stage
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The enduring gallows humour of HangmenMartin McDonagh’s play about the abolition of the death penalty in 1960s England hangs out to dry the idea that the country was a kinder, gentler place
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Bristol Old Vic prepares to celebrate record achievement2016 will see the venue become the only theatre in the English-speaking world to reach the age of 250 years -
Readers' favourite stage shows of 2015When we asked you to choose the best shows you’ve seen this year, we were flooded with rave reviews – here’s a selection of them -
How lady luck smiled on the seedy side of AmericaGuys and Dolls had a difficult birth, but Damon Runyon’s romanticised stories of gambling gangsters and sinning spinsters found their ultimate expression in Frank Loesser’s wonderful score. Never mind the underbelly, feel the love
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The art my generation produced won’t be seen in 50 yearsAvant-garde theatremaker on the genius of Lady Gaga and why contemporary artists such as Marina Abramović will become a ‘footnote’ in history
talking points
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First night, last chance? Why theatre is a constant processIt looks a million dollars and has a great premise. But what’s it about? Don’t worry wonder.land, there’s still time to make improvements
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Can Hermione be black? What a stupid questionBlack actor Noma Dumezweni has been cast as Hogwarts’ brainiest pupil in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The decision is a welcome challenge to the assumption that heroes are white by default
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The cost of taking your family to the panto is turning uglyPaying buttons? That’s behind you as some productions bring in 3D effects and real horses
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Summit's coming: Broadway fans to get their own conventionThree-day BroadwayCon to be held in New York and will feature seminars, panels and masterclasses led by theatre veterans
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Penguin cancans and endless bananas: the life of a panto dancerBilly Warren, currently appearing with Duncan James and Joe Pasquale in Aladdin at Southampton’s Mayflower theatre, tells us what it’s like doing two challenging performances every day
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From newfound political awareness to the resurgence of mime, 2015’s comedy landscape was bumpy but invigoratingThe comedy trends of 2015: nostalgia, oversharing and new-school mimes
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Sara Pascoe's Christmas Assembly – a fun school nativity mashupGanesh, Odin and Princess Diana substitute for the three wise men in Pascoe’s endearingly silly, variety-pack Christmas play
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Brian Logan's top 10 comedy showsBridget Christie was belligerent, Doug Stanhope was savage, and Nish Kumar was reborn a rightwinger. But a touching show about Lance Armstrong wins our critic’s best comedy of 2015
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'My comedy is very American. It’s aggressive'The Indian-American comic on making British audiences uncomfortable, losing out at the Grammys and redefining Americanness
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Bah, humbug! How Christmas theatre is turning off the twinkleComplex writing, leftfield family shows and thoroughly bleak dramas make theatre stages far from jolly this Christmas. Praise be, then, for the new wave of pseudo-panto
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‘I’m starting to believe in the universe right now’The actor recently stepped into Penny Skinner’s play Linda when Kim Cattrall was forced to cancel. She talks about ageing, single motherhood and script-cramming
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Les Liaisons Dangereuses – an evening to savourJosie Rourke directs a fine revival of Christopher Hampton’s adaptation, where two jealousy-fuelled aristocrats stumble into the confusions of true love
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The best family show since MatildaDavid Greig’s anarchic take on the ecological analogy – where greed increases the need for ‘thneeds’ – is full of verbal wit and social purpose
polls & quizzes
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Are you as smart as the Elves who research QI's questions?The hit QI podcast No Such Thing As a Fish separates quite interesting facts from quite impossible ones. But can you tell which of these statements are true or false?
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Trivia, she wrote: how well do you know Angela Lansbury?Broadway sensation, TV detective and three-time Oscar nominee Angela Lansbury turns 90 in October. See if you can detect the correct answers in our quiz
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Playwrights describe their characters: can you identify them?
Sometimes the description of a character in the stage directions says as much as lines of dialogue. Do you recognise these eight figures as described by the playwrights who created them?
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How much do you know about the revolutionary musical?Thirty years ago today, Les Misérables had its official London opening. Test your knowledge of the show
from the archive
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Ventriloquism at its bestManchester Guardian, 29 December 1821: Celebrated ventriloquist M. Alexandre put on an excellent show at the Minor Theatre
pictures & video
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'Don't look at my feet!'Royal Ballet principal ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson prepares for her opening performance of the classic Christmas production The Nutcracker
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Tom Stoppard: how I wrote HapgoodAs the spy thriller Hapgood is revived at Hampstead theatre, Tom Stoppard talks about his drama of doubles and deception – and how John le Carré redefined espionage fiction
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Stars wait in the wingsRobert Lindsay, John Simm, Susannah Fielding and others get ready to make an entrance in these exclusive photographs by Matt Humphrey
you may have missed
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Joël Pommerat's spellbinding theatrePeter Brook calls him a ‘superb artisan’ and his classic Cet Enfant has been celebrated for its uncompromising look at family life. Now, Joël Pommerat is reviving a Pinocchio that startles adults and children
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Sylvie Guillem Ballerina Sylvie Guillem bows out with Boléro in Japan