All stories by Simon Hattenstone on BroadwayStars

Monday, September 25, 2023

Joan Collins on love, loss and lust at 90: ‘You have to eat life or life will eat you!’ by Simon Hattenstone

She has been famous for more than seven decades – and has as much zest and ambition today as she did at 18. She discusses fame, politics, the casting couch, motherhood and marrying five ti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:04AM
Monday, August 7, 2023

‘I never knew what horrors were happening in there’: the show giving Woodhill prisoners’ bereaved families a voice by Simon Hattenstone

A staggering number of self-inflicted deaths have happened at HMP Woodhill. Now, the testimonies of the deceased’s loved ones have been turned into a shattering piece of theatre Matt Woodh…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:13AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2023

‘Eat your gruel and be thankful for it’: why the hero of I, Daniel Blake is taking it to the stage by Simon Hattenstone

Seven years on, Ken Loach’s angriest film still shocks with its portrayal of life on benefits. It made Dave Johns a star – but did nothing to mellow his righteous fury With his biblical…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:24AM
Tuesday, January 10, 2023

‘I have a fighting spirit!’: the Windrush boxer who lost everything – then battled his way back by Simon Hattenstone

Vernon Vanriel was a talented athlete who fought crack addiction, was sectioned twice and beaten up by police officers. Finally he ended up stateless in Jamaica. A new play tells his extraor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:00AM
Monday, November 28, 2022

‘There was one prima donna on Star Trek’: George Takei on William Shatner, love and life as an ‘enemy alien’ by Simon Hattenstone

TV made him a star, but activism turned him into a hero. Now 85 and still going strong, the actor remembers his friendships and feuds, and his shameful treatment in the second world war Geor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:18AM
Saturday, June 11, 2022

Paapa Essiedu on grief, doubt and fury at Boris Johnson: ‘Bigotry is the backbone of his character’ by Simon Hattenstone

The I May Destroy You star talks about politics; his great friend Michaela Coel; dealing with drama school racism; and why even as a leading man he still struggles with self-confidence Paapa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:12AM
Friday, June 10, 2022

Top drama school apologises to Paapa Essiedu and Michaela Coel for ‘appalling’ racism by Simon Hattenstone

Essiedu has described in interview with the Guardian how teacher at Guildhall school used racial slur A prestigious drama school has apologised for the “appalling” racism experienced by …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Saturday, December 18, 2021

Ricky Gervais on offence, anger and infuriating Hollywood: ‘You have to provoke. It’s a good thing’ by Simon Hattenstone

He has made a career out of winding people up in everything from The Office to his Golden Globes speeches – but is the comedian’s bark worse than his bite? Ricky Gervais’s assistant le…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:06AM
Monday, July 12, 2021

Gina Yashere on riches, racism and US success: ‘I don’t like to boast, but I’m doing very well!’ by Simon Hattenstone

The standup’s new memoir traces her London childhood and battle for recognition in the UK. She discusses coming out, moving to the US and making it big It is 14 years since Gina Yashere wa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:06AM
Monday, July 5, 2021

Feel Good’s Mae Martin: ‘If you put a teenage girl in any industry, people will take advantage’ by Simon Hattenstone

The non-binary comedian’s hit TV show draws heavily on an often troubled life. They talk about addiction at 14, the loving parents who kicked them out, the older men who abused their trust…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:36AM
Sunday, September 8, 2019

Anthony Ekundayo Lennon on being accused of 'passing' as a black man: 'It felt like an assassination' by Simon Hattenstone

All his life, people have assumed the theatre director is mixed race – and he was happy to embrace that identity. Then he was accused of faking it Anthony Ekundayo Lennon remembers the mom…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24PM
Thursday, March 7, 2019

Self-destructive dance superstar Sergei Polunin: 'Ukraine put me on a list of terrorists' by Simon Hattenstone

He was sacked from the Paris Opera Ballet after homophobic and sexist online rants. In an exclusive interview, he talks about the joy of self-sabotage – and his Vladimir Putin tattoo It is…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00AM
Saturday, February 16, 2019

Andrew Scott on being Fleabag's new crush: ‘This is uncharted territory’ by Simon Hattenstone

Keen to avoid being typecast as baddies like Moriarty, the actor is delighted to be playing a sexy priest in the eagerly awaited second series of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s FleabagAndrew Scott…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18AM
Sunday, September 16, 2018

Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual: hooliganism gave me a way to fit in by Simon Hattenstone

He dressed smart, carried a knife and wound up in jail. As his life story hits the stage, Riaz Khan reveals how, in 1980s Britain, soccer violence was very multiculturalIt wasn’t so much t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54AM
Monday, August 20, 2018

How Ralf Little went from The Royle Family to fighting rightwingers on Twitter by Simon Hattenstone

He found fame at 18 in Caroline Aherne’s sitcom, but is celebrated today for taking on Jeremy Hunt and Nigel Farage. He talks about existential angst, the death of his sister – and his �…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:18AM
Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Barry Humphries: ‘I defend to the ultimate my right to give deep and profound offence’ by Simon Hattenstone

