Watermill theatre

Visitors review – searing study of ageing family frictions

Barney Norris’s revival radiates the pain of older parents trapped on deteriorating paths, while their son and end-of-life au pair struggle to find their own

Mark Lawson

06, Apr, 2023 @10:06 AM

Production Notes from a Small Island: Bill Bryson’s bestseller travels to the stage

A theatrical adaptation of the beloved 1995 book about the UK’s ‘public face and private parts’ is both an account of national identity and a tribute to a national treasure

Tim Whitnall

11, Jan, 2023 @11:54 AM

Arts Council funding: organisations head into the unknown amid cuts

In the first of a series of case studies exploring the impact of Arts Council England’s new funding decisions, we consider the view from the Watermill theatre, Welsh National Opera and Paines Plough

Arifa Akbar, Imogen Tilden and Chris Wiegand

10, Nov, 2022 @11:43 AM

The Sleeping Sword review – Morpurgo fable transformed into scrapbook of wonder

Michael Morpurgo’s novel about a boy’s Arthurian adventure is inventively brought to life in an inclusive production

Anya Ryan

01, Nov, 2022 @1:15 PM

Othello review – taut update from the superb Watermill ensemble

An excellent cast animate Karla Marie Sweet’s adaptation with a drilled menace, while contemporary songs are employed to remarkable effect

Gareth Llŷr Evans

23, Sep, 2022 @12:19 PM

Whistle Down the Wind review – outstanding production of the Lloyd Webber musical

Tom Jackson Greaves thrillingly fuses movement with music in his revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Louisiana-set take on the classic 60s film

Clare Brennan

31, Jul, 2022 @10:30 AM

Bleak Expectations review – Radio 4’s Dickens parody bursts on to the stage

This fast-paced comedy mashup of the great Victorian novelist sends up Britishness with oodles of silliness

Arifa Akbar

05, Jun, 2022 @11:50 AM

Spike review – capering tribute summons the wise-cracking Goon’s spirit

Fast-paced portrait of Spike Milligan hurls us between the comic’s anarchic Goon Show sketches, cartoonish clashes with the BBC and the trauma of war

Brian Logan

01, Feb, 2022 @12:45 PM

No turkeys allowed! 25 of the best shows to book for Christmas 2021

Looking for a jolly good trip to the theatre this winter? Here’s our pick’n’mix selection of musicals, pantos and festive spectaculars, featuring circus tricks, high kicks and puppet rodents

Chris Wiegand

16, Nov, 2021 @3:33 PM

Brief Encounter review – sparkling revival of Emma Rice’s forbidden romance

This polished production brings Rice’s innovative adaptation of the classic film to life, with an electric central partnership and personality to spare

Anya Ryan

19, Oct, 2021 @10:28 AM

As You Like It review – the setting is the star

A green adaptation of Shakespeare’s romcom focuses on the climate crisis, but takes its time to get the blood stirring