220 stories by "Laura Barnett"
Illegal immigrants and teeth falling into soup? This enjoyable play doesn't exactly speak to Chinese restaurant owner Stephanie Lo's personal experienceI enjoyed this play, but I expected so…
'The high point of my career? On the opening night of Hairspray, I wore a sequinned dress with big breasts'What got you into comedy?Seeing Steve Martin on Parkinson when I was a kid. It's on…
She's not a feminist, but says women are born creative. Juliette Binoche talks to Laura Barnett about her spat with Gérard Depardieu, bad reviews " and why acting is like peeling onionsOne …
The French are frankly unshockable at the Avignon festival, plus Lynn Barber shorn and Rabbie Burns's local theatre savedLingua franca in AvignonThe Diary returns fresh from a weekend a…
English is gloriously absent at the Avignon festival " and, despite my French not being up to much, I found myself wondering if it matteredHow much can you get out of a play if it's performe…
The RSC's legendary voice coach Cicely Berry has taught everyone from Sean Connery to Samuel L Jackson. But can she fix Laura Barnett's diction?Cicely Berry is not impressed. I'm sitting on …
Laura Barnett is your spirit guide as the potter's wheel of art remoulds a Hollywood blockbuster into something else on the West End stageLaura Barnett
Councils contemplate art fire sale, plus the lure of the 50s, Motley Theatre Design Course closes, and oh my darling Cher LloydSave the Bolton PicassosShould local councils sell off works of…
'After Band of Gold, I got sick of taxi drivers saying, 'You're that prostitute off the telly " are you available?''What made you decide to become an actor?When I was 11 or 12 and at bo…
'I was brought up a Quaker. I'm not practising, but I'd like to be remembered for being true to Quaker pacifism'How did you get into directing?My dad ran an Aladdin's cave of an antique…
'In Hollywood, they don't respect you if you make your own tea and go by bike instead of limousine'Why did you decide to become an actor?From a very young age, I wanted to get up on stage wh…
Gossip blogger Sam Nathan feels vindicated by the shameless rumour-mongering in a funky update on Sheridan's playEighteenth-century farce isn't usually my bag, but I enjoyed this. The produc…
'My advice to a young actor? Keep your clothes on'What got you started?My father was a TV scriptwriter. He would perform his dialogue out loud, while my mum transcribed it at the typewriter.…
'I'm a good person. I have ethics. I haven't let my parents down. And I've run the marathon three times'What got you started?Doing amateur dramatics in my spare time. I was working as a secr…
Currently tackling Harold Pinter's Moonlight at London's Donmar, the director says he won't let reviews keep him from experimentingIn 2003, Bijan Sheibani directed a double-bill of plays by …
Currently tackling Harold Pinter's Moonlight at London's Donmar, the director says he won't let reviews keep him from experimentingIn 2003, Bijan Sheibani directed a double-bill of plays by …
'I'd love to do a big West End musical. I was never into them before, but they're a dirty pleasure now'How did you get into directing?Running a community drama group at Norwich Arts Centre. …
From the stocking guidelines to the sex, dentist Martin Fallowfield approves the new production of this 1938 play " but where are all the patients?This play is set in a dentist's waiting roo…
A theatre critic has caused controversy by snoring through Terence Rattigan's Cause Célèbre. But surely there are worse things than a mid-show snooze. Aren't there?Poor Paul Taylor. There …
'Once when I was playing Groucho Marx I fainted " and when I came round my trousers were round my ankles'What got you started?As a child, I had an innate desire to think about what it was li…
Fertility expert Adam Balen finds Lorca's play a brilliant exploration of the pain felt by a couple's inability to conceiveThis play by Federico GarcÃa Lorca is a brilliant exploration of…
From 'hot 100s' to Oliviers, Oscars and Baftas, we're obsessed with ranking and categorising artists. But who does it benefit?There are, to borrow a phrase, two types of people in the world:…
'I'm embarrassed daily on set. My job is a series of humiliations, peppered with moments of getting it right'What got you started?I'm one of those people who wanted to act from the age …
A hilarious twist on Scotland's bottled water that showcases west-coast humour, says VisitScotland's Shona AndersonThe idea behind these hilarious short plays is that Ayrshire council has be…
Footwear is a serious matter " something Shoes: The Musical doesn't pay enough attention toI've never known a nun to buy a pair of my high heels. But in this entertaining musical, we se…
