456 stories by "Mark Lawson"
From Trumpageddon to Brexit: The Musical, many would-be topical crowdpleasers at this year's fringe can't match the manic pace of real-life news eventsThis would be a bad time to try to hire…
Old Red Lion theatre, LondonThis powerfully acted story of George Orwell's death-bed marriage to Sonia Brownell makes for an entertaining night of literary intrigue and anecdoteGeorge Orwell…
The Pulitzer-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor leaves behind a vast career that took him from stage to screen and back againSam Shepard, who has died aged 73, was perhaps the only…
From directing Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag to her new play Touch, Vicky Jones isn't afraid to tell the truth about young women's messy sexual exploitsThe theatrical career of Vicky Jones…
The actor's former creations include a psychopathic teacher and an adulterous husband. Now the son of a former Guardian journalist is to play Rupert Murdoch in a new play, InkAs the son, gra…
Coliseum, LondonJim Steinman's perky lyrics are often overpowered in this musical juggernaut, but his roaring choruses and fairytale plot are built for the ENO's stageSeveral of the songs on…
From the terraces to the post-match showers, two new theatre shows let Cobblers, Blues and Villains supporters tackle their teams' histories and rivalriesFootball and theatre can both range …
How do you turn a grinding peace deal into a sellout show that's up for seven Tony awards? Easy, says JT Rogers. Just violate your heroes " and stir in some Noël Coward"If you had told me…
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 …
Mike Bartlett's mock-Shakespearean take on constitutional crisis over Prince Charles proves an attraction' 'Royally entertaining' ... Michael Billington's review of the Almeida productionAlt…
Leicester Square theatre, LondonThis tipsy performance of giggly, off-script improvisation is pointless if it's put-on, cruel if it's real, and staggeringly bad if you're soberThe most shock…
The actor's imposing vocal and physical presence equipped him to play Lear and a future Charles III as well as a series of police and army officersCombining height with a voice of unusual br…
Feisty, quick-witted actor and singer acclaimed as the 'first lady of Broadway'' From Sondheim to 30 Rock: Stritch's career in clips' Stritch interview: 'I'm a do-it-myself kind of broad'' I…
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea Picking on the audience is engaging more than cruel as Brydon riffs and ad-libs with seasoned charm in his new tourLined with retirement bungalows and hol…
A rush of new plays offer fictionalised versions of Labour's 1981 split, the revamp of the Sun, a TV quizshow scandal and other real events. Playwrights James Graham and Steve Waters discuss…
Barely out of Rada, Tamara Lawrance cruised into TV and stage roles. Now she's taking on Twelfth Night at the National. Can it beat her weird student version?Playing Viola in Twelfth Night a…
Theatre 503, LondonNeil LaBute and Caryl Churchill contribute to an evening of plays that make every effort to empathise with Trump votersNews that a London fringe theatre had commissioned a…
In the past, his plays have enraged the right. But Howard Barker's new foes are liberals " angry at the 'yellowface' casting in his latest work. Why is he so unbothered?At the bottom of the …
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…
The writer remains nationally visible and professionally treasured, just don't be fooled into using the obvious label' B is for Betty's, S is for splother ... An A-Z of Alan Bennett' 80 year…
A new season of shows, on stage and screen, give a strong sense of deja vu. But are remakes always an artistic upgrade?The top-grossing films of 2016 in the UK are The Jungle Book and B…
Soho theatre, LondonPhoebe Waller-Bridge expertly controls the audience as she performs the original monologue that led to her TV smash It's unusual for the text of a theatrical monologue to…
How do you top a hit play about global politics? By tackling the end of the world " from nuclear meltdown to Brexit and Trump. The writer talks eavesdropping and honestyWomen who go to see a…
From One Man, Two Guvnors to Noises Off and What the Butler Saw, trouser-dropping and door-slamming is back with a vengeance in the West End and on Broadway. How come?On radio phone-ins at t…
The playwright discusses referendum gloom, turning down I'm a Celebrity, and why his third volume of diaries may be his last. Read an extract hereHaving been a Spitting Image puppet, voiced …
