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The internet has changed the way we experience the world, and theatre is at last catching up. Playwright Alistair McDowall argues it needs to embrace eclecticism
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Filmed version of Sarah Frankcom’s cross-gender production to be released in 2015
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She doesn’t like Tony Abbott’s swimwear or policies, thinks Nigel Farage is frightening, loves Australia – mostly – and thinks Israel can be blind to its own faults. Anything else to add to the list?
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Directed by Rupert Goold, this stage version of the film suffers from its caricatures, relentless jokiness and functional score, writes Michael Billington
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In researching my play Queen Coal I wanted to explore the vanishing of a once thriving industry. It all came into focus after Margaret Thatcher’s effigy was burned on a bonfire
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Other lives: Arts journalist whose passion for dance led to him working for the Stage and Dancing Times
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Girls and dads strut their stuff in this warm-hearted show about family relationships, writes Lyn Gardner
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Hiccup Theatre’s energetic show comes with songs, visual tricks and an eco-message – and the performers really bond with the audience, finds Andrew Pulver
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Injustices nursed by a Yorkshire pit community since the 1984-85 strike lurk beneath one woman’s homecoming in this powerful and evocative play, writes Alfred Hickling
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Nigel Farage and the comedian Andrew Lawrence have accused a ‘politically correct comedy clique’ of targeting Ukip and favouring talentless women and ‘ethnics’. The gloves are off, says founding member Stewart Lee
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Physical theatre group DV8’s new piece explores abuse and intimacy – but an unbalanced narrative dulls the impact, writes Lyn Gardner
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An engaging Wonka figure hides a dark purpose in this impressively rebellious children’s promenade show, writes Mark Fisher
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Director Katie Mitchell, playwright Duncan Macmillan and scientist Chris Rapley let the facts speak for themselves in new Royal Court show
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Assembly lines meet chorus lines in the new musical Made in Dagenham, starring Gemma Arterton and based on the hit British film. Go behind the scenes
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A mythical exploration of one of Brooklyn’s most polluted waterways had enchanting moments, but left those on the shore narratively marooned
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Company will allow viewers to watch and download more than 50 productions on desktop computers, mobiles and tablets
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French dancer to end spectacular 39-year career at Paris Opera Ballet and Royal Ballet with last world tour
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Jeff Stark's The Dreary Coast is staged on the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted waterways in Brooklyn. Take a tour of this interactive theatre piece, which incorporates elements of several Greek myths, Dante's Inferno and a smattering of other classical and modern references, in order to tell the story of Charon, the mythical boatman who ferries souls through Hades. Read our review of the performance
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Versatile actor who combined grace with gravity in her many roles over 65 years
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Sylvie Guillem has announced that she will present her final dance programme at Sadler’s Wells in 2015. Revisit her journey from Parisian ballerina to global dance sensation
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Girls and dads strut their stuff in this warm-hearted show about family relationships, writes Lyn Gardner
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Hiccup Theatre’s energetic show comes with songs, visual tricks and an eco-message – and the performers really bond with the audience, finds Andrew Pulver
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Injustices nursed by a Yorkshire pit community since the 1984-85 strike lurk beneath one woman’s homecoming in this powerful and evocative play, writes Alfred Hickling
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Physical theatre group DV8’s new piece explores abuse and intimacy – but an unbalanced narrative dulls the impact, writes Lyn Gardner
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An engaging Wonka figure hides a dark purpose in this impressively rebellious children’s promenade show, writes Mark Fisher
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A mythical exploration of one of Brooklyn’s most polluted waterways had enchanting moments, but left those on the shore narratively marooned
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Circling each other, arms whirling, these two superb dancers combine their kathak and flamenco styles with ferocious intensity, writes Judith Mackrell
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Gob Squad raid the dressing-up box for a four-hour, interval-free show that questions as much as it counsels, writes Lyn Gardner
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Paris’s famous factory of stage frights liked its audiences to faint with shock; this cheerfully gory celebration thrills best when it concentrates on mind games, writes Lyn Gardner
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Antic Face’s frantic, inventive staging of the Euripides play is worlds away from the corseted passion of Racine, writes Michael Billington
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Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace impress with a sexy tango in this film noir pastiche, writes Michael Billington
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John Byrne’s story of two Glasgow painters ahead of their time is a touching study of men defeated by forces beyond their control, writes Mark Fisher
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Terence Rattigan’s debut from 1934 captures the hedonistic irresponsibility of privileged prewar student life, writes Michael Billington
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A gender-bending Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and destruction of Holyroodhouse contributed to a challenging, questioning, pleasurable festival, writes Lyn Gardner
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Crystal Pite’s audacious choreography showed her working with exceptional confidence in this mixed bill exploring the music of Thomas Adès, writes Judith Mackrell
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An international cast share their own moving, first-hand accounts of Vietnam, Nagasaki and Treblinka By Kate Kellaway
