The Stage

In The Paper [RSS]

A sneak preview into the world of The Stage, the UK’s newspaper for the entertainment performing arts industry.

Podcasts [RSS]

An occasional series of interviews with names from the world of theatre, broadcasting and all avenues of the performing arts.

One of the country’s leading theatre reviewers, Mark Shenton offers news, opinion, commentary and the occasional anecdote about theatre in the West End, Broadway, and further afield. Mark is also theatre critic for the Sunday Express and other theatrical publications.

TV Today [RSS]

TV Today is the blog you need if your life revolves around television — on either side of the camera, or from the comfort of your sofa. With regular contributions from The Stage’s assistant editor Scott Matthewman and author and all-round TV guru Mark Wright.

Recent posts

Square Eyes 9-11 May

TV Today: Have I Got News For You (Friday 9pm, BBC1) Bill Bailey is tonight’s guest host, with BBC political editor Nick Robinson joining the regulars for what will likely be some incredibly witty banter about the week’s events. Benidorm (Friday...

Published on 9 May 2008 at 16:26 by Mark Wright

A pair of West End oracle acts….

Shenton’s View: The West End is forever in danger of being turned into a giant TV variety studio: three West End musicals, of course, have already had their original leads cast by public vote on reality television, with a fourth on...

Published on 9 May 2008 at 07:10 by Mark Shenton

Is £5.675 million enough?

TV Today: So ITV has received a record fine from Ofcom in the aftermath of the regulator’s investigation of a series of phone-in scandals across various shows broadcast by the network, two of which are hosted by Ant and Dec. The...

Published on 8 May 2008 at 17:00 by Mark Wright

(Not so) Glory Days for a new Broadway musical….

Shenton’s View: The last musical of the current Broadway season that opened officially on Tuesday night has also become the first to close: the opening night for Glory Days , that arrived on Broadway after premiering at the Signature Theatre in...

Published on 8 May 2008 at 07:10 by Mark Shenton

Do Not Swear

TV Today: So Davina McCall has finally decided to quit Big Brother following the end of the next series, if reports doing the rounds are to be believed . While nothing official has been issued on this subject from McCall, Endemol...

Published on 7 May 2008 at 16:52 by Mark Wright

May 8: ACE, Part-time training, James Nesbitt and The Birthday Party

In The Paper: In this week’s edition of The Stage : Since taking up the position of Arts Council England chief executive, Alan Davey has had to deal with a lot of angry clients, outraged at their funding cuts. He talks to...

Published on 7 May 2008 at 13:28 by Scott Matthewman

The hottest ticket (and theatre) in town….

Shenton’s View: Even though the arrival of the summer, at last, means that we have to start suffering the curse of unventilated, non air-conditioned theatres again, we were at least spared one result of that yesterday: the shirt of the Evening...

Published on 7 May 2008 at 08:08 by Mark Shenton

Square Eyes 6-8 May

TV Today: Ready, Steady, Cook Tuesday 4.30pm, BBC2) Denise Van Outen and John Barrowman bring a bag of shopping for Ainsley’s chefs to have a crack at making into something edible. Is there anything that John Barrowman won’t appear on? Waking...

Published on 6 May 2008 at 18:40 by Mark Wright

Doctor Who 4.5: The Poison Sky

TV Today: As various Doctor Who forums go into a paranoid meltdown as the ratings for this weekend’s episode fell to 5.9 million, the rest of us get on with enjoying what was another fast and fun episode. So what if...

Published on 6 May 2008 at 13:28 by Mark Wright

I’d Do Anything, week 8 - with video

TV Today: Apologies again for the delay in this week’s review — the bank holiday and dodgy internet connections conspired against me this week. As with previous weeks, the BBC’s YouTube videos are now available in a handy compilation player ,...

Published on 6 May 2008 at 12:02 by Scott Matthewman

Latest news [RSS]

BBC ordered to apologise for keeping charity cash: The BBC has been ordered to make an on air apology, after it emerged £106,000 made from premium-rate phone calls that should have gone to charity was retained by the Corporation.
Joseph Fiennes to star in UK premiere of Weigh’s 2,000 Feet Away: Joseph Fiennes, Ian Hart and Phyllis Logan are to appear in the UK premiere of Anthony Weigh’s 2,000 Feet Away, which will open at the Bush Theatre on June 16.
Reggae musical to transfer to West End after sell-out runs: Reggae musical The Harder They Come is set to transfer to the West End, following sell-out runs at both the Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Barbican Centre.
Tate, Annis and O’Dowd to star in Eldridge’s play Under the Blue Sky: Comedian Catherine Tate, Cranford actress Francesca Annis and The IT Crowd star Chris O’Dowd are to appear in the West End premiere of David Eldridge’s play Under the Blue Sky, which is set to open at the Duke of York’s Theatre on July 25.
Brief Encounter extends run to October: Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, currently playing at The Cinema on the Haymarket in the West End, has extended its season by four months and will run until October 19.

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