All stories by Michael Coveney on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Barbara Cook obituary by Michael Coveney

Singer, actor and Broadway star who reinvented herself on the cabaret circuitThere are few musical theatre careers that divide as sharply into two parts as did that of Barbara Cook, who has …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42AM

Obituary: William Hoyland by Michael Coveney

William Hoyland was a distinctive and forceful actor whose career ranged across 50 years, first as a member of Laurence Olivier’s National

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 03:00AM
Saturday, July 8, 2017

Musicals we love: Jesus Christ Superstar by Michael Coveney

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice created the 20th century's first (and last) great rock opera with flashes of Prokofiev and Stravinsky amid its hosannas – even Shostakovich was a fanUntil …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12PM
Sunday, July 2, 2017

Heathcote Williams obituary by Michael Coveney

Poet, dramatist, visionary and pamphleteer whose muse was fuelled by a witty and beautiful angerHeathcote Williams, who has died aged 75, was a unique and brilliant writer – poet, dramatis…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12PM
Thursday, May 25, 2017

Michael Coveney: Is our obsession with updating the classics diluting their essence? by Michael Coveney

Contemporary reboots of the great works of world theatre aim to ‘reclaim them for our time’. But is something being lost along the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:00AM
Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Obituary: Ken Campbell by Michael Coveney

Experimental writer, theatre director and improviser, he was one of the strangest people in BritainKen Campbell, who has died suddenly aged 66, was one of the most original and unclassifiabl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:33AM

Cosmic Trigger: Ken Campbell's daughter captures Illuminatus! spirit in trippy epic by Michael Coveney

Daisy Campbell’s version of Robert Anton Wilson’s cult book harks back to the counterculture era of conspiracies, hallucinogenic drugs and sinister ritualsThe counterculture strikes back…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12AM
Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Michael Bogdanov obituary by Michael Coveney

Theatre director and founder of the English Shakespeare Company whose 1980 production of The Romans in Britain led to an obscenity trialThere was nothing timid or compromised about the work…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:31PM
Sunday, April 9, 2017

Tim Pigott-Smith obituary by Michael Coveney

Stage and screen actor best known for his role in the TV series The Jewel in the CrownThe only unexpected thing about the wonderful actor Tim Pigott-Smith, who has died aged 70, was that he …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:54PM
Monday, March 27, 2017

David Storey obituary by Michael Coveney

Author of This Sporting Life whose raw, realistic plays and novels reflected on family, atonement and the north-south divideDavid Storey, who has died aged 83, was an unusual literary figure…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:12AM
Friday, March 17, 2017

Ann Beach obituary by Michael Coveney

Actor who made her name with Joan Littlewood and went on to play the nosy neighbour in the 1980s sitcom Fresh FieldsNot many performers have appeared in The Archers on radio, starred opposit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:54PM
Thursday, March 16, 2017

Declan Donnellan: ‘It’s dangerous when actors think it’s all about their feelings’ by Michael Coveney

Declan Donnellan is sitting on a sofa in the north London apartment he shares with his Cheek by Jowl designer and life

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:00AM
Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Tony Haygarth obituary by Michael Coveney

Distinctive supporting actor on television, stage and filmTony Haygarth, who has died aged 72, was a salt-of-the-earth Liverpudlian actor who became a familiar face on television in series s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM
Friday, January 6, 2017

Nicol Williamson obituary by Michael Coveney

Actor whose unpredictability never undermined his electrifying talentNicol Williamson, whose death of oesophageal cancer at the age of 73 has been announced, was arguably the most elect…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:42PM
Thursday, December 29, 2016

Moyra Fraser obituary by Michael Coveney

Dancer and actor of exceptional versatility, grace and vivacityNot many performers can claim to have danced the Queen of the Wilis in Giselle at Sadler's Wells, raised her eyebrows at Benny …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:06PM
Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Billie Whitelaw obituary by Michael Coveney

Actor whose compelling presence inspired new works by Samuel Beckett and made her a chilling nanny in The Omen“I could have easily have become a nun, or a prostitute, or both,” said Bill…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:18AM

