Uncertainty can sometimes provoke creativity. When the opening of Shereen Roushbaiani’s one-woman show, Saving Britney, at the Old Red Lion theatre was cancelled in January, its creators David Shopland and Roushbaiani, put together this online performance as a kind of taster for the live show, which now opens in May.
‘This really is a great adaptation’: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (Online review)
This film version of the Oscar Wilde classic The Picture of Dorian Gray is a brilliant critique of the digital age.
‘A musical & historical love letter to the city of Sheffield’: THE BAND PLAYS ON – Sheffield Theatres (Online review)
The Band Played On, the latest show from Chris Bush, is a tuneful celebration of stoicism, resilience and humour.
NEWS: SOLT & UK Theatre survey reveals 95% of theatre organisations are worse off due to Covid
A year ago, on 16 March 2020, theatres across the country closed their doors due to the pandemic. Survey results collected by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre from across the theatre sector paint a picture of an industry that has struggled to survive the past 12 months and faced huge financial strain – but remains resilient and adaptable.
‘I think it can be quite cathartic for art to explore the pandemic’: Actor Ian Hallard’s debut play Adventurous premieres online
Actor Ian Hallard chats about his debut play Adventurous which is being produced online by the Jermyn Street Theatre.
NEWS: Date set in May for the return of the West End production of hit musical Six
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ West End musical phenomenon Six will reopen at London’s Lyric Theatre on 21 May 2021, booking until 22 August. With social distancing at indoor venues expected to remain in place until 21 June at the earliest, the theatre will initially operate at the same 50% capacity as December 2020 before the current national lockdown.
NEWS: Budget brings boosts for theatre industry while challenges remain
As expected Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget has unveiled key commitments to help the theatre industry recover from the year-long economic effects of the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
NEWS: Andrew Lloyd Webber prepares to open his West End musicals in summer 2021
Andrew Lloyd Webber has begun rehearsing his brand new musical Cinderella, stating he hopes the move will give other producers “confidence to follow suit by getting major musicals back open”.
‘Disturbing, moving & eloquent in its brilliant advocacy’: TYPICAL – Soho Theatre (Online theatre)
Typical, a film version of a powerfully poetic and painful 2019 monologue about institutional racism, is brilliant.
NEWS: Theatres could open in May but distancing rules are likely to remain until June at the earliest
Theatres will reopen subject to social distancing rules in May 2021, the Government has announced, but with no likelihood of operating at full capacity before late June at the earliest.
NEWS: Boris Johnson hints at first steps towards theatres reopening
Nearly one year after theatres were forced to close by the onset of the Covid pandemic, prime minister Boris Johnson has delivered the first indication that auditoria could reopen.
‘There’s no saying where theatres will be by the time summer arrives’: Is the light at the end of the tunnel even further away?
It won’t be until the vaccine programme has been fully and successfully rolled out throughout the nation, and any necessary tweaks established for mutant strains, that there may be enough confidence to begin to even think about going indoors again to sit amongst strangers.
‘Captures the men’s glowering rage & moments of acute vulnerability’: SHOOK (Online review)
The latest example of this problematic switch from stage to screen is the strongly acted Shook, Samuel Bailey’s debut play, which won the 2019 Papatango New Writing Prize and had a run at the Southwark Playhouse in November of that year.
NEWS: ENO & Imperial College announce the national rollout of the Breathe programme for people recovering from Covid-19
English National Opera and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust announce national rollout of ENO Breathe programme for people recovering from COVID-19.
NEWS: Theatres Trust announces 2021 Theatres at Risk Register
Theatres Trust, which has worked tirelessly to help theatres during the Covid-19 pandemic, has announcing its annual Theatres at Risk Register 2021.
‘Warmly assured, instantly engaging & softly inspiring’: HEADS OR TAILS – Living Record Festival (Online review)
Yesterday I watched Skye Hallam’s excellent one-woman show, Heads or Tails, one of the headline acts at the new Living Record Festival. It’s a gently confessional monologue about the afterlife spoken by 25-year-old Steph, who has – as they say – been “taken too soon”.
NEWS: Lockdown measures force West End production of Disney’s Frozen to be postponed
The West End production of Disney’s Frozen, planned to open at the newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 14 April 2021, with previews from 2 April, has been postponed due to the current national lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions.
NEWS: Theatremakers from all four nations are celebrated in The Stage 100 list
The Stage has unveiled its annual The Stage 100 list. The list has been re-imagined this year to celebrate individuals who have gone above and beyond in helping theatre survive the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced.
‘The acting is uniformly good’: S-27 – Finborough Theatre (Online review)
With S-27, the Finborough once again punches well above its weight, making another compelling contribution to the brave new world of streamed theatre.
NEWS: West End producers react to the news that London is moving into Tier 3
There was devastating news for West End theatres today when Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that London – plus parts of Essex and Hertfordshire – would move into Tier 3 from 16 December 2020.