Category: theatre

How did these two men find each other? Why do they stay together? Even they do not know. Or, at least, they cannot say. … When we say that love is ineffable, as Beckett knew, what we mean is that, when we love, we don’t know what the hell we are doing. We can’t stop talking through it, trying to figure it out.”

“On the silver-linings side, at least producers saw it coming, since B.O. goes into the same freefall every year after the Yuletide spike. And January, it turns out, can be a surprisingly good time to be a play.”

“The National Theatre of Scotland is to consolidate its headquarters in a new £5.5 million home for its rehearsal, administration, technical and storage departments in the north of Glasgow. In keeping with the company’s founding ethos as a ‘theatre without walls’ there will be no performance space in the new facility.”

Brian Logan: “[I’ve] often found that the best standup is the most theatrical, finding ways to make us laugh beyond the usual motormouth-at-a-microphone formula. And things are moving in the other direction, too. As a theatregoer … I’ve noticed how much of the best theatre is starting to hijack standup techniques, seeking a more direct engagement with audiences.”

David Sexton: “The very idea of having people acting and then singing at the same time, and quite possibly dancing too, repels us. We don’t get it. These things don’t make any sense together. … And our objection is essential, not accidental. No, we wouldn’t be converted if only we saw the right musical.”

Lyn Gardner: “It’s probably true that a bad musical … is harder to endure than a bad play, but that’s only because there’s so much more to get right (and which can go wrong). Bad musicals are uniquely memorable, which is why it’s easy to compile a musical hall of shame. But these things are complicated. Plays more often get a chance to be re-staged and reassessed.”

“One of the original reasons for starting a show at 8pm was to give audiences time to go home after work to change for the theatre. Who has time to do that nowadays?”

“The National is a low-budget, skeletal operation that maintains a handful of outreach operations to help justify its not-for-profit status. Rent doesn’t seem to be an issue.”

“Is Cameron Mackintosh getting nostalgic in his old age? Having hinted that Miss Saigon might follow Les Miserables onto celluloid, the theatre producer has revealed that two of his biggest flops are in line for major revivals” – Moby Dick and Martin Guerre.

“Theatre news and ticketing website Whatsonstage.com has been bought by the New York-based Theatremania.com, ending its ownership by Time Out Group after less than a year. Whatsonstage and Theatremania operate in a similar manner, with both running news, reviews and ticketing websites as well as organising exclusive theatre trips for their members.”