The experts' experts: Observer critics on the cultural voices they trust by Laura Cumming, Mark Kermode, Bidisha, Miranda Sawyer, Susannah Clapp, Kitty Empire, Fiona Maddocks and Rowan Moore

The best new writers, the indispensable books, the go-to websites… our arts writers reveal their sources of insight Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:48am on March 30, 2020[SHARE]

The Seven Streams of the River Ota review " magic in motion by Susannah Clapp

Lyttelton, LondonRobert Lepage's extraordinary, seven-hour fusion of horror, romance and French farce made for a fitting final show before London's theatres went into lockdown This was the p…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:06am on March 22, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: On Blueberry Hill; Shoe Lady; Crongton Knights " review by Susannah Clapp

Trafalgar Studios; Royal Court, London; Theatre Royal BrightonSebastian Barry's tale of two cellmates succeeds despite plausibility issues, while Katherine Parkinson is magnetic in a flimsy …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54am on March 15, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Oliver Twist; I Think We Are Alone; Women Beware Women " review by Susannah Clapp

Leeds Playhouse; Stratford East; Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonOliver is both deaf and poor in a sign-language version of Dickens's tale that speaks to 21st-century London. And Frantic Asse…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:48am on March 8, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: A Number; The Visit; Alone in Berlin " review by Susannah Clapp

Bridge; Olivier, London; Royal & Derngate, NorthamptonCloned siblings cast fleeting shadows in a vivid Caryl Churchill revival, while Lesley Manville dazzles in an unwieldy revenge drama…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:54am on February 23, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Leopoldstadt; Death of England; Far Away " review by Susannah Clapp

Wyndham's; Dorfman; Donmar Warehouse, LondonTom Stoppard explores his Jewish heritage in what may be his final play; Rafe Spall delivers a career-changing study in rage; and Caryl Churchill'…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:48am on February 16, 2020[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Uncle Vanya, Night of the Living Dead " Remix; Faustus: That Damned Woman by Susannah Clapp

Harold Pinter, London; Leeds Playhouse; Lyric Hammersmith, LondonToby Jones and Rosalind Eleazar make light work of Ian Rickson's overfreighted new Chekhov. Plus, wall-to-wall zombie horror …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:18am on February 2, 2020[SHARE]

Susannah Clapp's best theatre of 2019 by Susannah Clapp

There was fearless new work, revelatory sound design and a seismic shift in the tussle between Chekhov and Ibsen. The Observer's theatre critic introduces her 10 best shows of the year My to…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:54am on December 29, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Ocean at the End of the Lane; Swive [Elizabeth]; Teenage Dick " review by Susannah Clapp

Dorfman; Sam Wanamaker Playhouse; Donmar Warehouse, LondonA Neil Gaiman adaptation delivers spooky childhood spectacle; and the teenage years of Elizabeth I and Richard III Sometimes it is n…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:54am on December 22, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Cyrano de Bergerac; The Duchess of Malfi; Three Sisters " review by Susannah Clapp

Playhouse; Almeida; Lyttelton, LondonGone is the big nose, while the fighting's a poetry slam in Martin Crimp's ingenious new rapping Cyrano. Plus, The Duchess of Malfi reimagined, and Three…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:54am on December 15, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Boy in the Dress; The Arrival; Richard III " review by Susannah Clapp

Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; Bush; Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonA new musical adaptation of David Walliams's book scores on all counts; director Bijan Sheibani makes an …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:03am on December 1, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Dear Evan Hansen; Touching the Void; #WeAreArrested " review by Susannah Clapp

Noël Coward; Duke of York's; Arcola, LondonA dazzling West End debut lights up a newly arrived Broadway hit, while Joe Simpson's Andes ordeal is all too real on stage, and a jailed report…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:06am on November 24, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Ghost Quartet; High Fidelity; When the Crows Visit " review by Susannah Clapp