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A dead body poses questions of absence and existence, but is at risk of leaving the audience cold too, says Kate Kellaway
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The fathers of three contemporary dancers were invited to learn more about their daughters’ craft – the results are quite something, writes Luke Jennings
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Outstanding performances from a cast led by Eileen Atkins, but the play is a case of too many playwrights spoiling the plot, writes Kate Kellaway
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Nigel Farage and the comedian Andrew Lawrence have accused a ‘politically correct comedy clique’ of targeting Ukip and favouring talentless women and ‘ethnics’. The gloves are off, says founding member Stewart Lee
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Director Katie Mitchell, playwright Duncan Macmillan and scientist Chris Rapley let the facts speak for themselves in new Royal Court show
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The story of Amanda Todd, who at 15 killed herself after being blackmailed and harassed online, is evoked in Girls Like That at London’s Unicorn theatre, writes Matt Trueman
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The ex-Boyzone singer-songwriter talks to Liz Hoggard about the challenge he faces taking on the lead role in hit West End musical Once
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Life with Father, about a sexist patriarch and submissive wife, holds the record for the longest-running non-musical play in New York. Now, 75 years after it premiered, Mark Lawson asks what it says about American theatre in the 20th century
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Richard Sheridan’s grande dame from The Rivals is best known for her flamboyant word-mangling, but what lies behind the desperate desire to impress? Two actors who’ve played the role doff their bonnets to a great autodidact and survivor
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Sean Bean whispered when we passed each other in the corridor: ‘Togo, the Queen laughed at your twitching.’
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Lloyd Newson’s latest production uses movement and the spoken word to stage one man’s harrowing yet extraordinary life
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With Victorian theatrics, disembodied voices and a low-frequency generating infrasound device, Dickie Beau’s multimedia seance will be felt as much as heard, writes John O’Mahony
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Judi Dench and musicals legend John Kander on how paper eyelashes, unsingable songs and a flop called Flora created a classic
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The Royle Family star was jailed after the national construction workers’ strike of 1972. As a show about the ‘Shrewsbury 24’ arrives in Shropshire, he talks to Alfred Hickling
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The famous siblings are making their Broadway debuts this autumn. Matt Wolf wonders who will take home the acting honours
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With its incest and gore, John Ford’s 17th-century tragedy was not an obvious choice for the director of Constellations. He talks to David Jays about the allure of the play – and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
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The implications of the alliance between ENB and the theatre are so significant that the news even overshadowed the announcement of Sylvie Guillem’s farewell shows, writes Judith Mackrell
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From topical gameshows to controversial standup, with some ‘minor nudity’ along the way, New York offers a comedy smorgasbord this week – here’s the pick
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Nominations for the 15th National Dance awards promise a vintage list of eventual winners as traditional boundaries crumble and the spotlight falls on younger rising stars, writes Judith Mackrell
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Lyn Gardner: Is drama GCSE an irrelevance as the National Youth Theatre's Paul Roseby has suggested?
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Antony Sher plays Falstaff in Bath, the lives of female Muslim boxers are examined in Manchester, one-on-one performance is big in Liverpool, and La Soirée sashays back into London
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Dance depends on wigs but, as with the Royal Ballet’s all-Ashton programme, fake hair can be a distraction from choreographic riches, writes Judith Mackrell
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Residents of Detroit could have seen more of the NT last year than people living in Sunderland. Is so much touring overseas in the National's interests?
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In Sheffield, women take to the frontline of the miners' strike, while Tom Stoppard's best play is revived in Nottingham – and check out the half-term happenings all over the country
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When Fred Herko jumped naked out of a window aged 28, he had help found Judson Dance theater and performed in three Warhol films. Now, a festival celebrates a pivotal figure in the 60s New York underground
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Lyn Gardner: Is it an aesthetic? A political statement? Or just the best way to get things done? Do-it-yourself theatre is all around us
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How can Barry Humphries support freedom of speech for Barry Spurr when censorship is just fine for his international cabaret festival? Maeve Marsden withdraws her application
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Publishing standups’ one-liners is cheap clickbait that does comedians – and their gags – no favours, writes Brian Logan
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Lyn Gardner: Streamed live from Berlin on Saturday night, Speak Bitterness proved that it's possible to have a communal experience watching theatre in your own home
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Lyn Gardner: Hunt out stories on the streets of Deptford, see Sweeney Todd in London's oldest pie-and-mash shop or catch up with Mark Thomas's raw and angry Cuckooed out on tour
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Lyn Gardner: Ganesh Versus the Third Reich has been seen around the world. The Diverse Futures project is focusing on nurturing British equivalents to the Australian company
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In an extract from his autobiography, We Need to Talk About … Kevin Bridges, the standup explains the gear changes he needs to navigate a show
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Brian Logan: Reportedly a riposte to the Spanish government’s tax on theatre tickets, one Barcelona club’s gimmick could be the harbinger of the comedy apocalypse
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Many of Shakespeare's lines are used in daily life – but do you know which plays feature these popular expressions?
