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…
In search of theatrical immortality? You could get your play on the school syllabus, like Tom Stoppard, mention the US elections or Christmas, like Gore Vidal and Alan Ayckbourn " or just wr…
You thought it was innocent family entertainment? Wrong. Danny Boyle's political production would have made Joan Littlewood and the leftwing Theatre Workshop proudDuring the era of agitprop …
I've somehow notched up 15 different Julius Caesars, 12 Pinter Betrayals, and who knows what else. Where do you stand on seeing shows more than once?Audiences sometimes experience the unfort…
Picasso, Munch and Gormley have all dabbled, but imagine the inspired collaborations that could result if more major artists turned their talents to stage designThe artists Gilbert & George,…
Whether it's coalition government, banking or war, scenes or subjects " even apparently inconsequential " can take on a new resonance for audiences in the light of current eventsA director o…
The sight of Stephen Mangan's prosthetic penis in Joe Penhall's Birthday was too much for preview audiences, who thought it was real. Why can't theatre cope with too much reality?A few weeks…
The sight of Stephen Mangan's prosthetic penis in Joe Penhall's Birthday was too much for preview audiences, who thought it was real. Why can't theatre cope with too much reality? Continue r…
Too much publicity threatens the surprise and suspense of narrative art. That is why the Royal Court and the National Theatre have tried to keep quiet the entire content of a playIn the stor…