Stage
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Royal Court dropped Tibet play after advice from British CouncilUK’s cultural diplomacy arm said it would affect work in China, unseen correspondence shows
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Feverish teens blast out furious anthemsThis rock-musical version of Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play about sex, abortion, abuse and depression has some great tunes but never quite flies -
What the Bard pilfered and changedShakespeare inhabited a literary culture in which imitation was applauded. This erudite study teases out his alchemical transformations of what he had read or seen -
Why Golda Rosheuvel's time is nowThe actor is set to play Shakespeare’s army commander as a gay woman in Gemma Bodinetz’s new production at Liverpool’s Everyman -
How her maverick acting school created so many working-class starsFor 50 years Anna Scher has taught acting to north London children, with many becoming household names. What is it about her approach that has led to so much success?
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Joe Lycett review – pansexual gadfly tickles the pompousThe naturally funny panel-show regular inhabits a small world, but he makes those narrow horizons teem with possibility and comic life
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Scott Ambler obituarySuperbly expressive dancer who went on to be a choreographer and movement director
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Is Facebook killing online comedy?Job cuts at Funny or Die suggest making money from comedy videos is harder than ever – and some blame the social-media titan. But a new wave of creators are finding ways to thrive -
‘Why have I left my kids to stay in a rat-infested garret?’How do comics survive life on the road? They rob their minibars, turn roadies into bird-watchers – and read The Da Vinci Code -
If you take a joke apart, what do you have left?Investigating satire and parody as we would a news item can miss the point, says the Guardian readers’ editor, Paul Chadwick
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Paul O’Grady, Alan Davies and Frank Cottrell Boyce on Ken DoddPaul O’Grady’s family cheered him outside court. Alan Davies couldn’t get a word in over lunch. And he got Frank Cottrell Boyce by the chuckle muscle. Stars remember the brilliantly bizarre comedian
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How a ruthless perfectionist became Mr MusicalHe took the shonky British musical and made it a global phenomenon. As the composer celebrates his birthday with a new memoir, our theatre critic looks back at the hits – and flops -
The rotten razzle-dazzle of ChicagoAs the murderous musical returns to London, composer John Kander and Ann Reinking, one of the first Roxies, unpick the secrets of its success -
'Like Theresa May, Macbeth is at the mercy of forces beyond his control'The Greek former finance minister talks about the lessons politicians could learn from Shakespeare, ahead of a lecture in London -
Single Asian Female hit me close to home. That’s what makes it so importantMichelle Law’s acclaimed play is more than just a family drama with a twist
Pictures & video
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Artists' designs for danceThis year, Sadler’s Wells in London presents collaborations with sculptor Antony Gormley and the late painter Howard Hodgkin. Here are some classic examples of how art has mixed with dance -
The Young Vic's gay New York epic The InheritanceThe Inheritance, Matthew Lopez’s two-part drama about young gay men in New York, opens at the Young Vic in London this month. Vanessa Redgrave and Poldark’s Kyle Soller are among the cast for the world premiere -
Macbeth starring Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie DuffRufus Norris returns to Shakespeare after 25 years with a starry production at the National in London. Guardian photographer Tristram Kenton dropped in for an exclusive look
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50 years of circus photographyPeter Lavery’s images reveal fascination with disparity between glitzy shows and backstage ordinariness -
'I became a black man when I arrived in England'Inua Ellams speaks about black masculinity, his story as an immigrant and how he channels anger into his art
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The Bolshoi Ballet in LondonImages from photographer Sasha Gusov’s book documenting the dancers rehearsing and performing between 1993 and 2016
You may have missed
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New play made for one of Manchester's last sari shopsRani Moorthy’s Handlooms takes place in a traditional clothes store – and its sister shop in Leicester – to explore changing experiences of British Asians -
British theatre is battling its class problemClass is often absent from discussions about diversity in theatre but it remains a barrier for audiences, actors and others in the industry. What’s the solution?
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José Rivera on Kiss of the Spider WomanWhen Rivera re-read Manuel Puig’s book he loved its surreal dialogue and brilliant footnotes. But something had to give. He explains what he sacrificed for his stage version – and why he saved the zombies
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Play about Monica Lewinsky opens in LondonA new drama revisits the scandalous relationship between Bill Clinton and his former intern, as seen by five women in the White House -
Staging the strange world of MacbethWith Christopher Eccleston and Rory Kinnear taking a stab at Shakespeare’s thane, we look at the trouble with one of its most famous – and weirdest – moments -
Hamilton becomes most nominated show everLin-Manuel Miranda’s musical picks up 13 nominations, with Follies and The Ferryman also recognised in several categories
Brexit shorts
The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich High society here I come!