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How to choose wedding music: Band, DJ or something a little bit different?
So you’ve booked the marquee, sorted the caterer and got your guest list underway – now on to worrying about the photographer and invitations, perhaps? Recently-married Hetty Lintell says forget that and instead look towards arguably the most important piece of the wedding reception puzzle: the music.
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Triumph, tragedy and mangling Shakespeare: Michael Billington hands out The BIllies for 2018
Our theatre critic Michael Billington hands out his annual awards. Some recipients will be delighted; others might wish to hide behind the sofa...
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The 12 party games of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas land you with 12 days of enforced revelry. That’s 12 sub-sets of step-relations, 12 afternoons and evenings, 12 tailbacks on the M25. Kit Hesketh-Harvey suggests 12 games to keep you sane.
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Our six favourite nannies, in fiction and film
Whether they invoke fond or fearful memories in real life, the nannies of fiction are kind – even magical – creatures, says Annunciata Elwes, who rounds up her favourites.
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The Greatest Snowman: Immersive theatre meets overwhelming cuisine
A railway arch in the East End is the home of a new set in a 1930s railway dining car - accompanied by a meal which transforms the experience. Emily Anderson went along.
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The truth about Christmas carols
The composer and tenor Andrew Gant reveals the curious truth about some of our most beloved carols.
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The best places in Britain to go and hear Christmas choir services over the festive period
Katy Birchall takes a look at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, and picks out some more of the best Christmas choir services across the country.
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Curious Questions: Why is the pantomime dame always played by a man?
Every year, millions of people across Britain will chuckle their way through a pantomime featuring a man playing the main female role, and usually a girl playing the lead male role. How it came to be so is a fascinating tale.
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Curious Questions: Why is the Green Room called the Green Room?
Whether you're performing a play or about to go on television, the waiting room is called the Green Room – but why is that? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Amazing grace: St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake at the London Coliseum
Annunciata Elwes is captivated by this quintessential production of a classic Russian ballet.
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The Oxford of Inspector Morse: Dreaming spires, dead bodies... and lots and lots of pubs
The Oxford of Inspector Morse: Dreaming spires, dead bodies... and lots and lots of pubs.
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Kiss me, Kate at the London Coliseum: Not 'better' than Shakespeare – but certainly more enjoyable to watch
This breathtaking revival of a classic show from the golden age of the American musical comes as close as is possible to the ultimate theatrical trick: outdoing Shakespeare. Emily Anderson implores you not to miss it before the run ends.
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Life after Downton Abbey: How Highclere Castle is moving on
Highclere Castle was made famous across the world as Downton Abbey – and the money that it generated saved this beautiful country home for future generations. But they're still moving onwards in a post-Downton world, as Octavia Pollock explains.
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Curious Questions: Why do actors say ‘break a leg’?
The best-known phrase for wishing an actor luck is also the most baffling. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Jason Goodwin: The upside of life in a harem, and modern-day slavery on the King's Road
Our columnist Jason Goodwin considers the realities of everyday existence for the women kept in 18th century Ottoman harems.
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The tale of a ‘real-life’ Billy Elliot: How cricketer Alexander Campbell swapped batting for ballet
Today, Alexander Campbell is a principal at the Royal Ballet. But for a long time it seemed that his destiny lay along a very different path. He spoke to Jeremy Taylor.
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Why we still love pantomime ('Oh no we don't'...'Oh yes we do'...)
Corny, hammed-up, ritualistic – and yet Pantomime is still a hugely lovely theatrical format. Perennial pantomime villain Kit Hesketh-Harvey explains why.
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Handel's Messiah: Nine of the greatest places to enjoy a wonderful Christmas tradition
Handel's Messiah is more than just a wonderful piece of music: it's a Christmas tradition in Britain. Ysenda Maxtone-Graham takes a look at the story behind it and picks some of her favourite places to hear it being sung.
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Grange Park Opera's latest plans, plus a reader offer for the 2018 season
Grange Park Opera is now seeking support for phase two of the development at its new location – and you can help.
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What it feels like to play a violin that cost millions with a bow that cost more than a house
What it feels like to play a violin that cost millions – with a bow that cost more than a house.
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The magic of London’s theatres, encapsulated perfectly by Peter Dazeley and Mark Rylance
Photographer Peter Dazeley has carved out a niche as a chonicler of London, providing views of the city that most people would never have a chance to see. Now, he's turned his attention to the city's beautiful old theatres.
