All stories by Stuart Jeffries on BroadwayStars

Monday, February 10, 2014

How video saved the opera star by Stuart Jeffries

Opera is waking up to the power of video. For his new production of Don Giovanni, the Royal Opera House's Kasper Holten collaborated with a designer who turned U2 tours and the 2012 Olympics…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:23PM
Monday, November 4, 2013

Simon McBurney: The Age of Enlightenment by Stuart Jeffries

Simon McBurney thought operas were obscure, wooden and pointless. So what made him agree to direct The Magic Flute? Stuart Jeffries finds outSimon McBurney has a wild glint in his eye as he…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:12PM
Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Game of thrones: behind closed doors with Margaret Thatcher and the Queen by Stuart Jeffries

Margaret Thatcher idolised the Queen – but the monarch felt patronised by her prime minister. Playwright Moira Buffini tells Stuart Jeffries how her new work eavesdrops on their weekly mee…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00PM
Sunday, August 4, 2013

David Sedaris at Edinburgh: 'I'll never run out of things to laugh about' by Stuart Jeffries

As he prepares for his Edinburgh festival show, David Sedaris talks about the things that scare him: hecklers in their 80s, the stench of enthusiasm – and the word 'loo'One day David Sedar…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:00PM
Sunday, July 21, 2013

Mel Smith obituary by Stuart Jeffries

Comedian, actor, writer and director who came to prominence in satirical TV sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock NewsMel Smith was once upstaged by a talking gorilla. He was playing a zoologist …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:12PM
Thursday, July 11, 2013

Anna Wing, who played Lou Beale on EastEnders, dies aged 98 by Stuart Jeffries

Actor who became a household name in her 70s as Albert Square's indomitable matriarchWhen Anna Wing took on her most famous role, in EastEnders in 1985, the Sun ran the headline: "Enter the …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:56AM
Sunday, June 16, 2013

Willem Dafoe: 'Don't make this into a crackpot profile, please' by Stuart Jeffries

The actor famous for being game for anything talks about his passion for physical theatre, his attraction to strong directors – but declines to comment on the size of his penisWhen Willem …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:00PM
Monday, June 10, 2013

Kim Cattrall and Marianne Elliott on sex, age and Sweet Bird of Youth by Stuart Jeffries

For Tennessee Williams's troubling play about a fading movie star and her gigolo, the star of Sex and the City and director of War Horse had to face some uncomfortable truths'It's very painf…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:30PM

Kim Cattrall and Marianne Elliott on sex, age and Sweet Bird of Youth by Stuart Jeffries

For Tennessee Williams's troubling play about a fading movie star and her gigolo, the star of Sex and the City and director of War Horse had to face some uncomfortable truths Continue readin…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:30PM
Friday, May 17, 2013

Paul Shane obituary by Stuart Jeffries

Sitcom star whose tragi-comic character Ted Bovis in Hi-de-Hi! was his great triumphIn one episode of the 1980s sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, the tragi-comic holiday camp crooner and funnyman Ted Bovis …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:39PM
Friday, May 11, 2012

Jerry Seinfeld – review by Stuart Jeffries

National Indoor Arena, Birmingham"Oh my God, Birmingham, England!" yelled Jerry Seinfeld as he came on stage suited and shouting as though he sought to sell us something disreputable. "Do yo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:18PM
Friday, April 13, 2012

Ruth Wilson: 'I'd love to play Hamlet' by Stuart Jeffries

The critics adore her and tomorrow she is up for an Olivier award. She is known for brave portrayals of emotional extremity, but Ruth Wilson says fear is the key to her acting'I wish I was m…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:05PM
Friday, February 17, 2012

The Saturday interview: Nicolas Kent by Stuart Jeffries

The artistic director of London's Tricycle Theatre is leaving after a 28-year tenure. So what next for the man who put real-life politics, from Iraq to last year's riots, on stage?On his fir…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:04PM
Sunday, December 11, 2011

