All stories by Mark Lawson on BroadwayStars

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Jack Thorne: I have a deal with my wife that I take a half-day off each week by Mark Lawson

One of Britain's hardest-working dramatists, Thorne has nine TV projects in various stages of production. Mark Lawson meets him Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24AM
Tuesday, September 16, 2014

James Dacre: Theatres must learn to collaborate more by Mark Lawson

The artistic director of Northamptons Royal and Derngate explains why he is overseeing a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that will also be seen in Manchester and Newcastle Continue readi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:37AM
Friday, September 12, 2014

What makes a musical leading lady? by Mark Lawson

Imelda Marcos, Anna Nicole Smith and Eva Perón are all the subjects of musicals or operas this autumn. Mark Lawson considers what makes a life to sing about Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:00AM
Sunday, September 7, 2014

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 Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:20PM
Thursday, September 4, 2014

Can Great Britain still make a splash without headline star Billie Piper? by Mark Lawson

Richard Bean's newspaper farce is leaving the National, with Lucy Punch taking up the role of red-top editor Paige Britain. Some transfers, though, thrive without their biggest names Continu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:05AM
Friday, August 29, 2014

Bridget Christie: Its trickery, hiding serious bits within a comic framework by Mark Lawson

Two years ago she delivered her standup routine to 10 people in a strip club. Now shes a star of the Edinburgh Fringe and touring the country. She talks biros, big families and why the new p…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:53PM

Shakespeare's plays 35 down, one to go by Mark Lawson

It's fairly easy to bag Chekhov's quartet of masterpieces, but getting to see productions of all the Shakespearean canon is a much bigger challenge Michael Billington reviews The Two Gentlem…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM

Shakespeare's plays – 35 down, one to go by Mark Lawson

It's fairly easy to bag Chekhov's quartet of masterpieces, but getting to see productions of all the Shakespearean canon is a much bigger challenge• Michael Billington reviews The Two Gent…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Friday, August 22, 2014

Guys and Dolls review a lusty, seductive revival by Mark Lawson

Chichester Festival theatreChoreographer Carlos Acosta and director Gordon Greenberg fill the dice-rolling musical with rapturous energy Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:00AM
Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Edinburgh 2014: Will Eno 'It takes work to sound like a real person talking' by Mark Lawson

The playwright talks about his monologue Title and Deed, the influence of Beckett, and not being deliberately enigmatic Title and Deed review a devastating monologue Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:14AM
Thursday, August 14, 2014

Am-dram, thank you ma'am: the rise of good-bad theatre by Mark Lawson

Current shows The Importance of Being Earnest and The Play That Goes Wrong use the conceit of provincial players biting off more than they can chew. It's a trope with a venerable history Con…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:14AM
Monday, August 11, 2014

When lines get crossed: the Edinburgh festival queue experience by Mark Lawson

Getting the ticket for the show is the easy bit it's finding the right queue in the Edinburgh labyrinth that can be tricky Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:59AM
Thursday, August 7, 2014

Ties and tears in Edinburgh plays amid Scots' real-life separatist drama by Mark Lawson

Loyalty and distrust with gags and wordplay feature strongly in this year's line-up as Scotland's independence vote looms Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:35AM
Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Bridget Christie's Edinburgh fringe show is a bold and bravura campaign against FGM by Mark Lawson

Christie's material about yoghurt-advert rape fantasies and female genital mutilation is astonishingly complex and uproariously funny Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:44AM
Monday, July 28, 2014

Speed-the-Plow has the perfect role for Lindsay Lohan by Mark Lawson

The female lead in David Mamet's play, previously portrayed by Madonna and Elisabeth Moss, is ideal for actors with little stage experience Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:08AM
Thursday, July 17, 2014

Elaine Stritch obituary by Mark Lawson

Feisty, quick-witted actor and singer acclaimed as the 'first lady of Broadway'During her seven decades as an actor and singer, Elaine Stritch, who has died aged 89, became indelibly associa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:21PM
Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Giving themselves the best lines? The playwrights who act by Mark Lawson

Oliver Cotton and Nick Payne have joined the exclusive club of dramatist-performers whose past members include Noël Coward and Harold PinterDramatists who act in their own plays form one of…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:44AM
Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Forbidden Broadway: the musical satire that rips the others to shreds by Mark Lawson

Putting new lyrics to songs from living musicals, this long-running hit is relentlessly, cleverly, breathtakingly funny A male Wicked, a female Billy Elliot? It's West End Recast Although Br…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:02PM
Friday, July 4, 2014

Sophie Okonedo interview: 'I have to go across the Atlantic to get work' by Mark Lawson

Sophie Okonedo is one of Britain's most accomplished and acclaimed actors but most of her job offers come from the US, where last month she won a coveted Tony award for a Broadway role. So …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04AM
Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Phone-hacking: hold the main stage! by Mark Lawson

Rapid-response theatre is phenomenally difficult. How did the National's Great Britain, which stars Billie Piper as a tabloid journalist, pull it off? Read Michael Billington's review of Gre…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:27AM
Saturday, June 21, 2014

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 05:00AM
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Second album syndrome for 'promising' playwrights by Mark Lawson

An early hit can be both a blessing and a curse for celebrated young writers such as Polly StenhamThe word "promise", as anyone who has been a partner or a parent knows, always ris…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Saturday, June 7, 2014

Why theatre can't resist planes, trains and automobiles by Mark Lawson

Travel may be tough to stage, but whether it's the car in Driving Miss Daisy, the bus in Circles or the barge in Bring Up the Bodies, vehicles are theatre's most potent propsIn contrast to t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:00AM
Thursday, May 29, 2014

Back in town: Miss Saigon and the art of musical revivals by Mark Lawson

Critical acclaim has greeted Boublil and Schönberg's show second time around, but repeat success is not guaranteed when a hit returns to the stageThe enthusiastic reviews for the new produc…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:53PM
Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Miss Saigon, Yellow Face and the colourful evolution of answer plays by Mark Lawson

David Henry Hwang's new play is the latest in a series of interlinked works including Madame Butterfly that question racial and social attitudesThere's a phenomenon in pop music of the &qu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:00AM
Sunday, May 18, 2014

Wolf Hall/Bring Up the Bodies review a familiar tale infused with thrilling originality of storytelling by Mark Lawson

Aldwych Theatre, LondonPoulton has created two darkly comic plays that have learned from those earlier masters but will also not disappoint fans of modern political dramas such as House of C…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:38AM
Monday, May 12, 2014

Paying to play: the rise and risks of audience participation by Mark Lawson

From Privacy to Eat Pray Laugh, getting theatregoers on stage is growing in popularity. Does participation always add value to a theatre production, or can it be a laborious distraction? Rea…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:35AM
Friday, May 9, 2014

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 BennettAlan Benne…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:19AM
Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Why Wicked still casts a spell by Mark Lawson

While musicals are closing, Wicked marches on and is about to start a 10th anniversary tour of Australia. So what's its secret?The recent closure of three big-budget West End musicals after…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:38AM
Monday, April 28, 2014

I Can't Sing closure: why Harry Hill's X Factor musical was voted off by Mark Lawson

The popularity of Simon Cowell's TV talent shows peaked a couple of years ago. Harry Hill and Steve Brown's show was staged too late and felt conflicted. We were asked to laugh at the vacuo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:55AM
Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense review - Robert Webb and Mark Heap are unflappably farcical by Mark Lawson

This clever PG Wodehouse tribute reproduces the manners of the Edwardian English upper classes, while cunningly sending them up Bertie Wooster or Jez from Peep Show? Take our quiz Mark Heap …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:00PM