Peter Vaughan obituary by Michael Coveney

Veteran stage and screen actor who played Harry Grout in Porridge and Maester Aemon Targaryen in Game of ThronesPeter Vaughan, who has died aged 93, was one of the most distinctive and menac…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12AM
Friday, December 2, 2016

Frank Finlay obituary by Michael Coveney

Stage and screen actor admired for his many classical theatrical roles who played the obsessed father in the 1970s TV drama Bouquet of Barbed WireAs an actor, there was something sinister an…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:02AM
Thursday, December 1, 2016

Michael Coveney: The fringe has moved on, but where’s the political anger? by Michael Coveney

Although there were always ‘fringe’ events at the Edinburgh International Festival from the off in 1947, the real fringe began exactly 50

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:00AM
Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Michael Abbensetts obituary by Michael Coveney

Playwright who explored the themes of race and identity in his stage and television work, most notably in the BBC drama series Empire RoadThe legacy of the colonial experience in the Caribbe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:18AM
Sunday, November 27, 2016

Roger Rees obituary by Michael Coveney and David Edgar

Versatile British actor known for his stage roles in Shakespeare and the RSC’s Nicholas Nickleby who found fame on US TV in Cheers and The West WingRoger Rees, who has died aged 71 after s…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:48PM
Saturday, November 26, 2016

David Ryall obituary by Michael Coveney

Character actor with a distinguished stage, TV and film career that included a Harry Potter cameoDavid Ryall, who has died aged 79, was one of the most distinguished character actors at the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:54AM
Saturday, October 22, 2016

Michael White obituary by Michael Coveney

Theatrical impresario and film producer behind The Rocky Horror Show, Oh! Calcutta! and Monty Python and the Holy GrailWhen he was awarded a lifetime achievement gong at the Olivier theatre …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:41PM
Friday, October 14, 2016

Joe Melia obituary by Michael Coveney

Outstanding actor of stage and screen who made his name as Bri in A Day in the Death of Joe EggThe British theatre changed for ever when Joe Melia, as the sardonic teacher Bri, pushed a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:33PM
Thursday, October 13, 2016

Belgrade International Theatre Festival: Half a century of uniting Europe through theatre by Michael Coveney

In its earliest years, the Belgrade International Theatre Festival – Bitef – was a Cold War buffer state, rather like Tito’s Yugoslavia

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:00AM
Sunday, August 28, 2016

Brian Bedford obituary by Michael Coveney

Yorkshire-born actor admired for his many leading Shakespearean roles and his fine interpretations of classical comedy on Broadway and at Stratford, OntarioBrian Bedford, who has died aged 8…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:32AM
Thursday, August 11, 2016

Alan Dossor obituary by Michael Coveney and Antony Sher

Theatre and TV director who oversaw a brilliant five-year period at the Liverpool Everyman in the 70sThe theatre and television director Alan Dossor, who has died of cancer aged 74, supervis…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:25AM
Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Alan Howard obituary by Michael Coveney

One of the leading heroic actors of his generation, whose clarion voice would reverberate to the RSC’s raftersWhen the great Shakespearean actor Alan Howard, who has died aged 77, returned…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:04AM
Sunday, July 10, 2016

Anita Reeves obituary by Michael Coveney

Vivacious actor who was a favourite of the Dublin stageSpeeches were made from every stage in Dublin on the night Anita Reeves died of cancer, aged 68, a mark of the popular affection in whi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:07AM
Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Nigel Terry obituary by Michael Coveney

Stage and screen actor known for his roles in The Lion in Winter, Excalibur and CaravaggioEvery now and then, a strange and mystical being wanders through the British theatre, and Nigel Terr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:34PM
Monday, June 13, 2016

Lynn Redgrave obituary by Michael Coveney

Gifted actor with a flair for comedy from a celebrated British theatrical dynastyEven by the colourful standards of her own family's public profile and professional achievements, Lynn Redgra…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:39AM

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