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As Nicole Scherzinger prepares to play Grizabella, can you tell which of these lyrics are sung in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical and which are sung by the Pussycat Dolls?
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Taking its name from the misused words of Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals, a malapropism (AKA a dogberryism) is the use of an incorrect word in place of one with a similar sound. Can you guess the right wrong words?
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Shakespeare wrote some of the most beautiful sonnets in history but he was also the prince of putdowns. How well do you know the Bard's barbs?
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Laurence Olivier had plenty of wise words for aspiring performers. Mind you, so does the moderate Twitter sensation @Tips4Actors. Can you tell whose lines are whose?
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Do you know your Benedick from your Beatrice? Your Romeo from your Juliet? Match the quote to the character
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Can you tell which of these lines belong to Blanche Dubois and which are spoken by agent Dana Scully?
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Shakespeare saved some fine lines for those characters drawing their last breath. Can you identify who speaks these words in their exit speeches?
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Here are 10 striking stage directions – can you identify the plays they're taken from?
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Can you guess which of these two festival newbies the reviewers are writing about?
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Here are 10 one-liners on the subject of education. Do you know which comedian is responsible for each of them?
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Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of television. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of conflict. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Were you paying attention before the curtain fell? See if you recognise these closing lines of 10 great plays
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Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of money. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Do you know your Lear from your Leontes? Your Macbeth from your Mercutio? Match these lines to the right characters
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As Lindsay Lohan prepares to make her West End debut in Speed-the-Plow, can you guess if these lines come from Mean Girls or David Mamet's plays?
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Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of sex. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Here are 10 one-liners on the subject of kids. Do you know which standup is responsible for each of them?
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Do you know your Pinter from your Ibsen? Your Frayn from your Kane? See if you can recognise these opening lines of 10 classic plays
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Assembly lines meet chorus lines in the new musical Made in Dagenham, starring Gemma Arterton and based on the hit British film. Go behind the scenes
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Jeff Stark's The Dreary Coast is staged on the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted waterways in Brooklyn. Take a tour of this interactive theatre piece, which incorporates elements of several Greek myths, Dante's Inferno and a smattering of other classical and modern references, in order to tell the story of Charon, the mythical boatman who ferries souls through Hades. Read our review of the performance
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Sylvie Guillem has announced that she will present her final dance programme at Sadler’s Wells in 2015. Revisit her journey from Parisian ballerina to global dance sensation
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Take a sneak peek at Australia’s freshest choreographic talent rehearsing New Breed, Sydney Dance Company’s showcase of new contemporary dance at Carriageworks
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Tango champions and Strictly Come Dancing favourites Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone celebrate the golden age of American movies in their new West End show
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Choreographers Akram Khan and Israel Galván dance to two different beats – kathak and flamenco. Their new project, Torabaka, is more than a fusion of the two. They tell us what it means and how they work
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For this week’s photography assignment in the Observer New Review we asked you to share your photos on the theme of ‘magic’ via GuardianWitness. Here is a selection of our favourites
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Its not easy being green – never mind defying gravity. See Jennifer DiNoia’s transformation into Elphaba for the magical musical at the Apollo Victoria theatre. Photos by Matt Crockett
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Circus dominates at this year's Melbourne festival, but there's no big top, tiger or ringmaster in sight. Nancy Groves reports
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Scott Rankin and Trevor Jamieson discuss Hipbone Sticking Out, which covers thousands of years of Pilbara history, and the death in custody of John Pat, in a single performance
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After 30 years, New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan will bid farewell to the company with a special performance on Saturday 18 October 2014. Leap back through her incredible career
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Disney’s The Lion King celebrates its 15th anniversary at the Lyceum theatre in London on 19 October. Go behind the scenes at the award-winning musical
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Shakespeare’s matching pair of romantic comedies, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Love’s Labour’s Won, have been reunited by the RSC. Take a look at the costumes designed by Simon Higlett
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Here Lies Love, a musical by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim has opened at the National’s new Dorfman theatre after an award-winning run on Broadway
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Watch the former Bolshoi dancer's five-star performance in the lead role in Petipa's classic romantic ballet
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As John Bell announces his retirement from Bell Shakespeare, the company he founded to make Shakespeare accessible to all Australians, we take a look back at his long career treading the boards
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Relive some of John Bell's greatest performances, from King Lear and Richard III to Faustus
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Royal Ballet star Natalia Osipova made her much-anticipated appearance in Kenneth MacMillan’s acclaimed tragic ballet Manon at London’s Royal Opera House this week
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After the most-discussed previews in recent West End history, Speed-the-Plow has its official opening night on 2 October. Have a look at the production before the critics take their seats at the Playhouse theatre.
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Inspired by the Young Vic theatre's production of Happy Days, Natalie Abrahami directs a modern-day story of an isolated woman fighting to 'keep up the glamour'
Last dance for Sylvie Guillem, the supreme mover with a curious mind