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David Lister: The little niggles keeping the arts from entering an Elizabethan golden age

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

On Wednesday night I joined the great, the good and the odd crafty ligger at the Royal Academy, where the Queen hosted a celebration for the arts. I'm with Her Majesty on this one. There's quite a lot to celebrate. As a look at the cultural fare in the London 2012 festival, detailed in this issue, shows, you can't move for arts this summer. Sport, slightly bizarrely in Olympics year, has become a brief interlude in the weeks and weeks and weeks of Cultural Olympiad shows, exhibitions and mini-festivals that owe their existence to the Olympics. They grew out of the Games, and are almost devouring them.

Slumdog the musical calls in Julian Fellowes

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It was an old-fashioned Hollywood fairy tale: the low-budget movie, with a feel-good plotline and a virtually unknown cast, that managed to capture the public imagination before walking away with no fewer than eight Oscars at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Observations: If only Irving Berlin had had broadband

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:18 +0100

When UK-based Jonathan Kydd and Californian-based Andy Street, who writes the incidental music for American Idol, decided to write a musical together they were not deterred by distance.

Dawn French and Jason Donovan search for the new Jesus Christ Superstar

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:07:08 +0100

Dawn French and Jason Donovan have been signed up as judges for Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for the lead in his musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

Consternation over Coronation Street musical

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:01 +0100

An arena tour of a high-profile musical adaptation of Coronation Street has been postponed amid withering reviews and artistic concerns over the production's quality.

Observations One To Watch: Pippa Bennett-Warner, Actress, 23

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:15 +0100

"It wasn't until after I did The Lion King that I decided maybe straight acting could be fun". Happily for the theatre, Bennett-Warner was just 11 at the time.

Featherstone takes over Royal Court

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The Royal Court theatre in London has appointed the first female artistic director in its 56-year history.

RSC to produce 'Winter’s Tale' for toddlers

Fri, 11 May 2012 18:25:48 +0100

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is trying to do what Shakespeare himself would have done for “young babes” – “do it with gentle means and easy tasks”.

Brimstone and Treacle, The Arcola, London

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:24:06 +0100

Dennis Potter thought his twisted miracle story Brimstone and Treacle his best play.

Schoolboy wins rare place to train at Bolshoi Ballet

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Last year Alex Caggegi was an ordinary teenager from a state school in the North of England with one difference: he dreamt of becoming a ballet dancer. Now he has become only the fourth Briton in history to win a place at Moscow's prestigious Bolshoi Academy.

Epic shows: Never mind the quality, feel the length

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

It looks set to be a summer of endurance – and we aren't just talking about Olympic athletes. If you're heading to a theatre or opera house any time soon, you might well be letting yourself in for the long haul. Artworks are going epic.

Observations: Hang out in the forest for saunas, songs and the circus

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:37 +0100

Would you like to spend the night in a sleeping pod suspended from a tree as part of the theatregoing experience?

Observations: Shakespeare shake-up in Shoreham-by-Sea

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:16 +0100

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Or at least in the rubbish tip of Shoreham-by-Sea, which forms the malodorous backdrop for an ambitious new take on Hamlet, opening this weekend.

James Corden nominated for Tony Award

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:09:08 +0100

James Corden has been nominated for a prestigious Tony Award for the Broadway production of his hit show One Man, Two Guvnors.

Mary Peters' Olympic glory remembered in mini opera

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Her dramatic gold medal at the Munich Olympics in 1972 ensured her status in her home country of Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

ENO to stage Philip Glass opera about the last days of Walt Disney

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:10:15 +0100

The English National Opera is set to stage a series of new works next year including a Philip Glass opera about the last days of Walt Disney and an experimental piece scripted by Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell.

Here's fun for all the family: American Psycho, the musical

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The book was meant to be unfilmable. But more than a decade on from the acclaimed movie adaptation of American Psycho, a theatre company is to go one step further and bring the bloody satire to the British stage; with some musical numbers along the way.

National Youth Theatre vows show must go on as debts threaten its future

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Management at the National Youth Theatre (NYT), which helped kick-start the careers of stars including Daniel Craig and Dame Helen Mirren, is drawing up a rescue plan after mounting debts left the company facing the threat of closure.

King's Speech film killed us off, say stars of stuttering West End show

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

King George VI may have overcome his speech impediment for a crucial radio broadcast in the feel-good movie of last year, but slow ticket sales for the theatrical version means the curtain will fall for the last time next month.

Oh Meryl, did my heart love till now?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

If you've always thought that Romeo and Juliet was a flaky conceit with callow youths at its heart, now's your chance to see it reimagined. The mighty Meryl Streep and distinguished Kevin Kline will play the star-cross'd lovers – for one night only – at an 18 June reading of Shakespeare's play in New York's Central Park.

Matilda musical takes record haul at the Oliviers

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Matilda the Musical dominated UK theatre's most prestigious awards ceremony last night as the adaptation of Roald Dahl's book picked up a record seven Olivier Awards.

Scots get a really Horrible History of the English

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The Sassenachs will meet a bloody end when Horrible Histories, the all-conquering children's show secretly loved by adults, is given a tartan makeover for the Edinburgh Fringe.

Theatregoers pay the price for booking tickets online

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Theatregoers heading to the West End are being hit with "rip-off" charges when they book tickets for big shows online, it has been revealed. Extra fees of up to £12.25 extra are being added on to the price of tickets when customers buy on the web, while those who buy from the venue face no such fee.

Royal Ballet star Tamara Rojo to become artistic director of the ENB

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Tamara Rojo is to make the grand jeté fromleading lady to artistic director with the announcement that the Spanish ballerina has been appointed to turn around the fortunes of the under pressure English National Ballet (ENB).

