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West End | The Guardian

‘Like making whisky’: how The Curious Case of Benjamin Button aged into a timeless musical

F Scott Fitzgerald’s tale of a man who is born old and grows young has become a West End smash. The team behind the musical tell its success story in reverse – from Olivier awards glory back to a Cornish bowling alleyJethro Compton (book and lyrics, director and stage designer): The Olivier awar...

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West End | The Guardian

The Comedy About Spies review – rapid fire gags in a delightfully silly show

Noël Coward theatre, LondonThe sheer rate of jokes, from groanworthy to dynamite, may leave you crying helpless tears of laughter in this farce from the Mischief company‘Vodka martini.” “Shaken?” “Yes, but I’ll be fine.” If groanworthy jokes of that calibre float your boat, The Comedy...

West End | The Guardian

David Harewood to return to Othello almost 30 years after groundbreaking National Theatre production

Harewood – who became the first black actor to play Othello at the NT in 1997 – will play the role at Theatre Royal Haymarket opposite Toby Jones as IagoDavid Harewood is returning to the role of Othello almost 30 years after he became the first black actor to play the character at the National ...

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West End | The Guardian

Brendan Gleeson to make West End debut in Conor McPherson’s The Weir

Revival of the ‘profoundly moving’ Irish pub drama will open at the Olympia theatre in Dublin before arriving in London this autumnBrendan Gleeson will make his West End debut this autumn in a revival of The Weir, directed for the first time by its playwright Conor McPherson.Gleeson, whose films...

West End | The Guardian

The best theatre to stream this month: how Stranger Things shook the stage

Behind-the-scenes look at the TV juggernaut’s transformation into a theatrical spectacular, interactive acrobatics with Cirque du Soleil and a spellbinding tribute to Kneehigh are among this month’s highlightsIt’s almost 18 months since that neon Hawkins sign went up in Charing Cross Road but ...

West End | The Guardian

My Master Builder review – Ewan McGregor’s cheating starchitect is torn down

Wyndham’s theatre, LondonIbsen is moved to the Hamptons in Lila Raicek’s play, co-starring Kate Fleetwood and Elizabeth Debicki, about the destruction wreaked by adulteryHenrik Ibsen’s Icarus-like architect is indubitably the patrician protagonist of his play The Master Builder. The women of t...

West End | The Guardian

Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis revisited in ‘punchy’ new comedy

John Niven’s debut play explores rivalry between the two British bands who vied for the No 1 spot in the charts in 1995It was the great Britpop showdown in the summer of 1995, billed as a contest between cheeky chaps and lairy lads. Thirty years on, a new play is to revisit the fierce rivalry betw...

The Standard West End

Costumes from Hollywood adaptation to feature in Macbeth exhibition

Artefacts and painting will also form the display at Perth Museum.

The Standard West End

Marisha Wallace says King told her he was ‘proud’ of her British citizenship

The 39-year-old West End star praised the UK for helping her to become a leading lady.

The Standard West End

David Harbour ‘won’t engage’ with reports about end of marriage to Lily Allen

Harbour, 50, married Allen, 39, in 2020 after a year of being romantically linked.

The Standard West End

John Cleese: Fawlty Towers play a success as it is ‘funnier than anything else’

A new run of Fawlty Towers: The Play will begin at the Apollo Theatre in London’s Shaftesbury Avenue on June 24.

The Standard West End

The new Hogwarts staff – who are the actors joining the Harry Potter TV series?

The new HBO original series will feature British actors Nick Frost and Paapa Essiedu alongside US star John Lithgow.

West End | The Guardian

Super troupers! How do stars of long-running hits from Mamma Mia! to The Lion King keep the pizzazz pumping?

Can you imagine starring in Mamma Mia! for 10 years? Or The Lion King for 17? Or Blood Brothers for 26? Theatre’s epic endurance performers reveal how they keep the magic alive night after night‘I thought I’d do a year and leave,” says Sara Poyzer, who played mother Donna in the Abba musical...

The Standard West End

Nick Frost, John Lithgow and Paapa Essiedu confirmed as Harry Potter TV cast

The series will feature a brand new cast while staying authentic to the original books.

The Standard West End

Ncuti Gatwa to star in play about rival playwrights Shakespeare and Marlowe

Born With Teeth follows Marlowe and Shakespeare as the pair collaborate in the backroom of a pub.

West End | The Guardian

From Amsterdam to the West End: the avant-garde hit factory behind The Years and Oedipus

A pair of electrifying London shows bagged four prizes at the Olivier awards. Both were developed by Dutch company ITA, which has an eye for British talent Olivier awards: full list of winnersBackstage at the Oliviers – in picturesGiant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumphThe Royal Cou...

West End | The Guardian

‘To my wife for managing my vast collection of neuroses!’ – the Olivier awards’ best quotes

Amid awkward kisses and fears of fainting, winners at the Royal Albert Hall thanked their collaborators, spouses … and chartered accountants• Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph• Full list of winnersDirector Robert Icke on the unexpected effect of stagin...

West End | The Guardian

Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awardsOlivier awards: full list of winners‘To my wife for managing my vast collection of neuroses!’ – the night’s best quotesThe play Giant, which portrays children’s author Roald Dahl...

West End | The Guardian

Olivier awards 2025: full list of winners

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Giant and Fiddler on the Roof were among the big winners at the Royal Albert Hall ceremonyBest new musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music and lyrics by Darren Clark, book and lyrics by Jethro Compton at Ambassadors theatre – WINNER! MJ the Musica...

The Standard West End

Battle for the West End after London mayor Sadiq Khan gets powers to approve late-night drinking and al fresco dining

Council says it only refuses licences if there are concerns over crime or anti-social behaviour