With Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, Alan Bennett joins a tradition " including Dario Fo and David Hare " of writers putting versions of themselves into the frayAn American TV viewer once wrote to…
From Simon Gray to Alan Ayckbourn, many playwrights have kept their most interesting roles out of sight " but very much in mindRowan Atkinson dominates the posters for a West End production …
Are rich patrons easier to entertain? And are those in the cheap seats more discerning?Coughing, texting, talking and rustling sweets are all ways in which audiences can affect a performance…
From John Osborne to Howard Brenton, many fine playwrights have suffered periods of neglect " but, as Peter Nichols's resurgence shows, dramatic fortunes can rise as well as fallIt's notorio…
As Merrily We Roll Along extends its run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Stephen Sondheim offers rare proof that it's possible to create a show that sinks before it swimsStephen Sondheim's …
As Merrily We Roll Along extends its run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Stephen Sondheim offers rare proof that it's possible to create a show that sinks before it swims Continue reading...
Rarely have theatre critics doled out so many ill-starred reviews, from the Donmar's Julius Caesar to the Spice Girls' Viva Forever!. Strangely, sometimes producers rely on themAlthough it's…
New West End shows The Bodyguard and Viva Forever! feature plenty of female whooping at male nudity. Would it be acceptable the other way around?Is it all right for theatregoers to be sexual…
Saying all-female productions are inauthentic misses the point " Shakespeare's plays have always been gender-bendingThe acting editions published by Samuel French have traditionally specifie…
The Evening Standards' honouring of individual stars such as Simon Russell Beale and Lolita Chakrabarti belies the fact that their productions were ensemble effortsJames Corden began Sunday …
Anya Reiss's new version modernises The Seagull and transplants it to the Isle of Wight. Does the language suffer " and how respectful should adaptations be?Just before seeing a new version …
Theatres can't keep asking us to hang about in the dark while actors move house. We may as well go to the cinemaAll performers hope for applause " but the new London West End production of U…
It's the done thing on Broadway to shower star names with applause the moment they enter. I can't be the only one to find this tradition ridiculousOn a recent trip to New York, I was depress…
Like many a printed companion to a play, this column contains spoilers " namely, how dramatists sometimes use programmes to keep audiences in the darkFirst, a warning that this column contai…
The idea of white actors making themselves up as black is shocking to most of us " and yet a theatre in Germany has seen fit to continue the tradition. Why? Continue reading...
The idea of white actors making themselves up as black is shocking to most of us " and yet a theatre in Germany has seen fit to continue the tradition. Why?Most news stories " government in …
He writes for Doctor Who and Sherlock " now Mark Gatiss is starring as Charles I on stage. He talks to Mark Lawson about overreaching royals, bad auditions and why he's the man to play Jerem…
Radio is a great place to push the boundaries of drama, for playwrights and audiences alike " as recent productions testifyFor a long time, many London West End openings " think Ghost: The M…
Her plays arrive fully formed " and she refuses to talk about what they mean. Mark Lawson talks to actors, directors and her publisher about what really makes Churchill tickSince the death o…
Casting well-known names from TV or film has become a sure-fire way of generating ticket sales. But it blinds us to the true depth and breadth of British theatreAlthough theatre reviewing ha…
Casting well-known names from TV or film has become a sure-fire way of generating ticket sales. But it blinds us to the true depth and breadth of British theatre Continue reading...
I'd always been sceptical of site-specific and non-text-based theatre, but Robert Wilson's astonishing Walking won me overAs readers rapidly come to suspect, critics tend to have their preju…
Some dramatists, such as Caryl Churchill and Debbie Tucker Green, refuse point blank to talk about their work. Is this vow of silence defensible " or detrimental?Before the opening of a new …
It's a paradox that the more successful a show or theatre, the more difficult it is to get a ticket. Has Josie Rourke found a cure?Is it possible for a theatre to become too successful? Over…
From Madness frontman Graham McPherson to Falklands veteran Ken Lukowiak, solo shows are all the rage right now. But what makes this the moment of the monologue?It's often been said that eve…