Since Dame Maggie Smith’s recent passing, I’ve been reminded of a lesson she taught me about the power of good stories, especially when they end up in books. Smith, who died last month at 89, is best ...

The real test of any play written as a star vehicle is how it works when performed by lesser mortals. Two productions that have just opened–Theatre Britain’s Lettice & Lovage and Theatre Three’s The ...

Maggie Smith, the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in 1969 and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton ...