl Churchill explores the danger of artificial creation by Michael Billington

Young Vic, LondonA father is confronted by three sons " two of whom are clones of the first " in this revival of Churchill's unsettling study of family, identity and guiltCaryl Churchill end…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:02AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Orson's Shadow review " Welles and Olivier lock horns over Ionesco by Michael Billington

Southwark Playhouse, LondonTwo gigantic egos clash during an ill-fated production of Rhinoceros in a drama built from showbiz gossip and uninspired guessworkDramatists are entitled to distor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:02AM[SHARE]
Monday, July 6, 2015

Hot Ice: the sensational skaters of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach by Michael Billington

This astonishing institution is an exhilarating combination of art and sport, beauty and speed, balletic skill and kitschBetween engagements at the Manchester international festival, I nippe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:52AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 5, 2015

The Skriker review " Maxine Peake in a Midsummer Night's vision of climate catastrophe by Michael Billington

Royal Exchange, ManchesterAspects of Caryl Churchill's 1994 collaborative fantasy remain obscure, but magnetic Peake and a 12-strong ensemble offer an intensely theatrical experiencePlays ch…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:45AM[SHARE]
Friday, July 3, 2015

wonder.land review " Damon Albarn musical goes down digital rabbit hole by Michael Billington

Palace Theatre, Manchester This bold and ambitious reimagining of Alice in Wonderland for the online age boasts a score from the Blur frontman " but ends up a little oversaturatedAlice in Wo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:46AM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 2, 2015

Measure for Measure review " excess all areas in Dromgoole's Globe farewell by Michael Billington

Shakespeare's Globe, LondonDominic Dromgoole tackles Shakespeare's problem play and leaves us pondering the conflict between implacable justice and enlightened mercyShakespeare's play positi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:54AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Importance of Being Earnest review " David Suchet's Lady Bracknell is majestically funny by Michael Billington

Vaudeville theatre, LondonDavid Suchet gives a magnificent, stage-filling performance as Lady Bracknell, played with as much impishness as ambition and hauteurThere is little doubt as to the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:09PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 30, 2015

A Third review " the sadness of sex-obsessed America by Michael Billington

Finborough, LondonLaura Jacqmin's risque and rueful comedy has a voyeuristic intimacy and is genuinely funny - not least during a game of Strip Harry Potter Trivia"In married life," says Osc…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:49AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 29, 2015

Elizabeth MacLennan obituary by Michael Billington

Actor, writer and co-founder of 7:84, the touring company that left an indelible mark on British theatreElizabeth MacLennan, who has died of leukaemia aged 77, was an actor, writer and one o…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:49PM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 28, 2015

The Trial review " a punishing Kafkaesque experience by Michael Billington

Young Vic, LondonIn a prestige production, Rory Kinnear is mesmerising as Josef K " but initial delight diminishes as his tribulations unfoldSomeone must have had it in for Michael B. He was…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:13AM[SHARE]
Friday, June 26, 2015

Alpha Beta review " as shocking as anything on the London stage by Michael Billington

Finborough theatre, LondonTed Whitehead's play is a painfully honest account of a deadlocked marriage, in which frustration explodes into violence Ted Whitehead's play caused a stir at the R…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:13PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Audience " review by Michael Billington

Gielgud, LondonPeter Morgan struck box-office gold with his movie The Queen. He's likely to do so again with this play based on the private weekly audience given by the monarch to the prime …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:50PM[SHARE]

The Seagull review " a frenzied and feverish take on Chekhov by Michael Billington

Regent's Park Open Air theatre, LondonThe mood down on Peter Sorin's country estate is one of borderline hysteria in Torben Betts' violent version of the playwright's first great masterpiece…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:14AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Bend It Like Beckham review " footie musical is a game of two halves by Michael Billington

Phoenix theatre, LondonA strong female cast, clever design and eclectic score make for a successful screen-to-stage transfer " but Gurinder Chadha still sidesteps the big issuesYou have to a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:03PM[SHARE]

Educating Rita review " Lenny Henry leaves stage but returns with conviction by Michael Billington

Minerva, ChichesterDespite stumbling over a line, Henry ended the evening looking totally assured in a Willy Russell revival that proves Lashana Lynch's star potentialThis was one of the str…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:08AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Luna Gale review " to whom does a baby really belong? by Michael Billington

Hampstead, LondonThere is a complex, moral debate at the heart of Rebecca Gilman's play which tackles child protection head onRebecca Gilman does not shy away from big issues. Having written…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:34AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 18, 2015

The Motherfucker with the Hat review " sex, addiction and honour among dudes by Michael Billington

Lyttelton, LondonRicardo Chavira, of Desperate Housewives fame, stars in Stephen Adly Guirgis's exuberant and astonishing New York dramaDon't be deterred by the title. This 2011 play by Step…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:31AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 17, 2015

hang review " Marianne Jean-Baptiste dispenses justice with compelling anger by Michael Billington

Royal Court, Londondebbie tucker green's play sits at the sharp end of the capital punishment question, but the drama would be heightened by a greater sense of moral doubt Related: Marianne …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:55AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 16, 2015

We Want You to Watch review " fantasies of a porn-free world by Michael Billington

NT Temporary theatre, LondonRashDash's show about the effects of pornography has strong points of view, but doesn't offer much room for debateWriter Alice Birch and theatre-makers Abbi Green…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:10AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 14, 2015

All That Fall review " a chance to savour uncanny Beckett in the dark by Michael Billington

Pit, Barbican, LondonPan Pan's recorded production of Samuel Beckett's 1957 play about a woman's trip to meet her husband off a train is a remarkable aural tapestry"It is a text written to c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM[SHARE]
Friday, June 12, 2015

Othello review " history is made with RSC's fresh take on the tragedy by Michael Billington

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThe stereotype of the 'noble Moor' is dismantled in Iqbal Khan's shrewd, modern-dress production starring Hugh Quarshie and Lucian MsamatiIqbal …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:14AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Red Lion review " Patrick Marber captures football's moral contradictions by Michael Billington

Dorfman theatre, LondonMarber's dressing-room drama is a remarkable three-hander about a sport that he clearly knows intimately Football as a metaphor for life is not uncommon. It has inspir…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:56AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 9, 2015

London Road " review by Michael Billington

Olivier, LondonI missed this acclaimed piece of verbatim music-theatre when it opened at the Cottesloe last year. I was well aware that it was based on interviews with residents of a single …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:08PM[SHARE]

Violence and Son review " honest account of brutality kept in the family by Michael Billington

Royal Court theatre, LondonA domestic minefield is beautifully set up, and acted, in Gary Owen's forceful play about abuse passed down through the generationsGary Owen has written a seriousl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:40AM[SHARE]

Great performances: Peggy Ashcroft in The Wars of the Roses by Michael Billington

As much at home in Beckett as in Shakespeare, Ashcroft had imagination, industry and intelligence. She rose to the challenge of playing Queen Margaret in this mesmerising 1963 trilogyWhat do…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:14AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 7, 2015

Oresteia review " Icke brings us Aeschylus for the modern age by Michael Billington

Almeida, London Robert Icke's bold and witty new version of Oresteia whets the appetite for the Almeida's season that reimagines the Greek canonPraise is due to Robert Icke for his boldness …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:50AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 4, 2015

Buckets review " 27 scenes of life, lust and longing by Michael Billington

Orange Tree theatre, LondonThe playground setting is a distraction, but Adam Barnard's series of vignettes offers some innovative observationsAdam Barnard's first full-length play is clearly…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:51AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Not I, Footfalls, Rockaby review " Lisa Dwan's breathtaking Beckett trio by Michael Billington

Barbican, LondonThree of the great Irish playwright's later works are superbly performed in these precise productionsBeckett's later works seem to me as much art installations as drama: one …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Andromache review " torrid love rectangle gets fine revival by Michael Billington

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, LondonA reminder of the power of Racine's 1667 exploration of obsessive love in ancient Greece, Edward Kemp's excellent new translation has an impressive young…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:31AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 1, 2015

Kiss Me Kate " review by Michael Billington

Chichester Festival Theatre Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:57AM[SHARE]

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