All stories by Mark Lawson on BroadwayStars

Monday, January 13, 2020

Brian Blessed: 'All my life, 90% of men have bored the arse off me' by Mark Lawson

Dressed in pyjamas and wellies, the great actor talks about his astronaut training in Russia, the original Cats – and putting his might behind his daughter Rosalind’s very personal plays…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:48AM
Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Curtains review – the arresting case of Kander and Ebb's musical whodunnit by Mark Lawson

Wyndham’s, LondonJason Manford is a charming, showtune-obsessed homicide cop in this fun companion to Chicago and Cabaret Cabaret (1966) and Chicago (1975) became Broadway and West End per…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Friday, December 13, 2019

The Vote 2019 review – James Graham's polling-station stunner by Mark Lawson

Bush House, King’s College LondonSimon Russell Beale, Mark Gatiss and Catherine Tate were on hilarious form in this new version of the state-of-the-nation comedy How is it possible that an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:48AM

Peter Pan review – JM Barrie's adventure flies to modern-day Wales by Mark Lawson

Storyhouse, ChesterSet against the never-never-land of present-day austerity, Gary Owen’s production broadens the play’s appeal JM Barrie’s 1904 play about a boy who never ages gets ol…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:36AM
Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Jonathan Miller: a master of all trades by Mark Lawson

The theatre and opera director, television producer, presenter, writer, comic and doctor had a special interest in the human mind – and a special example of one, too Sir Jonathan Miller d…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:18PM
Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Season review – musical romcom hits a feelgood festive note by Mark Lawson

Royal & Derngate, NorthamptonElectrifying performances light up a glittering New York Christmas story in this warm-hearted, tuneful two-hander On Christmas Eve, puppyish twentysomething…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:42PM
Thursday, October 24, 2019

Annie Baker: 'I like theatre because it’s so unprofitable!' by Mark Lawson

In a rare interview, Baker explains why she hates commercial theatre (except Hello, Dolly!) and how she anticipated Trump and #MeToo in her new work at the National, The Antipodes It is not …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12AM
Sunday, October 13, 2019

Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads review – a modern classic that displays a sense of danger by Mark Lawson

Chichester Festival theatreSet in a London pub during an England v Germany football match, the topical take on racism and nationalism shows Roy Williams’s 2002 play hasn’t dated It is un…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:03AM
Wednesday, September 18, 2019

An Enemy of the People review – Ibsen told as Scandi-noir with Alex Kingston by Mark Lawson

Nottingham PlayhouseSet in a contemporary Norwegian town, the classic is reworked by Rebecca Lenkiewicz to chime with Brexit divisions An accidental trilogy of updatings of Ibsen plays by fe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:42PM
Friday, September 6, 2019

Cracked actor: stage stars review Boris Johnson's debut as PM by Jon Culshaw, James Graham, Bridget Christie and Mark Lawson

Impressionist Jon Culshaw, playwright James Graham, comedian Bridget Christie and critic Mark Lawson on the prime minister’s opening week in Westminster I’ve been doing Boris impressions…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24PM
Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Oklahoma! review – oh, what a beautifully dark evening by Mark Lawson

Chichester Festival theatreJosie Lawrence stars in a revival that perfectly delivers both the jolly and sombre elements of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Although it begins with someon…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:48AM
Monday, June 24, 2019

Edinburgh fringe 2019: 10 essential shows by Brian Logan, Miriam Gillinson, Mark Lawson, Mark Fisher, Judith Mackrell, Bridget Minamore and Lyndsey Winship

Jessie Cave’s intimate standup, a beatbox Frankenstein and a twist on the star-crossed lovers are among the Edinburgh shows we’ve previously reviewed. Here’s what we said … Pleasance…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:48AM
Wednesday, June 12, 2019

One Night in Miami review – Ali goes toe-to-toe with Malcolm X and Sam Cooke by Mark Lawson

Nottingham PlayhousePitch-perfect performances enliven Kemp Powers’ impressive play, punchily debating racial tensions in 1960s America The night he beat Sonny Liston in 1964 to become wor…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:48PM
Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell review – Soho boozer's pint-sized revival by Mark Lawson

Norman’s Coach & Horses, LondonRobert Bathurst stars in an hour-long version of the comedy, staged in the pub where Keith Waterhouse sought inspiration In Keith Waterhouse’s 1989 com…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42PM
Friday, May 10, 2019

Freddie Starr: a troubled, talented comic defined by one famous headline by Mark Lawson

The performer – who died this week – found fame as a musician and an impressionist, but could never escape a notorious Sun front page The career of the comedian and singer Freddie Starr,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Friday, May 3, 2019

