Lily Allen has had a heated online exchange with a theater critic after the critic expressed his opinion on the success of her West End show The Pillowman. The play, directed by Martin McDonagh and co-starring Steve Pemberton and Paul Kaye, recently concluded its run at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.
The critic, Mark Shenton, took issue with a positive review quote from All That Dazzles, which read: “Undoubtedly one of the best plays of the year.” Shenton responded on X (formerly Twitter) by calling the review “utterly meaningless” and claiming that he was “relieved” he missed the show.
In response, Allen fired back, saying that Shenton’s stance was “bizarre” and that “60,000 people bought tickets to come and see this show and [she]’d say 90% of them were up on their feet at the curtain.” Shenton then responded by saying that the quote “lacked credibility” and delivered a personal jibe at Allen, writing: “PS: good luck at drama school.”
The British singer-songwriter fired back with a passionate response, calling Shenton “a fucking idiot” for attempting to shame her and adding that “there is nothing shameful about wanting to study.” She concluded by telling Shenton to “get in the bin.”
Allen recently opened up about her relationship with the press and revealed how fame became an addiction early in her career. The Pillowman marks her first foray into acting and she clearly has a passion for the craft, as evidenced by her fiery exchange with the theatre critic.
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