Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Anjana Vasan, Zubin Varla and Waleed Akhtar win Olivier awards

Vasan won for her performance in the critically acclaimed play, A Streetcar Named Desire.

Anjana Vasan, Zubin Varla and Waleed Akhtar win Olivier awards

Anjana Vasan, Zubin Varla, and Waleed Akhtar won Olivier awards last Sunday. Vasan won for her performance in the critically acclaimed play, A Streetcar Named Desire.

Paul Mescal, who was nominated this year for an Oscar and a BAFTA for his leading role in the film Aftersun, was named best actor and Vasan won the best supporting actress award in their performances as Stanley and Stella, respectively, in Tennessee Williams’ drama A Streetcar Named Desire, which played at The Almeida Theatre and is currently on at The Phoenix Theatre in London.


Streetcar is an amazing play that has such depth of feeling. No other playwright writes the way Tennessee Williams does – he explores love without judgment, including all its darkest sides,” said Vasan.

A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the 20th century, first being performed on Broadway in 1947.

“There have been so many versions of this play, but there is still meaning to mine from it. Our show is going to be different because we’re three very different people. There are not many Stellas who look like me, so our story will be surprising and it will hopefully feel urgent,” added Vasan.

The Bush Theatre’s The P Word won the outstanding achievement in the affiliate theatre award.

The play charts the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men – Zafar, who flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK; and Londoner Bilal (or Billy, as he prefers to be called), who is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man.

“It would be remiss of me not to say, please, stand up and oppose what the government is doing with regards to asylum seekers. And if I wasn’t fasting, I’d probably say eff the Tories,” said Waleed Akhtar, who wrote The P Word, as he collected the award.

Zubin Varla collected the award for best-supporting actor in a musical for as pastor Jerry Fallwell in Tammy Faye.

Based on the life of Tammy Faye, the TV evangelist who captured the hearts of Christian America and then had a monumental fall from grace, the show boasts a score by musical legend Elton John.

Other notable winners were TV and film star Jodie Comer, who won the best actress in a play award for the one-person show Prima Facie, which also won best new play.

A stage adaptation of the Japanese animated classic My Neighbor Totoro won six trophies, including best entertainment or comedy play.

More For You

Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. (Representational image: iStock)

Woman raped in racially aggravated attack in Oldbury

A WOMAN in her 20s was raped in Oldbury in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. Officers said the men made a racist remark during the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tommy Robinson

The event, which Robinson has promoted for months, is being billed by him as the 'UK's biggest free speech festival.' (Photo: Getty Images)

London prepares for rival demonstrations, police deploy 1,600 officers

Highlights

  • More than 1,600 officers deployed across London on Saturday
  • Far-right activist Tommy Robinson to lead "Unite the Kingdom" march
  • Anti-racism groups to stage counter-protests in Whitehall
  • Police impose conditions on routes and timings of demonstrations

LONDON police will deploy more than 1,600 officers across the city on Saturday as rival demonstrations take place, including a rally organised by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, and a counter-protest by anti-racism campaigners.

Keep ReadingShow less
Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mandelson-Getty

Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Minister says Mandelson should never have been appointed

A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.

Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.

Keep ReadingShow less