Michael Coveney
Encyclopedia
Michael Coveney is a British
theatre critic. He was educated at St Ignatius' College
, Stamford Hill
and Worcester College, Oxford
.
After graduation, he worked as a script reader for the Royal Court Theatre
and from 1972 he contributed theatre reviews to the Financial Times
. He was deputy editor (1973-75) and editor of Plays and Players magazine from 1975 to 1978 and theatre critic and deputy arts editor of the Financial Times throughout the 1980s. He was theatre critic for The Observer
from 1990 until he joined the Daily Mail
in 1997. He is Chief Critic of the leading theatre website Whatsonstage.com and a contributor to its sister publication Whatsonstage magazine.
He is the author of The Citz, a history of the Glasgow Citizens Theatre (Nick Hern Books, 1990) and Maggie Smith: A Bright Particular Star (Gollancz, 1993).
His book The Aisle is Full of Noises (Nick Hern Books
1994), a spirited diary of a year in the theatre, was withdrawn following complaints of potential libel from Milton Shulman
; although, as reported in The Times of 21 September 1994, Coveney "thought the comments were in the spirit of the book. I rather regret that Milton, of whom I am actually rather fond, didn't take them in that spirit." Most copies of the book had been sold before the withdrawal.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
theatre critic. He was educated at St Ignatius' College
St Ignatius' College
St Ignatius' College is a Catholic secondary school for boys, aged 11–18, located in Enfield, Middlesex. Formerly a grammar school, only accepting boys who had passed their Eleven plus exam, its educational philosophy was originally based upon the Jesuit precept of Ignatius of Loyola:Its current...
, Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England, near the border with Haringey. It is home to Europe's largest Hasidic Jewish and Adeni Jewish community.Stamford Hill is NNE of Charing Cross.-History:...
and Worcester College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
After graduation, he worked as a script reader for the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
and from 1972 he contributed theatre reviews to the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
. He was deputy editor (1973-75) and editor of Plays and Players magazine from 1975 to 1978 and theatre critic and deputy arts editor of the Financial Times throughout the 1980s. He was theatre critic for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
from 1990 until he joined the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
in 1997. He is Chief Critic of the leading theatre website Whatsonstage.com and a contributor to its sister publication Whatsonstage magazine.
He is the author of The Citz, a history of the Glasgow Citizens Theatre (Nick Hern Books, 1990) and Maggie Smith: A Bright Particular Star (Gollancz, 1993).
His book The Aisle is Full of Noises (Nick Hern Books
Nick Hern Books
Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nick Hern in 1988.-History:...
1994), a spirited diary of a year in the theatre, was withdrawn following complaints of potential libel from Milton Shulman
Milton Shulman
Milton Shulman was a Canadian author, film and theatre critic.-Early life:He was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of a successful shopkeeper. His parents were born in Ukraine and were driven out of the Russian Empire by poverty and the pogroms against the Jews...
; although, as reported in The Times of 21 September 1994, Coveney "thought the comments were in the spirit of the book. I rather regret that Milton, of whom I am actually rather fond, didn't take them in that spirit." Most copies of the book had been sold before the withdrawal.