In this week’s issue of The Stage:
Broadway traditionally goes dark in the summer — should the West End follow suit? Mark Shenton looks at whether the current absence of plays and a number of empty theatres in London is a worrying sign, or whether we should accept them as an economic and practical necessity
Lesley Manville, currently in her fourth appearance in as many years at the National Theatre in Her Naked Skin, tells Mark Shenton why she owes her rich and varied career to Mike Leigh and how she’s happy to be back doing regular stage work
Curtain Up: As Cabaret prepares to tour the UK, I’d Do Anything’s Samantha Barks talks about her new role as Sally Bowles
Following a magnificent opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, can London live up to such a spectacle in 2012 — and how will our capital city promote itself during this year’s closing ceremony? Sports broadcaster and Olympic historian Philip Barker investigates
Dear John: “Okay, I’m up in Edinburgh for the first time, but my show is over by lunchtime. What do I do for the rest of my day to make the most of my trip?” Featuring advice from stand-up Paul Kerensa and comedian/writer/actor Angie Le Mar.
Publicist Mark Borkowski talks about his new book, The Fame Formula - How Hollywood’s Fixers, Fakers and Starmakers Created the Celebrity Industry
Broadcasting: Shane Murphy, head of acquisitions at TV licensing and distribution company FremantleMedia Enterprises, explains how it plays a key role in approaching and developing talent
Summer reading special: The latest arts-themed books reviewed
Currently going great guns on Saturday nights, the backstage crews on Last Choir Standing explain the difficulties of staging a live TV show with up to 175 singers on stage at once
Backstage Focus: While staging concepts are becoming ever more sophisticated, there’s still demand for the talented theatre carpenter, explains Mountview’s head of construction, Tim Stafell
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