Boulevard; Turbine; Kiln, LondonTwo recently opened London theatres make their mark, with love and loss round the camp fire, and a sparky reworking of High Fidelity that just needs a few goo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24pm on November 9, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Light Falls; The Antipodes; Botticelli in the Fire " review by Susannah Clapp

Royal Exchange, Manchester; Dorfman; Hampstead, LondonSarah Frankcom signs off in Manchester with elegiac Simon Stephens and a little bit of Jarvis Cocker. Plus, Annie Baker's latest and the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:36am on November 3, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: [Blank]; Lungs; Vassa " review by Susannah Clapp

Donmar Warehouse; Old Vic; Almeida, LondonAlice Birch searches for hope in the criminal justice system, Claire Foy and Matt Smith bring wit to eco angst, and Siobhan Redmond makes a fine Gor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06am on October 26, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: There Are No Beginnings; Solaris; A History of Water in the Middle East " review by Susannah Clapp

Leeds Playhouse; Lyric Hammersmith; Royal Court, LondonA powerful verbatim portrayal of women's lives during the Yorkshire Ripper years; a sci-fi classic reborn; and a musical imperialism pr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:42am on October 19, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: "Mr Harold"… and the boys; Blood Wedding; Macbeth " review by Susannah Clapp

Lyttelton; Young Vic, London; Chichester Festival theatreAthol Fugard's masterly apartheid drama still shocks, while compatriot Yaël Farber is transfixed by Marina Carr's lyrical Irish Lo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:06am on October 6, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp; My Beautiful Laundrette " review by Susannah Clapp

Royal Court, London; Curve, LeicesterCaryl Churchill conjures four short, sharp, unconnected plays that add up to one remarkable whole. And a new spin on an 80s film classic What a rapt, int…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:54am on September 29, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Faith, Hope and Charity; The King of Hell's Palace; Chiaroscuro " review by Susannah Clapp

Dorfman; Hampstead; Bush, LondonAusterity bites at the National in Alexander Zeldin's intense community centre drama, while a Chinese whistleblowing thriller is lost for words Alexander Zeld…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:36am on September 22, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: A Very Expensive Poison; A Doll's House; Hedda Tesman " review | Susannah Clapp by Susannah Clapp

Old Vic; Lyric Hammersmith, London; Minerva, Chichester Lucy Prebble's take on the Litvinenko murder swivels brilliantly between tragedy and farce, while Ibsen's women still have much to say…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:03am on September 15, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Hansard; The Son; Bartholomew Fair " review by Susannah Clapp

Lyttelton; Duke of York's; Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, LondonAlex Jennings and Lindsay Duncan snipe to perfection as an 80s Tory MP and his wife in a debut play that isn't quite so sharp. Plus,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:42am on September 8, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Fleabag; Appropriate; As You Like It " review by Susannah Clapp

Wyndham's; Donmar Warehouse, London; Queen's theatre, HornchurchPhoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag returns in singularly brilliant fashion. Plus, more electrifying drama from Branden Jacob-Jenki…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:36am on September 1, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Doctor; Mythos: A Trilogy: Gods, Heroes, Men " review by Susannah Clapp

Almeida, London; Festival theatre, EdinburghRobert Icke concludes his dazzling run at the Almeida with another masterstroke. Plus, Stephen Fry's one-man Greek myths Robert Icke's time as ass…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:36am on August 25, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: The Night of the Iguana; Vienna 1934-Munich 1938; seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Susannah Clapp

Two star performances breathe life into Tennessee Williams, Vanessa Redgrave's memories could do with an edit, while Jasmine Lee-Jones is someone to watchTennessee Williams can make the stag…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:24am on July 21, 2019[SHARE]

The week in theatre: Tree; Invisible Cities; Peter Gynt " review by Susannah Clapp

Manchester international festival; Olivier, LondonTree is less exciting than the row about its authorship, Lolita Chakrabarti works wonders with Italo Calvino's tricky text, and David Hare g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:06am on July 14, 2019[SHARE]