Friday, October 28, 2022
Dismiss their works at your peril. Strip the barnacles of stale tradition off the Victorian duos’s light operettas and their seditious glory still shines
When I was a teenager in the 19…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:13AMThursday, July 27, 2017
From handling the few first months as a professional, when you're seen as a potential Next Big Thing, to maintaining focus when the work dries up, Michael Simkins offers survival tips for li…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:48AMThursday, June 22, 2017
The actor is retiring – and those of us used to playing angry policemen or affable dads could see just how exceptional his talent isIt’s the news I’ve been waiting for. Daniel Day-Lewi…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:48AMMonday, May 1, 2017
As Dame Judi Dench has noted, many actors under the age of 30 haven’t even heard of the titans who preceded them. And as for their diction …I remember the occasion as if it were yesterda…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:12AMMonday, July 18, 2016
Bravo to Kit Harington for defending his young fans going to the theatre, but quite simply, this magical form only works if everybody is bought into itKit Harington, star of the ubiquitous G…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:40AMThursday, April 7, 2016
The news that actor Daniel Hoevels accidentally slit his own throat on stage in Austria during a performance of Mary Stuart will send a shiver of empathy mixed with schadenfreude through the…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:45AMThursday, March 31, 2016
Reports that the star may have hurled insults at Meryl Streep are no surprise – actors are constantly searching for ways to spice up performancesThe claim in Michael Schulman’s recent bo…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:31AMSunday, January 3, 2016
From handling the few first months as a professional, when you're seen as a potential Next Big Thing, to maintaining focus when the work dries up, Michael Simkins offers survival tips for li…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:46AMMonday, August 10, 2015
Benedict Cumberbatch has pleaded for fans to stop distracting him after one filmed his ‘To be or not to be’ speech in Hamlet. But this is just one of the many new dangers today’s actor…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:44PMMonday, August 3, 2015
The stage door can be occasionally perilous for actors - but the fans waiting there aren't asking for that much
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 03:57PMWednesday, July 29, 2015
When I got the call enquiring whether I’d like to adapt The Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year Dear Lupin for the stage, the first thing I did was to thank my lucky stars. Dear Lupin: Le…
SOURCE: The Arts Desk at 06:39AMSaturday, July 25, 2015
Are the recent deaths of high-profile actors tragic one-offs? Or is the profession now too precarious? Michael Simkins, a veteran of stage and screen, lifts the lid on a lonely worldPaul Bha…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:12AMThursday, July 9, 2015
That Glamour awards bitchfest was cringeworthy, but it's far from the first time that two actors have competed for attention on stageIt's difficult to know quite what to make of Patrick Stew…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:27AMWednesday, October 22, 2014
The bane of the modern stage actor's life is, of course, the mobile phone, writes Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 01:30AMSaturday, September 27, 2014
The genuine autograph hunter has been superseded, thanks to eBay , says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 12:05PMSaturday, September 13, 2014
The first thing you noticed about Sir Donald was the voice. It was a colossal instrument, says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 11:00AMSaturday, August 9, 2014
Since the internet put paid to the actors' 'digs list', accomodation for the touring thesp has got a bit boring, says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 01:30PMSaturday, July 26, 2014
You no longer need a grandiose name or personality to be an acting star these days - being a canine will do, says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 10:50AMThursday, July 3, 2014
Forgetting your lines, as John Cleese knows, can make centre stage a lonely place , says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 01:30AMSunday, April 27, 2014
The Bard's 450th anniversary has brought back painful memories for Michael Simkins.
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 03:00AMThursday, April 24, 2014
As 'Jamaica Inn' shows, the best efforts of the cast can be undone by production gremlins, says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 01:35AMSaturday, April 19, 2014
My wife wore a look of pitying amusement on her face as I tried to portray a man gripped by carnal passion, says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 10:30AMSaturday, March 8, 2014
There's nothing new under the sun in the theatre, says Michael Simkins
SOURCE: The Telegraph at 01:30PMTuesday, July 23, 2013
Are the recent deaths of high-profile actors tragic one-offs? Or is the profession now too precarious? Michael Simkins, a veteran of stage and screen, lifts the lid on a lonely worldPaul Bha…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:45PMWednesday, July 18, 2012
Forget the idea of pensioners performing in draughty village halls: amateurs and pros are closer in ability than you might thinkA stage-struck school friend who once told his careers teacher…
SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:26AMTuesday, October 13, 2009
Wannabe stars don't always understand the importance of theatrical history, but it's showbusiness that's to blame Continue reading...
SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:11PM 
