All stories by Miriam Gillinson on BroadwayStars

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Fake noses, lucky tokens and a bed of nails – Sarah Jessica Parker, Joseph Fiennes and other stars reveal their secret dressing room routines by David Levene and Miriam Gillinson

Whoever wins next month’s Olivier awards, global stars will continue to flock to the West End of London to give the stage their all. We take a peek behind the curtain … At what point doe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:24AM
Saturday, February 10, 2024

Musical theatre star Marisha Wallace: ‘It’s a powerful number when my booty comes out’ by Miriam Gillinson

Her career was almost ended by a vocal cyst, but – after a laying on of hands – it disappeared. Now this former church singer is upending musical stereotypes with a showstopping performa…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:02AM
Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Solstice review – a shimmering, heart-on-sleeve ode to nature for children by Miriam Gillinson

Battersea Arts Centre, LondonThe storytelling may be light but this cleverly assembled playgroup-cum-theatre show for over-three-year-olds is an engaging hymn to the natural world The spe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:36PM
Friday, December 1, 2023

Evita review – oh what a circus as musical gets bizarre update by Miriam Gillinson

Curve theatre, LeicesterArgentina’s Eva Perón is reimagined as a modern-day influencer in an incoherent production lacking context Before it became a hit musical in 1978, Evita started ou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:12PM
Thursday, November 23, 2023

She Stoops to Conquer review – a jolly good Christmas comedy by Miriam Gillinson

Orange Tree theatre, LondonThere are perfectly pitched performances with just the right touch of pathos as Oliver Goldsmith’s play gets a festive staging One of the real pleasures of reviv…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:12AM
Wednesday, October 18, 2023

‘We were just hustling to be there’: beatboxer Conrad Murray on bringing working-class voices to theatre by Miriam Gillinson

His passion for music took him from the estate to the arts. Now, ahead of his new show Pied Piper, the writer and rapper inspires a new generation as Beatbox Academy’s artistic director Co…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:07AM
Friday, October 13, 2023

Penelope Skinner on her #MeToo play: ‘We focus on perpetrators. I wanted to explore the life that was lost’ by Miriam Gillinson

Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James take centre stage in the playwright’s new drama Lyonesse, which explores power, abuse, and why things haven’t changed as much as people hoped Things a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:33AM
Friday, September 15, 2023

That Face review – stunning revival will tear right through you by Miriam Gillinson

Orange Tree theatre, LondonRevelatory performances fill this devastating production of Polly Stenham’s play about a family ripped apart by addiction and loneliness Polly Stenham’s devast…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:33AM
Thursday, September 14, 2023

Infamous review – Caroline and Rose Quentin share Emma Hamilton’s scandal by Miriam Gillinson

Jermyn Street theatre, LondonThe painter’s muse, who was the mistress of Lord Nelson, remains disappointingly flat in April De Angelis’s new play April De Angelis’s forte is writing ab…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:37AM
Friday, September 1, 2023

The best theatre to stream this month: Rufus Norris’s barmy take on Sleeping Beauty, Ian McKellen unmasked and more by Miriam Gillinson

Great fun from the NT’s warped fairytale Hex, plus Neil LaBute’s dark relationship comedy and a classic Gilbert & Sullivan romp in our roundup of drama to watch at home Hex is direct…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:49AM
Thursday, August 31, 2023

As You Like It review – gender-fluid version plays too freely with the text by Miriam Gillinson

Globe theatre, LondonEllen McDougall’s inclusive production is wonderfully warm and flirty – especially in the scenes between Rosalind and Celia – but uneven and confusing as a whole D…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:49PM
Thursday, August 24, 2023

As We Face the Sun review – school trip is a warm-hearted homage to adolescence by Miriam Gillinson

Bush theatre, LondonA young cast excels in this effervescent new play by Kit Withington, as young classmates reflect on a tragedy The fizzing energy of a school coach trip. The gentle escape…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:13PM
Friday, August 11, 2023

Playwright Sam Holcroft: ‘It felt like everyone else got a rulebook that I didn’t’ by Miriam Gillinson

Her latest play, A Mirror, mixes her keen eye for human behaviour and her experiences in North Korea, but there’s another influence that the writer has never spoken about – her autism di…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:37AM
Thursday, August 10, 2023

La Cage aux Folles review – dazzling revival is hilarious and heartfelt by Miriam Gillinson

Regent’s Park Open Air theatre, LondonThis adaptation of the classic musical is a joy, from the faded nightclub set to Carl Mullaney’s showstopping I Am What I Am Tim Sheader’s revival…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:37AM
Monday, July 24, 2023

The Smeds and the Smoos review – songs and screams in Donaldson and Scheffler’s jolly voyage by Miriam Gillinson

Lyric theatre, LondonThis show from Tall Stories brings children into the action with a gentle warmth, squeal-inducing gags and engaging puppetry Tall Stories know a thing or two about adapt…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:37AM
Saturday, July 22, 2023

‘Succession was like coming home’: Lucy Prebble on life inside TV’s greatest show by Miriam Gillinson

