All posts tagged: Theatre

Avenue Q review – provocative puppets return for a feast of filth and fun | Theatre

Avenue Q review – provocative puppets return for a feast of filth and fun | Theatre

Published by Sam Flores

The trigger warning “puppet nudity” does not begin to cover it. You will also see puppets having sex, singing about being “a little bit racist” and gleefully owning up to their predilections for porn. Avenue Q’s cute subversiveness is back, 20 years after these fuzzy-felt Sesame Street wannabes took the West End by storm. Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx’s Tony award-winning musical is not exactly shocking now but it’s very amusing as these creatures (plus some humans) fall in love, have existential crises and create merry havoc. Directed by Jason Moore on Anna Louizos’s house-lined set, as flat as a child’s drawing, it kicks off with the arrival of bushy-tailed college graduate Princeton (Noah Harrison) on the titular New York street, and leads into his romance with Kate Monster (a Shrek-like outsider played by Emily Benjamin) and his search for life’s greater meaning. His new neighbours include plain-speaking Japanese therapist Christmas Eve (Amelia Kinu Muus), former child star turned handyman Gary (Dionne Ward-Anderson), and Rod (also Harrison) and Nicky (Charlie McCullagh) – flatmates in the …

Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus lead the best-dressed stars at the Olivier Awards

Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus lead the best-dressed stars at the Olivier Awards

Published by Daniella Wilson

Elizabeth Hurley and shared an Easter post stepped out for their first public appearance in five months at the Olivier Awards on Sunday. The couple, whose last public outing was at the 2025 CMA Awards in Nashville in November, were spotted holding hands as they made their way along the red carpet and into London’s Royal Albert Hall, joined by Elizabeth’s son, Damian, 24. © Getty ImagesDamian Hurley, Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus attend The Olivier Awards 2026 with Cunard at the Royal Albert Hall on April 12, 2026 in London, England Mother and son coordinated in white ensembles. Elizabeth wore a stunning dress cinched at the waist with a plunging neckline, while Damian donned a silk trouser suit with a cross necklace. © Getty Images Meanwhile, Billy opted for an all-black look, complete with a scarf, layered necklaces and his signature black sunglasses. Split rumours Rumours began to circulate that the couple may have parted ways after Elizabeth hadn’t shared any images of Billy on her Instagram grid since December 2025. However, the …

Kelly Ripa shares sweet family moment as son Joaquin makes major Broadway debut

Kelly Ripa shares sweet family moment as son Joaquin makes major Broadway debut

Published by Daniella Wilson

Kelly Ripa gave fans a glimpse into a proud family moment as she celebrated her son Joaquin Consuelos’ major Broadway debut, sharing a sweet behind-the-scenes snap of her husband Mark Consuelos beaming alongside their youngest child on Instagram. The heartfelt post captured the father-son duo smiling together at the opening night of Death of a Salesman on Thursday, April 9 2026 – a milestone moment for Joaquin, who is making his Broadway debut in the highly anticipated revival. © InstagramKelly Ripa shared a sweet photo of her husband and son The 23-year-old actor, who graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance in May 2025, stars in Joe Mantello’s production of the Arthur Miller classic alongside Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf. Joaquin plays the younger version of Biff in the show’s flashback scenes – a significant role for a newcomer on such a prestigious stage. His proud parents have been vocal about their admiration, with Kelly previously describing the experience of seeing him perform as “unbelievable”. © Bruce …

Lesley Manville ignites theatre debate after saying photos during curtain calls are ‘insulting’

Lesley Manville ignites theatre debate after saying photos during curtain calls are ‘insulting’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter To snap or not to snap – that is the question: Lesley Manville has ignited an impassioned debate after criticising “insulting” theatregoers who take photos during curtain calls. According to the Olivier Award-winning star, she believes phones should be kept in pockets until after the cast have given their bows to an applauding audience. Manville, who currently stars in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre, urged people to “take the digital out of it for just a moment”, stating: “Come on, it’s theatre – let’s preserve it!” Lesley Manville urges theatregoers to leave phones in their pockets during curtain calls (Getty) “We are all in this room, we are telling you a story, you’re listening – clap or don’t clap, but don’t just stick your phone in our face. I find it insulting,” she said on Radio 4. The Phantom …

Gemma Collins clashes with Sinitta over previous theatre role as tensions rise on I’m A Celeb

Gemma Collins clashes with Sinitta over previous theatre role as tensions rise on I’m A Celeb