The creator of Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson is back on stage with a show highlighting the dangers of censorship. He talks about living in a prudish age, sexual harassment and why …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM
Monday, April 2, 2018

How Anna Scher's maverick acting school created so many working-class stars by Simon Hattenstone

For 50 years Anna Scher has taught acting to north London children, with many – such as Kathy Burke, Daniel Kaluuya and Adam Deacon – becoming household names. What is it about her appro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:20AM
Sunday, November 19, 2017

Simon Hattenstone meets Anna Scher by Simon Hattenstone

For 35 years, Anna Scher put everything into running Britain's least conventional theatre school. Then she fell ill, and was replaced. Now she's teaching again, she tells Simon Hattenstone -…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:12AM
Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Carry on Screaming's Fenella Fielding on fighting with Kenneth Williams and bouncing back after bankruptcy by Simon Hattenstone

She survived a violent upbringing to become the 60s’ favourite comedy vamp. As she turns 90, the star remembers fending off Norman Wisdom, attempting suicide – and having two lovers for …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:04PM
Sunday, October 1, 2017

Kwame Kwei-Armah: ‘As a black male you’re told you can’t do this. I’ve tried to go: yes we can’ by Simon Hattenstone

The new artistic director of the Young Vic in London will break the arts glass ceiling for African-Caribbeans. It’s a role he has performed before in Baltimore, making theatre about police…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:54AM
Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Fringe views – why politics is yuge at Edinburgh this year by Simon Hattenstone

It was once almost a taboo at the festival, but just about every performer this year, from the SNP’s Alex Salmond to an Irish wizard creating a kids’ utopia, wants to talk politics. But …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:04PM
Tuesday, May 2, 2017

'I was dehumanised': Lemn Sissay on hearing his harrowing abuse report live on stage by Simon Hattenstone

In a blistering one-off show, poet Lemn Sissay heard – for the first time – the record of his suffering as a child in care. He explains why the theatre was the safest place to relive his…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:06AM
Saturday, April 29, 2017

Maxine Peake: 'I'm a Corbyn supporter. We need a coup' by Simon Hattenstone

She used to be told she was too fat, too northern, too political. Decades into a stellar career, Maxine Peake is on fighting formMaxine Peake looks at me and rolls her eyes. “Last time we …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:24AM
Saturday, February 25, 2017

Rob Delaney: ‘If I’m not feeling funny about something, that’s fine’ by Simon Hattenstone

He made his name as the funniest person on Twitter. But can the Catastrophe writer and star make light of dark times?Catastrophe: noun; an event causing great and usually sudden damage or su…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:03AM
Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Glenda Jackson on her scary reputation: ‘I’ve never understood the fear thing’ by Simon Hattenstone

As an Oscar-winning actor, she could emasculate her leading men. As a Labour MP, she skewered her leader, Tony Blair. After her acclaimed King Lear, is she back to command the theatre world …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12PM
Sunday, September 4, 2016

Gillian Anderson on therapy, rebellion and 'being weird' by Simon Hattenstone

She found fame in The X-Files but is most proud of her roles in The Fall and A Streetcar Named Desire. She talks about turning from an obnoxious teenage punk into a control freak – and why…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:18AM
Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Ayesha Hazarika: 'Labour's best drinker? They're so good at it, I couldn't say' by Simon Hattenstone

She advised Ed Miliband and wrote gags for Harriet Harman. Now Ayesha Hazarika is turning her heady Whitehall days into standupAyesha Hazarika is hungover, but it’s nothing to do with drin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:31AM
Monday, June 13, 2016

Vanessa Redgrave on why she was ready to die: ‘Trying to live was getting too tiring’ by Simon Hattenstone

The legendary actor, 79, on ageing, religion, human rights and the notorious Oscars speech that stalled her Hollywood career‘Cheers,’ says Vanessa Redgrave. She clinks her glass of elder…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:28AM
Friday, January 15, 2016

Clarke Peters: Razzle dazzler by Simon Hattenstone

The Wire made him a star, but Clarke Peters has been singing, dancing and writing for decades. Kicking off our Edinburgh festival coverage, he tells Simon Hattenstone why he's going back to …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:35AM
Friday, October 16, 2015

What I'm not is a cheery person: Simon Hattenstone interviews Catherine Tate by Simon Hattenstone

Catherine Tate loves to take people on - whether on the stand-up circuit or as the 'bovvered' Lauren in her hugely successful comedy show. So why is she now playing second fiddle to Dr Who? …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:58PM
Monday, August 31, 2015

Lenny Henry talks about his career, family and his new role as Othello by Simon Hattenstone

Lenny Henry says he knows just how Othello must have felt. At school, there were only three black kids in the whole place. "There'd be a fight everyday over words. Coon, wog, nigger, OK…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:59PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards