All stories by Mark Lawson on BroadwayStars

Friday, November 26, 2021

Stephen Sondheim: a daring and dazzling musical theatre icon by Mark Lawson

The American composer and lyricist, who has died aged 91, shaped the musical artform with his wise, witty and extravagantly clever work Stephen Sondheim achieved such acclaim – for deepeni…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06PM

Yes So I Said Yes review – prepare to be appalled by Mark Lawson

Finborough theatre, LondonDavid Ireland’s provocative, surreal, intensely brutal farce finds a former loyalist paramilitary seeking mediation from Eamonn Holmes for a dispute with his neig…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Thursday, November 4, 2021

Bobby & Amy review – gripping drama about foot-and-mouth disease by Mark Lawson

North Wall, OxfordWill Howard and Kimberley Jarvis portray more than 20 characters with ease in this superb tale set against the 2001 disaster The new BBC Two documentary Blair and Brown: Th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:06PM
Friday, October 29, 2021

Old Bridge review – star-crossed lovers in war-torn Yugoslavia by Mark Lawson

Bush theatre, LondonIgor Memic’s prize-winning debut is an affecting if slightly uneven conflict romance brought to life by vivid detail Igor Memic, winner of the 2020 Papatango new writin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:06PM
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Mum review – Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s unnerving look at motherhood by Mark Lawson

Soho theatre, LondonThis play daringly switches tone as it follows three mothers and explores exhaustion, panic and feelings of inadequacy The title of Mum – a fertile-with-ideas play by M…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:18PM
Friday, October 15, 2021

Home review – captivating revival of a neglected classic by Mark Lawson

Minerva theatre, ChichesterDavid Storey’s intense drama of cross-talking patients in an institution has gained fresh relevance from the pandemic Harry and Jack – distinguished-looking ol…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54AM
Thursday, October 14, 2021

The Cherry Orchard review – Ian McKellen is brilliantly poignant in resonant adaptation by Mark Lawson

Theatre Royal WindsorArtfully combining clumsiness with precision, McKellen’s Firs is the highlight of a production marked by arresting gestures and modern parallels Having recently playe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:24AM
Friday, October 8, 2021

The Long Song review – a vivid, harrowing staging of Andrea Levy’s novel by Mark Lawson

Chichester Festival theatreTara Tijani and Llewella Gideon are superb in this unblinking portrait of dignity amid moral horror, which follows a Jamaican woman looking back on her life An add…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AM
Friday, October 1, 2021

What If If Only review – short and sharp, with shades of Scrooge by Mark Lawson

Caryl Churchill explores grief and loss with a study of a man facing different possible futures During the time it took Keir Starmer to deliver his party conference speech this week, Caryl C…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:12PM
Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Indecent review – a brainy play staged with the panache of a musical by Mark Lawson

Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonSeven actors share 42 roles in Rebecca Taichman’s stunning production of Paula Vogel’s Tony award-winner about a controversial queer Yiddish play Contempo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:03PM
Thursday, September 9, 2021

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof review – Big Daddy’s birthday party still blazes by Mark Lawson

Curve, LeicesterAn imaginative staging of Tennessee Williams’ classic foregrounds the southern drama’s roots in Greek tragedy One of the catchiest titles in the theatrical canon will alw…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:03AM

Hilary Mantel on staging The Mirror and the Light: ‘I should have been doing this all my life’ by Mark Lawson

As the third part of her Thomas Cromwell trilogy hits the stage, the writer talks about the perils of political powerplay, fleeing Brexit to Ireland and setting her next novel in more recent…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12AM
Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Colin Bateman: ‘I don’t usually get emotional while writing but this is hugely personal’ by Mark Lawson

The author of dark comic novels such as Divorcing Jack has written a play, Nutcase, drawing on his relationship with his teenage son After writing 34 books (including comedy crime novels suc…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54AM
Wednesday, July 21, 2021

The Comedy of Errors review – exhaustingly funny take on identity and reality by Mark Lawson

Garden theatre, Stratford-upon-AvonThe Royal Shakespeare Company’s outdoor production grabs every possible gag in this tale of twins and doppelgangers Even ITV’s emotive DNA-reunion sho…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:32AM
Wednesday, July 14, 2021

South Pacific review – a roof-raising Rodgers and Hammerstein triumph by Mark Lawson

Chichester Festival theatreIt’s a story bordered by violence and bigotry, but this vibrant production emphasises the anti-racist message of the 1949 Broadway hit Old shows often pass nervo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:06PM
Thursday, July 8, 2021

The Invisible Hand review – thrilling tale of money lust and morality by Mark Lawson