The Enron playwright felt her career was floundering when the call came from Jesse Armstrong’s acclaimed series and changed everything. She talks about why writing is a lonely calling, and…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:55AM
Sunday, June 18, 2023

School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play review – clever comedy leaves a stinging afterburn by Miriam Gillinson

Lyric Hammersmith theatre, LondonJocelyn Bioh’s bitingly funny and sometimes heartbreaking play transposes relatable high-school movie tropes to 1980s Ghana to explore beauty standards and…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:37AM
Monday, May 22, 2023

The Comedy of Errors review – full of wit and pizazz by Miriam Gillinson

Shakespeare’s Globe, LondonAmped-up visual gags and a cast that brings its own distinctive comic gifts to the Bard’s dialogue ensure a contemporary feel to the classic comedy Sean Holmes…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:24AM
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

The Three Billy Goats Gruff review – captivates right to the final bleat by Miriam Gillinson

Unicorn theatre, LondonMusical for over-threes revels in belting solos, full-throttle yodelling and an operatic troll with a whiff of Lloyd Webber’s Phantom A mum sitting next to me whispe…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:30AM
Monday, March 20, 2023

Patsy Ferran on pairing up with Paul Mescal in Streetcar: ‘The nerves just skyrocketed’ by Miriam Gillinson

The actor had just a week to rehearse for A Streetcar Named Desire. Fortunately, her turn as tragic belle Blanche DuBois has audiences enchanted I nudge the recording device a bit closer to …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:00AM
Thursday, February 16, 2023

Right Dishonourable Friend review – nepo baby MP lands in Lancashire in heartfelt comedy by Miriam Gillinson

The Vaults, LondonPhoebe Batteson-Brown is archly comic as the clueless Perdita but it’s the subplot about a queer teenager and the hypocrisy of politics that has real depth to it This sur…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:31AM
Wednesday, February 15, 2023

The Oyster Problem review – the struggle to save Flaubert from himself by Miriam Gillinson

Jermyn Street Theatre, LondonIn historian Orlando Figes’ rather too formal first play, the passionate romantic’s friends try to persuade him to be a little more worldly While researchin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:59AM
Saturday, December 31, 2022

The anti-hibernation culture guide: something to enjoy for every day in January by Rachel Aroesti, Catherine Bray, Andrew Clements, John Fordham, Miriam Gillinson, Jonathan Jones and Lyndsey Winship

You can spend the next few weeks under the duvet and in front of the telly, or enjoy world-class art, theatre, music, film and standup – here’s an event for each of the next 31 days MUSI…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:06AM
Monday, November 21, 2022

Perfect Show for Rachel review – hit the Britney buzzer one more time! by Miriam Gillinson

The Pit, Barbican, LondonFrom a control desk, director Rachel O’Mahony pushes buttons for songs, scenes and games in a fun, carefully crafted show staged by Zoo Co Why can’t more theatre…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:42AM
Friday, November 18, 2022

Pinocchio review – a truly bold take on Carlo Collodi’s classic by Miriam Gillinson

Unicorn theatre, LondonMosquitos, cats and smartly defined morals feature in a complex and well-crafted reimagining of the beloved tale Remember the blue fairy that toy-maker Geppetto wishes…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:12PM
Wednesday, November 9, 2022

From Here to Eternity review – guns n’ poses in a well-drilled musical by Miriam Gillinson

Charing Cross theatre, LondonTim Rice’s lyrics are the most striking aspect of a crisp production which can also feel heavy-handed The members of G Company are going stir crazy in Hawaii. …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36AM
Thursday, November 3, 2022

Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical review – familiar tale given full voice in fresh voyage by Miriam Gillinson

Theatre Royal BathDirector James Grieve retains just enough of the rough-hewn power of the original sea shanties to offset the razzle-dazzle of the musical setting Perhaps this charming real…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:02PM
Thursday, October 20, 2022

The Solid Life of Sugar Water review – Jack Thorne’s superb drama of love and loss by Miriam Gillinson

Orange Tree theatre, LondonBrilliantly acted, designed and directed, Thorne’s tender but brutally powerful portrait of a couple gets an overdue revival After this play premiered in 2015, J…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:07AM
Tuesday, October 11, 2022

‘Maybe you set the theatre on fire?’: directors on staging the unstageable by Miriam Gillinson

Scenes that skip between universes, 100 eyeballs emerging from the floorboards, whole plays set on a slope … The scripts for Constellations, Wonder Boy and other hits have provided instruc…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:07AM
Friday, October 7, 2022

The Caucasian Chalk Circle review – Carrie Hope Fletcher shines light in Brecht’s epic by Miriam Gillinson

Rose theatre, LondonA striking score and expressive singing carry Christopher Haydon’s production of the wartime classic First there’s the prologue. Then the play-within-a-play. Finally,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:13PM
Thursday, September 29, 2022

Noises Off review – Frayn’s exquisite farce-within-a-farce finds new humanity by Miriam Gillinson

Felicity Kendal, Tracy-Ann Oberman and especially Joseph Millson are comic gifts in this 40th anniversary version that fits our times almost too well Well, here’s a surprise. Michael Fray…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:49AM

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