All stories by Mark Lawson on BroadwayStars

Monday, March 19, 2018

Yanis Varoufakis: 'Macbeth is at the mercy of forces beyond his control, like Theresa May' by Mark Lawson

The Greek former finance minister talks about the lessons politicians could learn from Shakespeare, ahead of a lecture in LondonIs Theresa May Macbeth? Might King Lear agree with Jeremy Corb…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00AM
Wednesday, March 14, 2018

'I didn't fancy being stuck in North Korea': the stormy thriller by a Japanese Ulsterman by Mark Lawson

In Francis Turnly’s trilogy one schoolgirl becomes a cat and another goes missing. The sheep farmer turned dramatist discusses The Great Wave, about North Koreans forced into prostitution�…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Thursday, January 11, 2018

Politics, star power and prison Shakespeare: how Josie Rourke rocked the Donmar by Mark Lawson

Rourke, who will leave the London theatre in 2019, staged perky experiments, rapid-fire responses and invigorating revivals. Who will take her place?When Josie Rourke leaves London’s Donma…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:02PM
Wednesday, January 10, 2018

The new culture secretary: besides loving Galway Girl, what do we know about Matt Hancock? by Mark Lawson

He rides a racehorse, plays Arctic cricket and has already seen Hamilton. How will the new boss do at the DCMS – and will Ed Sheeran be invited to its Xmas party?In the BBC’s self-satire…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:33PM
Monday, November 27, 2017

From the Bard to Bart: how Mr Burns challenges our common culture by Mark Lawson

If Mr Burns, a provocative vision of post-apocalyptic America, has been slammed, it's because theatre critics know more about Homer than Homer Simpson. More fool them.One of the most tantali…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:33AM
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Suzy Storck review – home is a battlefield in brooding motherhood drama by Mark Lawson

Gate theatre, London Caoilfhionn Dunne portrays the physical and psychological decline of a reluctant mother of three in Magali Mougel’s chilling, visceral playIt looks as if a bomb has go…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Peter Hall: the peerless showman who transformed British theatre by Mark Lawson

The great director, who has died aged 86, was a founding father of both the National Theatre and the RSC and masterminded landmark stagings of Shakespeare, Beckett and Pinter The roles of di…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:04AM
Tuesday, August 15, 2017

DollyWould: Sh!t Theatre's fringe tribute to the country singer and the cloned sheep by Mark Lawson

Performance artists Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit are known for their political shows but their latest was designed to be ‘pure fun’The theatrical double-act Sh!t Theatre got the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:18PM
Sunday, August 13, 2017

Trumped out: why the fringe can't keep up with 2017 by Mark Lawson

From Trumpageddon to Brexit: The Musical, many would-be topical crowdpleasers at this year’s fringe can’t match the manic pace of real-life news eventsThis would be a bad time to try to …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:18AM
Sunday, August 6, 2017

Mrs Orwell review – Cressida Bonas is persuasive as Orwell's muse and mistress by Mark Lawson

Old Red Lion theatre, LondonThis powerfully acted story of George Orwell’s death-bed marriage to Sonia Brownell makes for an entertaining night of literary intrigue and anecdoteGeorge Orwe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:48AM
Monday, July 31, 2017

Sam Shepard: the man who conquered Broadway and Hollywood by Mark Lawson

The Pulitzer-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor leaves behind a vast career that took him from stage to screen and back againSam Shepard, who has died aged 73, was perhaps the only…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18PM
Monday, July 10, 2017

Fleabag's Vicky Jones: 'Stop pretending everyone knows how to do sex' by Mark Lawson

From directing Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag to her new play Touch, Vicky Jones isn’t afraid to tell the truth about young women’s messy sexual exploitsThe theatrical career of Vicky J…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:18PM
Friday, June 23, 2017

Bertie Carvel: 'His speciality is making monsters and demons understood' by Mark Lawson

The actor’s former creations include a psychopathic teacher and an adulterous husband. Now the son of a former Guardian journalist is to play Rupert Murdoch in a new play, InkAs the son, g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AM
Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Bat Out of Hell review – Meat Loaf musical thunders through the hits by Mark Lawson

Coliseum, LondonJim Steinman’s perky lyrics are often overpowered in this musical juggernaut, but his roaring choruses and fairytale plot are built for the ENO’s stageSeveral of the song…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:36PM
Thursday, June 15, 2017

Goalmouth drama: football fans become players in their clubs' stories by Mark Lawson

From the terraces to the post-match showers, two new theatre shows let Cobblers, Blues and Villains supporters tackle their teams’ histories and rivalriesFootball and theatre can both rang…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:06AM
Thursday, June 8, 2017