Shadowlands review – Bonneville dazzles as CS Lewis in divine revival by Mark Lawson

Chichester Festival theatreQuestions of faith and loss drive a masterly story of the Narnia author in Rachel Kavanaugh’s deeply poignant production The first three speeches of Shadowlands …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

This Is My Family review – terrifically funny musical is a triumph by Mark Lawson

Minerva, ChichesterJames Nesbitt and Sheila Hancock star in Tim Firth’s touching comedy about a dysfunctional group of relatives Musicals head inexorably towards big ensemble numbers, a c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:48AM
Monday, April 29, 2019

Rob Brydon Probes Barry Humphries review – in defence of offence by Mark Lawson

London PalladiumThis chatshow canter through the career and comedy loves of Humphries proved he is an unrepentant controversialist The television chatshow spread to theatre as a way of getti…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:48AM
Sunday, March 17, 2019

The Crown Dual review – inventive, fun parody of Netflix original by Mark Lawson

King’s Head, LondonSkilfully combining play-that-goes-wrong antics with a potted history of the royals, this has fringe festival hit written all over it From the National Theatre of Brent …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:37AM
Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Only Fools and Horses – The Musical review: vintage gags need better tunes by Mark Lawson

Theatre Royal Haymarket, LondonAmid the delightful comic dialogue, some of the musical numbers can feel like padding The smooth transition from dialogue to songs in musicals is the genre’s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18PM
Monday, February 18, 2019

David Ireland: 'I find it hard to end my plays without violence' by Mark Lawson

His plays have shocked audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Is David Ireland bothered about the walk-outs? Will he give in to demands for trigger warnings?Cradling his grandchild for the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:32PM
Wednesday, February 6, 2019

At home with the Ibsens: the play unfolding at the writer's Oslo address by Mark Lawson

The Lady From the Sea, a powerful drama about loss and longing, is being rehearsed at the very flat where Ibsen ended his years in exile. Our writer pops byOn Oslo’s Victoria Terrasse ther…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54AM
Friday, February 1, 2019

Jeremy Hardy: a ferocious talent who radicalised radio comedy by Mark Lawson

Provocative and political, the stand-up – who has died aged 57 – shook up Radio 4 at a time when it was in danger of resembling a Rotary Club quiz night Although generally excluded from …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:12AM
Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Fake News review – Trumped-up story fuels punchy media satire by Mark Lawson

Theatre 503, LondonA catastrophic fact-checking error that nearly breaks the internet cues Osman Baig’s expressive and energetic one-man piece about digital journalismThe narrator-protagon…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:12AM
Sunday, December 16, 2018

The Convert review – thrilling and troubling war of words by Mark Lawson

Young Vic Theatre, LondonPaapa Essiedu and Black Panther’s Letitia Wright are captivating in Danai Gurira’s story of religious and linguistic colonialismEnglish-speaking missionaries in …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Chasing Bono review – charming portrait of a wannabe rock star by Mark Lawson

Soho theatre, LondonNeil McCormick’s memoir about schoolmates-turned-rock stars is brought to raucous lifeThe story of a talented composer whose hopes of fame are broken when a local conte…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:18PM
Thursday, December 6, 2018

Fiddler on the Roof review – Trevor Nunn's magnificent revival by Mark Lawson

Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonWith antisemitism on the rise, Tevye’s struggles with the tsar’s thugs are powerfully topical in this note-perfect productionAlthough much-loved and often…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:24AM
Wednesday, November 21, 2018

The Kneebone Cadillac review – anarchy at the demolition derby by Mark Lawson

Theatre Royal Plymouth A daughter inherits her dad’s diary and prized car in Carl Grose’s tightly plotted episode of farcical intrigueThe bequests and effects of the dead are reliably dr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:18PM
Monday, October 8, 2018

The vital return of David Edgar's Maydays – and the best plays about the left by Mark Lawson

The RSC’s revival of Edgar’s 1985 drama about leftwing politics coincides with David Hare’s latest study of the Labour partyTwo dramatists who share a generation and a first name – D…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:36AM
Tuesday, October 2, 2018

A Kettle of Fish review – unnerving tale for an age of anxiety by Mark Lawson

The Yard, LondonBrad Birch’s play has a protagonist sharing space with huge projected images in an exploration of information overloadAfter an upsetting conversation with her dad, data ana…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:18AM
Thursday, September 27, 2018

Trial By Laughter review – Private Eye team's tribute to satirist by Mark Lawson

Watermill, NewburyThe ‘blasphemous’ 19th-century pamphleteer William Hone is at the sharp end of destructive libel action in Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s dramaIan Hislop and Nick Newma…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:18AM

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