Despite the fact that theatres were once again up and running for about half the year (varying from place to place), there was still a massive appetite for digital productions going into 2021.
The Show People Podcast: Simon Lipkin has funny bones
In this episode of The Show People Podcast, host Andrew Keates was joined by Simon Lipkin, just before he went into rehearsal for Nativity – The Musical – a show that is led by improvisation and Simon revealed the challenges and freedoms that method of performing can present.
A year in puppets
After choosing in 2016 to focus on Shakespeare (in the 400th anniversary of his death), I went completely different this year and made it my mission to learn more about, and see more shows featuring, puppets.
Acts of theatre resistance: Insignificance, Young Marx, Imagine This, Bernarda Alba
While not Political Plays per se, over the past fortnight, I’ve seen several productions that have reminded me that theatre can play an important part in telling stories of resistance.
What were our Top 25 reviews & other blogs in October 2017?
What were the reviews and other blogs that got readers clicking most? Any surprises? Our Top 25 Mates Blogs from October 2017 are listed below with summaries and links to read more.
NEWS: Simon Paisley Day reprises Once-ler performance in The Lorax, Full cast announced
The Old Vic has announced full casting for Dr Seuss’ THE LORAX, which returns to The Old Vic stage for a limited run from 15 October to 5 November 2017, with a press night on 24 October, prior to international dates in Canada and the US.
NEWS: Daniel Radcliffe & Joshua McGuire headline 50th anniversary Rosencrantz & Guildenstern at Old Vic
The 50th anniversary production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard will open on 7 March 2017, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire.
NEWS: Glenda Jackson, Star Wars’ John Boyega, Yasmina Reza’s Art headline new Old Vic season
The Old Vic today announces Artistic Director Matthew Warchus‘ second season, continuing a wide-ranging programme that includes world premieres, new writing, musicals, classic revivals and The Old Vic Variety Nights. There will also be a new strand of children’s programming to engage the next generation of theatregoers, demonstrating Matthew’s ‘something for everyone’ approach. Season 2 marks Glenda Jackson’s return to …
TICKETS: Mark’s Top Ten recommendations (21 Dec)
You’re not going to find any pantos on my top ten list this season — I’ve just not been to any at all this year, thanks to my double round of surgery for a hip replacement, then displacement.
Diary of a Theatre Addict: School’s out (sort of), but I’m still catching up
At Thursday night’s opening of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Donmar Warehouse, it felt like the last day of term for many critics, so some were demob happy: it was the last big London first night of the year, at the end of a day that had earlier embraced two more press openings for the West End returns of The Gruffalo in the morning and Goodnight Mister Tom in the afternoon.
Diary of a Theatre Addict: School’s out (sort of), but I’m still catching up
At Thursday night’s opening of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Donmar Warehouse, it felt like the last day of term for many critics, so some were demob happy: it was the last big London first night of the year, at the end of a day that had earlier embraced two more press openings for the West End returns of The Gruffalo in the morning and Goodnight Mister Tom in the afternoon.
THE LORAX – Old Vic
It’s a heartfelt welcome. The Old Vic, for a long while fiercely grownup, throws its arms open to children under Matthew Warchus’ leadership with a fabulous pre-curtain soundscape (25 minutes of it as they settle) . Whooshes, bangs, tinkles, hisses, crashes, buzzes and cracks echo all around, followed by an avuncular announcement from “Old Vic” himself about turning phones off and behaving reasonably well.
Feature extracts of the week: Interviews with Kasper Holten, Daniel Evans, Jackie Hoffman and more
Extracts from interview features with the Royal Opera House’s (soon departing) Director of Opera Kasper Holten, Sheffield Crucible’s (soon departing) artistic director Daniel Evans, Broadway’s Jackie Hoffman & more.
NEWS: Full cast announced for Dr Seuss’ The Lorax at Old Vic
The Old Vic today announces casting for David Greig’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, directed by Max Webster. Simon Lipkin will play the role of the Lorax, alongside puppeteers Laura Cubitt and Ben Thompson, whilst Simon Paisley Day takes the role of the Once-ler. Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax is the third production in Matthew Warchus’ opening season as Artistic Director and opens on 16 December, with previews from 3 December.