Going by the book: how much talking is too much in musicals? by Mark Lawson

The revivals of Cats, Assassins and City of Angels have thrown the spotlight on one of the trickiest aspects of musical theatreBritish theatre listings are rarely short of musical revivals, …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on February 2, 2015☆⚑

Reviving The Ruling Class, Peter Barnes's 'drama of extremes' by Mark Lawson

Playwrights of the past are easily forgotten, but thanks to his unique, black-comedy skewering of historical figures, Barnes has found a new champion in James McAvoyWith several generations …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on January 27, 2015☆⚑

Mark Lawson's top 10 theatre of 2014 by Mark Lawson

Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge stunned at the Young Vic, Sondheim's Assassins satirised with success, King Charles III did nothing, magnificently, and a startling Anything Goes is ou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:59am on December 23, 2014☆⚑

Carry on screaming: the supernatural success of The Woman in Black by Mark Lawson

The ingenious ghost story " and GCSE set text " is now the second longest-running play in the history of the West End. So why does it continue to pack audiences in, after 25 years?Although i…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:01am on December 12, 2014☆⚑

Michael Frayn's Matchbox Theatre: are these mini-plays or short stories? by Mark Lawson

The 30 brief scenes in the writer's new book blur the boundaries between his work for stage and page Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:30am on November 25, 2014☆⚑

An A-Z of Edward Albee by Mark Lawson

G is for The Goat, L is for lizards and U is for umbrella As A Delicate Balance returns to Broadway, dip into our guide to the great American playwright Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on November 11, 2014☆⚑

David Edgar: Ukip is my territory. I suspect I am going to write about that by Mark Lawson

As his Iron Curtain Trilogy opens in London, the playwright reflects on depicting the last 50 years of British life on the stage Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:30am on November 7, 2014☆⚑

Life With Father: the long-lost daddy of Broadway by Mark Lawson

Life with Father, about a sexist patriarch and submissive wife, holds the record for the longest-running non-musical play in New York. Now, 75 years after it premiered, Mark Lawson…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:00pm on October 31, 2014☆⚑

The master linguist: the problem with translating Ibsen by Mark Lawson

From a re-imagining of The Wild Duck to differing interpretations of The Master Builder, Ibsens plays are challenging source material. The New Penguin Ibsen aims to get to grips with the ori…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:51am on October 29, 2014☆⚑

Triple threat: the trouble with theatrical trilogies by Mark Lawson

Dramatic triptychs from Aeschyluss Oresteia to Rona Munros James plays are expensive to stage and bum-numbing to watch. Do they deliver three times the pleasure? Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:40am on October 3, 2014☆⚑

Playwright Richard Bean: You can make jokes about anything by Mark Lawson

One Man Two Guvnors is a box office phenomenon, and the man behind it has another five plays on stage this month. Richard Bean talks about legal wrangles, dodgy gags and why success has…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on October 1, 2014☆⚑

What a piece of work is a (wo)man: the perils of gender-crossed Shakespeare by Mark Lawson

From Maxine Peakes Hamlet to David Suchets Lady Bracknell, cross-casting is all the rage. But sometimes it can be more problematic than enlightening Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:58am on September 23, 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 on September 21, 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 5:37am on September 16, 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 7:00am on September 12, 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 4:20pm on September 7, 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 on September 4, 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 on August 29, 2014☆⚑

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 Gentle…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00am on August 29, 2014☆⚑

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 3:00am on August 29, 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 9:00am on August 22, 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 5:14am on August 20, 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 8:14am on August 14, 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 8:59am on August 11, 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 on August 7, 2014☆⚑