James Lapine’s account of how he and Stephen Sondheim braved bad previews and cast members jumping ship to create a hit musical is fascinatingThis book is a retrospective peep behind the curtain, an account of how a musical was conceived, written, prod…
Arts supremo Kully Thiarai: ‘Break the rules! They need breaking’
The creative director of Leeds 2023 on seeing ‘beyond the chapati pan’ of her working-class background and how British theatre reflects diversity nowWho were your influences and role models?I had a great teacher from when I was 11, who looked out for m…
Netflix’s Diana: The Musical is the year’s most hysterically awful hate-watch | Stuart Heritage
The filmed Broadway show has crash-landed early on the streamer with hilariously awful songs, a musical mess to rival CatsLogically, it makes perfect sense that Diana: The Musical should exist. After all, Diana, Princess of Wales lends herself extraord…
Jason Donovan on Kylie, coolness and cocaine: ‘I’m a survivor and I’ve made mistakes’
Fresh from a run in Joseph, and about to go on tour, the actor and singer reflects on superstardom, drug addiction and the steadying joy of fatherhoodDespite insisting that he likes to look to the future, Jason Donovan is confronted with the past much …
How to Survive an Apocalypse review – dinner drama ducks deep questions
Finborough theatre, LondonJordan Hall’s play dips its toes into surviving global apocalypse but only explores romantic disaster This play will not teach you how to survive an apocalypse. Pitched as a romcom about the complexities of survivalism, this f…
The 7 Fingers: Passagers review – wondrous acrobatics from Cirque du Soleil spinoff
Brighton DomeDance fills the gaps between routines in this dreamy, sometimes highly charged reflection on train travelTurning the act of, for example, swinging someone by their ankles from a physical feat into a rich emotional experience is the challen…
‘His rage, his pain, his shame, they’re all mine’: Jeremy Strong on playing Succession’s Kendall Roy
Strong’s role as the self-destructive media heir takes commitment – and the actor goes all in• Plus: inside the Succession writers’ roomEarlier this year, Jeremy Strong left his apartment in Brooklyn, walked across the bridge to Manhattan and headed to…
Curious review – Jasmine Lee-Jones packs a punch with new solo show
Soho theatre, LondonThe Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner playwright returns with a production about a drama student researching Black British historyJasmine Lee-Jones made the fiercest of debuts with her audacious two-hander Seven Methods of Killi…
Dracula: The Untold Story review – a wild gothic thrill ride
Leeds PlayhouseFor a tale of the undead, Imitating the Dog’s inventive blend of live theatre and tech is bursting with lifeHaving tackled zombies in its most recent production, Night of the Living Dead – Remix, the Leeds company Imitating the Dog now t…
Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act review – a passionate dancer’s drama
Playground theatre, LondonThe extraordinary life story of the Ballets Russes star is retold with intensity, imagination and balletic flourishesDid you know Ravel’s Bolero was originally called Fandango? And it was written as a ballet commissioned by Id…