Oslo: the smash hit about the peace accords that's been scrutinised by 1,000 UN delegates by Mark Lawson

How do you turn a grinding peace deal into a sellout show that’s up for seven Tony awards? Easy, says JT Rogers. Just violate your heroes – and stir in some Noël Coward“If you had tol…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Theatre should turn its back on blackface by Mark Lawson

The idea of white actors making themselves up as black is shocking to most of us – and yet a theatre in Germany has seen fit to continue the tradition. Why?Most news stories – government…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:06AM
Monday, May 1, 2017

King Charles III: a West End treat for royalists and tourists alike by Mark Lawson

Mike Bartlett's mock-Shakespearean take on constitutional crisis over Prince Charles proves an attraction• 'Royally entertaining' ... Michael Billington's review of the Almeida productionA…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:54PM
Friday, April 14, 2017

Much Ado About Nothing review – Sh!t-faced Shakespeare does the Bard blotto by Mark Lawson

Leicester Square theatre, LondonThis tipsy performance of giggly, off-script improvisation is pointless if it’s put-on, cruel if it’s real, and staggeringly bad if you’re soberThe most…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24AM
Friday, April 7, 2017

Tim Pigott-Smith: a man born to play kings by Mark Lawson

The actor’s imposing vocal and physical presence equipped him to play Lear and a future Charles III as well as a series of police and army officersCombining height with a voice of unusual …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:02PM
Sunday, March 19, 2017

Elaine Stritch obituary by Mark Lawson

Feisty, quick-witted actor and singer acclaimed as the 'first lady of Broadway'• From Sondheim to 30 Rock: Stritch's career in clips• Stritch interview: 'I'm a do-it-myself kind of broad…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:48AM
Monday, March 13, 2017

Rob Brydon: I Am Standing Up review – comic's comeback is edgier than it seems by Mark Lawson

De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea Picking on the audience is engaging more than cruel as Brydon riffs and ad-libs with seasoned charm in his new tourLined with retirement bungalows and hol…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:32AM
Thursday, March 9, 2017

Murdoch, the Coughing Major and a Kids Company musical: theatre gets real by Mark Lawson

A rush of new plays offer fictionalised versions of Labour’s 1981 split, the revamp of the Sun, a TV quizshow scandal and other real events. Playwrights James Graham and Steve Waters discu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03PM
Thursday, February 2, 2017

Night fever: breakout star Tamara Lawrance on exploding Shakespeare by Mark Lawson

Barely out of Rada, Tamara Lawrance cruised into TV and stage roles. Now she’s taking on Twelfth Night at the National. Can it beat her weird student version?Playing Viola in Twelfth Night…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24AM
Saturday, January 21, 2017

Top Trumps review – playwrights get to grips with new president by Mark Lawson

Theatre 503, LondonNeil LaBute and Caryl Churchill contribute to an evening of plays that make every effort to empathise with Trump votersNews that a London fringe theatre had commissioned a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:42AM
Friday, January 20, 2017

Howard Barker: 'I have contempt for messages in plays. I'm not trying to influence anyone' by Mark Lawson

In the past, his plays have enraged the right. But Howard Barker’s new foes are liberals – angry at the ‘yellowface’ casting in his latest work. Why is he so unbothered?At the bottom…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:06AM
Monday, January 16, 2017

Caryl Churchill, by the people who know her best by Mark Lawson

Her plays arrive fully formed – and she refuses to talk about what they mean. Mark Lawson talks to actors, directors and her publisher about what really makes Churchill tickSince the death…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:24PM
Sunday, December 18, 2016

Alan Bennett at 80: everything but a national treasure by Mark Lawson

The writer remains nationally visible and professionally treasured, just don't be fooled into using the obvious label• B is for Betty's, S is for splother ... An A-Z of Alan Bennett• 80 …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:48AM
Saturday, December 17, 2016

Replay for today: why the remake is making a comeback by Mark Lawson

A new season of shows, on stage and screen, give a strong sense of deja vu. But are remakes always an artistic upgrade?The top-grossing films of 2016 in the UK are The Jungle Book and B…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:42AM
Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Fleabag five-star review – filthily funny show's shattering return to stage by Mark Lawson

Soho theatre, LondonPhoebe Waller-Bridge expertly controls the audience as she performs the original monologue that led to her TV smash It’s unusual for the text of a theatrical monologue …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:48AM
Monday, November 14, 2016

Chimerica playwright Lucy Kirkwood: 'The whole of democracy looks fragile and farcical' by Mark Lawson

How do you top a hit play about global politics? By tackling the end of the world – from nuclear meltdown to Brexit and Trump. The writer talks eavesdropping and honestyWomen who go to see…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24AM

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