Why a late entrance can recast a play by Mark Lawson

Programmes can give a clue to game-changing last-minute appearances " which is why some writers have gone to great lengths to conceal crucial surprisesThe actor Christian Rodska has an impre…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:02am on May 21, 2012☆⚑

Is it curtains for the theatre curtain? by Mark Lawson

Audiences know the action kicks off on stage when the curtain goes up " so why are so many directors dispensing with the idea?The tradition that performances are punctuated by the rise and …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:57am on May 14, 2012☆⚑

Let's face it: Shakespeare had help by Mark Lawson

Several of the Bard's plays, as was common in Elizabethan drama, incorporated the efforts of other writers " so why are we reluctant to acknowledge it?The depressingly predictable decision t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:17am on May 1, 2012☆⚑

Comedy of errors: theatre's fascination with disaster by Mark Lawson

From David Suchet's broken shoelace to the tumbling barometer in Noel Coward's Hay Fever, theatre is always playing with the threat " and the thrill " of things going wrong for realThe tale …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:12am on April 23, 2012☆⚑

The King's Speech impediment: when films don't work on stage by Mark Lawson

The King's Speech is struggling to make anywhere near the same impact on stage as it did on the big screen. Can cinematic and theatrical versions of the same piece happily co-exist?Two newsp…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:56am on April 17, 2012☆⚑

French connection: have I cracked the code for a successful musical? by Mark Lawson

The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Blood Brothers all have links to French literature and have been going strong for around 25 years. The plot thickens ...Working on a radio docum…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:24am on April 9, 2012☆⚑

When stage actors really do break a leg by Mark Lawson

In the first of a new series that puts theatre's hidden stories in the spotlight, Mark Lawson looks at the dramatic effect that an awkward fall or twanged hamstring can have on a productionO…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:48am on March 30, 2012☆⚑

Was Mike Daisey wrong to make fiction from fact? by Mark Lawson

Mike Daisey's campaigning monologue about Apple may have succeeded as a play, but it failed as journalism. Does it matter if theatre based on real-life material takes dramatic licence?Some t…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:29pm on March 23, 2012☆⚑

Dame Edna Everage: farewell possums by Mark Lawson

Barry Humphries' announcement that he is to retire Dame Edna Everage is sad news for all fans of the housewife superstarOne of Dame Edna Everage's shows was called, in a characteristically c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:05pm on March 19, 2012☆⚑

Joely Richardson: back in at the deep end by Mark Lawson

Her mother was a celebrated Ellida. So was her sister. Is that why Joely Richardson is marking her return to the stage by playing Ibsen's difficult heroine?One day last year, Joely Richards…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:30pm on February 14, 2012☆⚑

Playwright David Eldridge: The only way is Essex by Mark Lawson

With his plays about heroin addicts and barrow boys, David Eldridge has swung the wrecking ball at class bias in theatre. But his biggest conflict is with himselfOver the last 15 years, Davi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:31pm on February 6, 2012☆⚑

How the arts risk-takers reaped their rewards | Mark Lawson by Mark Lawson

From The King's Speech to the Great British Bake Off, this year's arts winners ignored the safety-first rules of surviving a downturnThe year began and now ends with an odd little movie, sho…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:00pm on December 23, 2011☆⚑

Betty Blue Eyes: the prime cut that nobody wanted by Mark Lawson

Betty Blue Eyes was a critical smash, but the final curtain comes down early this weekend. Why are original British musicals being squeezed out of the West End? Blog: join the debateOn the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:31pm on September 21, 2011☆⚑

Audiences, end these noises off | Mark Lawson by Mark Lawson

David Mellor is right to remonstrate with unruly theatre-goers. But he's fighting a losing battleThe opera-going former politician David Mellor has reportedly taken to remonstrating with mem…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:30pm on June 16, 2011☆⚑

Should we care who wrote William Shakespeare's plays? | Mark Lawson by Mark Lawson

On the anniversary of his death, researchers " driven by a devotion to plays which have lasted centuries " are still finding, and deleting, works to credit to himThis week, I spent six hours…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:30am on April 23, 2011☆⚑

The phone call all TV producers fear by Mark Lawson

Copyright law can be a minefield " as the BBC found out over Room at the TopThe sudden removal from the BBC4 schedule last week of a new dramatisation of John Braine's novel Room at the Top,…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 3:00pm on April 11, 2011☆⚑

Makeup for Johnny Depp | Mark Lawson by Mark Lawson

He may be white, but Johnny Depp is perfect casting for Tonto, the Lone Ranger's Native American sidekickReports that a movie remake of The Lone Ranger will star Johnny Depp as the Native A…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:00pm on February 20, 2011☆⚑

Theatre's tinsel pound makes children of us all again | Mark Lawson by Mark Lawson

From pantos to atheism, from Great War slaughter to Ronnie Corbett, every hit festive show will make us look back in wonderThe Royal Court Theatre in London has always been a pioneer: the si…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:00pm on December 3, 2010☆⚑