Her iconoclastic maitresse of ceremonies was the best thing about Kneehigh's otherwise lacklustre West End stage version of The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg.

His staging of Privates on Parade at the Donmar Warehouse in 2001 was one of the productions that marked out Michael Grandage as the natural successor to Sam Mendes.

Paul O’Grady’s alter-ego Lily Savage as Widow Twankey was exuberant

Craig was left in tears of laughter after Lisa's performance, while Kimberley and Pasha won their second perfect 40 of the series

'Because he was a Fifer, there was a certain brotherhood between us'

Simon Russell Beale is priceless as the drag queen built like a tank, but for newer recruits to the stage he's a hard act to follow

Andrew Scott stars in a drama that delights in fooling the viewer – or just causing confusion

As a gift to the Messiahed-out, William Christie and his Arts Florissants offered Handel’s majestic oratorio on the Bible story which furnished our phrase ‘the writing on the wall’.

Alice Jones' Arts Diary

Martin Richards, who died of cancer on 26 November at the age of 80, was the producer of the original Chicago on Broadway and went on to win an Academy Award for producing the film version. He was also the Tony Award-winning producer behind such Broadway hits as Sweeney Todd and The Will Rogers Follies. His other films included The Shining, Boys From Brazil and Fort Apache, The Bronx.

Composer Howard Goodall, who has written and presented the show, says he wants to 'show a straight line that runs through to the present day'

The Absolutely Fabulous comedian has written a musical using the Spice Girls' biggest hits