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Gemma Collins is set to face emotional turmoil and a heated confrontation with pop star Sinitta in the upcoming episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! South Africa. The reality television personality, who previously exited the show early, is seen struggling with the harsh realities of jungle life, tearfully admitting her fear of appearing vulnerable to her fellow campmates. A preview of Thursday’s instalment reveals Collins’ ongoing difficulties, as she confides in the Bush Telegraph about needing to contact her agent after enduring “the worst possible bed” in the Savannah Slum camp. Her complaints about the living conditions also provided a moment of levity for her campmates. “We shouldn’t be suffering,” she declared. “Like, let’s get real, we are celebrities – do you know what I mean? No one should have to suffer like this, let alone a …

How to buy cheaper theatre tickets – and where you can find the ‘sweet spot’ to sit | Money News

How to buy cheaper theatre tickets – and where you can find the ‘sweet spot’ to sit | Money News

Published by Sam Flores

You can’t beat a trip out to the theatre, but the scramble to buy tickets can feel like a theatrical performance in itself. We’ve spoken to experts to help you learn the tips and tricks behind buying tickets like a pro, from the best seats in the house to the cheapest times to go. The first thing you’ll need to consider is whether you should get your tickets in person or browse online for the best deals. It’s rarely cheaper to pick them up in person, Steve Marmion, chief executive and director of programming of Watford Palace Theatre explains. That’s because theatres now charge for printed tickets. Digital tickets are usually free, and everything has started moving online, he adds. But it’s important to understand what type of theatre you’re attending. More on Buy Like A Pro… “If it’s a charity, I’d encourage you not to focus solely on saving money if you can possibly manage it,” he says. “These venues rely on public support and audience patronage to survive. Without that support, they risk …

The Authenticator review – echoes of Sherlock Holmes as thriller takes on toxic legacies with lightness of touch | Theatre

The Authenticator review – echoes of Sherlock Holmes as thriller takes on toxic legacies with lightness of touch | Theatre

Published by Sam Flores

You don’t imagine many laughs in a story about enslavement legacies and erased Black histories. But comedy infuses Winsome Pinnock’s ebullient drama about two Black academics who are given the job of authenticating a cache of 18th-century diaries written by an enslaver. Fen (short for Fenella, played by Sylvestra Le Touzel), is a direct descendant of Henry Harford, now managing his illustrious country estate, and it is she who finds the diaries that catalogued life on his Jamaican farm run by enslaved people. She gives Abi (Rakie Ayola) and Marva (Cherrelle Skeete) full rein of the diaries, so that they can authenticate them for posterity. Harford showed every sign of having been an abolitionist, she says in mitigation, although Abi and Marva’s investigations turn up disturbing evidence of his brutality in Jamaica. Those two women have a tutor-pupil relationship that seems like a twist on Holmes and Watson, and through whom Pinnock deftly captures the intersections of class and race: Abi is from a privileged, Oxford-educated background, of Nigerian descent, whose family history has its …

Paapa Essiedu: Don’t revive a play unless there’s a good reason to

Paapa Essiedu: Don’t revive a play unless there’s a good reason to

Published by Sam Flores

At the Critics’ Circle Theatre awards this week, Ivo van Hove’s production of All My Sons was crowned the best revival. But for actor Paapa Essiedu, who played George in the production, you need to have a good excuse to bring back an old classic. “I personally don’t think there is any need to ever revive a play unless there’s a reason to,” he said at a Q&A for an NT Live screening of the production. “I think you should only revive a play if it speaks to the moment in a way that feels relevant.” Essiedu explained that Arthur Miller’s 1947 classic is about a man who profiteers from young men going to war – “you don’t have to look very far to see the resonance.” Has he seen any other good revivals of it? “I’ve actually also seen it in Catalan,” he said. “I don’t speak Catalan but my friends in Barcelona are actors, and they did a production there that was also brilliant – I assume.” The play will soon be shown …

A Midsummer Night’s Dream review – a playful, punchy Shakespeare romcom made easy | Children’s theatre

A Midsummer Night’s Dream review – a playful, punchy Shakespeare romcom made easy | Children’s theatre

Published by Sam Flores

How to make Shakespeare accessible to a young audience? Cut out the tricky bits or throw them headfirst into the original? Co-directors Rachel Bagshaw and Robin Belfield have gone for a bit of both. This is a tightly trimmed version of the Bard’s romantic comedy with the original language intact. Playful captions have been fully integrated into the design and slapstick comedy woven throughout. It’s fun in fits and starts, although, like so many of the characters in this woozily magical play, it feels caught between two worlds. This is the Unicorn’s first major co-production with the RSC and it feels like the start of a brilliant venture, still finding its feet. Belfield’s editing is smart but could have been more radical. The framing story in Athens – lots of complicated business with dukes and betrothals – has been cut down but not excised, which only makes it harder to understand. The magical elements are kept low-key and gently engaging. Titania’s fairies are conjured up using childlike voiceovers, Holly Khan’s delicate soundscape and Will Monks’ …