The Crush Bar

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May 2025

There is a lot to look forward to
This will be the last issue of The Crush Bar for a bit. Here are ten exciting shows worth seeing before it returns.
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Fergus Morgan
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As a theatre journalist, you see the industry at its optimistic best and exploitative worst
Could we have one without the other? Was it worth staging Sondheim's last musical? Has technology in theatre gone too far? All in this week's issue of…
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Fergus Morgan
"I am used to taking risks as a producer. I’m addicted to it, in fact."
Producer Ellie Keel on her debut play Skye: A Thriller, which will run at Summerhall during the Edinburgh Fringe. Plus: three shows to see next week.
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Fergus Morgan
Five talking points from Indhu Rubasingham's first National Theatre season
What will InRu's tenure on the South Bank involve? Does Ewan McGregor make a triumphant return to the stage? Who was snubbed in the Tony Award…
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Fergus Morgan
"I met Caryl Churchill in a café in Hackney. She was cooler than everyone else there."
Glasgow-based director Joanna Bowman on her acclaimed productions of Escaped Alone and Doubt: A Parable. Plus: three shows to see next week.
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Fergus Morgan

April 2025

Please leave this bear alone
Do we really need a Paddington musical? Is Conor McPherson's first play in twelve years any good? How does a theatre season come together? All in this…
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Fergus Morgan
Songs in shows can be devastatingly effective
Six critics on their favourite uses of music in theatre. Plus: three shows to see next week.
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Fergus Morgan
5
What is with all these plays about men behaving badly?
Some messy thoughts about Manhunt, Giant and Punch. An excellent interview with Conor McPherson. An oral history of Sondheim's last musical. All in this…
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Fergus Morgan
"The British Museum really pissed me off. That anger became the motivation behind this play."
Singaporean theatremaker Joel Tan on his new play about repatriating artifacts, which opens at the Royal Court Theatre next week. Plus: three shows to…
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Fergus Morgan
Are A-list actors saving theatre or spoiling it?
Should Rob Icke have stuck to adaptations? How did Layton Williams win an Olivier for playing an iceberg? Will Wigmore Hall inspire others to abandon…
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Fergus Morgan
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© 2025 Fergus Morgan
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