Panto is in the rudest of health. Oh yes it is... Robert Hanks celebrates this uniquely British tradition, which is increasingly attracting the stars of serious theatre

Sex and the theatre

Published: 22 November 2007

... it usually ends in a kiss. The National's 'Much Ado About Nothing' will bristle with barbed wit. But the battle of the sexes has always made good drama, says Paul Taylor

Preview: Duck!, Unicorn Theatre, London

Published: 21 November 2007

The ugly duckling strikes back

All's well that ends well: The man who was Shakespeare's inspiration

Published: 19 November 2007

This is the story of a picture of John Fletcher, which will be the subject of a public appeal launched this week. Without him, we might not have had 'The Tempest'. Arifa Akbar tells the tale of the upstart who snapped Shakespeare out of a mid-life crisis

Stage craft: The art of theatre

Published: 12 November 2007

Tate Modern's latest show explores the relationship between art and theatre. Michael Glover is happy to be one of the audience

Royal Court theatre: Text, lies and videotape

Published: 08 November 2007

The Royal Court aims to tackle explosive issues with its international season. A tale of sex and dishonour in a Hindu family should fit the bill then, says Alice Jones

Funny faith: Muslim comics on tour

Published: 05 November 2007

Laughter is the key to bringing down boundaries, according to a group of Muslim comics touring the UK. Julian Hall reports

Theatre designers take a bow

Published: 01 November 2007

The Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design is 20 this year. Charlotte Cripps talks to three of its brightest stars, and to the directors who have championed them

How a self-confessed geek from Yorkshire became the cool heroine of 'Desperately Seeking Susan'

Published: 25 October 2007

Alice Jones meets Emma Williams as she prepares to take on the role in a new West End musical

Preview: Hairspray, Shaftesbury Theatre, London

Published: 24 October 2007

Social issues with a sugar coating

Preview: Kebab, Royal Court Theatre, London

Published: 22 October 2007

A Romanian play with lots to chew on

'The Blacks': Genet's contentious play returns

Published: 18 October 2007

A daring new production of Jean Genet's 'The Blacks' shows the 48-year-old play still has the power to shock

Michael Clark: The man who put the punk into modern dance is now choreographing Stravinsky

Published: 13 October 2007

A two-foot border of mess runs round the edge of the big bright room, like a frame made of teenage chaos. Clothes, socks, bits of fruit, bottles and bottles of water, loads of Lucozade, a cornucopia of brightly coloured spiky latex balls, and a flight case brimming with Elastoplast, have all been hastily chucked down and kicked to the side of the furiously fluorescent space.

As seen on screen

Published: 04 October 2007

'Swimming With Sharks' is the latest hit film to be transferred to the stage. Paul Taylor wonders whether it will be a success where so many other such adaptations have failed

Preview: War Horse, National Theatre: Olivier, London

Published: 02 October 2007

War's unsung heroes are brought to life

Preview: The Changeling, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham

Published: 01 October 2007

A Jacobean beast draws in fresh beauty

Last tango in London: The ENO's radical reinterpretation of Carmen has an Argentinian twist

Published: 30 September 2007

The fortunes of the ENO are riding on the latest production

Tyne and again: The TV drama 'Our Friends in the North' is back – but this time it's on the stage

Published: 27 September 2007

When BBC 2's unmissable nine-part drama Our Friends in the North ended in 1996, this newspaper concluded that "Monday night's ninth and final episode of Our Friends in the North has left many people bereft. The serial captivated much of the country, sketching a panoramic view of life in Britain from the Sixties to the Nineties ...at once sweeping and intimate, both moving and angry, simultaneously historical and contemporary ..." Now, 11 years on, Newcastle's ambitious theatre company, Northern Stage, is bringing Our Friends back home and back to life.

Preview: Lemi Ponifasio: Requiem, Southbank Centre, London

Published: 26 September 2007

Mozart – with a shadowy Samoan twist

'Sleeping Beauty': Dancing in the dark

Preview: The Faerie Queen, Sadler's Wells, London

Christmas shows: A feast of artistic alternatives for a stimulating Yuletide

If I were you: A pioneering new RSC play puts black people in charge

Preview: The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant, Southwark Playhouse, London

No more Mr Nice Guy: Ewan McGregor stars as the scheming villain in a revival of 'Othello'

There's nothing like a dame: Panto gets serious