Lawson Back on Beat

Rebus actor returns after stage fright

Charles Lawson is this evening, Thursday 11 October 2018, returning to the role of John Rebus in Rebus: Long Shadows at the Edinburgh King’s Theatre.

Lawson, who is most widely known for playing the role of Jim McDonald in Coronation Street since 1989,  became ill during this Monday’s Scottish premiere of the Rebus play and had to be helped off the stage.

Charles Lawson as Rebus with his understudy Neil McKinven in the role of petty criminal Mordaunt. Pic: Robert Day

The show continued with Lawson’s understudy, Neil McKinven, playing Rebus with script in hand. McKinven continued in the role for three more performances on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In our review of the show, Hugh Simpson praised both actors, saying that Lawson’s “world-weary cop-out-of-time was very convincing until illness prevented him going any further”.



All Edinburgh Theatre is pleased to report that Charles Lawson has now made a full recovery and understands that he will be returning to the production for the rest of the run, which is at the King’s until Saturday and has six more venues to visit until November 24.

Rebus: Long Shadows is adapted by Rona Munro from a short story specially written by Ian Rankin. Cathy Tyson stars as as an “upright, brittle DI Siobhan Clarke” providing effective contrast to “Rebus’s rumpled lugubriousness” and co-star John Stahl’s “expansive gangland kingpin ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty”.

Listings

Rebus: Long Shadows
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000
Monday 8 – Saturday 13 October 2018.
Evenings: 7.30pm, matinees Wed, Sat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: www.capitaltheatres.com/whats-on/rebus

The script of Rebus: Long Shadows is available from Amazon in both hardback and kindle formats. Click on the image for details:

ENDS

Tags: Cathy Tyson, Charles Lawson, Ian Rankin, John Stahl, King's Theatre, Neil McKinven, News, Rebus, Rebus: Long Shadows, Rona Munro, Theatre