Venice Biennale theatre: running from UK immigration and revisiting Chekhov
A welcome glimpse of what is playing beyond Britain, this year’s programme includes a deeply moving drama of migrant jeopardy and an intriguing Three Sisters
May 2024
The week in theatre: The Cherry Orchard; Minority Report; Laughing Boy – review
The Cherry Orchard review – Benedict Andrews brings Chekhov bang up to date
April 2024
Uncle Vanya review – Steve Carell leads excellent cast in Chekhov reimagining
The star makes a convincing Broadway debut in a tragicomic winner staged with thought and deft flashes of modernity
March 2024
Uncle Vanya review – Trevor Nunn triumphs with Chekhov’s tragicomedy
This chamber staging, movingly played by an immaculate ensemble, fits perfectly with the drama’s hothouse of disappointment
February 2024
Andrew Scott: sex scenes less ‘embarrassing’ for audience if one actor plays both characters
The Fleabag star, who took all eight roles in the solo show Vanya, says intimate scenes on stage can be discomfiting for viewers
December 2023
Midnight Mole review – puppet’s cheery takeover of Chekhov’s garden
Set in the cherry orchard that Madame Ranevsky is preparing to leave, this story leads its young audience on a tactile adventure underground
November 2023
The Seagull review – Sigrid Thornton and Toby Schmitz star in contemporary take on Chekhov
The Fourth Sister by Laura Scott review – the deadliest slur of all?
October 2023
The books of my life
Richard Armitage: ‘I used to stand on the Lord of the Rings to reach the top shelf in my wardrobe’
The actor and author on his love of fantasy fiction, the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, and why he doesn’t want a second bite of Proust
September 2023
Vanya review – Andrew Scott excels in one-man Chekhov
Andrew Scott: ‘We need a bit more of people not liking things’
June 2023
Fleabag star Andrew Scott to bring one-man Uncle Vanya to West End
Vanya, adapted by Simon Stephens, will see Scott tackle all of the characters in Chekhov’s play
November 2022
The Cherry Orchard review – Katie Mitchell presents the view from the trees
The director’s latest eco-theatre production gives us fragments of Chekhov’s dialogue and a searing reading of our relationship with nature
September 2022
The week in theatre: Handbagged; The Cherry Orchard; Clutch – review
Moira Buffini’s damning satire imagining the Queen’s weekly meetings with Margaret Thatcher acquires poignancy; James Macdonald directs Chekhov in outer space; and a driving lesson for us all
The Cherry Orchard review – Chekhov in space
Vinay Patel’s sci-fi adaptation boldly goes into the future on a rickety starship while exploring entrenched hierarchies and class
From King Charles III to King Lear: what theatre tells us about taking the throne
Mike Bartlett’s 2014 play anticipated a constitutional crisis, while playwrights including Shakespeare and Chekhov have shown how traumatic a transfer of power can be
July 2022
The week in theatre: The Seagull; The Southbury Child; Richard III
The Seagull review – woodchip-walled Chekhov is hypnotic
June 2022
Emilia Clarke: ‘The best place in the world is backstage at a theatre’
The Game of Thrones star on her self-doubt as the hit show took off, her decision to write about her brain aneurysms and showing her love through baking