Kiln theatre, LondonA US bank employee is captured in Pakistan in Indhu Rubasingham’s pacy revival of Ayad Akhtar’s chillingly ingenious play A frequent critique of financial markets –…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:03PM
Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Maggie & Ted review – two Tory prime ministers, one long spat by Mark Lawson

Garrick theatre, LondonMichael McManus, a former aide to Edward Heath, takes us on a rollicking ride through the politician’s clashes with Thatcher The Tory prime ministers elected in the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:32AM
Sunday, June 27, 2021

Bad Nights and Odd Days review – prescient and daring Caryl Churchill by Mark Lawson

Greenwich theatre, LondonA respiratory crisis in a world tensed by terrorism is among topical themes in this compelling showcase of the playwright’s shorter, earlier works If Caryl Churchi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18PM
Friday, June 18, 2021

The Last Abbot of Reading review – Tudor history goes back where it came from by Mark Lawson

Reading Abbey RuinsBeth Flintoff’s atmospheric Reformation drama casts Henry VIII as a Boris-like bully, and is staged amid the ruins of his Catholic frenemy’s abbey With so many people …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:32AM
Thursday, May 27, 2021

Shaw Shorts review – a double dose of delightful comedy by Mark Lawson

Orange Tree, LondonTwo plays explore George Bernard Shaw’s questioning of social values, directed by Paul Miller as a pointer towards Pinter Great Irish playwrights born two years apart in…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:24AM
Wednesday, May 5, 2021

The case of the Covid-compliant murder: how The Mousetrap is snapping back to life by Mark Lawson

Agatha Christie’s snowbound whodunnit is the world’s longest-running play. Now it’s leading the big reopening – with a double cast and no kissing The London West End is filled with g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:42AM
Saturday, April 17, 2021

Helen McCrory: engaging, enthralling, always magnetically watchable by Mark Lawson

The exquisitely talented actor shone at playing complex, intelligent women with a seemingly effortless skill Helen McCrory dies aged 52 It seems fitting that one of Helen McCrory’s final s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:42AM
Thursday, April 1, 2021

Sadie review – lockdown Belfast drama is hilarious and harrowing by Mark Lawson

Available on BBC iPlayerProvocative playwright David Ireland returns with a slow-burn character study screened as part of the BBC’s Lights Up festival In Cyprus Avenue (2016) and Ulster Am…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:32PM
Wednesday, March 10, 2021

David Ireland: 'As a writer, I want to be socially irresponsible' by Mark Lawson

He’s no stranger to walk-outs and trigger warnings. So the daring dramatist is amazed the BBC is broadcasting his dark new play about a Belfast woman’s lockdown crisis A decade ago, Davi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM
Friday, February 12, 2021

True Born Englishman: did the BBC ban this Buckingham Palace play? by Mark Lawson

Peter Barnes’ monologue about a royal footman was commissioned for radio but never broadcast until now. Director Philip Franks and others unravel its mystery The most celebrated set of dra…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:42AM
Friday, December 11, 2020

Love Letters review – Jenny Seagrove and Martin Shaw are superbly matched by Mark Lawson

Theatre Royal Haymarket, LondonThe emotional and physical distance of this epistolary novel for the stage is ideal for Covid-era theatre, performed here with power and finesse Pandemic theat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:03AM
Thursday, October 22, 2020

Betrayal review: Pinter's love triangle offers fresh pleasures and shorter pauses by Mark Lawson

Theatre Royal BathStaged in a Covid-safe auditorium, this rattling revival of Harold Pinter’s mind-stretching drama is enjoyably brisk Harold Pinter came to regret his frequent speech dire…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:42AM
Monday, October 12, 2020

Songs for a New World review – singers face forwards in bold, Covid-safe show by Mark Lawson

London PalladiumJason Robert Brown’s song cycle on the theme of life choices adapts well to social distancing, with a cast whose big voices make the huge auditorium feel small Balancing dr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:48AM
Sunday, September 13, 2020

Incidental Moments of the Day review – a feast for Covid historians by Mark Lawson

Available online In Richard Nelson’s third play about a US white liberal family Zooming through the pandemic, the Apples are forced to confront whether they are racist In the Guardian on S…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:06PM
Thursday, September 10, 2020

Diana Rigg: star with an independent streak to match her glamour by Mark Lawson

From kick-ass screen roles to award-winning theatre and TV ones, with a curious sideline in nuns, the Yorkshire-born actor’s class and spirit earned her a magnificent career Diana Rigg, A…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:54PM
Tuesday, July 7, 2020

'There's something special in every show': 40 years at the stage door by Mark Lawson

Harry Gabriel, gatekeeper of London’s Shaftesbury theatre, recalls greeting the stars, his bond with Peter O’Toole and how the Harlem Globetrotters launched his West End career The staff…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:32AM

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