Joanna Lumley: 'Patsy is a strong woman. She has to be. She hasn't eaten since 1973' by Stuart Jeffries

Bond girl, fashion icon, renowned stage actor, Gurkha champion: Joanna Lumley has had a wonderful career. But it is her portrayal of Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous that is stamped on the nati…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:59PM
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The joy of walking out of Top Girls | Stuart Jeffries by Stuart Jeffries

Caryl Churchill's play may be regarded as a classic of political and feminist theatre, but I couldn't wait to leave. Was I missing something?Last week, a friend whispered to me: "This is ter…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:01AM
Friday, September 30, 2011

I don't know how to love him (the Phantom of the Opera, that is) by Stuart Jeffries

Andrew Lloyd Webber's tame simulacrum of dark passion is now celebrating 25 years. This cultural juggernaut must be stoppedThe Phantom of the Opera is the most successful piece of entertainm…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:54AM
Friday, September 9, 2011

The Saturday interview: Vanessa Redgrave by Stuart Jeffries

Legendary actor and life-long activist Vanessa Redgrave on bad habits, brother Corin and why the battle for the beleaguered Travellers of Dale Farm matters so much to herWhen Corin Redgrave …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:04PM
Friday, September 2, 2011

David Hare: 'It's absurd, but I feel insecure' by Stuart Jeffries

David Hare is one of Britain's most successful and political playwrights. His work has taken on everything from the invasion of Iraq to the global financial meltdown, yet today he finds hims…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:09PM
Sunday, August 21, 2011

When two tribes meet: collaborations between artists and scientists by Stuart Jeffries

Science and art are often considered opposites – so what happens when top practitioners in each field collaborate? The results, finds Stuart Jeffries, can be seismicYes, Leonardo da Vinci …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:30PM
Friday, August 19, 2011

The Saturday interview: Janet Suzman by Stuart Jeffries

Janet Suzman was one of the giants of the British stage in the 60s and 70s. She might have made it in Hollywood too – if she hadn't looked so good in a tiara'See Pooh bear up there?" says …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:10PM
Sunday, August 14, 2011

Prom 40: BBC Concert Orchestra/Minchin/The Boy with Tape on His Face etc – review by Stuart Jeffries

Royal Albert Hall, LondonIf we can get through this review without provoking Tim Minchin to write a song about it, we'll have achieved some kind of closure. Six summers ago, when a Guardian …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:27AM
Monday, May 30, 2011

Dominic West: 'People seem to think I'm Satan' by Stuart Jeffries

Famous for his role as a hard-bitten detective in The Wire, he is starring in a Simon Gray play as Butley, 'a man with no soul', as the serial killer Fred West in a forthcoming TV drama – …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:00AM
Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Betty Blue Eyes: can Cameron Mackintosh make this pig musical fly? by Stuart Jeffries

The West End impresario's first new show in a decade features an animatronic sow, voiced by Kylie. Can he make a silk purse from a sow's ear? Stuart Jeffries meets him to find outCameron Mac…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:45AM
Friday, February 18, 2011

Corrie! – review by Stuart Jeffries

Arts, CambridgeThe silhouette is unmistakable. The heels are five inches plus, pencil skirt tight as a drum, bust supported by something mighty, hair big as a guardsman's bearskin. Smoke fro…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:17PM
Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Sovremennik and the gates of hell by Stuart Jeffries

The story of one woman's struggle against Stalinist brutality and the gulag has electrified Russia. Will it work here? Roman Abramovich seems to think so.The last time I saw Moscow, Scarlett…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:31PM
Friday, December 17, 2010

The Saturday interview: Bill Bailey – 'It's genius, evil genius' by Stuart Jeffries

Bill Bailey has been described as the world's seventh greatest comedian. But he's a lot better than that. Who else could make inverse femtobarns (look it up) funny?Oh dear, I seem to have pu…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:16PM

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