Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde (Rain or Shine)
hadestown (NT)
wise children (Old Vic)
measure for measure (donmar)
a very very very dark matter (Bridge)
twelfth night (young vic)
antony and cleopatra (NT)
twelfth night (Wiltons/ Watermill)
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Peacock)
Sylvia (Old Vic)
othello (globe)
Dance Nation (Almeida)
Fun Home (Young Vic)
much ado about nothing (abbey ruins)
winter’s tale (globe)
much ado (rain or shine)
machinal (Almeida)
a midsummer nights dream (watermill)
two noble kinsmen (globe)
translations (NT)
as you like it (globe)
cinderella (bourne)
the way of the world (donmar)
absolute hell (NT)
the writer (Almeida)
strictly ballroom (Piccadilly)
the inheritance (Young Vic)
caroline or change (Hampstead)
much ado (globe)
book of mormon (Prince of Wales)
gundog (Royal Court)
the york realist (Donmar)
hamilton (Victoria Palace)
dry powder (Hampstead)
the brothers size (Young Vic)
julius caesar (bridge)
Top Eleven (in no particular order)
Twelfth Night (Young Vic) – relocate the action to Notting Hill during carnival, replace some of the text with songs, add dancing, add the cross gartering being jogging lycra and Malvolio on a segway and doing full broadway tap, and …uh… I may have seen this twice.
Twelfth Night (Watermill / Wiltons Music Hall) *rubs hands* right, we’re going to set this in a 1920s speakeasy, transfer it to a shabby victorian music hall, the cast are all actor-musicians (it’s a watermill thing), do a whole bunch of modern songs in Postmodern Jukebox style, (Lourde’s Royals is the most *perfect* Malvolio song), Sir Toby Belch is female, Orsino is tone deaf, and Malvolio finds himself by dressing in stockings, suspenders, satin knickers, a waist cincher, smeared makeup and a metric tonne of body glitter. QUESTIONS?
Sylvia (Old Vic) – not finished musical of the Pankhursts. (due to cast illness, the second act was still very creaky and they had the entire run as in preview) Literally a raised fist for female empowerment, suffrage, rights, family rifts due to differing ideals, and a resounding ‘fuck you’ to Winston Churchill and the establishment. (especially from his mother and wife) Alongside the amazingness of Beverly Knight as Emmeline Pankhurst was the tininess of the entire audience doing an indrawn breath on ‘Oh, hi, Emily’.
Fun Home (Young Vic) When there’s audible sobbing at least twice during the musical and then the bar is full of people crying on each other afterwards, that is a damn good job of hitting the audience where it hurts with your tale of growing up in a funeral home and discovering your sexuality. We’re not even mentioning the set.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Watermill) Cast of actor-musicians? check. the fairies are mostly dressed as shabby magicians? check. Titania is glorious? check. Bottom is female, turns male as a donkey, and is one of the most gifted physical comedians ever and could gurn for England? check and *mate*.
As You Like It (Globe) Half the cast is genderswapped, Celia is deaf and signing and bringing the house down, Touchstone is completely deadpan and tormenting the entire audience because it’s fucking Pearce Quigley finding new jokes you could only do in the Globe and James Garnon is playing Phoebe and has *not* overdone the blusher, thankyou.
The Writer (Almeida) – we’re going to go entirely meta, we’re going to rage against sexism in theatre and writing and direction and life and we’re going to ask what the hell a baby is doing onstage. And every. single. woman in the audience will hiss.
Strictly Ballroom (Piccadiily) Take the film. Add MORE dancing and neon and lycra and ruffles and sequins and then add Will Young as an Emcee doing most of the singing and at one point put him on rollerskates for the hell of it.
Caroline or Change (Hampstead) Sharon D Clarke, we are not worthy. (also we’re going to give extra chocolate to the costume designer)
The York Realist (Donmar) – How to break your heart with the tale of a yorkshire farmer who gets cast in the Passion Plays and meets a young director up from London. No sexuality issues, just utterly lovely and family and life getting in the way.
Hamilton (Victoria Palace) – everything you’ve heard is true. Jaw droppingly amazing, deserves every possible plaudit and the london cast is brilliant. And there’s nothing like a london audience laughing contemptuously at King George III doing a Boris Johnson.
WORST
Absolute Hell (NT) The characters may bloody be trapped in purgatory of not going anywhere, the audience doesn’t have to be. First play I ever walked out of.
burntcopper 