Bacchae
The National Theatre’s new artistic director, Indhu Rubasingham, launched her tenure last autumn with a big, bold spin on Euripides in the Olivier theatre – by a debut playwright to boot. Heartstopper star Nima Taleghani’s version, featuring choreography by Kate Prince and with Clare Perkins leading the self-styled “raucous Greek chorus”, comes to NT at Home on 6 February. It’s followed by a Q&A with Rubasingham.
Kiss Me, Kate
The Barbican has earned a reputation for ritzy summer musicals, with High Society and Sunday in the Park with George on the horizon. In 2024, Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J Block brushed up their Shakespeare as sparring partners in Cole Porter’s comedy based on The Taming of the Shrew. On BBC iPlayer.
(La)Horde: Desire, Revolt and Refuge
“Dance is a refuge for people who need space to express themselves differently,” say French collective (La)Horde in this documentary for the BBC’s Arts in Motion strand. It explores how the explosive trio took over (and opened up) the National Ballet of Marseille and the influences on their work, from social media to strip clubs.
Trouble
Nothing beats live performance but dance on screen can bring intensity through the sort of close-ups used in this unsettling film on Arte.tv by Laura Bachman. You feel each flinch as dancer Marion Barbeau is consumed by fear first on a crowded bus and then in the throng of a nightclub, before clashing with actor Félix Kysyl in a tense duet.
The Twelfth Night Reunion
Gyles Brandreth brings together a host of stars – including Judi Dench, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry and Penelope Wilton – to hear their memories of performing Shakespeare’s bittersweet gem of a play. An enchanting evening of speeches and song, staged in the round at Richmond’s Orange Tree, it’s available on YouTube.
Poor Judge
This looks like a perfect fit for Aimee Mann fans. From 2 to 22 February, Pig Iron theatre company’s seductive, noirish dance-theatre cabaret, featuring Mann’s songs such as Save Me and Goose Snow Cone, is available on demand from Philadephia’s Wilma Theater.
The Winter’s Tale
Spring is just around the corner so bid farewell to winter – and embrace the wonder of Bohemia – with a handsome 1998 RSC staging of Shakespeare’s tragicomedy. Antony Sher leads as Leontes in a production directed by Gregory Doran and designed by Robert Jones. On the Theatre Channel.
BBC Audio Drama awards finalists
All three of the nominees for best original single drama at the BBC’s annual audio prizes are available online. Roy Williams’s The Final Touch is about football and brotherhood, One Hundred and Fifty Days brings together two pieces by the late playwright Oliver Emanuel and Sleaze is a reflection on the 00s music industry by Joe von Malachowski and Will Close. The winner is revealed on 1 March.