Trending: No Smith and Jones... who'll play Bridget?

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Sheridan Smith, the Olivier-award winning actress, has pulled out of Bridget Jones: The Musical, the West End adaptation of the popular column/book /film, set to open at the Savoy Theatre this autumn. Who could possibly fill her shoes?

Puttin' on that Top Hat

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

When Fred Astaire put on his top hat, tied up his white tie and brushed off his tails to collaborate with Irving Berlin, he danced his way into the hearts of cinemagoers. More than seven decades later, the daughters of the screen legend and American composer have united to help bring Top Hat to the stage for the first time.

Trafalgar Square hosts Easter Passion play

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:38:52 +0100

Biblical scenes unfolded in Trafalgar Square today as thousands of people gathered to watch a recreation of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Malaysia calls off Nutcracker over claims of 'indecency'

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The cancellation of shows by a Singaporean ballet troupe in Malaysia has caused a tempest in a tutu, with the government saying the dancers applied too late for a permit to perform, and a local group blaming cultural concern over "indecent" costumes.

One comedy, two audiences: UK hit tailored for Broadway

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Playwright Richard Bean understands the quip about a common language dividing Britain and America better than most. Tonight marks the first Broadway performance of his National Theatre smash hit One Man, Two Guvnors – a quintessentially British comedy, albeit adapted from an Italian play – and Bean has been working to the wire on a transatlantic "translation".

Matilda hopes for a classy reception on Broadway

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Matilda the Musical, the award-winning West End hit, is hoping to repeat its success on Broadway. The Royal Shakespeare Company announced yesterday that the Tony Award-winning New York producers The Dodgers – behind such hits as The King and I and Guys and Dolls – will partner it in bringing the show to the American stage in 2013.

West End's 'ticket tout' websites are fleecing public, says playwright

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Audiences are being ripped off and theatre companies harmed by agencies running "legal ticket touting" websites, the writer of the acclaimed One Man, Two Guvnors said yesterday.

RSC names new Artistic Director

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The new Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company has been named.

Is this a dagger which I see before me? Historian to explore Shakespearean violence

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Rising knife crime in London, youth gangs out of control, and helpless lawmakers attempting to curb the fighting by banning certain types of blade. It may sound familiar, but this was the London of William Shakespeare's day, and gives an insight into one of his most enduring love stories.

'Tuh beh oar nat tuh beh?' That was the question

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

"To be, or not to be, that is the question." Or is it "Tuh beh oar nat tuh beh"? If you were to ask the Bard himself, he'd probably say the latter.

Matilda The Musical leads Olivier nominations

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The musical makeover of a young Roald Dahl heroine has landed 10 nominations at the top awards in Britain's theatrical calendar, with audiences flocking to feelgood shows.

James Corden and Jude Law set for Olivier Awards battle

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:37:44 +0000

Gavin and Stacey star James Corden is up against Jude Law for a prestigious theatrical award.

Bestselling novelist Audrey Niffenegger to work on ballet

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The author of the bestselling novel The Time Traveller's Wife is to write a new work for the Royal Ballet next season.

First for helicopter opera

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The Birmingham Opera Company is to take to the skies to stage the first complete performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen's opera Mittwoch aus Licht (Wednesday from Light).

Belarus Free Theatre seeks funding to avoid closure

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The Belarus Free Theatre troupe faces closure in three months unless it gets significant funding, warns its founder.

Theatre seeks drama in 100 words or fewer

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Until now, Samuel Beckett was thought to have written the shortest ever play – called Breath – which runs to 35 seconds. But London's Royal Court Theatre could soon produce a few rivals after it called for dramas with no more than 100 words.

'War of the Worlds' hires Kaiser Chief

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:01 +0000

A full-scale Martian invasion will be enacted at arenas across Britain when Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds returns in a new stage show starring Ricky Wilson, the Kaiser Chiefs singer.

Mark Rylance to perform impromptu Shakespeare on Tube for Cultural Olympiad

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:18:06 +0000

A floating opera written by Monty Python star Terry Jones and impromptu Shakespeare recitals on the Tube by award-winning actor Mark Rylance are among the cultural events that will run alongside the Olympics in London this summer.

At the Tricycle Theatre this summer: no plays, but the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic team

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

A theatre in North London has become the highest-profile playhouse to give up competing with this summer's Olympic Games, deciding that it would be more lucrative to rent the venue to one of the visiting teams instead.

Ballet establishment is rocked again another talent exits

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

British ballet is making a habit of mysterious departures. A month after rising star Sergei Polunin shocked the Royal Ballet by exiting stage left, for reasons that remain best known to himself, it emerged that the artistic director of the English National Ballet (ENB) is also set to leave, without giving any indication why.

Maltilda may be on her way to Broadway

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The RSC is considering taking its hit musical Matilda to Broadway.

Which Gatsby is the greatest? Plays go head-to-head in roaring Twenties row

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

The entertainment world is in the grip of the Roaring Twenties and one of the era's most celebrated works.

Jesus Christ Superstar could be woman

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:07:33 +0000

TV bosses have not ruled out casting a woman in the lead role of Jesus Christ Superstar after launching a search for a new musical star.

Ballet rebel may be kicked out of UK after losing his work permit

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Sergei Polunin, the rising star of the Royal Ballet who sensationally quit last week, will no longer be able to dance in the UK after his work permit was revoked.

Black British actors told to head for Hollywood if they want big roles

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Black British actors should head to Hollywood as quickly as they can because they won't find leading roles in the UK, David Harewood, the acclaimed National Theatre performer, has advised.

Theatreland packs them in with record takings

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:01 +0000

Economic doom and gloom may be sweeping the nation but London's theatres are still packing in the punters, with ticket sales hitting an all-time high for the eighth year in a row.