Where better to look for reviews on theater than a professional critic? Well, sometimes the critics can be off, but Lyn Gardner, professional theater critic, writer, and journalist, does a good job of delivering well rounded content and insight into the world of the stage.

This blog covers the various aspects of the theater world, with new posts by Gardner several times a week. Her reviews primarily focus on theater in the UK, though some attention is given to Broadway productions. Other posts discuss topics such as the similarities between Shakespeare’s stage adaptations and modern plays drawn from outside content, which can be of interest to anyone with thespian inclinations. Gardner also brings up other current issues pertinent to a theater-lover’s world, from the plight of underfunded theaters closing their doors, to whether or not annoyed audience members should turn vigilante against rude fellow theater-goers.

Each post is accompanied by photographs of plays or theater settings, and the high readership of the blog is evident by the numerous comments. Commenters respond with varying degrees of pertinence, but the Guardian (the main site for the blog) does a good service to the reader by selecting comments that contribute to the debate on the subject presented in each post. The general layout of the site is easy to navigate and has a clean appearance. It is easy to scroll through posts and pick and choose what to read based on the title, accompanying photograph, and beginning lines of the main text. 

I especially enjoyed Gardener’s extensive coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a conglomeration of performances and shows that lasts for nearly all of August. Her broad coverage of the festival, ranging from activist plays to juggling displays, made me want to rush to the airport and fly to Edinburgh to see what the excitement was about. Unfortunately, the Festival is already over by now, and I am not sure dashing off overseas would be acceptable for a college freshman. Thanks to the blog, I did get a taste of what a visit would have been like.

Since it part of a larger news source (the Guardian), the blog is relatively ad-free, and has no shop attached. Additionally, this means that the pictures accompanying the posts are very good quality and eye-catching, such as this one, which was part of a post focusing on a leak about the Lyric Theater’s newest show.

In the end, this blog provides a highly informative and professional source of theater information. If you are looking for short posts, it is not quite the site for you. However, the content is interesting enough for me to say I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in theater and a long attention span.